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At Large
Pirates and the Politically Correct
The Royal Navy may have been warned not to detain Somali pirates in case their human rights are violated, but Britain has cracked down firmly on pirates in other areas, such as children's parties.
If real pirates are to be unmolested at sea, and domestic violent crime has increased hugely in the last few years, still the Nanny State has never been Nannier. After all, two-thirds of the new jobs created in Britain since Labour came to power have been in the public sector, and they have to do something productive and useful for their salaries.
This is, after all, the society where an actor playing the brave Lord Nelson had to wear a life jacket over his glittering uniform when crossing the placid waters of the Thames near the Tower of London by boat.
When a crude replica of a pirate ship was erected in memory of the late Princess Diana at a children's playground in Kensington Gardens, commemorating Peter Pan's duels with the wicked Captain Hook, officialdom decreed that it should be purged of violent imagery such as cannon, walking the plank, and skull-and-crossbones flag.
Children's books featuring the exploits of the naughty 11-year-old schoolboy William Brown, who delighted in playing pirates, have been attacked as creating bad role models.
Recently the skull-and-crossbones flag has also been banned from being flown in the gardens of suburban houses hosting pirate parties on the grounds that it is unneighborly.
Local authority officials told the parents of 6-year-old Morgan Smith (not thought to be any relation to either the notorious Bloody Morgan, who sacked Porto Bello, or Aaron Smith, tried for piracy at the Old Bailey in 1823 but acquitted) that they must apply for planning permission to fly the flag, at a cost to them of about $150.
It was reported that an assessment of the 5'x4' flag's impact on the surrounding area would be undertaken before a decision was made as to whether the flag would be allowed for the party or not.
The young would-be picaroon's father was quoted as saying: "When the lady from the council came to see me she said the Jolly Roger was of concern. She took some pictures and said that we would have to take it down from now on. I've put in a planning application but I shouldn't have to go to all this trouble."
Similar trouble befell fireman and ex-soldier David Waterman (not known to be related to "Bully" Waterman, opium-runner and most dreaded of the Western Ocean Packet Skippers), of Ashstead, Surrey, when he flew a skull and cross-bones flag for his four-year-old daughter's pirate's party.
A neighbor complained and it was reported Waterman was facing court proceedings from the local council, whose spokesman said: "We are duty-bound to investigate complaints and enforce government regulations." Another neighbor then also hoisted a Jolly Roger as a gesture of solidarity with the Brethren of the Coast, but struck it after receiving a shot across the bows in the form of a warning letter from officialdom.
That old sea-dog Sir John Hawkins has also felt the wrath of the guardians of political correctness. One of the innumerable government-funded multiculturalism enforcers, the Plymouth Council for Racial Equality, attacked a proposal that a pub near Hawkins's birthplace in Plymouth be named after him, although in this case it was not because he cut out the occasional Spanish treasure ship but because he was a slave-trader.
Meanwhile, off the coast of Somalia the Royal Navy has reportedly received instructions from the Foreign Office not to detain pirates in case their human rights are breached. If sent back to Somalia they could, under Islamic law, face beheading for murder or having a hand chopped off for theft. (In Britain the death penalty for piracy on the high seas was only abolished in 1998.)
Captains of British warships patrolling off Somalia and other pirate-infested waters have also been warned that there is a risk captured pirates could claim asylum in Britain. Presumably they would be a charge on the State because they would not even be able to make new careers for themselves there at children's parties, or at least not without planning permission.
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Crusader| 12.2.08 @ 10:47AM
The decline of Western civilization is at a rapid pace. Wow.
Where are the men in Britian?
Daphne kenward| 12.2.08 @ 11:14AM
The way I see it, nothing wrong with health and safety. Ever heard of COSHH, if not look it up on the net, then you will understand why such things as Skull and cross bone is not used for childrens parties. I would say leave that to President G W Bush.
If voters was following what things mean, they would never have voted for the biggest desaster in rewcent times, resulting in the millions of deaths, in America or Iraq.
Too many American's live in a dream world instead of the world of reality. Example you can have all you want even though you have no money.
Who could doubt President Bush's judgement? all in the real world. Everyone in the Republican party doubt Obama for one reason alone the colour of the man's skin. If every one in the world was washed out looking, pale and sick looking, they would still have a problem they would be worried that there are some with the wrong colour eyes or hair, find something worth
while to worry about.
The state of the economy, lack of money in circulation, and why. Levels of crime and violence, gun crimes, ending the war in Iraq, stop worring about winning a war no one knew what it was about in the first place.
Find out the reason American manufacturing base has been reduced, and you'll find out why unemployment will continue to rise. And what the government plans to do about it. Find out if you are on the list for extermination as surplus to requirement.
Find out the reason why the Government policy in America and Britain and most of Europe want to exterminate 2.5 billion people, because the population explosion cannot be allowed to continue, and what is the best and most humane way to reduce populations world wide like family planning. Participate in the developement of your country instead of sleep walking into desaster, or worse into a concentration camp.
L. Ross| 12.2.08 @ 12:09PM
First, a sad article about our ongoing over-reactive society, a society which seems to have tipped right over the edge of sanity. I don't know what it is going to take to bring us back to reason, but I'm afraid I will never see it.
Regarding Daphne I have a few points in no particular order.
I suggest that when you write, you do so in another program, so you can spell check your work. Trust me, you need the help.
Second, are you from Bizzaro world, or what? This is an article about P.C. madness over pirate flags in the UK, and you go on a rant about George Bush. Daphne, I suggest you place your posts on a left wing website. People don't know how to spell there, lack coherent thought, posses minimal grammatical skill, and wander aimlessly from incoherent thought to incoherent thought. You will fit right in.
I will give you props for at least perusing a website that might give you some accurate information and perspective, but I don’t think you are benefitting from the exposure. Finally, (and I'm not trying to be mean here, only accurate) you do not seem to have the mental horsepower to post a coherent thought, which seriously undermines whatever goal you are trying to achieve in your writing.
Tim| 12.2.08 @ 12:42PM
Daphne Kenward...
You are a moron. As evidenced by trying to find a connection between Britain banning the Jolly Roger because it is "politically incorrect" and the US.
Please, see a psychiatrist. You need help.
wordwolf| 12.2.08 @ 1:26PM
Tim, look on the bright side. At least the lovely and gracious Daphne hasn't played us her familiar riff on the wicked Jews controlling the world for almost a whole month now...
Richard Nixon| 12.2.08 @ 7:07PM
Just as a celebrity knows they've become successful when they've earned the attentions of a stalker, so the American Spectator should celebrate the fact that they now have their very own token lunatic commenter. God forbid Daphne discover anti-psychotic medications, lest we be deprived of her insightful analyses of the day's events.
Duke927| 12.2.08 @ 10:55PM
On NewsBusters where I lurk and comment from time to time these folks like Daphne are deemed to be trolls and are not to be fed. But said Daphne seems to have a severe case of Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS) and should see her psych and resume her medications immediately
Alan Brooks| 12.3.08 @ 3:53AM
I wish Daphne would fight for Hamas, then Israel might surely will win.
A. Brooks| 12.3.08 @ 3:56AM
oops, my syntax was like Daffy's in the last message-- but the message remains: if Daphne is against Israel, the future for Israel is brighter.
Daphne Kenward| 12.3.08 @ 11:55AM
If I was a number of the commentators on this page, I would be more worried about the state of the American economy. And how to get out of the illegal war your moronic President Bush got your country into.
Gary| 12.3.08 @ 1:09PM
What a terrible racist Daphne is to pigeon hole an entire political party by saying they doubted Obama because of the colour of his skin, but then again what a correct left wing comment to make. Its a pity that people who think like Daphne have been in power in the UK for over ten years and are about to take power in the US, God help us, if you allowed to say that anymore.
Yaakov Watkins| 12.3.08 @ 9:51PM
It is a Jewish custom to erect small temporary structures to live in for the eight days of the feast of Tabernacles (usually in October). These structures are specifically not allowed to be waterproof.
We have had problems with less than cooperative neighbors here in Denver Colorado. I have a friend whose next door neighbor complains about him to the city every year. Faithful to the law, every year they send out an inspector who declares the building in violation of building codes and gives them ten days to take it down. So he waits until the day after the holiday and takes it down. By complying with the order, he avoids a fine.
There is a saying which those who want to fly the jolly roger might consider. "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission."
You can also find out who the complainant is and figure out what rules they are breaking. Denver's zoning code is only 150 years old and it has some real funny rules you can use to get back at the complainant. English cities, since they have been rulemaking for much longer must have equally good amunition.
yaakov Watkins| 12.3.08 @ 10:11PM
Ms. Kenward,
Before you embarrass yourself again, look at he fertility rates of European and non Hispanic white women in the US. In much of Europe, it is below replacement. The only thing keeping America's and Europes populations growing is immigration. Japan and China are losing population. China's fertility rate is 1.83 children per woman. Replacement rate is generally considered 2.1 children per woman.
Where are the 2.5 billion people which the US and Europe plan to exterminate?
Where is the population explosion happening?
Ms. Know| 12.6.08 @ 9:53PM
The liberal illuminati need to get this in order, before it gets out of control and here in the United States.
links of london| 9.10.09 @ 11:26PM
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