Pirates grab another US boat and 4 people.

[Harold Tuttle]

"This morning, with no warning, is when the rocket-propelled grenade was fired, and the gunfire erupted onboard the yacht," Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon, calling in from his headquarters in Bahrain.

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/22/somali-pirates-fired-grenade-then-killed-4-americans-us-says/

[Phyphor]

Yea, that warship should suffer from a sudden rope shortage, if things were justly and properly handled.....

[vaskidmark]

The comments from the other thread on the pirate recently convicted and sentenced to 33 years of more meals in a day than most Somalis eat in a week, endless TV, and medical care for every tropical disease and parasite he brought into the cell with him, are all coming back in my head.

I'm beginning to think that since these pirates are also most likely going to get sentenced to something less than natural life, that doing so is in fact a violation of their 8th Amendment rights.  Is it not cruel and unusual to get them accustomed to regularly eating healthy, nutritious food and getting regular medical care, only to eventually return them to the festering cesspool that is Somalia?  Wouldn't is be more humane to put a tamper-proof tracking collar on them and return them to their homes immediately?

Those Predators can look and see how many others are sitting around near him before they unleash the explody stuff, can't they?

stay safe.

[Hawkmoon]

A pirate in Somalia told the AP last week that pirates were more likely to attack Americans because of the sentencing.

"It's a black day for us and also the Americans, but they lost bigger than us," a pirate who said his name was Bile Hussein said. "If they still want a solution and safety for their citizens in the oceans, let them release our men they arrested."

In response, I think the United States should be saying, "If they want a solution and safety for their citizens anywhere in Somalia, let them release the ships and hostages they're holding and stop playing pirate, or their so-called 'strongholds' will be obliterated, with them inside."

Isn't there something about this situation in the Marine Corps Hymn?

[Hawkmoon]

I'd like to add . . . with four dead Americans, am I the only one who is saddened that 13 living pirates were captured?

Chum is better when it's kept fresh.

Just sayin' ...

[kgbsquirrel]

"If they want a solution and safety for their citizens anywhere in Somalia...."

That presumes they care anything for their fellow citizens. From what I've observed (opinion alert!) these folks are stereotypically self-centered and would toss a dozen other Somali's under a steam roller if it meant getting a little extra scratch for themselves. If you wish to properly motivate them to cease pirating you'll have to use methods that directly affect themselves personally, ie. blowing up any pirate skiff just as it's leaving their haven port.

[Hawkmoon]

The Daily Mail is now reporting that the pirates (or their "associates" ashore) are claiming the Navy attacked them first, and that they killed the hostages because they had no other choice.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1359000/Somali-pirates-killed-4-Americans-hijacked-yacht-claim-US-Navy-fired-first.html

[Azrael256]

The Daily Mail is now reporting that the pirates (or their "associates" ashore) are claiming the Navy attacked them first, and that they killed the hostages because they had no other choice

Yes... Other than careers that don't involve piracy and surrendering instead of murder...  Hmm.

Why did the SEALs take them alive again?

[kgbsquirrel]

Yes... Other than careers that don't involve piracy and surrendering instead of murder...  Hmm.

Why did the SEALs take them alive again?

Cause the brown show CO on the ship stopped them before their guy could shank the other 13?

[Scout26]

"This morning, with no warning, is when the rocket-propelled grenade was fired, and the gunfire erupted onboard the yacht," Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon, calling in from his headquarters in Bahrain.

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/22/somali-pirates-fired-grenade-then-killed-4-americans-us-says/

I could easily see one of the pirates having an AD with an RPG and the others just start shooting.....

[KD5NRH]

This may not (and likely will not) garner many positive responses, but it needs to be said.  While I can appreciate the couples' dedication to their mission and faith, and am very saddened to hear of their fate and the associated grief their families will be facing, intentionally sailing directly into what amounts to an active war zone greatly tempers my sympathies.  If you know there's a fire and you intentionally sail around the world to jump into it, well, don't be surprised when the obvious happens.

From the map in one of the articles, it looks like they were closer to Pakistan than Somalia.  Probably trying to stay away from what's generally understood as the bad place, while still sailing to Oman, but underestimated the pirates' range.  They should have followed the coast of Oman a lot closer, but they weren't exactly touring the Somali coast.

[kgbsquirrel]

From the map in one of the articles, it looks like they were closer to Pakistan than Somalia.  Probably trying to stay away from what's generally understood as the bad place, while still sailing to Oman, but underestimated the pirates' range.  They should have followed the coast of Oman a lot closer, but they weren't exactly touring the Somali coast.

*nod* Pirate "mother ships" have been known to range more than a thousand miles from the coast of Somalia in recent years. They're no longer just picking off humanitarian aid ships and such that come close to their coast but are now threatening any and all traffic in the Arabian and Red Seas, and so a lesser extent the north-western Indian Ocean. I expect the only reason we haven't seen them take a ship in the Persian Gulf yet is because Iranian fast attack boats would swat them as soon as they tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

[RoadKingLarry]

Who do you suppose is profiting from the Somali pirates and has neough world clout to allow it to continue?

Or is it just a case that the "world" doesn't have the spine to correct the problem

[Jamisjockey]

Who do you suppose is profiting from the Somali pirates and has neough world clout to allow it to continue?

Or is it just a case that the "world" doesn't have the spine to correct the problem

Globalisim and the liberal ideal of "justice" permeating the world.   

[vaskidmark]

And how f-king dare anyone out there say bad things about the pirates.  After all they've been through.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDDEhLw1PVI

Actually, according to this guy http://oldsaltshaker.blogspot.com/2011/02/jaccuse.html it really is NOT the fault of the pirates.

 

I started to write something about his opinion, then deleted it and started over.  Did that several times.  Just cannot find the words to do him justice.

stay safe.

[kgbsquirrel]

I started to write something about his opinion, then deleted it and started over.  Did that several times.  Just cannot find the words to do him justice.

I know how you feel. Had a conversation with PTK once after something particularly upsetting occurred, my statement to him was as follows: "Despite many years as a sailor I lack the appropriate vulgarity to adequately describe my current thoughts."


Just go out into the backyard and beat something with a 2x4 that makes a sufficiently satisfying thump, you'll feel better.

[280plus]

Yea, it must be bad if a sailor can't swear his way out of it. 

[PTK]

I know how you feel. Had a conversation with PTK once after something particularly upsetting occurred, my statement to him was as follows: "Despite many years as a sailor I lack the appropriate vulgarity to adequately describe my current thoughts."

That, to this day, still stuns me... that you would lack the vocabulary, the eloquence, to describe how upset you were at that moment. I mean, after all the colorful swears?

[KD5NRH]

Yea, that warship should suffer from a sudden rope shortage, if things were justly and properly handled.....

Or transfer them to the nearest Nimitz class carrier for a nice slow keelhauling.