Charter of rights foes tilting at scary straw monsters 
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"Indeed, most of the time they have been firing away at something that is not remotely likely to emerge in Australia, namely an entrenched constitutional bill of rights, a la the United States of America. We're far too frightened and insecure a country for anything as heroic as that." And I love this paragraph: 'I see in the paper the other day that Hatzistergos responded to Justice Michael Kirby's support for a charter of rights. "His Honour is profoundly wrong," said the state Attorney General, and then this, a truly remarkable sentence coming from a member of the NSW Government: "We have democratically elected politicians with the capacity, the mandate, the authority, the skill and the experience to be able to reflect the values of the community and distil those into legislation."'
(Quicklink) • 2:18am •
Somalian pirates now threatening cruise ships
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"The agency cited this week's widely reported pirate attack on the 684-passenger Oceania Nautica, an upscale cruise ship filled with Americans, Canadians and Australians, as a sign of the growing danger." What are the pirates going to do if they hijack a ship with 1000 crew and passengers? Do they have the resources and organization to hold that many people hostage on a single ship? I wonder if that might make governments sit up and take more notice when the "payload" comprises human lives.
(Quicklink) • 2:18am •
Fighting Pirates Off the Somali Coast
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The Post suggests guarding the ports. "A legal basis for a pirate blockade exists. In fact, piracy has been a crime under international law since the 17th century. Building on customary law and the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention, the Security Council in June authorized a six-month mandate, which this week was extended for a year, for cooperating states to use force against pirates in Somali territorial waters and on the high seas. Because piracy is a crime of universal jurisdiction, captors with no connection to the victims, property or perpetrators may detain and prosecute suspects. For those who prefer to extradite suspects from Somalia, nearby Kenya is an option; its courts have been convicting pirates for years."
(Quicklink) • 2:18am •
Piracy Is Terrorism
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Yet another piracy article. This is a good one on the legal aspects of piracy. I remember being told when I was studying international law that much of customary international law is contentious, but one aspect that is universally recognized is the laws about piracy. It seemed quaint at the time.
(Quicklink) • 2:18am •
11:55am (GMT -8.00) 
