Pirates have been in the news a lot the last few days. I saw this headline today Obama pledges to fight piracy; pirates vow revenge (AP) and got giddy with the possibilities of Obama dueling on the seas versus men dressed as Buccaneers.
This actually does seem like something that can really tie up sea traffic if it gets out of hand and could be a real pain in the ass to patrol. I imagine armed goons and bloody melees might be what starts happening next. Was the navy even built for this kind of thing?
The pirates in no way match up to the US navy. They travel around in rowboats or motorboats, usually in 4-8 man groups, and board vessels to take hostages and get ransoms. They're helpless against an actual military vessel, which is why they aim to get hostages so they can hide behind human shields.
The US navy (and the other world navies that are helping police the area) can't be everywhere at once, and the pirate attacks are occuring over a very large area of the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. While more ships will help, it won't solve the problem. To actually solve the problem, something will have to happen in Somalia itself, to remove the safe haven the pirates have and cut them off at the source. Until that happens, anything that's done will be like applying a bandaid to treat a cancer patient.
Originally posted by BigDaddyLocoPirates have been in the news a lot the last few days. I saw this headline today Obama pledges to fight piracy; pirates vow revenge (AP) and got giddy with the possibilities of Obama dueling on the seas versus men dressed as Buccaneers.
I'm just glad Obama got off his ass and did something about this.
I didn't know the new policy for the Obama Administration was to go soft on terrorists, but for a couple of days that's exactly what was going on.
Originally posted by BigDaddyLocoPirates have been in the news a lot the last few days. I saw this headline today Obama pledges to fight piracy; pirates vow revenge (AP) and got giddy with the possibilities of Obama dueling on the seas versus men dressed as Buccaneers.
I'm just glad Obama got off his ass and did something about this.
I didn't know the new policy for the Obama Administration was to go soft on terrorists, but for a couple of days that's exactly what was going on.
That's funny, I was just thinking that George Bush was responsible for not doing anything about it during his 8 years in office, the same way I had previously been told that Osama Bin Laden was Clinton's fault.
1. Gee, Grimis, I'M glad the Seals waited until they could take their shot, go 3 for 3 on kills and rescue the captain. They can wait as long as they need to if they get the right result. That's not being soft on terrorists; that's being prudent.
2. Gee, Mr. Boffo, I must have missed all those pirate stories from when Bush was president.
3. Gee, Grimis and Mr. Boffo, both of you must be complete idiots to have been here this long and STILL somehow think I'm going to let that kind of crap posting go on in here.
This isn't the first time we've had to deal with African pirates. Do the shores of Tripoli ring any bells? The rest of the world may be content to pay for the privilege of being victims but just like 200 years ago the US Navy will go over there and lay the smack down.
Kudos to Obama for dealing with this the right way. (It feels strange saying *that*)
'But if one is struck by me only a little, that is far different, the stroke is a sharp thing and suddenly lays him lifeless, and that man's wife goes with cheeks torn in lamentation, and his children are fatherless, while he, staining the soil with his red blood, rots away, and there are more birds than women swarming about him.' Diomedes, The Iliad of Homer
Originally posted by Bizzle Izzle This isn't the first time we've had to deal with African pirates. Do the shores of Tripoli ring any bells? The rest of the world may be content to pay for the privilege of being victims but just like 200 years ago the US Navy will go over there and lay the smack down.
Kudos to Obama for dealing with this the right way. (It feels strange saying *that*)
We have paid also but this time it was an American flagged ship with and American crew. France has been fairly proactive recently so not everyone it ignoring it. However, when you have a ship and cargo worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millons, a mil here or there is viewed as the price of doing business and they carry insurance for it. Not right but the way it is.
The solution is to stabilize Somalia and establish a legitimate government.
Godspeed, men of the 2nd Bn, 127th Infantry, 32d "Red Arrow" Brigade, Wisconsin Army National Guard! Victory in Iraq!
Or arm the crews of the merchant ships and let THEM shoot the pirates on sight.
These pirates are usually armed with AK-47s and RPGs. You station a few sailors with .50 caliber machine guns and RPGs of their own on deck, and these modern-day cutthroats won't be so brazen about approaching a cargo vessel with their motorboats.
Originally posted by The ThrillOr arm the crews of the merchant ships and let THEM shoot the pirates on sight.
These pirates are usually armed with AK-47s and RPGs. You station a few sailors with .50 caliber machine guns and RPGs of their own on deck, and these modern-day cutthroats won't be so brazen about approaching a cargo vessel with their motorboats.
There ya go.
Sounds good but I believe it is against maritime law. And do you want a firefigth on a tanker.
I cant understand why private security firms like Blackwater (or Xe or whatever they are calling themselves now.) haven't jumped all over this. Blackwater is full of former Navy SEALs and is based a stones throw from the Norfolk terminal that ship was from. They could be making a killing doing security work on merchants.
"I could be wrong, but I doubt it"---Charles Barkley
Originally posted by rockdotcom_2.0I cant understand why private security firms like Blackwater (or Xe or whatever they are calling themselves now.) haven't jumped all over this. Blackwater is full of former Navy SEALs and is based a stones throw from the Norfolk terminal that ship was from. They could be making a killing doing security work on merchants.
That would be assuming that US shipping firms would have been willing to spend the money on security. For 200 years, the stars and stripes flying was all the security they had needed.
Originally posted by rockdotcom_2.0I cant understand why private security firms like Blackwater (or Xe or whatever they are calling themselves now.) haven't jumped all over this. Blackwater is full of former Navy SEALs and is based a stones throw from the Norfolk terminal that ship was from. They could be making a killing doing security work on merchants.
That would be assuming that US shipping firms would have been willing to spend the money on security. For 200 years, the stars and stripes flying was all the security they had needed.
Plus the ships could be refused entry to ports in such a situation. Need to change international maritime law. God luck.
Originally posted by rockdotcom_2.0I cant understand why private security firms like Blackwater (or Xe or whatever they are calling themselves now.) haven't jumped all over this. Blackwater is full of former Navy SEALs and is based a stones throw from the Norfolk terminal that ship was from. They could be making a killing doing security work on merchants.
That would be assuming that US shipping firms would have been willing to spend the money on security. For 200 years, the stars and stripes flying was all the security they had needed.
Plus the ships could be refused entry to ports in such a situation. Need to change international maritime law. God luck.
For carrying private security? Really? Im not familiar with Maritime law, but I dont understand how a country would refuse entry to a Supertanker carrying a few millions gallons of Oil for carrying private security. Everybody understands the piracy issue don't they?
"I could be wrong, but I doubt it"---Charles Barkley
Originally posted by rockdotcom_2.0I cant understand why private security firms like Blackwater (or Xe or whatever they are calling themselves now.) haven't jumped all over this. Blackwater is full of former Navy SEALs and is based a stones throw from the Norfolk terminal that ship was from. They could be making a killing doing security work on merchants.
That would be assuming that US shipping firms would have been willing to spend the money on security. For 200 years, the stars and stripes flying was all the security they had needed.
Plus the ships could be refused entry to ports in such a situation. Need to change international maritime law. God luck.
For carrying private security? Really? Im not familiar with Maritime law, but I dont understand how a country would refuse entry to a Supertanker carrying a few millions gallons of Oil for carrying private security. Everybody understands the piracy issue don't they?
It's not the security. It has to do with weapons on commercial shipping. I am no expert but maritime law is pretty strict and specific. An I don't want any weapons by anybody around a supertanker.
Originally posted by DrDirt It's not the security. It has to do with weapons on commercial shipping. I am no expert but maritime law is pretty strict and specific. An I don't want any weapons by anybody around a supertanker.
Good point. But without giving the Tanker crews some way to defend themselves then this is a problem that can't be solved. The Ocean is a big place. The Navy can't be everywhere at once.
"I could be wrong, but I doubt it"---Charles Barkley
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