Is this even legal?
300 miles out in international water? "Unflagged"
small boat? What if it was "unflagged" in the South China sea? Seems like over-reach ti me.
small boat? What if it was "unflagged" in the South China sea? Seems like over-reach ti me.
With the fishing I do it is not too uncommon for the Mexican Navy to board our boats and hold us at gunpoint while they go through our stuff. And, we fly the American flag on permit to fish there.
Every nation is just a tax farm, really. Or, graft farm...
As the song says (in American English)... We are the world...
Those laws are somewhere around 250 years old dicking around with them makes me wonder where all the energy was that could have gone to simply following one dictum. If you don't like the law change it. (Oh my but that's such hard work) Sorry Barbie you lose.
Not knowing you subject area would have more than something to do with it.
The MarPol laws are even more harsh than the ColRegs and the dude or dudette in charge gets to be the number one doer when the arrests begin.
I am taking our boat, The Taggart Express, homeported in San Francisco, to the Farralons. Once outside of the 3 mile limit, I hoist a Russian flag. Does that make my boat Russian territory? If boarded by the Coastie Toasties, can I seek redress by the nation under which the flag is flying?
Or even better... I hoist the flag of some nation declared "rogue" by the dotgov (Syria? Somalia? North Korea?) when I cross the boundary, but then on recrossing it going home drop said "rogue" standard and hoist a US standard?
In international waters, if you're flying a Russian flag, it means that a US navy ship that wanted to stop you would ask the Russians for permission first. If the Russians tell them your ship isn't really registered there, that's good enough for permission. In effect your flag is fake.
The only way in which this incident seems to depart from the norms, is that normally when the Coast Guard or Navy wants to stop an unflagged ship in international waters, they'd first radio and ask the ship to identify itself, thus giving its crew a chance to raise a flag if it has one. That's what they should have done, and in practical terms it would only have delayed the seizure. Once the ship hoists an Ecuadorian flag, they ask Ecuador for permission. If Ecuador says no, they either wait until the ship enters national waters, or with sufficient reason they go ahead anyway (which is an act of war, but do you really think Ecuador is going to declare war on the United States for seizing a boat full of drugs?)
Flying a false flag is a criminal act under I believe the piracy section of International Law .... As for fooling the coasties ....it will fool you into a set of handcuffs and your only redress will be dealt with by a defense attorney as your will be tried in a coast guard court.
The non technical term would be smart ass or stupid. Neither of which are crimes but they are a contributing factor.
The one thing you have going for you a sentence requiring the use of "Seasoned Gratings" is not longer in use.
At issue is a technicality of whether or not a tiny flag painted on the hull constitutes "flying one's colors" under admiralty law. I have to agree with the court's determination in this case, however, that one's colors must be prominently displayed or the vessel can be seen as rogue.
There is no rule of law, only force at gunpoint delivered by the fedgov against anyone that has property worth stealing.
However, GW Bush attack on Iraq had much the same basis and I have been steadfast in opposition to that false flag and the war of empire that has followed and continued. Impeachment is too lenient for traitors.
'Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. '
US Constitution, Article 3, Section 3
out in the water? (Although formerly in the Naval
Reserve, I do not claim to have any special ex-
pertise on this question).