Posted on 11/18/2009 9:39:41 AM PST by EternalVigilance
About an hour ago, the Associated Press reported that the crew of the US-flagged merchant vessel Maersk Alabama repelled a pirate attack off the coast of Somalia. This is the same ship that was boarded by pirates last April. At that time, the captain of the ship was taken hostage and was held by pirates in a lifeboat for five days. The incident ended when US Navy SEAL snipers simultaneously killed all three pirates aboard the lifeboat in a nighttime action. This time, the pirates never got aboard the ship.
What was the difference? Guns.
As the AP report makes abundantly clear, members of the "international community" are steadfastly opposed to having armed guards or crewmembers aboard their vessels. And, events have provided a telling contrast between the two positions. On Monday, the chemical tanker Theresa was hijacked and its captain is now dead. (According to the AP report, the captain was not killed during the attack, but rather died later of internal injuries. That suggests a follow-on beating.) On Tuesday, the crew of a Spanish vessel was released after Somali pirates received a $3.3-million ransom. If I were a merchant seaman, I'd want to work only on an American vessel -- and thus live to laugh about "international opinion".
Europeans complain that many ex-military armed guards used by American shipping companies (plus those of a scarce few other countries) have no maritime security experience. (Apparently, those Europeans have never heard of the United States Marines or the US Navy SEALs....) The cure is simple. The Massachussetts Maritime Academy teaches a course on maritime security. Apparently, certain shipping companies are willing to pay the fee. It's cheaper than lost cargo, increased insurance premiums, and dead crewmembers.
The lesson here is simple, but bears repeating. Criminals are predators that prefer "soft targets". Weakness invites predators, and advocating a policy against self-defense is merely an invitation to such predators. European shipping companies maintain the position that it is the job of the naval forces of various countries to protect shipping. But, most countries have only limited military and naval resources at best. Even the military and naval forces of the United States are only a fraction of the size that the used to be before the Democratic downsizing craze (which started at the end of the Vietnam War, and continues to this day). Therefore, hoping for a warship to come along and save the day is a high-seas equivalent of trying to call the police during a home invasion. That is why many gun-rights advocates refer to "911" as merely "government-sponsored dial-a-prayer".
Chances are that the surviving crewmembers would never be prosecuted for defending themselves against a pirate attack. But, even if they were, a conviction would be unlikely. An old saying applies: "Better to be tried by twelve than carried by six."
Tom Kovach (rhymes with "watch") is an author, inventor, horse wrangler, paralegal, and a former USAF Blue Beret. He is the Tennessee state chairman of America's Independent Party. Tom has been on the ballot for Congress twice. You can learn more by clicking: www.TomKovach.US.
Oh My GOD!!!! Don’t these people know that guns are dangerous????
Good to hear that American ships are protecting themselves. Why bring NOTHING to a gun fight?
Piracy is only profitable when the rewards exceed the costs.
If the government beuracrats didn't secretly believe this they wouldn't hide their offices behind bullet proof glass and state police bodyguards
Now all anyone will need to do to get through the pirate infested waters is fly an American flag.
ping!
What they did was worse than 9/11! The pirates were probably Muslim and now they have been provoked to an unimaginable degree. We may expect another Fort Hood uprising because of this and that uprising will be completely justified! Think of the copycat school shootings that will occur! And the sudden outbreak of Roman Catholic preists molesting young boys.
What have these monsters wrought? (/liberal)
And bring some guns, too.
To pick up a tax form at a privately owned building in which the IRS has its local office, I have to go through a metal detector and past armed guards. That shows there is a perception of danger for the bureaucrats.
Those federal bureaucrats and our state bureaucrats are not in favor of we citizens having similar protection in our private lives. We citizens are always one vote away from laws ending our right of self protection. Be vigilant.
bump for publicity
They had the old equalizers.
Good article
Good that the American shipping companies are getting away from one tenet of Liberal Free Trade Globalism.....that “International Community” garbage....that discourages ships from taking their own security measures. Suprised the Free Traders havent called the Maersk and other ships “isolationist”, “protectionist”, or the other Anti-American terms the Free Traders hurl out
The willingness of these shipping companies to pay ransoms rather than deal with piracy only encourages more piracy. Simply declaring that any unidentified boats in these waters will be presumed to be pirates and sunk on sight would quickly end the problem. Even just arming these vessels discourages the pirates. Perhaps someone should repeat the success of the German raider ships during WW-I and WW-II, using heavily armed vessels camouflaged to look like merchant ships or civilian yachts.
A better Somali education system is the real answer.
We can always depend on our lapdog media to keep us informed about things they don't like...
They live in government built fortresses where there is absolutely no immediate fear of the people on the part of the bureaucrats. They do have an abstract concern about what might happen -- kind of like you have the knowledge in the back of your mind that when you step off a curb you could get hit by a bus but it is not enough to stop you from stepping off curbs.
This is the problem with giving these people power. They know they are well protected and can operate with impunity. They can even destroy people with their power and no one can touch them even if they do something illegal. Their fellows will close ranks around them and someone that has the gall to complain had better be prepared to give their life in the struggle because the agency wiseguys will come down on them like Michael Moore on a stack of pancakes.
Some educational tools are better than others:
Scaring them off just means they attack the next ship passing through.
A couple of sniper weapons on top of that would work real good.
Thanks for the ping!
That’s beautiful man.
Sign me up!
As reported by AP, the Euro-pacifists were aghast that the ship actually used guns (horrors!) to defend itself (see below).
I am still trying to understand why pirates are not immediately executed, as they are in gross violation of international law.
From AP: However, Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said the international maritime community was still “solidly against” armed guards aboard vessels at sea, but that American ships have taken a different line than the rest of the international community.
“Shipping companies are still pretty much overwhelmingly opposed to the idea of armed guards,” Middleton said. “Lots of private security companies employee people who don’t have maritime experience. Also, there’s the idea that it’s the responsibility of states and navies to provide security. I would think it’s a step backward if we start privatizing security of the shipping trade.”
Time to start hanging ‘em from the yard arm.
Once again, we have proof that Disarming the law-abiding DOESN’T PROTECT the Law-abiding.
[I know, I know ‘Well duhh..]
We have a crime prevented because the good guys were armed, whereas before we had a crime facilitated because the good guy Weren’t armed.
Why does this have to be proven time and time again?
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Love it!
I get the idea that most pirate boats would be deterred by a 30cal machine gun. Firing from high on the deck of a freighter would be easier than firing an RPG from a skiff.
Indeed.
Your tagline is one of the best I’ve ever seen on FR.
This article says that it was a specially trained security force, not the actual crew, hired by the shipping line that opened fire on the pirates as they approached the freighter. Given the positive outcome, it hardly matters. It also says that this repeat on the Maersk took place 350 miles from Somalia. It looks like the pirates have greatly expanded their hunting area.
Yeah, I know. “blood running in the streets” all over again. Nothing but bad can come of this.
‘cept maybe some pirates that go hungry! or perhaps even out of business. Yeah, but that would be bad, right?
Ignorance is amazing, isn’t it?
Got this in an e-mail from a buddy. I don’t know how to get the pictures to post. It’s really done quite nicely:
JUST KEEP ON SCROLLING DOWN FOR MORE FUN ON THE OPEN SEA’S
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Never mind, see post #23. That’s the brochure!
“I get the idea that most pirate boats would be deterred by a 30cal machine gun.
I think .50cal machine guns would permanently deter pirate’s boats. Make that incendiary rounds.
Middleton said.: “ I would think it’s a step backward if we start privatizing security of the shipping trade.”
This “expert’s” idea has FAIL written all over it.
The link isn’t working for me.
Never mind, cut and paste got it.
TOO KOOL! That’s what I talkin bout.
No puny M60 to scare ‘em off. We want ‘em gone fer good!
“Oooo-Weee, ooo-weee Baby! Won’t you let me take you on a Sea-Cruise!”
the US-flagged merchant vessel Maersk Alabama repelled a pirate attack off the coast of Somalia. This is the same ship that was boarded by pirates last April. At that time, the captain of the ship was taken hostage and was held by pirates in a lifeboat for five days. The incident ended when US Navy SEAL snipers simultaneously killed all three pirates aboard the lifeboat in a nighttime action. This time, the pirates never got aboard the ship. What was the difference? Guns. As the AP report makes abundantly clear, members of the "international community" are steadfastly opposed to having armed guards or crewmembers aboard their vessels.By "international community" the "journalists" of AP mean state sponsors of terrorist.
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