Seriously, Tony, you just took just about everything I've learned here over the last year and distilled it into one post! I remember when I first returned to CZ, taking every single word in a post like this, and asking a question about it... like, "OK, what's an admiralty law?" Now I know! :-D It's fun, but very, very serious at the same time.
I'm here on the forum yammering about this stuff, but Ben is out there actually living it and fighting to keep some of these rights, not just for himself but for all of us, too. Tony, if you think it would be appropriate, will you sorta detail some of the facts of that case? I'm not sure how many people on CZ are aware of what you and Ben are actually facing. It's an amazing story that needs to be told often.