Should the US Navy be used to protect private shipping from pirates?

[RB TexLa]

Poll question: Should the US Navy be used to protect private shipping from pirates?

[baldguy]

1. Thats one of the primary reasons why the federal govt formed the US Navy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_wars

[eShirl]

3. You beat me to it.

Great minds. :)

[baldguy]

10. Can I have a cookie?

;)

[eShirl]

18. will a donut do?

:donut:

[baldguy]

20. .

Thanks

[RB TexLa]

Doesn't make it right.

[eShirl]

6. True. Nevertheless, it is right.

[Raineyb]

35. No it's not

We ought not be using the military to protect private interests in international waters. Have we not learned a damn thing from Iraq? If the shipping companies are concerned let them hire their own damn mercenaries. The Navy is supposed to protect we the people not the private corporations.

Regards

[baldguy]

8. Should we just pay off the pirates then? Deplete the treasury through extortion?

Pirates are terrorists w/o a political agenda.

[RB TexLa]

12. If a private shipping company feels that is the best way to handle it, there's nothing

wrong with them paying off pirates.

[baldguy]

16. There's everything wrong with it.

This week, they'll want $1 mill to free a fully loaded ship. They'll buy newer, better & more powerful weapons with that money, then they'll take two ships & demand $2 mill each for them. And on, and on. Only a few shipping companies would be left, and prices for imports would skyrocket all over the world.

Imagine $1000 for a barrel of oil, a $100,000 surcharge for each Hyundai unloaded in San Diego. The next laptop you buy would be ten times more than it would've been today - all because of piracy. Any expected global economic recovery would be killed is people started paying them off.

The free market doesn't work on Wall St any more. It certainly won't work with the shippers needing to arm themselves.

[RB TexLa]

31. So I guess you would tell me I shouldn't pay a ransom for a kidnapped family member

if I felt that was the best way to get them back alive? You would tell me that "everything" is wrong with that.

[hack89]

32. What's wrong with it?

how else do you stop it?

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Hell yes, that sounds like one of the better things to do with a Navy.

And we oughtta also do something about the conditions that drive people to commit piracy.

[WCGreen]

4. Stronger banking regulations?

[Jackpine Radical]

7. Hah!

I didn't see that one coming.

[Pirate Smile]

5. Does everyone know what is on the ship that was nabbed today? Food Aid.

"The 780-foot Alabama was carrying food aid bound for the Kenyan port of Mombasa for USAID, the U.N. World Food Program and the Christian charities WorldVision and Catholic Relief Services when it was seized, the ship's owner said. Twenty American crew members were on board. "

[baldguy]

19. And the Somalis have turned to piracy because there's no govt there.

Corporations are dumping toxic waste off the coast, destroying their fishing stocks.

http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_5415.shtml

While the media is covering piracy, there needs to be coverage of the plundering of Somali resources by rich companies and rich governments, said Prof. Samatar. “They are destroying the coral reefs—breeding grounds for the fisheries—destroying the livelihoods of Somalis, taking the food out of the mouths of the poor.”

According to Ms. Aden there are 3.5 million Somalis facing starvation. East African waters, particularly off Somalia, have huge numbers of commercial fish, including the prized yellow-fin tuna. Observers say the Somali coastline once sustained hundreds of thousands of people as a source of food and livelihoods.

[TahitiNut]

9. It's probably better than issuing Letters of Marque

:dunce:

[baldguy]

13. A new source of revenue for Blackwater & Dick Cheney!

[NightWatcher]

11. Hell No (in international waters), make the shipping companies hire security

a team of 4-5 security types along side the crew of 30 that could be trained to man assault weapons and a few rpgs to fend off these pirates.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

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

[NutmegYankee]

38. Shipping is a lifeblood to many nations, including ours

My previous post was deleted because someone didn't know the history of the Battle of the Atlantic and took the "Happy time" wrong

The German Navy strategy in WWII was to use U-boats to sink the merchant shipping going to and from Britain to strangle them from the war. In the beginning, the Germans sank hundreds of thousands of tons of shipping a month with few losses of submarines, which became known as the "Happy time". The British and the Americans eventually developed better weapons and tactics that cost the Germans nearly 700 submarines by wars end to win the Battle of the Atlantic.

When this began, many people considered the Germans pirates, and if Navies did not defend merchant shipping, other pirates or nations could enjoy their own "Happy time".

[bbinacan]

14. Yes. n/t

[Tim01]

15. Yes the Navy, and fighter jets too.

They are fucking PIRATES for petes sake, not people applying for food stamps. Order them to surrender or be destroyed. A couple hellfire missiles, and a lot of the problem will go away.

[stillcool]

17. The entire military is used to protect...

American business interests. Land, air or sea. Sounds like someone hasn't been playing right with Uncle Sam. Why don't they do what the government would do...call Blackwater?

[New Dawn]

21. Yes, that is one of the few legitimate uses of the Navy.

[TheCowsCameHome]

22. Certainly.

Particularly protecting US flagged ships manned with American crews. Absolutely.

[wuushew]

23. No

Those poor, poor multi-national corporations with their billions of dollars and ample insurance.

Form convoys, use insurance, take alternate routes or build submarine ships.



Navies cost money as well. Lots of money, most likely more per year than the value of cargo they are supposedly protecting. A rational person would decline the idea.

[NutmegYankee]

24. Gee, why did we form convoys in WWII. It's private companies after all!

It's not like we need that shipping or anything...

[Historic NY]

26. The US Marines.......that is why they were created.

[OhioChick]

27. Are we talking about the Navy protecting Walmart goods from coming in from China? n/t

[baldguy]

28. And when we ship wheat back.

As much as I dislike Walmart - piracy isn't their fault.

[OhioChick]

29. Oh, I'm not necessarily saying that I disagee with the use of the Navy. n/t

[HooptieWagon]

30. It's the original reason the Navy was created.

And I believe there are already several countries navies also patrolling the area. Ideally, security in the Indian Ocean should be turned over to an alliance of the countries in the region that are able, and have a commercial interest - South Africa, India, Australia, and perhaps China and Saudi Arabia. Until then, I guess the US needs to provide the leadership.

[margotb822]

33. This is a stupid question

First of all, we don't have the resources to form goods convoys. We barely have enough resources to patrol the key areas. In case you haven't noticed, there are some wars going on. How do you think the tanks get there? By plane?

Second of all, pirates aren't u-boats. The Somali pirate problem stems from a general lack of government and no ability to protect their own fishing area (EEZ for you maritime folks).

The only way to actually solve the pirate problem is to solve the anarchy problem on the ground.

[Statistical]

34. At one time being a pirate was an automatic death sentance

After the navy cannon you ship they opened fire on any surviving pirates in the water.
They kept a couple to bring back to port and hang.
Wasn't uncommon to see pirates swinging in the breeze in major early ports (Boston, Norfolk, New York).

There is a reason why the last time a merchant ship flying US flag was hijacked was 200 years ago.

Hijacking US ships at one time was a guaranteed death sentence. No trial, no lawyer, no appeal.

[Jack_DeLeon]

36. Sounds like a plan...

:)

[cboy4]

37. Yup!

:thumbsup:

[eridani]

39. I think that's what it was originally supposed to do

Shores of Tripoli and all that. The Founding Fathers were pretty strenuous in their objections to a standing peacetime army (an armed citizenry serving in local militias was supposed to take care of that), but they wanted a navy specifically to protect our shipping.

[Romulox]

40. Sounds like more taxpayer subsidies to multinational corporations to me. Hooray? nt

[ShortnFiery]

41. No, but Blackwater (Xe) has already met with shipping magnates to step in = for a fee.

:evilgrin: Oh there's much money $$$$$ to be made for our blessed Mercenary Corporations. :wow: :nuke: