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4 Americans on hijacked yacht shot dead

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cali

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Tue Feb-22-11 09:25 AM
Original message

4 Americans on hijacked yacht shot dead

(CBSNews)

Updated 9:00 a.m. ET

The four Americans aboard a yacht hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia are dead, CBS News has learned.

Hijacked last Friday off Oman, the Quest was being piloted toward the Somali coast - and was being shadowed by a U.S. Navy warship.

CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports that gunshots aboard the yacht were heard, and the warship took action.

All 4 Americans were dead, killed apparently by their captors.

There were more than a dozen pirates on board, some dead and others captured, Martin reports.

<snip>

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/22/501364/main20034691.shtml

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CJvR

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Tue Feb-22-11 09:29 AM
Response to Original message

1. Good oppertunity...

...to break out the gallows and treat pirates as they deserve.

Still a bit unusual. Somali pirates are normally quite business oriented - atrocities tend to be bad for business.

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brooklynite

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Tue Feb-22-11 09:37 AM
Response to Reply #1

2. The yacht owners were evangelical Christians distributing Bibles...

Not that they don't have a right to, but it probably causes problems in the region.

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WatsonT

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Tue Feb-22-11 09:51 AM
Response to Reply #2

3. Oh well in that case

they had it coming.

Likewise it's cool to murder any muslims who try to convert people in predominately christian nations.

:sarcasm:

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palm_to_forehead

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Tue Feb-22-11 09:54 AM
Response to Reply #2

4. Help me figure something out.

Are you defending the yacht owners because they were on a peaceful mission or saying they somehow had it coming because Christianity was part of that mission?

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Name removed

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Tue Feb-22-11 10:48 AM
Response to Reply #4

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

palm_to_forehead

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Tue Feb-22-11 12:28 PM
Response to Reply #10

31. Huh?

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WolverineDG

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Tue Feb-22-11 12:10 PM
Response to Reply #4

28. Apparently saying it's ok that they were murdered because of their religion nt

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ProdigalJunkMail

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Tue Feb-22-11 09:56 AM
Response to Reply #2

5. I would wager that the pirates didn't know or care

about their religious convictions when they took control of the yacht. Your injection of their religion into this is disgusting.

sP

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muriel_volestrangler

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Tue Feb-22-11 09:58 AM
Response to Reply #2

6. How do you arrive at 'probably'?

I asasume you're very familiar with their activities to be able to put a probability on the consequences of them. What have the countries they have been to said about them? Any complaints? Had the countries they planned to go to said they weren't welcome?

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brooklynite

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Tue Feb-22-11 10:35 AM
Response to Reply #6

8. Somalia (from where the pirates come) has had a strong fundamentalist Islam movement in recent ye...

Not saying every Somali feels that way, but as the earlier poster noted, its odd that the "business as usual" approach wasn't followed.

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muriel_volestrangler

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:04 AM
Response to Reply #8

14. But they weren't going to stop in Somalia

So the Islamic situation in Somalia is irrelevant.

I take it this means you have no idea what their journey has been like, and can find no complaints from anyone at all about what they have done.

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NoPasaran

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Tue Feb-22-11 10:47 AM
Response to Reply #2

9. Disinformation

A former TV unit production manager, Scott Adam is an experienced sailor who has owned a boat most of his life, friends said. And although 66-year-old Jean Adam, a retired dentist, became seasick easily, she took medication for it because she loved being on the water.

According to their website, the Adams, who each have children from previous marriages, planned to hand out Bibles during their trip. For years the couple has attended St. Monica Catholic Church, where they were known as devoted parishioners, said Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson. Jean Adam sang in the choir, and Scott Adam, who once pursued a doctorate in theology, often wanted to discuss the Scriptures. "They are great people, wonderfully attentive, and came to this community each Sunday when they were in town."

But friends say the Bibles were not the purpose of their trips. "They did bring Bibles with them, but they're not doing a proselytizing mission," Stolnitz, 57, said. "They distributed Bibles to Christian churches and communities who appreciated them. They're not out there trying to convert — they're just being nice people. It's just part of what they do as their sailing adventure."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-somali-pirates-20110220,0,1375130.story

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WolverineDG

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:55 AM
Response to Reply #2

22. I hope the DUers who were cheering that they were taken hostage

Edited on Tue Feb-22-11 11:56 AM by WolverineDG

are pleased with themselves now.

After all, who cares if a couple of Christians get their heads blown off by pirates?

on edit: It appears you support the pirates' actions. Hope you're happy.

dg

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lapislzi

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Tue Feb-22-11 10:09 AM
Response to Original message

7. Piracy is no joke, nor is it glamorous

These people are thugs, thieves, and murderers. Pirates are desperate people with nothing to lose. (The reasons why piracy flourishes in Somalia is the topic for a new thread). Despite the fact that they deprived their victims of due process, the pirates will, and should, receive it from the Navy. (My feelings about summary execution via the Pirates' Code have no place on this thread either).

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FourScore

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Tue Feb-22-11 10:52 AM
Response to Original message

11. Tragic. My heart goes out to their families. I do wonder about the sequence of events, however.

I'm wondering if the military engaged and that is how they got killed. I can't understand why the pirates would kill off their "collateral", since they knew the Navy was shadowing them. Something doesn't smell right in this story.

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muriel_volestrangler

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:07 AM
Response to Reply #11

15. Fight among the pirates? Reports talk about the 'remains' of 2 pirates

Two pirates died during the confrontation and 13 were captured and detained, the U.S. Central Command said. The remains of two other pirates who were already dead for some time were also found. The U.S. military didn't state how those two might have died.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/four-american-hostages-killed-by-pirates-off-somalia-us-87147?pfrom=home-World

Or one or more of the hostages might have tried to escape, which could have prompted the pirates to shoot them.

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FourScore

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:14 AM
Response to Reply #15

16. I'm not sure what the dead pirates have to do with my query.

Edited on Tue Feb-22-11 11:16 AM by FourScore

And I doubt the Americans would have tried to escape. How would they escape? They were on a boat!

Something just doesn't seem right in this story. I don't think we have all the information.

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muriel_volestrangler

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:49 AM
Response to Reply #16

21. The order of events seem to be first, 2 pirates are killed

and then, some time later, the hostages and some more pirates are. That's what seems relevant to your query. In addition, if pirates had already been killed, that may well be because other pirates killed them, which may indicate the pirates had a tendency to fall out with each other.

You escape from a boat by trying to get over the side. If you know you're being shadowed by US warships, it might work. I agree we don't have all the information. There's also scenarios like a hostage trying to grab a gun.

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old mark

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Tue Feb-22-11 10:53 AM
Response to Original message

12. I am sure the pirates had no interest in their religion, only their posessions

and their boat.

mark

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SoCalDem

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:02 AM
Response to Original message

13. I hope their family members were told before the news told us all

Yachters are a different breed. They love the sea, and consider it as available to all who dare to challenge it.

These people apparently knew they were in "dangerous waters" (according to reports of emails they sent out), and I guess they thought they were up to the challenge.

It's unfortunate that they were not.

Equally unfortunate is the fact that their heirs will probably not even be able to collect on any insurance they may have had, because this voyage would probably not be covered as an accident, since they admitted they were entering into a potentially dangerous situation, and did it anyway..

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lumberjack_jeff

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:26 AM
Response to Reply #13

17. They were 250 miles off the coast of Oman.

They were killed by Somali pirates operating 1000+ miles from home. On a map, draw a line from NYC to the northern tip of Brazil. All the water to the left of that line is comparable in size to the "dangerous waters" created by piracy in the Indian ocean.

Piracy is a big problem of major national interest. Warships should start aggressively boarding and sinking pirate vessels throughout the Indian ocean. Set up a system of floating radar stations off the coast of Somalia. Each ship passing that blockade in or out should be boarded and inspected.

Pirates. Fuck 'em.

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SoCalDem

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:30 AM
Response to Reply #17

19. Piracy happens elsewhere too.

People with big fancy boats will always be a target, but especially in the waters west of India.

I also recall reading about people whose boat was taken & they were injured somewhere near Thailand.

Rich people are targets of opportunity, and when they set off on the sea, they are especially vulnerable.

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lumberjack_jeff

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:45 AM
Response to Reply #19

20. Not every sailor is a rich person. n/t

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SoCalDem

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:55 AM
Response to Reply #20

23. The ones with yachts that travel worldwide, usually are

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cbayer

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Tue Feb-22-11 12:03 PM
Response to Reply #23

26. Not true at all. Most blue water cruisers live on virtually nothing and save for years

to make their trips.

They are some of the coolest, most open, environmentally conscious people on this earth.

Actually I have never met a single one who is wealthy or even close to it.

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SoCalDem

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Tue Feb-22-11 12:20 PM
Response to Reply #26

29. Having a boat can make you "poor"

at least the people I've known who have boats say that:)

Whatever the financial status of the people who died, it's still sad.. and without seeing their balance sheet, it's not worth "arguing" over their worth..

I'll stand by my assertion that a boat like theirs and other yachts like it I have seen, are out of reach for the "ordinary person", as is the retirement at an age where one can afford to "check out" for 7 years & travel the world:)

I'm sure there are vagabonds who travel the world on a shoestring & a prayer, but these people do not seem to fit that mold.

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cbayer

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Tue Feb-22-11 01:52 PM
Response to Reply #29

34. There is an enormous difference between people who have boats and people who

cruise the world on boats.

Those that keep their boats in slips, hooked into the grid and go out occasionally are one thing.

Those that head out for years - rarely hooking into anything, making their own water, making their own energy using the sun and wind, taking care of their own waste and leaving some of the smallest footprints on the planet - are quite another.

These are some of the greatest people I have ever known. Not being able to travel safely in international waters because of pirates is a loss for everyone who aspires to be a citizen of the world.

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FLPanhandle

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Tue Feb-22-11 01:55 PM
Response to Reply #34

35. +1

Very well put.

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cbayer

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Tue Feb-22-11 02:19 PM
Response to Reply #35

36. Thanks. I have read your posts on this before and very much appreciate your support

and input.

The thing about being a live-aboard cruiser is that people either think you are a fabulously rich and spoiled child, or they think you are a lying, stealing, homeless vagrant. You just can't win, can you?

:hi:

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lumberjack_jeff

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Tue Feb-22-11 04:31 PM
Response to Reply #34

37. +2 n/t

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FLPanhandle

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Tue Feb-22-11 12:24 PM
Response to Reply #23

30. B.S.

If you were around world cruisers at all, you'd know that's not true. Most are getting by on a shoestring. Some pickup odd jobs on the way.

Most cruisers are not rich. The rich have their boats captained to a destination and fly in.

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MicaelS

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:29 AM
Response to Original message

18. Summary execution for pirates should be the order of the day. n/t

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Johonny

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:58 AM
Response to Original message

24. So Rand Pauls' yacht based economy not looking good.

You remember a few years ago, when they tried to tax the yachts, that didn’t work. You know who lost their jobs? The people making the boats, the guys making 50,000 and 60,000 dollars a year lost their jobs.

You know what hurts yacht sales more than tax issues? Dead yacht captains.

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geek tragedy

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Tue Feb-22-11 11:59 AM
Response to Original message

25. I see no good reason why every surviving pirate shouldn't have been shot

and thrown overboard to feed the sharks.

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alfredo

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Tue Feb-22-11 12:48 PM
Response to Reply #25

33. That's letting them off easy. Decades locked in a cage

is more appropriate. A dead person doesn't suffer.

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cbayer

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Tue Feb-22-11 12:07 PM
Response to Original message

27. I am stunned and terribly saddened to wake to this news this morning.

This is a tragedy, particularly for those who have or have dreamed of traveling in this way.

My deepest condolences to the families, friends, the Marina del Rey boating community and all like minded people in this world.

:cry:

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alfredo

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Tue Feb-22-11 12:38 PM
Response to Original message

32. Stupidity all around. The pirates, for losing their cool and

Edited on Tue Feb-22-11 12:47 PM by alfredo

opening fire (fuckin amateurs), the yacht owners for leaving the protection of fellow sailors (Blue Water Rally) to take a short cut.

Traveling unarmed and alone in dangerous waters is plain stupid. I feel for the victims and their loved ones, but they took an unacceptable risk. If you know those waters are crawling with teen aged boys sporting automatic weapons, you avoid it at all costs.

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