Comments on: Under Fire, U.S. Liner Outruns Pirates

Meanwhile, Security Firm Blackwater Meets With Shipping Companies To Discuss Protection Of Vessels

[nordeck52]

Where''s the Flying Dutchman when you need it?

[earache4]

I guess ''The Black Pearl'' isn''t the fastest ship at sea....

[leeanna58]

Really now. At this point if the pirates have captured the ship, SO WHAT. It was just full of Greedy, Selfish, Arrogant Republicans anyway, spending the spoils of our hard earned money.
Posted by sockpuppet4

What evidence do you have that all the passengers on board were Republicans? My former boss is a Democrat and he has actually taken several cruises.

[andor3]

This is actually a pretty good fit for Blackwater security."

Yep, just a creative marketing campaign--sort of an advert for them really, with a role for an ex-military cruise ship captain. Rent a couple speedboats, hire some people to chase a ship... and soon the checks are rolling in.

[hober_mallow]

This is actually a pretty good fit for Blackwater security.

However, I wouldn''t necessarily nuke Somalia. Try to find some sort of untraceable poision that could be dropped from the air.

[andor3]

lochlan: " we hear the reason they have been letting these pirates get away with all this garbage. They needed to make a reason for the Prince [Blackwater] to get continued contracts..."

Funny how predictable and gullible people are, calling for some para-military solution just as Blackwater would like. Seems highly questionable that a cruise ship can successfully use "evasive maneuvers" against two speedboats--sounds like the whole thing was staged. Maybe the boats were not pirates (who saw them?). Maybe the ship captain played along (were there even really boats after them?).

[leeanna58]

Maybe it''s time to just nuke the entire Somalian country. That should get rid of the pirates, their relatives, the next generation of pirates, their hunger problems, their drug problems, and their aids problems. We would be doing them a favor.

[runningralph]

Somalia will not stop piracy. It is their bread and butter. And Islam authorizes crimes against infidels. Piracy has been going on in the Straits of Malacca for decades. Another Islamic controlled shipping lane. As jihadists infiltrate more areas such as India and the Phillipines, piracy will become more widespread. Technology can be used to thwart piracy but the jihadists have access to technology, too. Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Straits of Malacca are authorized by Islam same as terrorist attacks around the world.

[oldguy4truth]

That ended train robbery in the U.S. and that will stop pirates on the high seas.


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Posted by buttonjockey a

I also recall that we ended piracy in the 18th century in American waters by killing pirates.

[oldguy4truth]

Won''''t work...many of the pirates are using boats that blend in.

They would really blend in at 20 fathoms.

[shimano35]

Put an aircraft carrier out there----launch planes--sink pirate ships---end of story!!

[newsjunky5]

"Instead, put about a dozen well armed paramilitary people on each ship. Their instructions are to shoot to kill if the ship is legitimately threatened. I would call guys in speedboats shooting at you a legitimate threat."
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That sounds like the solution to me.
Cheaper, always in the right place, more effective. Is there a small, cheap, missle battery they can put on freighters? You would need to out-gun the pirates, too.
But they should be part of our military, not private. They should have seamless back-up from any military planes/ships in the area.

[piercetheval]

...Maybe it''s time to bring back the ''PT Boats''...possibly deployed from a ''Mother Ship'' or two, or three, in the Gulf.

[newsjunky5]

They shot at a US cruise liner. That alone should invoke a military response. It''s only a matter of (short) time before they either hone their skills or get lucky and kill a ship full of civilians, if Bush drags his feet. The shipping and cruise liner companies will be pressured to hire private security (Blackwater) if the Navy is held back. Is Bush willing to trade innocent lives for a juicy contract for his friends?

[buttonjockey]

I''ve said it before. There''s an easy solution. Don''t go after the pirates, let them come to you! It''s a horrible waste of money to bring in world class navies to patrol vast waters, looking for a needle in a haystack, always being in the wrong place.

Instead, put about a dozen well armed paramilitary people on each ship. Their instructions are to shoot to kill if the ship is legitimately threatened. I would call guys in speedboats shooting at you a legitimate threat.

That ended train robbery in the U.S. and that will stop pirates on the high seas.

[lochlan-2009]

"Meanwhile, Security Firm Blackwater Meets With Shipping Companies To Discuss Protection Of Vessels"

Finally, we hear the reason they''ve been letting these pirates get away with all this garbage. They needed to make a reason for the Prince to get continued contracts, target, the shipping industry. I was wondering why we weren''t stopping these attacks.

[earache4]

U.S. liner to pirates:

"Eat my wake!"

[oldguy4truth]

Why they are getting free reign of the area is beyond me.
Posted by oldguy4truth


Because there are 20,000+ in traffic a year thru there...you can''''t police it


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Posted by jh6379again

I would send nato to conduct wargames in the area. I am sure the Navies of the free world could find just one bunch of heavilly armed thugs prowell the seas. How do you suppose they target their victoms....... I think we should be able to make just ONE example fairly easy. Like I said, I believe if you annihlate one boat load of cowards attacking defenceless vessles, I think that will do the job. The other rats will run back in their holes like they did when NATO troups finally went to Somalia.

[oldguy4truth]

I would love to see someone step up and blast the s--- out of a crew of them. I think that would be the end of this nonsense. Why they are getting free reign of the area is beyond me.

[nikosk11]

Nuke the ba$tards, then others will learn.