[Uriel1975]

It would be setting a bad precedent. Sorry, I'm not buying in on this one. The day of the privateer was NOT all skittles and beer--he had a nasty tendency to chase whatever targets were available and drag his sponsor into unwanted wars.

As we are proposing it, only those terrorist organizations, and operatives thereof, who have been Marqued for Reprisal by US SecDef, will have any Bounty attached.

Why chase non-Bountied targets? What would a private Contractor get out of it, a few camels and an AK-47 or two? Hardly worth the trouble.

The Marqued-and-Bountied Targets will be the ones who will be hunted, because that's where the money is.

[Poohbah]

Sorry, the kind of guy who'd go into this would not exactly worry about collecting a bounty ONLY from Uncle.

LOTS of folks want various tangos dead.

[strela]

Being a privateer wasn't all beer and skittles. There's even a song on the subject:

Oh the year was 1778
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
A letter of marque came from the King
To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen

CHORUS: God (expletive; ed.) them all! I was told, we'd cruise the seas for American gold.
We'd fire no guns! Shed no tears!
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier, the last of Barrett's Privateers.

O, Elcid Barrett cried the town
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
For twenty brave men, all fishermen, who
Would make for him, the Antelope's crew.

CHORUS

The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight.
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
She'd a list to the port and her sails in rags
And the cook in the scuppers with the staggers and jags

CHORUS

On the King's birthday we put to sea
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
We were ninety-one days to Montego Bay
Pumping like madmen all the way

CHORUS

On the ninety-sixth day we sailed again
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight
With our cracked four pounder we made to fight

CHORUS

The Yankee lay low down with gold
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
She was broad and fat and loose in stays
But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days

CHORUS

Then at length we stood two cables away
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
Our cracked four pounders made an awful din
But with one fat ball the Yankee stove us in

CHORUS

The Antelope shook and pitched on her side
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
And the main truck carried off both me legs

CHORUS

So here I am in my twenty third year
(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!)
It's been six years since we sailed away
And I just made Halifax yesterday

CHORUS