Arrrrgh

New Republican bill would allow American citizens to seize Russian vessels by force

The bill, introduced on Feb. 28 by Rep. Lance Gooden from Dallas, would require President Joe Biden to issue letters of marque and reprisal for the seizure of yachts, planes or other property owned by those on the Treasury Department's list of sanctioned Russians.

Letters of Marque, as Wikipedia explains here, were authorizations to conduct government-approved piracy.

Popular among Europeans from the late Middle Ages up to the 19th century, cruising for enemy prizes with a letter of marque was considered an honorable calling that combined patriotism and profit.

 This very old (but seemingly, in the modern world, novel) idea seems perfectly in sync with the kind of crowd-sourced warfare we're now engaged in. According to msn:

In recent weeks, at least 380 companies have announced their withdrawal from Russia in an effort to mount pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a running list being updated by Yale School of Management's Jeffrey Sonnenfeld.

And hundreds of thousands of hackers have banded together to fight Russia.

Why not let everybody in on the act?

It was once said a Third World War would blow us all back into the Middle Ages. That assessment seems optimistic today—but still… 

[I find the idea pretty disturbing, myself. It's like gathering around a giant powder keg and passing out free matches. But hey, that's just me.]