It looks like it might be open season on pirates, finally.

[markw]

Nineteen pirates murdered four unarmed Americans carrying bibles on a private yacht.

It looks like they've upped the ante big time with this one.

Now what?

 

[Patrukas777]

I don't know why the world has not done anything about the Pirates... To me, thats just absurd. I think the pirates should be blown out of the water!!!

 

[ragged]

Why were they sailing in that area in the first place. Jeeze!

 

[markw]

Why were they sailing in that area in the first place. Jeeze!

So, they deserved to die?

 

[its phillip]

He didn't say that. It certainly isn't a good idea to be sailing in an area with known pirate activity. I'm all for taking out the pirates though.

 

[Davemcc]

four unarmed Americans carrying bibles

"Oh noes...Pirates!!!"

"Don't worry. We're saved."

 

[GO-NAD!]

Why were they sailing in that area in the first place. Jeeze!

As I understand it, Somali pirates have been known to roam hundreds of miles from their home waters, using mother ships to launch their boats. That said, if it was me, I'd stay clear of the entire west coast of Africa completely.

 

[GO-NAD!]

"Oh noes...Pirates!!!"

"Don't worry. We're saved."

Dave, that's low...

 

[highfigh]

Why were they sailing in that area in the first place. Jeeze!

Why shouldn't they be able to sail anywhere they want, unless it violates some treaty or space? It's no different from being kidnapped, taken to another place and killed- it just happened on water.

If Somalia had any kind of working government, this might not be happening. Too bad there's no international organization that could deal with this. Hmmm, now who would that be?

 

[gmichael]

We need to send in a few decoys. Send in what looks like a private yacht but is actually a heavily armed pirate buster. Send a few pirates to Davey Jones’s locker and they might start thinking twice about those potential payoffs vs sure death.

 

[mike c]

submarines. sink all pirate ships.

 

[markw]

Really, do they have a death wish or what???

'"We had plans to either take the hostages to the inland mountains or to move onto other hijacked ships because we knew that the U.S. Navy was serious about carrying out a rescue operation," Hassan said. "The hostages pleaded with us not to harm them or take them to dangerous places. They cried when we captured them ... and asked us to release them because they were too old and couldn't endure captivity."
...
Pirates reacted angrily to the sentencing and have since vowed that they will kill hostages before being captured during military raids and being sent to face trial.'

I say we oblige the cork soakers

 

[Alex2507]

I don't get what anybody sailing around the world would be doing with a yacht full of bibles as one article stated. It doesn't make sense. They are heavy and they are readily available where ever you go. Another thing I don't get is why they would sail in dangerous seas. I don't do much yachting but when I have gone for walks I don't stroll through crack town ... unless of course I am looking for crack but even then I don't take my friends and women with me.

What's wrong with sailing from Newport, RI to like Ft. Lauderdale, FL?
Water's water, right?

 

[Davemcc]

I don't get what anybody sailing around the world would be doing with a yacht full of bibles as one article stated. It doesn't make sense.

Amen Brother.

 

[GO-NAD!]

I don't get what anybody sailing around the world would be doing with a yacht full of bibles as one article stated. It doesn't make sense. They are heavy and they are readily available where ever you go. Another thing I don't get is why they would sail in dangerous seas. I don't do much yachting but when I have gone for walks I don't stroll through crack town ... unless of course I am looking for crack but even then I don't take my friends and women with me.

What's wrong with sailing from Newport, RI to like Ft. Lauderdale, FL?
Water's water, right?

It did seem like a rather Quixotic mission. But, in the end, freedom of the seas is a right and these people were harming nobody. They didn't deserve their fate and the pirate scourge should be addressed in a serious manner.

If Somalia had any kind of working government, this might not be happening. Too bad there's no international organization that could deal with this. Hmmm, now who would that be?

We tried this before. Didn't work out so well...

submarines. sink all pirate ships.

Have you seen photos of typical Somali "pirate ships"? It would be like using an atom bomb to swat flies. With a submarine, there is no such thing as a proportionate response. It's a big ka-boom or no ka-boom. Plus, a single Mk48 torpedo or Harpoon missile is worth about 1000 of those "ships".

Surfacing right beside one of those boats would would make them all crap their pants though.

 

[highfigh]

But, in the end, freedom of the seas is a right and these people were harming nobody. They didn't deserve their fate and the pirate scourge should be addressed in a serious manner.

Sailing around the world, distributing Bibles and "were harming nobody"- tell that to a Muslim.

 

[GO-NAD!]

Sailing around the world, distributing Bibles and "were harming nobody"- tell that to a Muslim.

Hey, they can sail around the world distributing korans if they like.

 

[markw]

Sailing around the world, distributing Bibles and "were harming nobody"- tell that to a Muslim.

How does distributing Bibles "harm" anybody? Is offering a differing opinion harmful?

But, I don't think the Bibles had anything to do with it. I think it was just the pirates reaction to anyone having the impunity to try to stop them. They actually think they have the inalienable right to do what they do and, as long as they are allowed to do so unchecked, they will, and kill anyone that they feel like.

AFAICT, it should be open season for pirate hunting.

 

[Jed M]

Without a working Somalian government you will never stop the piracy. Why waste even more money setting up a military operation that will never ever solve the problem, just throw more money and bloodshed at it to at best disrupt it. Wait, that sound like exactly something this country would do.

Personally, unless we want to rebuild the entire continent of Africa after we are done rebuilding the entire Middle East/western Asia/Haiti and are completely bankrupt, I say you don't vacation to African waters, the same way intelligent people don't go to Mexico. Is it right that we can't travel to legitimate places? No, but does it make you stupid if you do anyways? Yes.

 

[Alex2507]

Hey, they can sail around the world distributing korans if they like.

Since I'm no expert on sailing I need to use the walking analogy again. I don't think you would fair too well distributing Korans from a back pack in Mississippi ... you get what I'm sayin'?

We have no trouble questioning the sanity of somebody wearing a meat suit in a lion's den. Yes ... stop piracy ... probably the best way to do that is by moving to Manitoba.