Things you didn't know about the US government:

[East Coast Hustle]

The fact that it's 2012 and not 1812 does not in any way impede the right people from getting an official letter of marque and reprisal.

[Don Coyote]

So yer a legalized privateer?

[East Coast Hustle]

Yep. We're in negotiations with some merc outfits and if everything works out we'll spend 5+ years off the east coast of Africa doing pirate interdiction. I give it about a 25% chance of actually happening, but if it does the hazard pay will be enough to allow me to retire when it's all done. And I made the captain promise that at least once I'd get to touch off the Phalanx missiles.

[The Johnny]

21st-century American reconsideration of Letters of Marque

Article 1 of the United States Constitution lists issuing letters of marque and reprisal in Section 8 as one of the enumerated powers of Congress, alongside the power to tax and to "declare War." However, since the American Civil War, the United States as a matter of policy has consistently followed the terms of the 1856 Paris Declaration forbidding the practice. The United States has not legally commissioned any privateers since 1815, although the status of submarine-hunting Goodyear airships in the early days of World War II created significant confusion. Various accounts refer to airships Resolute and Volunteer as operating under a "privateer status", but Congress never authorized a commission, nor did the President sign one.[29]

The issue of marque and reprisal was raised before Congress after the September 11 attacks[30] and again on July 21, 2007, by Congressman Ron Paul. The attacks were defined as acts of "air piracy" and the Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001 was introduced, which would have granted the president the authority to use letters of marque and reprisal against the specific terrorists, instead of warring against a foreign state. The terrorists were compared to pirates in that they are difficult to fight by traditional military means.[31] Congressman Paul on April 15, 2009, also advocated the use of letters of marque to address the issue of Somali pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden. However, the bills Congressman Paul introduced were not enacted into law.

[The Johnny]

So terrorists are pirates...

[East Coast Hustle]

I don't know or care about all that, as our job (if it comes to pass) would be strictly dealing with actual pirates that try to attack, board, and hold for ransom actual ships operating on the high seas.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Imperialist swine. You make Johnny Depp cry 

[Cain]

So terrorists are pirates...

In the 19th century, terrorists were referred to at times as "land-pirates".  Which actually seems to suggest some kind of bandit.  But then, you go back to the Roman Empire, more than a few uprisings were classed as banditry by Imperial historians and authorities.

Ironically enough, there is another Roman term which has a certain amount of application to how terrorists are viewed and treated in the 21st century: homo sacer.

As an aside, the pirate networks are being used by Islamist insurgents in Somalia, though they are not likely aware that they are being used as proxies for economic war against "the Far Enemy".  Al-Shabab appear to be much more on the defensive now than they were in 2009, but that's just led to them concluding alliances with Al-Qaeda, networking with Yemeni terrorists and working with the breakaway Somaliland government.

If they'd just damn well let the Islamic Courts Union take over in 2007 - like I recommended at the time - piracy would have been wiped out most likely.  Somalia would also be almost entirely unified.  It's not like we've never worked with nasty Islamists before, and the problem with Somalia was not the idea of Islamists taking over, but it continuing to be a festering sore on the Horn of Africa - a collapsed state full of feuds and conflicts and rampaging warlords.  The ICU would've pulled a Taliban and strung those warlords up for us.  And then, instead of leaving the place alone for a decade, like we did with Afghanistan, we could have kept an eye on them, strengthed the moderates against the extremists who would go on to be Al-Shabab and Hizbul Islam, and, if worst came to worst, we could get the Ethiopians to initiate regime change.  But noooooo, someone decided whiskey sexy democracy had to be brought to Somalia.  Because clan based leadership is going to lead to that sometime soon, no, really.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Democracy is totally something you can give to another country! It's the most perfect form of government ever and every nation can immediately adapt to it, no matter what the current form of government or state of the educational system and class structures!

[P3nT4gR4m]

Democracy is totally something you can give to another country! It's the most perfect form of government ever and every nation can immediately adapt to it, no matter what the current form of government or state of the educational system and class structures!

If you bomb them hard enough first, then yes. This statement is completely true.

[Triple Zero]

I heard Democracy is only transmitted if the countries don't use protection.

[P3nT4gR4m]

There is defence against democracy. Once the tanks roll in and the puppet dictator is put in power you're pretty much fucked ... erm ... I mean Liberated^tm

[Doktor Howl]

The fact that it's 2012 and not 1812 does not in any way impede the right people from getting an official letter of marque and reprisal.

NOTE TO ECH:  Google Captain Kidd.  It's a set up!

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

You need an eye-patch and a parrot, ECH. And a saber. 

[Doktor Howl]

You need an eye-patch and a parrot, ECH. And a saber. 

Cutlas.  Sabers are for cavalry.