[Lyikmcmb]

But after they were captured, I hear they all shouted "April Fools!" and had a good laugh with the US Sailors, and a lunch buffet.

lol... I do enjoy a good lunch buffet.

[ensuppono]

Instead they danced with the Stars and stripes!! YEEHAW!! US and A! US and A! US and A!

8.5/10

Good showing.

[Piemonedmow]

But after they were captured, I hear they all shouted "April Fools!" and had a good laugh with the US Sailors, and a lunch buffet.

9/10

Nice job.

[rozettasmolanov]

The old adage about not bringing a knife to a gunfight can now be changed to:

Don't bring a Skiff to a US Naval warship.

That's a fact, Jack!

[Creva4k]

But after they were captured, I hear they all shouted "April Fools!" and had a good laugh with the US Sailors, and a lunch buffet.

..consisting mainly of their own heads on a platter.

[Unwiseevove]

They should have sunk the thing and not even slowed down to look...

Now these Darwin Award nominees are enjoying 'three hots and a cot' care of the US tax payer.

Aye, these scalawags just bagged the greatest booty any Somali could hope for. The best food, medicine, and lawyers on the planet.

And a free college education during their 20 years in Club Fed don't hurt either.

If you want to deter piracy, you have to make them walk the plank.

[Hitfaromarf]

I guess some of those little kids who wanted to grow up to be pirates actually did.

[rammossyAcron]

In defense of the pirates, the Perry class frigates are one of the few warship afloat without a bow mounted weapon system. It's gun is mounted midships on top of the superstructure. Depending on the lighting it's easy to see why they might have thought it was unarmed.

I'm not sure what they thought it was. I suspect drugs were involved,

[neotheMit]

Do you think perhaps they didn't realize it was a warship they were attacking? It's the only reason I can think of that they did something this foolish.

That's my take on it. It was late at night and ships can be hard to visually identify at that time when at sea from a low lying boat like a skiff even with halogen searchlights--which I'm pretty sure they didn't have--even if you're right up close to it. It's even harder if there was little or no moonlight due to the time of month and/or the weather because of the lack of a silhouette.

[Nashhlkq]

if you want to deter piracy, you have to make them walk the plank.

arrrrrr...!

[onelovemp]

This would have been the most epic YouTube video....EVER!

[KinicsBonee]

In defense of the pirates, the Perry class frigates are one of the few warship afloat without a bow mounted weapon system. It's gun is mounted midships on top of the superstructure. Depending on the lighting it's easy to see why they might have thought it was unarmed.

I'm not sure what they thought it was. I suspect drugs were involved,

(picture omitted)

Indeed, that kind of ship would be even harder to identify under the conditions the pirates were operating until it was too late. It could easily be confused as a freighter without a proper daytime visual based on the human eyes of those in the skiff.

I'll pass on another kind of a probable 'defence' here, and one I don't think many in the global public are aware but ought to be, but the rise of piracy there has also been caused by some pretty awful behaviours.

Since Somalia has no functioning government, the Somali coastline has been ravaged by massive waste dumping--including toxic waste including nuclear--plus rapacious overfishing by others, all of whom have taken full advantage of Somalia's misfortunes to fish its waters clean whilst polluting it filthy.

Many of these pirates by common knowledge are ex-fisherman who have turned to piracy to earn a living because their main life trade has been severely damaged and/or ruined thanks to these rapacious acts.

IMO, a major public effort and pressure should be made upon governments to put an end to these abuses of the Somali coast that in turn have helped cause the piracy problem. After all, if these coastal Somalis can't feed themselves and their kin because others have robbed and trashed their way of living, it becomes far more understandable why many of these people have resorted to this far more hazardous way of trying to earn a living.

[genna]

Aye, these scalawags just bagged the greatest booty any Somali could hope for. The best food, medicine, and lawyers on the planet.

And a free college education during their 20 years in Club Fed don't hurt either.

If you want to deter piracy, you have to make them walk the plank.

Maybe we should just kill everyone. That would deter crime.

[Heacechig]

Maybe we should just kill everyone. That would deter crime.

Nah, just the ones attacking legitimate shipping.

[DF9sLGSU]

Indeed, that kind of ship would be even harder to identify under the conditions the pirates were operating until it was too late. It could easily be confused as a freighter without a proper daytime visual based on the human eyes of those in the skiff.

I'll pass on another kind of a probable 'defence' here, and one I don't think many in the global public are aware but ought to be, but the rise of piracy there has also been caused by some pretty awful behaviours.

Since Somalia has no functioning government, the Somali coastline has been ravaged by massive waste dumping--including toxic waste including nuclear--plus rapacious overfishing by others, all of whom have taken full advantage of Somalia's misfortunes to fish its waters clean whilst polluting it filthy.

Many of these pirates by common knowledge are ex-fisherman who have turned to piracy to earn a living because their main life trade has been severely damaged and/or ruined thanks to these rapacious acts.

IMO, a major public effort and pressure should be made upon governments to put an end to these abuses of the Somali coast that in turn have helped cause the piracy problem. After all, if these coastal Somalis can't feed themselves and their kin because others have robbed and trashed their way of living, it becomes far more understandable why many of these people have resorted to this far more hazardous way of trying to earn a living.

Very well said.

[GooogleGuy]

arrrrrr...!

Speaking of which... has anyone seen MeadHallPirate lately?

[vioppyskype]

Some more info on what OSB just said. A lot of this "terrorism" or "pirating" stuff that has been going on around can be greatly diminished by addressing genuine grievances and giving people back justice. Without these elementary morality, the issue breaks down to the old story of pirates and emperors.

And, obligatory pirate picture.



Arrrr!

[Rx-Ultram]

If criminal activity were contingent on poverty, rich people would not commit crimes.

No matter your economic status, you always have the choice to take what does not belong to you. While I don't disagree that serious nation building needs to be done in Somalia, the criminally inclined will always find another way.

[mazabotman]

If criminal activity were contingent on poverty, rich people would not commit crimes.

No matter your economic status, you always have the choice to take what does not belong to you. While I don't disagree that serious nation building needs to be done in Somalia, the criminally inclined will always find another way.

I think your first comment is a true comment about societies definitely in the First and even Second World countries.

For example, I don't find excuses for crime in the First World ones. Ways and means exist for legitimate living, social aid exists, the countries are stable with laws and assistance, modern amenities exist, necessities of life exist, etc. By comparison, even places like American ghettos are paradises compared to what I've seen in some Third World slums with awful regimes in control where the poor there would be furious at how others in the First World don't appreciate or maximise their chances. In many Third World places, slums and poverty look like this:





In many Third World countries, options away from crime can also be found for many, but it gets much less clear in the most desperate places and desperate of cases. It all depends on the location, regime, stability, demographics, etc.

If you get a place like the Somali coast, where people are walking sticks of hunger without infrastructure and its basic amenities with surrounding violence, failed government, desert terrain with war inside the coastline, etc, the basics are already mostly missing and leave no room to spare. And if the coastal people basically live off fishing, and other nations take advantage of their plight as they have been doing by polluting their means of living and removing all the fish, people are going to be cornered on living itself. They won't choose to starve, so they'll resort to stealing. Added to that is anger over the countries of the ships they are hijacking given they rightly blame them for having robbed and trashed their means of living honestly. If someone put me into a corner by destroying my own home and way of living like that, I wouldn't lose much sleep on my conscience in grabbing ships from countries that dumped trash and took my food and means of living away where I can't feed myself and my family, etc.

Desperate people resort to desperate things. IMO, that's why nations ought to crack down on the awful abuse of their plight with the dumpings and overfishings and make attempts to give the coastal people a chance to get back on their feet if possible.

[JacomoR]

Exactly, OSB. It's easy to talk big about killing the pirates and whatnot. It's a whole hell of a lot different to actually have to live in those places, with the complete lack of control over your own life.