Piracy

[Haggis@wk]

The joke going around the retired SF community is;

"A reporter interviewed one of the SEAL snipers that took out the pirates and breathlessly asked, "what did you feel when you had to fire your rifle and take another human being's life?

The seal thought about it for a few seconds and replied, "Recoil....”



Ron Paul's plan to fend off pirates

A little-known congressional power could help the federal government keep the Somali pirates in check — and possibly do it for a discount price.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and a growing number of national security experts are calling on Congress to consider using letters of marque and reprisal, a power written into the Constitution that allows the United States to hire private citizens to keep international waters safe.

Used heavily during the Revolution and the War of 1812, letters of marque serve as official warrants from the government, allowing privateers to seize or destroy enemies, their loot and their vessels in exchange for bounty money.

The letters also require would-be thrill seekers to post a bond promising to abide by international rules of war.

I vaguely recall that I wrote about “letters of marque” a few years ago, maybe here? I’ll have to look. I think this is a peachy idea, sadly, no one in our government (Left or Right) has the stones to implement it.

[jamiebk]

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and a growing number of national security experts are calling on Congress to consider using letters of marque and reprisal, a power written into the Constitution that allows the United States to hire private citizens to keep international waters safe.

I think this is a peachy idea, sadly, no one in our government (Left or Right) has the stones to implement it.

They have already used it...it's called Blackwater.

[Shapley]

Blackwater is primarily a training company, although they do provide security teams as well.

Blackwater Maritime Security Services offers tactical training for maritime force protection units. In the past it has trained Greek security forces for the 2004 Olympics, Azerbaijan Naval Sea Commandos, and Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior. Blackwater's facilities include a manmade lake, with stacked containers simulating the hull and deck of a ship for maritime assaults. Blackwater received a contract to train United States Navy sailors following the attack on the USS Cole.

It has also recently purchased a 183ft vessel, the McArthur, which has been outfitted for disaster response and training. According to Blackwater USA, it features "state of the art navigation systems, full GMDSS communications, SEATEL Broadband, dedicated command and control bays, helicopter decks, hospital and multiple support vessel capabilities."The McArthur was built in 1966 by the Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. and served as a research vessel for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration until its decommissioning in 2003. The ship will be home-ported in Norfolk, Virginia.

[piqaboo]

Got this link today.
Interesting to hear about the tactics to use up lifeboat fuel and to make the pirates "off balance", literally and metaphorically.
Captain Phillips rescue

[dai bread]

Very well done!

[jamiebk]

Got this link today.
Interesting to hear about the tactics to use up lifeboat fuel and to make the pirates "off balance", literally and metaphorically.
Captain Phillips rescue

I wish I could read/see this link but the IT trolls have thwarted my efforts. I'll look at it from home.

[Shapley]

The four Americans aboard the captured yacht Quest have apparently been killed.


http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/02/22 ... ly-killed/

[piqaboo]

On another board, one member is trying to put the bad on the yachts-folk, for being there, w bibles, in the first place.

I say it wasnt the smartest choice, but it is NOT their fault that they were hijacked and subsequently killed.
They may have been able to make choices to avoid it, but the pirates are the ones who did the wrong.

[Shapley]

On another board, one member is trying to put the bad on the yachts-folk, for being there, w bibles, in the first place.

I've seen a bit of that, as well. Some cite the bibles, others the mere fact that they were pleasure-boating in that area of the world. There're only two ways around Africa: the Suez Canal or the Southern latitudes. You've got pirates in one and serious weather in the other. The Suez Canal was opened so sailors wouldn't have to go around the more dangerous way. Despite the piracy, the Suez is still considered the safer route by most small-boat sailors.

Nor should we surrender a large tract of the ocean to pirates. That's why we have a Navy, and a Marine Corps. They cut their teeth battling African pirates. Methinks they have a job to do there again.

[Haggis@wk]

With much, much less provocation than this I spent the better part of 18 months in Mogadishu beginning in 1992, arriving just before Christmas and missing the next Thanksgiving and wedding anniversary. I remember thinking that I didn't know what the hell "nation building" meant and despaired that my previous 23 years training dedicated to breaking things and killing people had ill prepared me for the mission.

Now, breaking things and killing people is exactly what's called for. Put the Marines ashore at Mogadishu and Kismayu (we called it "Kiss my Ass") for some serious ass kicking and things breaking.

That’s what Marines have been for since their inception and they have never forgotten those unique skills.

The bulk of America's global reputation was built over the past two centuries demonstrating that we possessed a willingness (and a certain craziness) to protect Americans, regardless of where they were/are.

Besides, there are some folks that just need killing.

[dai bread]

It seems clear to me that we are going to lose hostages.

There seems to be no alternative, given the inability of Somali to form a decent government, to letting various navies loose. That's the way it was done last time piracy was a serious matter, and it looks very much as though it will have to be done again.

The original Paul Getty had it right when he refused to ransom his grandson, saying "I have 14 grandchildren. If I pay, I will have 14 kidnapped grandchildren". The shipping companies should never have paid any ransoms. They might have lost one crew. Now they stand to lose hundreds of people.

[Haggis@wk]

It’s pretty embarrassing when you can’t even handle pirates:

Muted outcry in Washington after deadly pirate attack.

What is this, the 17th Century? If so, should we be deploying 17th Century solutions? Because the 21st Century approach doesn’t seem to be working very well.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

There's a 17th century sort of line in the Marine Corps anthem, about the "shores or Tripoli". There's also a sad sort of observation that's commonly heard at the SEAL school a couple miles down the strand from me: "Sucks to be a hostage".

[Shapley]

Commandos Free Japanese Ship, Crew From Pirates