The surviving member of the pirate crew that hijacked the Alabama arrived in New York today. What will become of him? We haven't had a trial on the charges of piracy for many, many years, so some lawyers are going to have to dust off their admiralty law books. There are also some questions about the nature of the pirate's capture. He came aboard a U.S. navy ship seeking medical aid; if he came under a white flag of truce, was he legally arrestable? It's going to be a fascinating trial, if it gets that far.But why does Abduhl Wali-i-Musi look so happy in the face of a long trial and potential life imprisonment? Is it not inconcievable, incredibly sad as it is, that life in American custody provides a better standard of living than poverty in Somalia (hence the need for the piracy), and that Wali-i-Musi is finally well-clothed and well-fed and well-sheltered for the first time in his life? That might be your answer to the piracy problem right there.
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