Posted on 04/08/2009 4:04:52 AM PDT by rightwingextremist1776
NAIROBI, Kenya - Somali pirates have hijacked a cargo ship with 21 Americans onboard, officials said on Wednesday.
The 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama was taken Wednesday, according to the Kenya-based diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet confirmed that a Danish-owned, U.S.-operated container ship carrying 21 Americans "came under attack" about 240 nautical miles southeast of Ayel, Somalia. She said the crew had radioed for help but the closest naval ship was about 300 nautical miles away at the time. The official was unable to confirm the name of the vessel.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
There are really only a few options here:
1. Convoy all merchant shipping with naval escort
2. Naval quarantine of the entire Somali coast
3. Destroy every ship and boat along the coastline of Somalia
4. All of the above
Of course, 0bama’s regime will go for option 5: sacks of increasingly worthless American “stimulus” dollars as tribute to bribe them off. So much for “millions for defense but not a penny for tribute.”
Especially the crew.
This all warrants a comprehensive layered action plan. However, our president remains the bigger questionable problem.
The majority of the American sheep are Leftists. This is what they want. They hate America too.
$Millions for ransom, not one cent for defense.
better yet, im sures Staples has a 'sorry button'...
I think that would do the trick.
It seems to me that if the UN, or whomever, is going to make international law barring merchant vessels from arming themselves, then that law making body has taken on an obligation to ensure the safety of these vessels. Otherwise, they are just making laws to benefit the pirates.
“Wasn’t America’s first war against Muslim pirates?”
That was exactly my first reaction to this! And isn’t that where the line comes from in the USMC hymn: “. . .to the shores of Tripoli, we have fought our country’s battles. . . .”? The wikipedia article on the First Barbary War of the late 1700’s is like reading today’s headline.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War
“Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.” (Seneca??)
They may be military. Sailors are sometimes assigned to private vessels.
This is a political gift to Obama. He can act tough on low hanging fruit — there’s nobody in the world who will complain when you attack pirates.
A MESF security team will be on one of these ships while they’re transporting US military cargo. Sounds like it wasn’t at this time, so they didn’t have a team.
An act of war .. but in Obama’s eyes he can see why they did this and he will work with them I am sure ......
probably apologize for them being there .. being a burden to hold etc.
No, he’s really in a bind, actually.
1) Any attack on the pirates risks getting hostages killed during the attack.
2) The pirates never kill their hostages, so the easy thing to do is pay the ransom - however he’ll be attacked with the “not one cent for tribute” quotation, etc.
The way out is that the ship is Danish-owned. If Maersk pays the ransom then WE’RE not paying the ransom, per se. That’s probably what will happen.
Responsibility and authority going together hand in hand is a Conservative principle. Leftists, OTOH just want to be in charge. When things go wrong, it isn't their fault.
That is assuming that piracy is the disarming of merchant vessels going wrong rather than the intent of the UN. I refuse to bet either way.
I carry a gun when I have to go to the wrong side of town. I find it umbelievable there are still ships cruising through the pirates areas without defense.
Even us lowly Freepers can think up ingenious and painfull ways to fend off pirates.
I used to own freighters. Several, traded worldwide but mostly Western Hemisphere and North Atlantic-Med
Nearly all my captains had pistols or a pump shotgun or lever action rifle to ward off mutiny or a crazy crewman etc.
Typically ship’s agrent would arrange any considerations for the weapon(s) in sync with customs particular to that area.
Some would quarantine, some did nothing.
No arsenal though capable of dealing with these pirates to be sure.
Pacific coast of Colombia was our worst “pirate” spot ...that and Guyana when anchored outside the bar. One had to be vigilent.
One of my captains had been Somoza’s fleet captian...one tough somebeach...he tossed a guy leaving the canal zone once with only his papers, some cash and a life preserver about a mile offshore to save launch fees. ABS had pulled a knife on him.
Hugo Zepeda....tuff mofo
When he told me...I said you did (”what?)...he just grinned.
That may be but I don’t want this turning into “17” (21)not worth risking a “war” over.
A little NAVAIR would go a long way in dampening the spirits (as well as the dismembered corpses) of the pirates. IMHO.
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Actually what will happen is:
1) Maersk in Denmark will pay the ransom
2) We’ll get the ship and hostages back
3) Tomahawks will be lobbed into assorted places in Somalia.
Remember the above - I’m pretty confident this is how it plays out.
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