On Apr 13, 6:30*pm, wrote:

Dave,
Given that ~ 20,000 ships annually pass through those waters and the
pirates only got 111 ships last year (70 some so far this year), the
economic costs (let alone the legal, moral, safety - if an oil
tanker- *and other considerations) of providing trained armed security
and weaponry (at least 3 expensive - probably need 6 for very large
ships - trained extra crew members + night vision goggles + the
weapons themselves) for every ship plying those waters would exceed
the money paid out in ransom. *The piracy needs to be stopped but
there are probably better ways to do it.

Ken,
*As valid as the grievances that the Somalis have are, they cannot
justify outright theft and extortion. When they travel 200 and more
miles from their coast just to seek out their prey of merchant ships
for the lucrative returns they provide, they cannot claim that they
are protecting the integrity of their country or doing it because they
are hungry. *Reports I have read say that many of the pirates are
building villas and buying luxury cars with the income from their
piracy. *If true, and I have little reason to doubt the reports,
that's greed not hunger. BTW although the Somalian piracy is in the
news - the problem is almost as bad around in the Malacca straits and
other restricted waterways in SE Asia.

Bob Weinberger

Bob Weinberger- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Picking up on what Bob said in the first paragraph. . . .

The disruption is bigger and more significant than has thus far been
acknowledged.
First, Mombasa, down the coast in Kenya is the most important semi
modern port in East Africa. We are dealing with a continuing
harassment of one of the Worlds and certainly Africa's, main trade
routes. Mombasa is THE main port for food aide, and a good portion of
the commodities that Central and East Africa support themselves with.

Second: You want some real ****? How about shredding the supply chain
that feeds Mombasa and triggering a famine that spreads across Africa,
with massive waves of hunger and instability driven migration. A
disaster in short. And the kind of hunger disaster that has happened
in scale before in modern history. It is simply not acceptable that
some street gang-bangers-with-outboards get to threaten the other
couple hundred millions of people in that part of Africa.

Third: Certainly Somalia needs some form of government. And at this
point just about any form of *******-on-a-camel centralized rule will
do. I don't see that its our job to decide for them, shell out tons of
money, or do anything on the ground but just let it happen. Even if
its the "Islamic Courts" I don't give a ****. But what we need to do
NOW for our own interests, and what we can do cheaply is cull some of
the bad guys, the arsonists, the few hundred that are playing with
matches on the African powder keg. This is why we have a Navy.

Fourth: The fishing thing. Hey, its not us this time. There ARE other
*******s in the World folks. In this Case Japan, Spain, Norway, and a
few other are the rapacious interlopers on the Somali offshore
resource. And its a problem in other places where they exploit
weakness or corruption. Some aide to the ultra poor countries to buy/
train for better coast guard and resource protection might be a better
aide buy than repeat food aide. But right now these guys are pirates
who have gone far over the line. And think about it . . .right now
they have lots of new boats, crews, a mother ship or two, weapons,
excellent communications, and yet . . . are they protecting a Somali
fishing fleet? Nope. Why? They are pirates.

Dave
Where is JR. He knows this part of the World, ditto Riverman?