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Guest post by "Fairportfan"

Ummm ... not to sound like some sort of word-use fascist, but i THINK the word you want is "depredations" not "deprivations" (though i do see that the dictionary does list "the act of depriving" as a definition there); "depredations" are acts of robbing, stealing, etc - that is preying on as "depredations upon sheep by coyotes", which sounds more like what Smilin' Jack probably means.

"Depriving" someone of something can take many forms - including legal seizure, while "depredation" pretty much implies violence or force of arms.