Pirates seize 10 Italians in US - owned tugboat

Reuters ^ | 4/11/2009 | Duncan Miriri

[GVnana]

Pirates seize 10 Italians in U.S.-owned tugboat

11 Apr 2009

By Duncan Miriri

NAIROBI, April 11 (Reuters) - Pirates captured a U.S.-owned and Italian-flagged tugboat with 16 crew including 10 Italians on Saturday in the latest hijacking in the busy Gulf of Aden.

"We can confirm that 10 Italians were kidnapped but we have no further details," an Italian foreign ministry official said.

Andrew Mwangura, of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, said the crew were believed to be unharmed on the tugboat, which he added was operated from the United Arab Emirates.

[GVnana]

"This incident shows the pirates are becoming more daring and violent," Mwangura told Reuters by phone.

[Star Traveler]

Yep, they’re getting more bold, thanks to the fact that many other countries have made them bold, over the years of these countries paying ransoms...

Now, these other countries would love to have Obama get the U.S. *entangled* in this mess and have us pay to “bail them out” of the pirate mess.

No more bailouts as we’re paying enough money as it is... Why *pay more* for our military to save their sorry butts.... LOL...

Get our people out and the get the U.S. out of there...

And *definitely* don’t let Obama “take advantage” of this situation to make himself look “presidential”.... LOL... (no “foreign adventures” by Obama...)...

[Veto!]

Everyone’s becoming more daring and violent since AliBama took office. Rogue state leaders, two-bit pirates, you name it. AliBama and the 40 thieves is going to be the ongoing theme of this administration.

[usaproud]

I don’t understand why none of these ships have guns to protect themselves, and how can 4 pirates overtake a ship with 20 or 30 men on board? Also why doesn’t our spineless president do like the French president did? He shot the so called pirates and killed them all no messing around.I guarantee you they won’t try to take another French owned ship.

[Boston Blackie]

Pirates seize 10 Italians in US - owned tugboat

... as Obama enjoys his pizza.

[goodnesswins]

Evidently it’s marine standard practice that NO guns are on board due to possibilities of MUTINY....however, like someone else said, why don’t they hire independent security?

[GVnana]

Unconfirmed photo from Drudge.

[dajeeps]

/scarcasm on

But the world might get mad at us if we do something bad to them, and it would tarnish our image.

/scarcasm off

If we can’t deal with two-bit pirates, there’s something seriously wrong. It may not have been our problem in the past, but it is now. I guess he’s been so busy ignoring the constitution and founding principles that he’s rather clueless that the executive branch is obligated to fix it and pronto.

[navyblue]

I say get the crew off the vessel and the the damn pirates have it. This is an “American” owner who prefers to put his vessel under a foreign flag instead of the Stars and Stripe's The big myth is “Well, we have to do that because of the high cost of Americans wages. BS! It's not the wages. It's because they must pay taxes on every dollar of revenue that these vessels earn while under the U.S. flag. Panama and Liberia have one of the largest ship registries in the world. Nearly all U.S. owned and they pay no taxes because they are under foreign flags. If they want their ships under foreign flags, then let those foreign nations save the shipowners sorry butts. Okay, sorry for the hijack.

[Doc91678]

Whoops, here we go again.
Obama must start a dialogue with these poor misguided people.
Maybe if he meets with their leader he will bow and curtsy again.
There is only one way to deal with this. find the mother ship have the Marines board her and subdue the crew. Then land a brigade of Marines and mop up the flotsam and jetsam in Somalia.
But Obama would never allow that. Hmmm, maybe he should send Hillary or Holbrooke to broker a deal?

[Doc91678]

Whoops, here we go again.
Obama must start a dialogue with these poor misguided people.
Maybe if he meets with their leader he will bow and curtsey again.
There is only one way to deal with this. find the mother ship have the Marines board her and subdue the crew. Then land a brigade of Marines and mop up the flotsam and jetsome in Somalia.
But Obama would never allow that. Hmmm, maybe he should send Hillary or Holbrooke to broker a deal?

[navyblue]

Yeah, I know. My punctuation sucks.

[Blue State Insurgent]

“Get out of there” and go where?

Are we to cede the sea lanes to pirates?

[navyblue]

Hmmm, maybe he should send Hillary or Holbrooke to broker a deal?

And Nancy and Harry too!

[Star Traveler]

Ask those other countries who have been “appeasing” over the years. They’re the ones who have created the problem. Let them solve it...

Or..., they can come over to the White House, crawling on their hands and knees, and ask the U.S. to solve it for them... begging us...

And don’t forget to “show me the money” if they expect us to do something to “bail them out”...

[Veto!]

he’s been so busy ignoring the constitution and founding principles that he’s rather clueless that the executive branch is obligated to fix it and pronto.

Now there's a thought. How do we translate it into 0bamese, a language with three words: hope, change, believe? "Obligated" is not in his lexicon.

Didn't Harvard do a great job with him?

[SeminoleSoldier]

Maybe the French GIGN will perform a rescue since our chain of command seems to lack the testicular fortitude.

[GVnana]

Speaking of Hillary Clinton, can you tell me what this woman is laughing at?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii_c3B5AasI

[GVnana]

Sad day when we look to the French for an example.

[gigster]

Well, the French did blow up the Rainbow Warrior,
so they can’t be all bad.