Phraselet No. 106

Dear Mr. Yusuf:

Here is our memorandum, as promised, and we very much enjoyed meeting you (please return Mr. Goldstein, the fax machine, and the candy bowl). Your business model is admirable in view of its low start-up costs, high return on investment, lack of long-term obligations to employees, freedom from taxation, agility in the face of changing conditions, and absence of regulation. No expenditures are required for public relations, advertising, marketing, or employee recruitment. When necessary, you can liquidate your holdings with neither legal fees nor court supervision -- although you yourself may be hanged.

- Mark Helprin, "A Letter to the Somali Pirates," The Wall Street Journal (July 22, 2009)