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PIRATES! AAARGH!

Discussion in 'Free Fire Zone' started by Poppy, Feb 23, 2011.

  1. Poppy

    Poppy grasshopper

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    Sad ending to the Americans sailing around Africa. Peace to them. ....I have to wonder at the drive that pushes some to take on daring feats. I myself would not have sailed to Africa distributing Bibles. Could anyone imagine people sailing from Somalia or Kenya to Vancouver in order to distribute the Qur'an ? Seems a little arrogant.
    But am very interested in the story regarding the knife fight that occurred inside that sailboat after attempted rescue by US. Wonder what really happened.
     
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  2. Mark4

    Mark4 Ace

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    they should have shot thoses pirates execution style I dont care about the stupid rules................
     
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  3. belasar

    belasar Court Jester

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    Since the USN cannot use Rooseveldt Roads for gunnery practice perhaps anything comming out of a Somali port?
     
  4. C.Evans

    C.Evans Expert

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    Ditto. Those Missionaries also KNEW what they were getting into. If I were one? i'd be packing a piece too.
     
  5. Victor Gomez

    Victor Gomez Ace

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    Walks near the borders of mid-eastern countries, boating near Somalia, trekking through mountains of Mexico, Columbia and Venezuela all seem to me to be at best "Risky" behavior. Americans seem to go abroad thinking the power of their embassy extends to them with unlimited reservations and then it becomes headlines when things happen that are not as they expected. We have citizens who think if they are missionary like in behavior that all will be well. In many cases that is a most offensive attitude despite what you may have intended. For example few people recognize that there are still populations in the mountains of Mexico that do not accept the Mexican government. Lawlessness is the rule for portions of Venezuela and Columbia. However the average American student does not even know how to locate those countries on the map much less realize the problems of traveling about in those areas. Ignorance of what we need to know about regions of the world really does prevail. There is a Spring-Break phenomena of college youth spending their break times at locations such as the above as a trend towards that behavior has become apparent. They totally ignore the advice of the consulates as if it doesn't apply to them and organize the trips anyway. I have seen that groups engage in this practice as a regular pattern for all their breaks and is no longer limited to spring break. It is not acceptable to be over ruled by parents and some parents just dish out the money. Far different when I had to grab that time to work to make money to continue my education. They seem to have a lot of play money I never had. Perhaps if I had that much money at the time I may have not used it wisely either but I just can't help but notice the differences.
     
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  6. Dauntless

    Dauntless Member

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    I'm with Gomez that some Americans really don't think when they travel (salute !!). With that said though,

    there is a piracy problem off of Africa. The pirates are now striking as far as 1,500 miles off of their coast. That's more than just a regional issue. My solution:

    We are up against a low tech enemy. Our destroyers in the area are blue water high tech ships, well suited to dealing with a high tech Chinese or Russian naval ship. We need some World War 2 ships in the area (with some high tech tracking equipment within). I propose

    2 Jeep carriers-carrying prop planes and helicopters (alternate one for one every month)

    1 dozen Fletcher class destroyers

    2 LSD's (alternate monthly) that carry Marines + two PT Boats on each LSD.

    4 blimps with AWACs abilities

    Once we've established their base of operations, go to the UN and show the video of boats/ships departing Somali ports. Of course the UN will be against taking action, but unilaterally, or with NATO, a massive raid on the Somali port(s). Sink all their ships. Burn all their boats. Reduce their buildings to rubble and burn the rubble. Then deliver a very clear warning that any more intrusions beyond their 12 mile zone will be met with even more and worse force.
     
  7. texson66

    texson66 Ace

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    Folks, these people were missionaries who knew the risk in their actions in following the Great Commission. In my eyes they are Christian martyrs. The Somali scum are claiming the US Navy opened fire on them first, and they really didnt want to kill the four Americans. Right. A boat load of Somali jihadists with a RPG? Just doing Allah's peaceful work in the ocean.

    About those killed:

    "
    The Adams, a retired couple, had been sailing around the world for more than seven years in their yacht. They were unhappy being "dirt dwellers" so they took to the sea on their yacht, distributing Bibles around the world, their website said. Photos show a smiling couple who delivered Bibles to remote villages "from New Zealand to Alaska to Central America—and now from Panama, through French Polynesia, the Cooks, Samoa, Tonga and back to New Zealand."

    "We seek fertile ground for the Word and homes for our Bibles," the website said. "Often, the ultimate homes are best found by people who are already living locally and seeking and cultivating that fertile ground. AND even more extraordinary are the times when people have been praying for Bibles for their group or their schools and when we arrive we are often greeted by the attitude of, 'We were expecting you.'"


    Their voyage began in December 2004 and was expected to last 8 or 10 years, the website said. The leg of the journey begun this winter went from India to the Mediterranean, by way of the Arabian and Red seas. The couple hoped to reach Crete in the spring before sailing to Istanbul."
     
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  8. brndirt1

    brndirt1 Saddle Tramp

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    I think that the trouble started when this couple, and their new passengers decided to break away from the larger group and take that short-cut across the area in front of the Somali shores. And trying to figure out which of those Somali boats are pirates or simply fishermen is a real head scratcher. They can be just fishermen one day, and when a tantalizing bit of possible ransom income is dangled in front of them they go "pirate". The poverty in that region is simply unimaginable, and if some seemingly wealthy persons, in a private yacht show up alone on their doorstep the temptation may be just too great.

    I doubt they even had any idea these people were missionary types distributing bibles until after they boarded the Quest and found them. It wasn't like they were flying a big sign "get your bibles here" from the main mast or anything. I'm not condoning this in any fashion, just pointing out that the bible part may be only a sidebar to the whole thing and had nothing to do with the pirates boarding the yacht.
     
  9. Lady Prime

    Lady Prime Member

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    The sad thing now is that they will be hailed as martyrs. If I were a missionary like them, you all know what I'd be carrying....my Bible "belt"...
     
  10. freebird

    freebird Member

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    Poppy, you need to understand that they were sailing through the South Pacific etc, and from what I understand they were coming from India, and were NOT planning to tour Somalia distributing bibles.

    Victor, they were just trying to get into the Med from the Indian Ocean. It's impossible to get through the Red Sea without passing by Somalia.

    Carl, why does it not surprise me that you are from Texas? ;)

    I've actually had quite a bit of experience with this having piloted a small (45 foot) boat arount the Pacific. Although I wasn't near Somalia, the pirate problem in the South China Sea was as bad, or worse than that of Somalia.
    BBC News | ASIA-PACIFIC | Modern pirates: Armed and ruthless

    Actually there are some significant logistical problems involved in this if you ain't coming from Texas. :D
    The problem is that your weapon of choice would probably be an assault rifle or AK-47, uzi etc, but carrying these on board can be a major problem. AFAIK Australia & NZ both ban these weapon types, as does Canada and the two most likely US Pacific departure states. (California & Hawaii). In addition, you would have trouble getting through Panama & Suez canals with your arsenal on board.

    Minor ports such as the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tonga etc would likely not search the boat well enough to find the weapons, but the USCG certainly would. (They use dogs to find drugs & weapons). The paperwork to put them in secure storage during your stay in Oz or NZ would likely involve a nightmare of paperwork.

    We ended up carrying 2 "flare guns" that had the same size shells as a 12 guage, and the "flare gun" could also fire shotgun shells. :rolleyes:
    Hopefully the customs folks wouldn't look to closely inside the "flare gun" box.
    If your pirates are just local yokels with a couple of M-16s you can probably scare them off with a few shots (or dropping the first one to board your boat) but if they have an RPG then you are pretty much ****ed.
     
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  11. Gebirgsjaeger

    Gebirgsjaeger Ace

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    Nope, have you ever heard of the nice little 12 gauge phosphor/diesel shells? Funny things that can burn a boat down very quick! Good to add them to the others at the flare gun box! And i don´t wanna be the guy at the RPG when those round hit him. Sorry for beeing evil.
     
  12. texson66

    texson66 Ace

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    Could the Mod who edited out my posts please PM me. thanks!
     
  13. urqh

    urqh Tea drinking surrender monkey

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    tex Im not getting involved in this one..but if you think these pirates are allislamic jhiists then your miss reading the whole somali pirate thing...scum i can go with jhidists...not on your nellie.
     
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  14. Poppy

    Poppy grasshopper

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    I don't think they were killed because the pirates thought they were Christian or delivering bibles. But their calling from God to distribute bibles is what killed them. Ironic, eh? Works in mysterious ways to be sure.
    But I was mostly interested in the purported knife fight. Could you imagine that? Knife fights are probably one of the most exciting forms of combat. I'm hungry for that story, and subsequent movie.
     
  15. belasar

    belasar Court Jester

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    I feel that both Texson and urgh are both right, with urgh a little closer to the center mass. Pirates primary motavation has always been plunder, but even in classic pirate times they would to some level cloak themselves in the mantle of 'King and Country' whenever they could. I suspect on some limited level they reguard thier acts as part of Allah's will to punish the infidel. Granted it is likely little more than a thin cloak, easily discarded when they find it no longer profitable. It is also possible that true jihadist may offer very limited support (Intel-Money-Arms) on the theory that it ties up western powers at little cost and no threat to them.
     
  16. Erich

    Erich Alte Hase

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    you may get it poppy. the Somalian never had a chance, and yet these bozos seemed to barricade themselves inside the yacht and for what purpose a shootout with us ? seems rather chilling that the old standby of hanging pirates does not seem to be in effect anymore and that some sort of trial is needed, we really should of removed the 4 Americans off the ship stand back a couple hundred yards and then vaporized the yacht with the dinks aboard.

    sometimes I wonder about reality with our armed forces though it is bonafide fact that the political jargons up high are in command
     
  17. Mark4

    Mark4 Ace

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    I think this littles incident shows that were are really losing are power I mean this shows that know one is scard of Americans and think they can do what ever they want and fear nothing that and the fact we didnt save 4 lives.
     
  18. belasar

    belasar Court Jester

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    While I see some signs of American decline, at least in the short term, this is not one of them. Spain at the hight of its power had its sea lanes infested with pirates, so to England who paid tribute to the Barbary pirates. For too long people, companies mainly, have paid tribute for the hostages taken by Somali pirates and they still are more likely to get paid or at least away scott free rather than punished. It is not just a US problem but a world one. For every American flag ship attacked I am sure many more non-American ones are taken. There is the old saying 'When America sneezes, the world catch's cold"
     
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  19. C.Evans

    C.Evans Expert

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    Hi Free/ heh heh, my whole point is that since I know I would be going somewhere where they regularly kidnap people and play with guns and such, that I would want to be able to fire back. I think if a few folks started shooting back, some of those fools might start thinking about changing their eh hem "careers" to something more productive--like maybe growing food to sell to those who like to eat :))
     
  20. C.Evans

    C.Evans Expert

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    Dang it, WHY does everything always happen here before I can read it to get the complete story?
     

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