Brad Cooper – the very same bloke that crafted the current Bilgemunky.com masthead (yes, that glorious piece of art at the top of your screen right now, unless you’re reading this through an RSS reader, in which case you’re missing half the fun, you silly lubber) – has penned the cover of the latest issue of No Quarter Given. The cover story is a collection of thoughts from throughout the pirate community regarding the recent Somalian pirate incidents, and how it has affected the public’s perception of pirate reenactors and enthusiasts. Personally, I think the violence in Somalia means we should all abandon our piratey interests and instead find some untainted “good-guys” to promote, such as knights in shining armor. Oh wait, I guess the crusades were somewhat questionable. Ok, let’s glorify ancient rome… or maybe not, what with all the gladiators and torture. Old west? Uh oh, indian slaughter. Indians? Nope, they were pretty mean too at times. Geez, who ever thought that history would be so complicated and full of gray areas? I guess so long as we’re not glorifying Jack the Ripper or Nazis, maybe people just need to LIGHTEN UP.