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SpartanDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 06:17 PM
Original message
Somali pirates threaten to murder more hostages
Edited on Wed Feb-23-11 06:43 PM by SpartanDem
Source: The Guardian

Pirates in Somalia have said they are ferrying ammunition and men to the 30 hijacked vessels under their control, and threatened to kill more captives following the violent end to a hostage standoff that left four Americans dead.

The US military said that 15 Somali pirates detained after the killings on Tuesday could face trial in the United States. The pirates are being held on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise off East Africa. The FBI is investigating the killings of Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, of Seattle, and Jean and Scott Adam, of Los Angeles, who had made their home aboard their yacht Quest since December 2004.

Pirates hijacked the yacht last Friday and held the four hostage. When a US warship responded to the incident, the hostages were shot and killed.

The Adams handed out bibles during their travels around the world, but a pirate who gave his name only as Hassan said religion had played no part in their death. He said the pirates reacted violently after the US forces blocked the yacht's path.



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/23/somali-pirates-american-hostages-trial



These assholes really have some gall, the pirates shouldn't even make it to the US they should be thrown off ship for shark bait.
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plumbob Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 06:18 PM
Response to Original message
1. Why not use predator drones against these guys who are actually
killing people for money?
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ixion Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 06:20 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. Because there's no angle in it for the MIC
would be why.
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plumbob Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 10:05 PM
Response to Reply #2
25. too true
nt
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social_critic Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-24-11 07:39 AM
Response to Reply #1
30. it's not that simple
I don't know how you would go about launching a predator offshore. Then there's the issue of aiming it. How would you know you're aiming it at a bad guy? Finally, there's the issue of the hostages, if you start using a robot to kill people, it may launch a rocket and kill everybody, including the hostages.

I think it makes more sense to capture the pirates and put them in jail.

This is a cost benefit issue, if the guys who become pirates see it's not worth the risk, they'll stop doing it. The key is to stop paying off the pirates for the ships. It's very difficult to stop this business line when the boats and crews are ransomed the way they are. So there has to be a more muscular response, in the sense that pirates may have to be chased around onshore. But this can be done by paying the appropriate bounty. I've been around in the area, and it would be fairly easy to pay other Somalis to catch the bad guys. But none of this dead or alive bs. It's important to capture them alive, try them, and put them in jail.
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plumbob Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-24-11 08:19 AM
Response to Reply #30
32. Why alive? THEY kill people. For lack of money.
Make it unprofitable. Ultimately unprofitable.

Why put our personnel at risk?
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Kennah Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 06:32 PM
Response to Original message
3. The U.N. and the western world bailed on Somalia circa 1995
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-you-are-being-lied-to-about-pirates-1225817.html

I think Johann Hari said it well:
Did we expect starving Somalians to stand passively on their beaches, paddling in our toxic waste, and watch us snatch their fish to eat in restaurants in London and Paris and Rome?

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Ex Lurker Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 06:50 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. If it was ever about defending their shores, it went beyond that a long time ago
they're roving over the entire Indian Ocean now. They attacked a ship in Indian territorial waters a few weeks ago.
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SpartanDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 07:19 PM
Response to Reply #3
8. That's why they don't capture people on merchant ships and yachts
only going after bad guys like polluters :eyes:
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tabasco Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 07:28 PM
Response to Reply #3
9. Hahahahahahaha!
Yeah, they're defending their territorial waters!!

Quick - tell another one! :rofl:
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Kennah Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 07:40 PM
Response to Reply #3
11. Not saying I agree with piracy ...
... but the lack of a functioning government and corporate exploitation are the key contributors to piracy.
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Codeine Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 08:38 PM
Response to Reply #3
19. Stupidest comment of the fucking day.
Good job! :eyes:
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TBF Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 06:53 PM
Response to Original message
5. So, the pirates should be shark bait, but we let the bankers fleece us blind
and reward them with tax breaks. Got it.
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provis99 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 07:07 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. he said we should let bankers fleece us blind?
link, please?
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Name removed Donating Member (0 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 07:08 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. Deleted message
Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.
 
FLPanhandle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 09:55 PM
Response to Reply #5
24. This thread isnt' about bankers.
Nice way to try a divert the discussion though.
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TBF Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-24-11 07:26 AM
Response to Reply #24
28. Not trying to divert anything - just putting it into perspective. nt
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RZM Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 11:58 PM
Response to Reply #5
27. Here's a solution . . .
How about we let the pirates be shark bait while at the same time NOT let bankers fleece people blind. Got it?
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TBF Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-24-11 07:26 AM
Response to Reply #27
29. Wow, way to be nasty. Welcome to Ignore. nt
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RZM Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-24-11 11:32 AM
Response to Reply #29
34. Certainly wasn't trying to offend
Sorry if it came across that way. Of course, this is moot because you're not seeing it, which is why I don't use ignore ;)
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SnakeEyes Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 07:28 PM
Response to Original message
10. While i condemn the taking of life
but pirates in the region are very poor people and have been a long time. They are doing what they can to survive in a country that has been raped by the capitalist system. The attitudes toward pirates is misguided. Keep it only toward those killing others.
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MikeW Donating Member (554 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 07:46 PM
Response to Reply #10
12. when you blow away 4 innocent people for no reason
The sympathy vote goes out the window ... I dont care how dam poor you are.

Send a message to the Somali pirates .... we see your boats ... we sink you no matter what your doing or what your there for.

Tell them there is a strict exclusionary zone that they are not allowed under any circumstances to cross to do so means your

boats will be considered hostile and sunk.
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TBF Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 08:15 PM
Response to Reply #12
15. "no reason" being the key phrase -
I don't love their methods, but realize that capitalism has driven them to where they are now.
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TMcCaleb Donating Member (41 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 08:25 PM
Response to Reply #10
16. actually
the head pirates are pretty wealthy
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The abyss Donating Member (930 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 08:58 PM
Response to Reply #16
21. Yes works rather like a pyramid scheme
Really no different than the drug dealers in the US. Levitt & Dubner explain the concept well in their book "Freakonomics".

The bigger question is where does the original power come from?

No different than the crack cocaine epidemic of the 80s. Somebody started that original pyramid operation and it sure as hell wasn't the crips & bloods, they were just the game players on the street. Gary Webb documented that pyramid scheme very well - then he got seriously depressed and shot himself (twice) in the head.
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Codeine Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 08:39 PM
Response to Reply #10
20. WTF?
what is going on around here? Piracy and the taking of hostages is NEVER justifiable, I don't care how poor they are. :wtf:
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RZM Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 11:57 PM
Response to Reply #10
26. There are poor people all over the world
Edited on Wed Feb-23-11 11:59 PM by RZM
Most don't rob and kill for a living. These pirates aren't entitled to ply their trade any more than a poor person here is entitled to break into your house and take whatever they like.
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kcks Donating Member (81 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 07:54 PM
Response to Original message
13. As far
as I am concerned they can put them ashore about 500 miles from their coast with life jackets and a compass if they can swim to shore they can go free.
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TMcCaleb Donating Member (41 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 08:27 PM
Response to Reply #13
17. lol
and they will take more hostages......
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skyounkin Donating Member (722 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 07:55 PM
Response to Original message
14. LOL- but when Israelies board
ships in international waters and kill Americans, that's okay.

Not to the OP, but just in general.
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TMcCaleb Donating Member (41 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 08:38 PM
Response to Original message
18. wonder
how Russia or China would deal with this issue.......
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Ken_Fish Donating Member (520 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 09:01 PM
Response to Original message
22. The russian model works.
they do not kill them, they put them on a 6 foot dhing and give them 5 gallons of diesel between 8 men. 2000 miles from land, no radio.

Problem solved.
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Lasher Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-23-11 09:31 PM
Response to Original message
23. Piracy is a clear act of war.
We have no reason to have a navy, if not to blow every Somali vessel out of the water on sight.
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timo Donating Member (890 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-24-11 07:44 AM
Response to Original message
31. if it was about fishing and pollution
they would have help from other like minded ecological groups....you ever hear of these guys taking a factory trawler? or garbage scow?

shoot them on sight!!
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Democat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-24-11 08:57 AM
Response to Original message
33. Blow them up.
It's simple.
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