Pirates of the Indian Ocean

Quick action by Navy SEALs saved the US merchant marine captain who had been held by Somali pirates. What I did not realize until more of the story came out is that the Somali pirates still hold more that 220 sailors from various countries as well as more than a dozen ships captured off the Somali coast waiting for ransom.

How is that possible in this day and age? The naval powers in the world, the USA, Britain, China, France and Russia, need to forget about their differences and create an international strike force to wipe out the Somali privates once and for all. Once they are done there they can head to deal with the pirates who operate out of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

If necessary, merchant ship should be provided with a platoon of marines from their home country to provide protection until the threat of piracy is eradicated.

Now I know a lot of ships sail under flags of convenience, especially Panama and Liberia. In their case the ship owners may have to hire private protection companies to provide security. There are enough of them in world today.

The important thing is to put the pirates permanently out of business. They are another group of terrorists. Their goal is money rather than world change to an idealism.

The time has come to fight back with no quarter. Take the beach, free the hostages and kill the pirates.

Its Common Sense!

Somali Pirates

The Somali pirates are getting bolder and going after bigger prey. Due to the shipping lanes that pass the east coast of Africa, ships that cannot pass through the Suez Canal have to make their way down the African East Coast to reach the Atlantic Ocean and European, and American ports of call.

Recently the Indian Navy got tough but now there are reports that the ship they sank may not have been a pirate vessel.

My opinion is that the countries who are having their shipping threatened need to band together, as the USA and Swedes did in the early 1800's to take out the Tripoli Pirates. (At that time the English and French were busy fighting each and bribed the pirates to leave their shipping alone.)

Now, too much is at risk to allow a bunch of ignorant pirates to take over oil tankers and freighters, kill crewmen and demand ransoms.

Swift action needs to be taken to go into the pirate bases and destroy the individuals involved.

The history of the seas shows that when pirates overstepped their bounds, whether it was the Spanish Main, the Mediterranean or Southeast Asia, the powers of civilization moved in and destroyed them.

The world is too volatile to allow this kind of action to continued unchecked. One day they will take an oil taker and create an environmental disaster. The nations of the world need to band together, move quickly and destroy the threat.

Pirates, like terrorists, are a threat to all of us and we need to move on a united front to eradicate them.

Its Common Sense!