Pirates hijacked a cargo ship delivering UN food aid to north-eastern Somalia yesterday, according to officials...
The pirates use speedboats equipped with satellite phones and GPS equipment. They are typically armed with automatic weapons, anti-tank rocket launchers and grenades, according to the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia.
As I wrote in "A Pirate's Life for Me!" (
GUNS & AMMO, April 2002):
Aye, pirates there still be. But the blackest tale o' treachery on the Seven Seas comes not from cutthroats. It comes from anti-defense globalists, that is, the people reporting the increase and chartered to do something about it-- the scurvy knaves at the IMO and the privateers who follow in their wake.
Crossed anchors over a UN logo on the IMO ensign evoke nothing so much as a Jolly Roger, and despite their objective of "improving maritime safety," the world agency could be considered a buccaneer's best friend. Not only are they powerless to help victims of piracy in progress, but they actively oppose the only proven deterrent, armed defense.
Is this where I say "Harrr"?
Interesting...how exactly would arming seafarers help? Also I assume that in arming all seafarers, US ports would then be happy for them to arrive alongside? Probably not...arming seafarers is both wrong and unworkable.
ReplyDeleteIt would be far better to spend time, money and resources to educate the locals who are seduced by criminals and gang leaders into a life of piracy and crime.
You can kill and maim a thousand young "pirates", but while life seems hopeless there will always be more to take their places. We need to catch and punish the "big men", at the top of the chain, while educating, feeding and making an honest life more rewarding and attractive for those vulnerable and susceptible to the overtures of a life of piracy.
Guns are only a very short-term, unimaginative answer.
Guns do not require imagination to be effective.
ReplyDeleteIt requires a great deal of imagination to believe anon above has a clue.
Short-term death creates long term consequences for bad guys and guess what. It is very discouraging to bad guys with the imagination to see themselves as shark bait, when they review the results of the short-term., unimaginative solution to their predecessor bad guys who lacked the imagination to understand the reality of attacking people who were not helpless.
Or he could be a shill for the pirates, which seems more likely.
Guns are only a very short-term, unimaginative answer.
ReplyDeleteSo do you prefer torpedoes, or light missiles . . . maybe some kind of directed energy weapon (some people just love technology)?
Who cares? It was just the UN. Maybe if it was a ligitamate government vessel I would be more concerned. The UN are "pirates" themselves.
ReplyDeleteAnonamous, are you really saying that these pirates just need a hug?
No, I'm not saying "hug all pirates", I am saying that shooting pirates will only get you so far - in that there are plenty more to follow. Unless you get to the root cause and stop young people being seduced by criminal gangs. If you stem the flow of people becoming pirates you stop piracy! Simple!!!
ReplyDeleteArming merchant vessels is a recipe for disaster - as this will simply escalate the violence of any struggles.
Also, bearing in mind the lax controls on identification of seafarers how can you be sure of the credentials of the "seafarer" you are arming?
Also, bearing in mind the lax controls on identification of seafarers how can you be sure of the credentials of the "seafarer" you are arming?
ReplyDeleteThat's what we need--Real ID on the high seas!
Please, don't feed the trolls.
ReplyDeleteMark Odell
Ah, the spontaneous generation of criminals hypothesis. If you kill pirates, surrounding populations will not only be encouraged to take up that line of work, but the non-criminals will do it just to keep up the average.
ReplyDeleteSpeedboats? Isn't there a Ma Deuce on the ship somewhere?
Well, alright then. Let's start with the police domestically, then the (un?)armed services.
ReplyDeleteDisarm all people, everyone in your locale anon. EVERYBODY, let's test this theory on your family and see if your imagination protects them from the newly minted angels, who no longer want to privateer in your neighborhood because they know you are not armed and you will give up what is yours to keep them from a life of crime.
I am sure once they realize you cannot escalate the violence they will be peaceful when they rob, rape and murder.
You jackass. Put your family on that bull'seye if you want. But mine is precious and worth protecting. You know your own better than I, but I bet they don't know you would sacrifice them before protecting them.
If your wife knows that about you and keeps you, it must be out of pity.
actually, arming merchant vessels has traditionally been only a second-best resort against piracy. that's because merchants have better things to be doing than chasing pirates, and usually don't bother to practice ship-to-ship combat, since that's not how they make their money.
ReplyDeletethe traditional first-and-best resort against pirates is a few first-world frigates and destroyers on patrol in pirate-infested waters, escorting merchantmen and generally sailing the "beat", with orders to blow bad guys clean out of the ocean on sight. shores of Tripoli, and all that. this has worked well in the past; why not now?
Straightarrow - how about you bring your wife and kids back of the ships and stop placing them in the "bullseye"...we're not talking what you do in your own trailer park, we're talking about merchant ships here. Somethiing you patently know nothing about.
ReplyDeleteBy the way - there is obviously more than one "anon" posting on here, so stop getting so wound up you gun toting imbecile!