NATO vs. Pirates – catch and release

Dutch commandos free Yemeni captives, feed cheese to pirates and let them go because “NATO has no detention policy on pirates”.  I confess that I have absolutely no military training and NATO generals probably do, for the most part, but if I were setting up an “Anti-Piracy Force” as NATO did, I’d spend a little time thinking up a policy for what do do if we captured some. Hanging them is okay, or feeding them to sharks or even, although I don’t know why anyone would bother, bringing them back home for a trial before hanging them, but if no policy at all means setting them loose to plunder again, then I’d suggest that they have come up with a policy by default. Euro weenies.

Barack? Oh Bomb’em

Pirates seize four more ships. Kill them all.

3 1/2 months to decide on a dog, how many days to decide to shoot a pirate?

One troubling point in the terrific take down of those pirates by Navy SEALS is that, according to the NYT, Obama and his advisors dithered over whether to allow it. Doesn’t seem to be that difficult a decision but I’m insensitive to nuance. There’s talk now of bombing the pirates base; whoopee. If we can’t explode a few heads without days of meetings and consultations I wouldn’t expect any meaningful action on the Somali shore for at least a few years.

The Defense Department twice sought Mr. Obama’s permission to use force to rescue Captain Phillips, most recently on Friday night, senior defense officials said. On Saturday morning, the president agreed, they said, if it appeared that the captain’s life was in imminent danger.

The Pirates vow revenge, revenge, let’s bomb them now, avenge avenge!

A taste of ordinance may change their ways. With cat-like tread, Upon our prey we steal; In silence dread, Our cautious way we feel. No sound at all, We never speak a word, A fly’s foot-fall Would be distinctly heard –

Police. (pianissimo)

Tarantara, tarantara!

Pirates.

So stealthily the pirate creeps, While all the household soundly sleeps.

 

Pirates.
Come, friends, who plough the sea, Truce to navigation; Take another station; Let’s vary piracee With a little burglaree! Come, friends, who plough the sea, Truce to navigation; Take another station; Let’s vary piracee With a little burglaree!

It’s not personal, it’s business

Or so says this Somali pirate:

”The mere killing of three and capturing one will not make us change our mind,” said one pirate holding a German ship anchored in the Somali town of Harardhere who refused to give his name. ”We are determined to continue our business regardless of the recent killings and arrests.”

So let’s bomb them up to the stone age and raise grave doubts about their ability to continue as a going concern.

Captain freed, 3 pirates dead

Great news on The Wall Street Journal. I want to be a Navy Seal when I grow up. But the ship’s captain is a pretty cool dude, too.

Mongo just pawn in great game of life, but …

What’s so difficult about this? Pirates are seizing our ships and killing and capturing our seamen. We know where they’re based and we know, because Stephen Decator showed us how to do it in 1805 or so, that destroying those bases ends piracy. Boom – end of problem. The thugs holding that brave Vermonter? They’re in a life boat with him, in the middle of the ocean. They might be open to reason if they had nowhere to return to and no one to ask for help. Let’s try it and see.

UPDATE: Christian Science Monitor has a round up of similar opinions.

There is one God and his name is Allah

And boy is he pissed. The Somali pirates got their ransom for the supertanker (picture and story here) then fell to squabbling, tipped over their getaway boat and 5 drowned. Hip hip, hooray!

From a guy who knows everything

My cousin Ed Fountain not only knew, way before I learned it, the meaning of “contango”, but just called to inform me that “Kontanta” means “cash” in Esperanto. Is it possible that those Somali pirates were confused or are they really natural-born commodities traders?

 

Update: even Public Radio’s on to the contango thing. Reminds me, in a way, of the late 1970s when people discovered they could play arbitrager with the dollar against the Swiss franc. But by the time ordinary Americans caught on and started playing the game using American Express Travelers Checks in franc denominations, the music had just about stopped and that was that. Come spring, when all these supertankers filled with crude start showing up in our ports, someone will probably discover that they own Swiss cheese, not Swiss currency.