[billybudd]

"the Coast Guard pulled my off a government-contracted U.S. merchant vessel"
"When the Coast Guard denied my the first time"

It's spelled me, and yes, spelling counts. BTW, your application of the Dred Scott case to yours is a bit sketchy - the only distinction the court made in that case was that whites were free citizens and blacks were slaves. Good luck with your efforts to extort $10 million from the American taxpayers who had nothing to do with your "suffering".

[Merchant Seaman]

NOT SKETCHY AT ALL!

Dred Scott case:

". It would give to persons of the negro race, who were recognised as citizens in any one State of the Union, the right to enter every other State whenever they pleased, singly or in companies, without pass or passport, and without obstruction, to sojourn there as long as they pleased, to go where they pleased at every hour of the day or night without molestation, unless they committed some violation of law for which a white man would be punished; and it would give them the full liberty of speech in public and in private upon all subjects upon which its own citizens might speak; to hold public meetings upon political affairs, and to keep and carry arms wherever they went."

We, of today, cannot keep and carry arms whereever we go." That makes us slaves to the State and Federal governments.

That is plain enough.