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BEST OF ALL OUTCOMES: CAPTAIN FREED, SOMALI PIRATES KILLED
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ManintheMiddle



Joined: 20 Oct 2008
PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:05 am    Post subject: BEST OF ALL OUTCOMES: CAPTAIN FREED, SOMALI PIRATES KILLED Reply with quote
The discussion over what to do about the hostage standoff off the east coast of Africa has just been rendered moot. The details aren't in yet but the Captain of the Maersk Alabama was freed and three of the four pirates killed. The other pirate was wounded and taken into custody.

This is the best of all possible outcomes because:

1. A brave and honorable man's life was spared.
2. The American Navy showed itself to be resilient, as did the FBI.
3. It sends a strong message to other would-be pirates: don't mess with us.
4. Most of the scumbags are dead, so no need to waste time and money with them in court.
5. One survived and hopefully will talk, perhaps leading to other arrests on land later.

Now if we could only get the Obama Administration to show enough balls to find a way to flush out these pirates in their safe havens in Somalia, or at least attempt some sort of "net" since a blockade is out of the question. Short of that, establish a shoot-on-sight (re: strafing) zone in the waters off Somali ports of call and get down to the serious business of holding talks with these maritime agencies and shipping companies so that they realize it's more cost-effective for them to pay and arm crews with higher insurance premiums than to risk having them kidnapped and held for ransom. Then sit down with the governments who refuse to allow armed crews to dock in port and threaten to deny them supplies if they don't budge. Enough is enough: waiting for the U.N. to intervene (either in Somalia itself or at sea) is just courting disaster.

Here's the start of the breaking news:

Quote:
Official: US sea captain freed in swift firefight
By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY and LARA JAKES, AP

MOMBASA, Kenya � An American ship captain was freed unharmed Sunday in a U.S. Navy operation that killed three of the four Somali pirates who had been holding him for days in a lifeboat off the coast of Africa, a senior U.S. intelligence official said.

One of the pirates was wounded and in custody after a swift firefight, the official said.

Capt. Richard Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, was safely transported to a Navy warship nearby....


Three cheers and a beer.

So what should be our (re: American) next move?

Last edited by ManintheMiddle on Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:20 am; edited 2 times in total
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mises



Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Good stuff.
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ManintheMiddle



Joined: 20 Oct 2008
PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yeppers. Underhill, Vermont is about to have its biggest parade since the end of the American Revolution. One man can still make a stand in this wacked out world.
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Kuros



Joined: 27 Apr 2004
PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
We call it a 'link.'

We like links.

Links are good.
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bassexpander



Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 3:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Now THAT'S the way you do it!
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Leslie Cheswyck



Joined: 31 May 2003
Location: University of Western Chile
PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
One in custody, eh? Let's hope he doesn't fall upstairs a few times. Wink
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Fox



Joined: 04 Mar 2009
PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Article wrote:
Abdullahi Lami, one of the pirates holding the Greek ship anchored in the Somali town of Gaan said: "Every country will be treated the way it treats us. In the future, America will be the one mourning and crying," he told The Associated Press. "We will retaliate (for) the killings of our men."

Jamac Habeb, a 30-year-old self-proclaimed pirate, told The Associated Press from one of Somalia's piracy hubs, Eyl, that: "From now on, if we capture foreign ships and their respective countries try to attack us, we will kill them (the hostages)."

"Now they became our number one enemy," Habeb said of U.S. forces.


I like how they think threatening the escallation of violence could possibly help their cause. It's like they get together with the North Korean government on weekends and have P.R. seminars.
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ManintheMiddle



Joined: 20 Oct 2008
PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 4:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Fox observed:

Quote:
I like how they think threatening the escallation of violence could possibly help their cause. It's like they get together with the North Korean government on weekends and have P.R. seminars.


Laughing Laughing

One correction: the fourth pirate surrendered unharmed.

One update: Navy SEALS snipers took the others out--at night.

As they say at McDonald's, "I'm loving it."
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Leslie Cheswyck



Joined: 31 May 2003
Location: University of Western Chile
PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 5:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Fox wrote:
Article wrote:
Abdullahi Lami, one of the pirates holding the Greek ship anchored in the Somali town of Gaan said: "Every country will be treated the way it treats us. In the future, America will be the one mourning and crying," he told The Associated Press. "We will retaliate (for) the killings of our men."

Jamac Habeb, a 30-year-old self-proclaimed pirate, told The Associated Press from one of Somalia's piracy hubs, Eyl, that: "From now on, if we capture foreign ships and their respective countries try to attack us, we will kill them (the hostages)."

"Now they became our number one enemy," Habeb said of U.S. forces.


I like how they think threatening the escallation of violence could possibly help their cause. It's like they get together with the North Korean government on weekends and have P.R. seminars.


Those pirates look so waifish. Can't wait for the musical. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exGJsv6ZNlo Laughing
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