[Whatever Dude]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/piracy

 

[Richy_T]

From the article:

The rescue was a dramatic blow to the pirates who have preyed on international shipping and hold more than a dozen ships with about 230 foreign sailors. But it is unlikely to do much to quell the region's growing pirate threat, which has transformed one of the world's busiest shipping lanes into one of its most dangerous. It also risked provoking retaliatory attacks.

I call BS. These are cowardly attacks and are all about the money plain and simple. Retaliatory attacks aren't even in the equation. Keep killing them and they'll soon get the message.

 

[Nexus242]

Retaliatory attacks aren't even in the equation. Keep killing them and they'll soon get the message.

$40,000,000.00 in paid ransoms so far by the shipping companies is a far bigger message, it's worth the risk.

 

[nyc rugby]

$40,000,000.00 in paid ransoms so far by the shipping companies is a far bigger message, it's worth the risk.

Exactly. By paying the ransoms in the first place a very bad precedent was set, according to Wiki (which may not be the most reliable source) the payments are as high as $150MM in 2008 alone. It will require taking out the leadership on land to stop this threat, but can the US really handle a third front right now?

Does the CIA have the teeth to handle an operation like this or are they all talk?

 

[Maviryk]

We should charge protection money to offset the national debt.

 

[Fatass SVS]

can the US really handle a third front right now?

Third front? Nothing like that is required. We tried to "nation build" in Somalia in the early 1990s. They didn't want to have a nation, especially one "built" by NATO. The ABC news article quotes a "spokesman" for the pirates (This is pretty surreal) as saying that from now on, any American merchantmen or sailors taken captive will be killed.
RESPONSE: We tried being "Mr. Nice Guy" in the 90s. That didn't work. But that's OK. We can be flexible.
Step One: Make contact with the people employing these pirates and tell them that, the next time a US flag ship is attacked, or if a US national is killed, we will consider that a declaration of war by Somalia on the US. And that we will use the cheapest weapons available (big nasty dumb bombs from B-52s) to kill the greatest number of Somalis in the pirate/fishermen ports with the least chance of US losses. After we empty the coastline, we just roll inland until we're bombing the Ethiopian and Kenyan border. And that we will use the most reliable and accurate weapons available (cost no object to kill YOU) to target the Somali warlords who are getting rich from the ransoms. Oh, and we'll find their stashes of ransom cash and use it to build US/Israeli holiday resport on the newly vacated Somali coast.

Step Two: Carry out your promise and don't look back.

 

[tcl]

We tried to "nation build" in Somalia in the early 1990s. They didn't want to have a nation, especially one "built" by NATO. The ABC news article quotes a "spokesman" for the pirates (This is pretty surreal) as saying that from now on, any American merchantmen or sailors taken captivw will be killed.
RESPONSE:
Step One: Make contact with the people employing the pirates and tell them that, the next time a US flag ship is attacked, or if a US national is killed, we will consider that a declaration of war by Somalia on the US. And that we will use the cheapest weapons available (big nasty bombs from B-52s) to kill the greatest number of Somalis in the pirate/fishermen ports withy the least chance of US losses. And that we will use the most relaible and accurate weapons available (cost no object to kill YOU) to target the Somali warlords.
Step Two: Carry out your promise and don't look back.

Seriously? There is no government to speak of in Somalia. There is nobody to make that demand to. Has your account been hijacked?

Also, while it seems things have progressed beyond the initial environ in which the piracy began, it is worth a look at how it began:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/you-are-being-lied-to-abo_b_155147.html

 

[Fatass SVS]

There is no government to speak of in Somalia.

That doesn't mean there are no hierarchical or de facto authorities. Did I anywhere mention a Somali "government?" I didn't. But somebody's getting rich from these mega-million extortion payments, and they aren't necessarily the families of the pirates. BTW, do you suppose that these ransom funds are being used to support al-Qaeda and Taliban activities in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere? (That is to say, killing American and NATO, Iraqi and Afghan troops and civilians?)

As for the specious claim that Somali pirates are some ad hoc environmental "coast guard," since when do coast guards storm vessels at sea, take hostages and ransom cargoes and crews? Get a grip.

My account has not been hijacked. Nor has my sanity or sense of justice.

 

[DieTrying310]

Step One: Make contact with the people employing these pirates and tell them that, the next time a US flag ship is attacked, or if a US national is killed, we will consider that a declaration of war by Somalia on the US. And that we will use the cheapest weapons available (big nasty dumb bombs from B-52s)

+1 for Arc Light

 

[broke not]

 

[raab02]

Hahahaha nice.

 

[Packman]

Seriously? There is no government to speak of in Somalia. There is nobody to make that demand to. Has your account been hijacked?

Also, while it seems things have progressed beyond the initial environ in which the piracy began, it is worth a look at how it began:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/you-are-being-lied-to-abo_b_155147.html

Well right there is your main problem....you believe what is posted at the Huffingtonpost! Seriously.....come on.

 

[GMslave]

Dead pirates makes me happy. I was just b!tching about that situation yesterday, thinking of the Navy leaving that poor MF-er to rot on that lifeboat.
If I had my way, I'd throw the other one overboard and tell him to swim for it.
Kudos to the Navy SEALs !! F_yeah

 

[jbswear]

Third front? Nothing like that is required. We tried to "nation build" in Somalia in the early 1990s. They didn't want to have a nation, especially one "built" by NATO. The ABC news article quotes a "spokesman" for the pirates (This is pretty surreal) as saying that from now on, any American merchantmen or sailors taken captive will be killed.
RESPONSE: We tried being "Mr. Nice Guy" in the 90s. That didn't work. But that's OK. We can be flexible.
Step One: Make contact with the people employing these pirates and tell them that, the next time a US flag ship is attacked, or if a US national is killed, we will consider that a declaration of war by Somalia on the US. And that we will use the cheapest weapons available (big nasty dumb bombs from B-52s) to kill the greatest number of Somalis in the pirate/fishermen ports with the least chance of US losses. After we empty the coastline, we just roll inland until we're bombing the Ethiopian and Kenyan border. And that we will use the most reliable and accurate weapons available (cost no object to kill YOU) to target the Somali warlords who are getting rich from the ransoms. Oh, and we'll find their stashes of ransom cash and use it to build US/Israeli holiday resport on the newly vacated Somali coast.

Step Two: Carry out your promise and don't look back.

Too bad that there aren't enough peeps like you and me, Fatass.

 

[J-Dog]

We should charge protection money to offset the national debt.

+1

$40,000,000.00 in paid ransoms so far by the shipping companies is a far bigger message, it's worth the risk.

I think this settles the old Pirates vs Ninjas question. When was the last time you heard about a ninja getting paid.

 

[tcl]

That doesn't mean there are no hierarchical or de facto authorities. Did I anywhere mention a Somali "government?" I didn't. But somebody's getting rich from these mega-million extortion payments, and they aren't necessarily the families of the pirates. BTW, do you suppose that these ransom funds are being used to support al-Qaeda and Taliban activities in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere? (That is to say, killing American and NATO, Iraqi and Afghan troops and civilians?)

As for the specious claim that Somali pirates are some ad hoc environmental "coast guard," since when do coast guards storm vessels at sea, take hostages and ransom cargoes and crews? Get a grip.

Perhaps my reply was not precisely worded. The link I posted was meant to provide the following context:

-Without government to reign in the pirates, there is no one to make your demands to. It would be like threatening to blow up Texas unless the Canadian government stopped its geese from flying into jet engines: geese can't be reasoned with and Canada doesn't give a crap about Texas anyway.

-the piracy STARTED as something considerably more noble then it is now in reaction to very real events.
-even if the above is not true, the piracy continues in the eyes of a portion of the residents as a reaction to these events.
-famine/ poverty/ robin hood.

-I'm not suggesting the pirates not be combated, just that carpet bombing everything from the coast through Ethiopia, in addition to being wrong, will accomplish nothing or make matters worse.

Well right there is your main problem....you believe what is posted at the Huffingtonpost! Seriously.....come on.

They are not the only source. Shall I go read FOX for the truth?

 

[Zach]

-I'm not suggesting the pirates not be combated, just that carpet bombing everything from the coast through Ethiopia, in addition to being wrong, will accomplish nothing or make matters worse.

kinda hard to recruit new pirates when there are explody things falling on the port cities.


this will just mean more gorram somali cabbies here in columbus, goddammmit it. :angry1:

 

[bighammer]

I think it's a great idea rolleyesto publicize the mistake of the pirates exposing themselves at the same time to be easily picked off. :BangHead:

 

[GMslave]

I don't see anything wrong with charging shipping companies to have the US Navy escort their ships. Any and all pirates will be obliterated on sight.
Not enough ships ? Well, BUILD some. There's some stimulus right there.
Oh wait, it's too expensive for shipping companies to pay us for protection ? Well, I guess we'll just have to stop bringing boatloads of CRAP into our country and start producing our OWN goods (again). <stimulus>
BTW, that hijacked boat that was in this mess was supposedly carrying food and supplies from USAid for destitute peeps on that side of the world. If this is how they treat each other, then why the hell should we care? I'm sure there's some people in America that could use some aid.

 

[orangegilly]

Dead pirates makes me happy. I was just b!tching about that situation yesterday, thinking of the Navy leaving that poor MF-er to rot on that lifeboat.
If I had my way, I'd throw the other one overboard and tell him to swim for it.
Kudos to the Navy SEALs !! F_yeah

A big +1 to that.