What happened to the pirates?

[wacki]

Last I heard were to things:

1) Somali pirate boy cries at trial because he's being tried as an adult

2) A single man w/ a 1911 scares off a boat

3) General Petraeus recommends arming all boats.

Any idea why the pirates went away? 

[Standing Wolf]

Any idea why the pirates went away?

"Obamacare." The leftist extremist self-styled "news" media have work to do these days.

[Lee]

They probably received part of the stimulus money.

[AJ Dual]

A. News cycle has moved elsewhere, but activity is still going on.

B. Activity that is still going on is a bit less because of recent events, and some internal Somali factions have cracked down on the pirate clans a bit.

[Myself]

Seems they are fighting among themselves.  Very unusual for that part of the world.

MOGADISHU — Gun battles between clan militiamen killed at least 17 people and wounded 30 Saturday at a pirate stronghold on the coast of Somalia, witnesses said.

The fighting began overnight and intensified in the morning, forcing most of Haradheere's residents to flee, local man Farah Aden told Reuters by satellite telephone.

"The two clans are fighting over land and a girl who was raped in the forest. Unfortunately, the battles spread into town ... Fighting is going on fiercely," he said.

Somalia has been torn by civil war since 1991, and the government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed controls only small pockets of the rubble-strewn capital Mogadishu.

Pirates who attack vessels using the shipping lanes linking Europe to Asia through the Gulf of Aden operate from several remote coastal bases including Haradheere.

One pirate in the lawless central Somali port said he was worried the bloodshed would cut the sea gangs' profits.

"We are all members of these two clans, and we are worried that this fight might end up being taken out on to the ocean," the pirate, who gave his name as Mohamed, told Reuters by satellite phone from Haradheere.

Violence in Somalia has killed more than 18,000 people since the start of 2007 and uprooted another 1 million. Western security agencies say the failed Horn of Africa state is a haven for extremists plotting attacks in the region and beyond.

HUMANITARIAN WORK HALTED

In the latest violence in Mogadishu, mortar bombs killed 13 people and wounded 36 others Saturday.

"I believe there will be more casualties. Many shells dropped on different places," said ambulance official Ali Muse.

President Ahmed's forces are battling hardline Islamist rebels including the al Shabaab group, which Washington accuses of being al Qaeda's proxy in Somalia.

Al Shabaab halted the work of four foreign aid agencies on Saturday, saying they were cooperating with U.N. relief organizations already expelled from areas under its control.

Sheikh Aynanshe Hussein, an al Shabaab commander in the southern town of Jamame, named the four as U.S. charity Mercy Corps, Italy's Cooperazione Internazionale, Briton's Oxfam and UK-based international relief group Muslim Aid.

A local Somali partner organization, the Jubba Foundation, was also told to suspend its activities.

"These agencies turned deaf ears to our warnings and continued illegal acts," Hussein told Reuters by telephone.

Residents said al Shabaab fighters had taken over the groups' compounds in Jamame, about 60km (37 miles) north of Kismayu. One local aid worker said the gunmen were looting valuables from the charities' offices. Hussein denied this.

REBEL LEADER "TO FIGHT ON"

Last month, al Shabaab banned the U.N. Development Program, U.N. Political Office for Somalia and U.N. Department of Safety and Security from operating in its territory.

In a sign of international support for the Somali government, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks with Ahmed in neighboring Kenya Thursday and pledged more aid for his administration.

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, the prominent leader of another insurgent group, Hizbul Islam, issued a statement in Mogadishu Saturday condemning U.S. policy.

"We thought the Obama administration would positively change Somalia's politics, but it has worsened," Aweys said.

"America wants to colonize all the world's governments, particularly Muslim countries, to loot their natural resources. We shall continue fighting until we reach our goal."

[vaskidmark]

This ^^^ is not good news for APS Pirate Cruise, LLC or the possibly hundereds of persons who have thought of booking a cruise in the near future.

If the pirates are going to remove themselves as targerts of opportunity over such sillly matters as land rights (who ever heard of pirates "owning" land - they just occupied it (usually previously uninhabited islands) and fended off those who came looking to see the big "X" painted on the ground) or young girls raped in the woods - wasn't that a hazzard of pre- or at least wenchhood anyhow (and IIRC it used to happen in the "jungle", not the "woods") then it seems to me they are giving up piratehood and becoming middle class.

We ceratainly cannot allow freebooters to occupy the middle class, for whom, then, will we rail against when the politicians and liberals are declared off limits?

And, besides, I have a RIGHT, I tell you, a right ordained by my ordained minister and his ordained School of Ministry, to hunt pirates.  That RIGHT predates the War Between the American Colonies - you know, the one where King George threw a dollar bill across the Mississippi, or some such thing somebody did.  That RIGHT is unalienable, which means that undocumented guest workers who were not born here first cannot have that right until they are later on born here by becoming citizens or getting amnesty.

I'm not going to stand for this, I tell you.  I'm going to sit right down and call that jacka$$ed bonehead of a Congressman, and both Senators, and tell them that if they expect to see any more PAC money out of me they had better write a law fixing this situation right now!

And I expect all the rest of you to be sending emails to your Senators and Congressmen telling the exact same thing!

No more PAC money until we can hunt pirates just like our great, great grandfathers' indentured servants did for them!

stay safe.

skidmark

[Myself]

If the pirates are going to remove themselves as targerts of opportunity over such sillly matters as land rights (who ever heard of pirates "owning" land - they just occupied it (usually previously uninhabited islands) and fended off those who came looking to see the big "X" painted on the ground) or young girls raped in the woods - wasn't that a hazzard of pre- or at least wenchhood anyhow (and IIRC it used to happen in the "jungle", not the "woods") then it seems to me they are giving up piratehood and becoming middle class.

This illustrates why a strong central government is critical.  If the Somali gov. was doing it's job they would be taxing the windfall profits that the pirates are bringing in which would encourage more pirate activity.  The Somali gov. could then fund Gov. give aways improving the lives of the lower class poor.  Everybody wins.

[Gewehr98]

If the Somali gov. was doing it's job

Umm, what Somali government?

[Perd Hapley]

Take a breath, Gewehr.  He was joking. 

[Gewehr98]

Ok.  Missed the smiley, obviously. 

[RoadKingLarry]

Umm, what Somali government?

Actually I think that was his point.

[vaskidmark]

Actually I think that was his point.

So if there is no Somali government to reel in this outrageous behavior, who is APS Pirate Cruise LLC going to sue?

Where's El T - out painting the window trim on that new Dodge Dart planter on his front lawn or something?  Can Ned get colors out of this?  Is Bridgewalker able to take on our case as a clinic project?  (At least she'd have a killer closing argument. )

stay safe.

skidmark

[280plus]

Film at eleven...