Posted on 12/31/2023 5:35:36 AM PST by Pox
You could drop rocks from a Piper Cub and sink three of these rowboats. Big Deal. The Houthi’s have a leadership and headquarters. They should be ash.
That document does not support the UN Navy involvement in CENTOM. That is a different mission statement. The US Navy asserts: "The United States is a maritime nation, and the U.S. Navy protects America at sea."
So the question remains. "What was being shipped, from what country and to what country?"
Some answers could be 1) "we are the world's policeman," 2) "we're paying for other nation's ships and cargo when they are not paying," or perhaps 3) perhaps the cargo was "American?" I suspect the last is not the answer.
What seems likely, unless you have citations to suggest this incorrect, is that the "Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and -operated container ship" might not be fully funding the protection of their business enterprise.
The article does not mention what the cargo was, nor its origin and destination. If not the US, and if we are funding the large share of the policing, there is a significant imbalance in the world, given the US' $34,000,000,000,000+ national debt.
But the US Coast Guard statement does not address this at all.
“Why would the U.S. even care? These aren’t American cargo ships.”
About ten percent of world trade goes through the Red Sea. You might say, why do we care? It’s not our trade. Picture markets as one big world-sized bucket of stuff. Each country dips into the bucket for their needs. If the stuff in the bucket gets more expensive, then everyone who dips into the bucket pays more, including the US consumer. Further, some of the bucket-dippers are really poor and each percent of increased costs means a certain number of people starve to death. You might say, why do we care? Well, in today’s connected world they might get on a ship to South America and eventually come acrost America’s wide-open border to sponge off American welfare payments. Or they’ll migrate to our allies and cause them problems. Anain, why do we care? It’s not a direct effect, but enough of these civilization destroying events will eventually build up to the point where we can’t do anything. It is much better to fight small manageable fires rather than wait until the entire house is on fire. Our anger arises from the fact our government makes no attempt to explain why we should care. We aren’t consulted. Part of that is because we have a representative government. They don’t hold a plebiscite for each and every issue because we hired them to make those decisions. Still, we’d be better served if the government took a minute to explain why they do the things they do on our behalf.
.....few ship owners fly a US Flag because of taxes and fees.
I think it’s time that the US sends a bill to each of these ship owners for saving their asses!
Each time a ship is saved from incoming missiles, say a Maersk ship, send Maersk and it’s freight insurers a $1,000,000,000.00 invoice. If they don’t pay it, let the missiles find their target “next time”.
It’s crazy but slowed or stopped deliveries on these massive ships on the international level causes devastating ripple effects even in the US economy. It’s also part of the thesis in Peter Zeihan’s The End of the World is Just the Beginning which is a fantastic read regarding international trade and international dependence on shipped goods.
Sounds like a fiscally rational plan.
As long as our responses are appropriate.. wouldn’t want to piss off a terrorist... /s
Book to read
*The fourth boat fled the area.*
No excuse for that.
Why would the U.S. even care? These aren’t American cargo ships.
“Because the world economy is supported by Pax Americana?
Because U.S. prosperity depends, in part on the world economy?
Because freedom of the seas is an integral part of the world economy?”
“Freedom of navigation is in our strategic national interests. It is part of the USN’s mission statement.
The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.”
Because we are not an isolationist country, even though you may want us to be
Where are the Eurocucks?
“For Empire!”
SPQR
Sighted S#it, sank same.
Something from the short article, not commented on:
"Helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely responded to the distress call and 'issued verbal calls to the small boats'.”Why? Like the Obama edict to troops in Afghanistan? If you're there, then shoot first and last would seem a less risky tactic. And why did one of the boats get away?
They are there.
The Red Sea is small
This is ridiculous. Trump would never tolerate this crap
That drivel is neo isolationist clap trap
Unless the Houthi nests are attacked and destroyed, the attacks with relatively cheap drones and missles repelled by very expensive defensive weapons will continue. Apparently Iran has no problem resupplying their Houthi allies, who are willing to fight and die.
The armchair isolationists are always happy to sit in their comfy chairs and type away while reaping the benefits of American power. I wonder what our national debt would be without international trade?
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