American company to fight pirates off Somalia

Reuters ^ | 11/25/05

[Tunehead54]

Actually those are very good questions - 50M prolly equals their GDP - maybe its just a gesture to suggest they oppose terror and won't pay?

[brazzaville]

Good evening.
"What great gig to land."

Amen.

Michael Frazier

[GeorgiaDawg32]

somehow I think these guys have most of the cash in hand before they start the operation....

[Squantos]

.......:o)

[Lurker]

Now that sounds like a fun summer job.

L

[fat city]

They have plenty of dough:

rank -157 Somalia $ 4,597,000,000 2004 est

[ANGGAPO]

Can't the navy slip a fish into their ship just for drill?

[g'nad]

lookin' fer a third career?...

[yarddog]

They probably raised the $50 mil, by boarding ships in the area and having them pay a toll amounting to anything of value on board.

[Joe Miner]

WHAT government? Somalia has a govt?

Some sort of UN organized group of grafters to take in UN money and distribute it to cronies like this marine outfit is my guess.

Would of been cheaper and quicker for the US Navy to take out this mothership.

[Skip Ripley]

"I'll get your pirates and a shark, Chiefy...."

[Chode]

oh nooo...

[impatient]

Wow! Fighting pirates with privateers!

Now if only Congress would only grant letters of marque and reprisal against terrorists, we'll have ourselves a splendid little war.

(I always thought I was born a century too late.)

[mcshot]

Maybe they meant 50 million tires - they seem to have alot of those.
This could be a real interesting job as already pointed out.

mc

[LegendHasIt]

Gee, Wish I was 25 years younger and free to work the 'private sector' . Sounds like fun.

[The_Media_never_lie]

I wonder if this is the same mother ship in Calypso Louis' dream? Maybe he prophesied this event?

[reluctantwarrior]

I hope topcat doesn't underestimate the flexibility and resilience of Somali clan warriors. If they do use a mother ship it will be in the Territorial waters of Yemen near Socotra or the Seychelles or Kenya and not a legit target.

The same pirates have avoided a 20 ship naval task force for two years.

[manapua]

Wow! Fighting pirates with privateers! Now if only Congress would only grant letters of marque and reprisal against terrorists, we'll have ourselves a splendid little war.

LOL. Back in 2002 or 2003, the Naval Institute Press' Proceedings featured a column titled "Bring Back the Privateers." You might want to search for it at the local library; I think you'd like it. I certainly did.

A bit off-topic and somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the French recently have to abandon their station off of the Horn of Africa for the first time in centuries, due to budget cuts?

[Zack Nguyen]

Dar, matey! Ahoy there, me hearties!