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Ted Cruz Makes Serious Call For Trump's Space Force To Fight Space Pirates

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Sen. Ted Cruz said this week President Donald Trump’s proposed Space Force could be used to combat space pirates. 

Then, he got annoyed at Twitter over the ensuing jokes about his plan to take on the threat of galactic buccaneers.  

Cruz began by noting the longtime historical need for naval forces to provide protection at sea from “bad actors,” according to The Hill.  

Then, he said: 

“Pirates threaten the open seas, and the same is possible in space. In this same way, I believe we too must now recognize the necessity of a Space Force to defend the nation and to protect space commerce and civil space exploration.”

Needless to say, the idea of space pirates took off on social media, with plenty of jokes ensuing as “Space Pirates” trended on Twitter. But Cruz didn’t see the humor in it, and even complained to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey about a Twitter Moment capturing the quips: 

He also complained about a joke on “Meet the Press” about space pirates: 

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes called Cruz’s complaint to Dorsey “the saddest tweet I’ve ever seen.”

Cruz replied: 

But none of that stopped the jokes. In fact, it only increased them as Twitter critics not only mocked his space pirate threat, but also his complaints over the jokes: 

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Long John Silver – Treasure Island

The one-legged quartermaster from Treasure Island is your quintessential cunning seadog – a man who appears friendly and kind but will ruthlessly cut down even his own crew if they get in his way. Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic also feature several real-life pirates, including Blackbeard and Edward England.

Comfortably the most famous pirate in literature, J. M Barrie wrote the stereotype that has inspired countless children and unimaginative adults looking for a fancy dress costume ever since. Peter Pan’s hook-handed antagonist, captain of the Jolly Roger, fears nothing but the sight of his own blood and the crocodile that took his hand. In the original play version of the tale, however, Hook was only a bit-part character. IMAGE: PA

Ragnar Danneskjöld – Atlas Shrugged

Comfortably our favourite female pirate, Bêlit is the fearsome but alluring anti-heroine from one of Robert E. Howard’s first short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, who becomes the protagonist’s lover after sparing him during a massacre.

Dread Pirate Roberts – The Princess Bride

Perhaps the most fearsome and brutal pirate on our list, Dread Pirate Roberts is known across the seven seas as a peerless swordfighter and massacre-happy tyrant. Actually, Roberts is not one character but a persona passed on to each generation’s most vicious pirate – something that helps cement his mythical reputation. However the Roberts in William Goldman’s 1973 fantasy novel does show some empathy by sparing the life of protagonist Westley.

The Salé Rovers – Robinson Crusoe

Poor old Crusoe’s troubles really begin when, having already survived a ship wreck, his second voyage is taken over by Salé pirates and he ends up enslaved by a Moor. Daniel Defoe’s 1917 novel is famous for its pirates but features a whole host of nasties, including cannibals and hungry wolves.

William Legrand and Captain Kidd – The Gold-Bug

Edgar Allen Poe’s (pictured) 1843 short story followed the adventures of Legrand, a man searching for long-lost treasure buried by the notorious pirate Captain Kidd – a reak-life Scottish sailor who was executed for piracy in 1701. The Gold-Bug was popular among the public but was savaged by critics – a typical experience for Poe, who wasn’t truly appreciated as a writer until after his death. IMAGE: PA

Ahab – Moby Dick

Although strictly just captain of a whaling ship, Herman Melville ‘s Captain Ahab shares many of the traits of the typical pirate. He is also one of the most terrifying, complex and studied characters in American literature. Obsessed with getting his revenge on the giant whale of the book’s title, Ahab is a tyrant and monomaniac who dooms his crew in dogged pursuit of his own ends.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

source: yahoo.com