Careless Clinton Cleared of Charges

(Image by Lisa Benson)

The FBI finally passed judgement on Our Corrupt Queen yesterday.  The G-Men considered Hillary and her minions "extremely careless" in handling top secret information and are not bothering to press charges.

Here's the FBI Director's press conference for your viewing displeasure.  Austin Bay calls him out for being a sell-out.

Others were "extremely careless" at handling classified information--but they got pinched.

But not Hillary Clinton. 

And we're also told to believe Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton merely talked about their respective grandkids during their "chance meeting."

(Image by Ken Catalino)

Scourge of the Seas Grows Bolder

(Image from: "Pirates of the Amazon")

Well, even the khat chewing Somali pirates sense weakness in the global community.  Pirate attacks surged this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/piracy 

Mukundan [the bureau's director] said the positions of some of the attackers' mother ships were known and called for stronger action to be taken against these mother ships to prevent further hijackings.

Oh, I'm all for "stronger action." Especially if it involves sending the pirate motherships to the bottom--with all hands.

Comrade Karla quips:

Remember, this is just too difficult an issue to deal with and it has no real solution.

Dismissing Real Piracy

Pirates of bygone eras are often viewed as lovable, fun-loving rogues like the party-goers in the above picture.  In fact, such "pirates" make a regular appearance during Puget Sound's SeaFair Festival:

http://www.seafairpirates.org/

Unfortunately, the reality of piracty--then and now--is much different, as pictured below.

A Virginia judge threw out the case against 6 Somali pirates accused of attacking a US warship.  His justification? 

The judge, in an unprecedented decision, held that attempted piracy is not itself part of the international law definition of piracy.

The Maritime Executive has the full story:

http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/disaster-courts-disaster-piracy-infested-waters/

What these "lovable rogues" deserve is this:

Brushing Up on Ship Recognition

A handful of Somali pirates attacked a US Navy frigate.  Sounds like the pirates need more updated ship recognition manuals:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100401/ap_on_re_af/af_piracy

Norsemen vs Pirates

(Image from Fury of the Norsmen by Metagaming, 1981)

I'm glad the Danes are on our side! The other day a Danish special ops team stormed aboard a ship in the process of being taken over by Somali pirates:

http://www.military.com/news/article/danes-free-ship-captured-by-pirates.html

Now That's the Way to Do It!

Yesterday an Italian cruise ship fended off a Somali Pirate attack, thanks to the Israeli security detachment:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090426/ap_on_re_eu/piracy

I find the article's title amusing: "Cruise Ship Fends Off Pirate Attack with Gunfire"

Ooooh! Scary!

This must be the opening phase of the "escalation of violence," so dreaded by most of our faint-hearted politicians and the Mainstream Media (MSM).

In fact, all pirate attacks should be met with lethal force. But this is only a defensive measure. Until we destroy pirate bases, the Somali Scallywags will continue to be a plague upon the open sea.

(I'm not sure what computer game the above picture is from. I tried finding a more historical print to add to this post).

What Flag of Truce?

The pirate who avoided the SEAL marksman arrived in NY today. Unlike in the days of yore as pictured above in Howard Pyle's sketch Pirates Wait to Learn the Price of Their Crimes, today they learn the names of the law firms willing to defend them.

One of my friends sent us this story:

NEW YORK -- The sole surviving Somali pirate from the hostage-taking of an American ship captain arrived in New York, smiling for a gaggle of cameras and reporters as federal agents led him into custody to face charges in the attack at a court hearing Tuesday.


Federal agents escorted Abduhl Wali-i-Musi into Federal Plaza to face charges.

Abduhl Wali-i-Musi was handcuffed and had a chain wrapped around his waist. His left hand was heavily bandaged from the wound he suffered during the skirmish on the ship two weeks ago.

The smiling teenager seemed poised as he entered a federal building in a rainstorm late Monday, but he did not say anything in response to reporters' shouted questions about whether he had any comment about the pirate episode.

Mr. Wali-i-Musi is the first person to face trial in the U.S. on piracy charges in more than a century. He was flown from Africa to a New York airport and taken into custody ahead of Tuesday's court hearing.

A law enforcement official familiar with the case said that the teenager was being charged under two obscure federal laws that deal with piracy and hostage-taking. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the charges had not been announced.

The teenager's arrival came on the same day that his mother appealed to President Barack Obama for his release. She said her son was coaxed into piracy by "gangsters with money."
"I appeal to President Obama to pardon my teenager; I request him to release my son or at least allow me to see him and be with him during the trial," Adar Abdirahman Hassan said in a telephone interview from her home in the Somali town of Galka'yoia.

The age and real name of the young pirate remained unclear. The mother said he is only 16 years old and is named Abdi Wali Abdulqadir Muse. The law enforcement official says he is at least 18, meaning prosecutors will not have to take extra legal steps to put him on trial in a U.S. court.

His worried family asked the Minneapolis-based Somali Justice Advocacy Center to help get him a lawyer, said the organization's executive director, Omar Jamal.

"What we have is a confused teenager, overnight thrown into the highest level of the criminal justice system in the United States out of a country where there's no law at all," Mr. Jamal said. Mr. Wali-i-Musi speaks no English and may never have attended school, he said.

The suspect was taken aboard a U.S. Navy ship shortly before Navy SEAL snipers on the guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge killed three of his colleagues who had held Capt. Richard Phillips hostage.

The U.S. officials said the teenager was brought to New York to face trial in part because the FBI office here has a history of handling cases in Africa involving major crimes against Americans, such as the al Qaeda bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998.
Ron Kuby, a New York-based civil rights lawyer, said he has been in discussions about forming a legal team to represent the Somali.

"I think in this particular case, there's a grave question as to whether America was in violation of principles of truce in warfare on the high seas," said Mr. Kuby. "This man seemed to come onto the Bainbridge under a flag of truce to negotiate. He was then captured. There is a question whether he is lawfully in American custody and serious questions as to whether he can be prosecuted because of his age."

Copyright © 2009 Associated Press


After an exchange of YGTBSM (You Got To Be Crapping Me) e-mails about the liberal press turning one of the pirates who held Captain Phillips into the victim, my friend then sent us this headline from CNN's website:

Alleged Maersk pirate arrives in New York

Alleged!?

There's nothing "alleged" about the scurvy dogs boarding the Maersk Alabama and holding Captain Phillips hostage.

Meanwhile across the Atlantic, several German lawyers are planning to fly to Kenya in order to defend some pirates held in Kenyan jails...

The statement below the picture says it all.

Asad the Dead Pirate?

Yesterday, Somali pirates attacked the Liberty Sun, another American ship. Fortunately the attack was foiled, but Somali pirates now vow to seek out and kill American sailors.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090415/ap_on_re_af/piracy

Hopefully more pirates will end up dead like 3 of Captain Phillips' captors. Maybe comedian, Jeff Dunham can add a companion for his "Achmed the Dead Terrorist" puppet?

The "Romance" of Piracy

The picture above illustrates (all too well) one of the problems we have in confronting today's piracy: The "Golden Age" of piracy has been romanticized for years by our society.

(I must admit I love the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. But at least I know what the historical realities were).

Now we're confronted with the reality of what these "dashing sea-dogs" in the days of yore did for a living.

Victor Davis Hanson rolls-in on the piracy issue (romanticizing it is #3 on his list):

http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/piratical-thoughts/

Comrade Karla Senior responds to the President's role in the rescue of Captain Phillips:

I was curious about the report that BO said force was authorized "if the captain's life was in danger. What the hell did he think the captain's life was in from the get-go, if not danger?

The Score is Still USN-3, Pirates-0...

...however you can detect a slight whine from reading Associated Press (AP) articles.

Here, AP provides some pirates with a forum to make threats against the US, France and other civilized nations:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/piracy

(Last week French commandos stormed a pleasure boat held by pirates. Four pirates were killed, but unfortunately so was one hostage).

In this article AP implies that the military "crackdown" won't resolve anything because pirates will move their operating bases:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090413/ap_on_re_af/us_piracy

Comrade Karla points out some facts:

First of, there has been no "crackdown." If there were, you WOULD see a decrease in pirate activities because they'd be, well, dead.

Second, if the "crackdown" consists of "criminal charges" rather than doing a Barataria, then nobody should be surprised if results are--shall we say--limited?

Finally, while a number of events appear to be reported accurately, the article remains (at least to me) another example of trying to make a public case for inaction. Where's Hearst when you need him?

At least the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has the right idea:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123958568421112479.html

And finally, the renown military historian John Keegan hits the nail on the head:

So our campaign must be ruthless and pitiless: pirate ships must be sunk on sight and the crews left to swim to safety, if it can be reached.

The esteemed Mr Keegan doesn't mention anything about emergency meetings at the United Nations, or voting on yet another useless resolution.

Nothing of the sort is needed. There are already laws on the books dealing with piracy--it's time to enforce them.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/5133029/Pirates-must-be-hunted-down-and-their-vessels-sunk-on-sight.html

Pirate havens in the Horn of Africa exist because they are allowed to do so. Merchant ships can be armed, but until the pirate havens are wiped out, the scurvy dogs will continue to prey on peaceful ships. Elimnation of pirate nests however, will require the use of military forces--which no nation--even ours--is willing to employ at this time.

USN--3, Pirates--0

Woo-hoo! Captain Phillips was rescued today by USN. Apparently a navy sniper shot and killed 3 out of the 4 pirates holding the captain hostage.

The only sour notes in this story is the concern about "escalating violence" and "retaliation." Several other pirates were apparently interviewed and of course expressed outrage by declaring such things as "America is our #1 enemy now," and other such tripe.

The fact that news organizations seek out opinions of high-seas criminal deepens my disgust towards most mainstream media (MSM).

Otherwise, today is indeed a happy Easter, especially for Captain Phillips and his family.

The full story from Yahoo News:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/piracy

Blackfive also has an account and a clarification as to where the President of the US fits in on all this:

http://www.blackfive.net/

Taking Care of Pirates the Good Old Fashion Way (We Wish)

On Wednesday, 8 April, Somali pirates seized the American-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama. According to FOX News yesterday this was the first time American sailors have been seized by pirates since 1804.

And in the maritime tradition, worthy of a Horatio Hornblower novel, the sailors retook their ship. Unfortunately, the pirates made off in a life-boat taking Captain Richard Phillips hostage. At the time of this post the guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge is on-scene and FBI hostage negotiators are assisting the US Navy in this matter.

From the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/africa/09pirates.html?ref=global-home

Comrade Karla e-mailed us an Associated Press (AP) version of this story along with the following comments:

"The military component here is always going to be marginal," said Peter Chalk, an expert on maritime national security at the private Rand Corp."

Clearly, this guy hasn't read any history. It was the military that solved the problem in the first place and so will it be the case today, assuming various countries with functioning navies cure their cranial rectitis about everything being a legal problem.

I can see why this particular situation is playing out the way it is given the hostage situation…. but navies sink pirate vessels and hang pirates. Then you find their lairs and destroy them. Seems to work pretty well to me.

Today's message traffic regarding this situation:

From Crassus' destruction of the Cypriot pirate kingdoms to today that'll be true. And if we ever venture far enough into space to have trade there'll be pirates as well with the same solution. Why is this higher math for them?

Comrade Karla: Oh because we're so civilized now don't you know. Morons. Reminds me of that Simpsons episode where the overly clever disarmed humans are conquered by aliens with 2 x 4s "Silly humans, your superior intellects are no match for our primitive weapons…"

Ultimately the key is going after their lairs which of course means messy operations on the land with troops. Going after individual boats and ships is like trying to stop the drug trade by busting the punks who are selling on the street corner.

Exactly, the Brits just took a page from the Romans. Destroy the basecamp. (except they didn't salt the earth and decorate the highways with crucifixions).

Sure they did...only they were hung on gibbets and from crow cages in the ports in conspicuous places where incoming/outgoing sea trafficcould see them. This both provided a warning to pirates and a heartyboost of morale for the merchant crews!

This prompted Comrade Karla to provide us with the above photograph of Execution Dock, possibly at or near Wapping, UK:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46453341@N00/1292174441

Piracy Does Pay

Somali pirates received $3.2 million in ransom money for the M/V (Maritime Vessel) Faina. The Ukrainian ship, with a crew of 20, was carrying tanks and other weapons when she was seized back in September.

Meanwhile the international community remains idle.

From FOX News:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,488084,00.html

When the Going Gets Tough...

...the international community creates a new command and/or bureaucracy.
A "new international force...is being formed" to take-on the dreaded Somali pirates. Unfortunately this new command will be operating under the same Rules of Engagement (ROE) that's currently hamstringing the current international force.

(The picture is another of Howard Pyle's work).
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090108/ap_on_re_af/piracy

More Trouble with Pirates

Once again the Indian Navy takes on the pirates. In it's most recent encounter, 23 scallywags were captured. The Indian Navy came under fire for sinking a pirate-manned vessel last month. Apparently the fishing trawler was recently comandeered by the scurvy-dogs just hours before it came under the gunsights of the Indian warship.

Pictured here is Howard Pyle's "Ship Under Attack."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081213/ap_on_re_af/piracy_7

As the Indians continue to shoot-up the high seas, analysts and policy-makers continue to ponder the pirate problem. Meanwhile about 20 vessels are still being held captive by these seagoing gang-bangers.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081213/ts_nm/us_usa_somalia_gates_2

Making Use of the Spoils

Well it isn't "wine, women & song" for the Somali pirates. Instead its "khat, urban planning & sharia."The drug-addled Somali Scallywags are putting their ill-gotten gains to use. But it looks like inflation is causing the price of their drug-of-choice, khat, to rise.

The Somali ransom money story can be found here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081123/wl_nm/us_somalia_piracy_scene

For more information about their drug-of-choice:

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

The attached picture is "The Victor and the Spoils" by Howard Pyle.

"Insum" is military jargon for Intelligence Summary.

"International law has long recognized a general duty of all nations to cooperate in the repression of piracy. This traditional obligation is included in the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas and the 1982 LOS Convention, both of which provide: "[A]ll States shall cooperate to the fullest possible extent in the repression of piracy on the high seas or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any State.""

(From GlobalSecurity.Org's website)

It sounds like there's already a mandate in place to deal with these scurvy dogs. But as usual, the international collective doesn't have the will to enforce it.
I've added the Global Security's website to my Defense Links. Here's their detailed report on the current pirate problem:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/pirates.htm

BTW: The "Jolly Roger" flag as we know it today and pictured here, is just one of many variations. Each pirate captain had his own personal standard. This one belonged to Edward England.

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

Arrrgh! There Be Pirates Here!

Today's news regarding the latest pirate activity:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,456427,00.html

Experts, political leaders and department heads talk about "imposing sanctions:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45frDJ2H7Lc&feature=channel

Ship owners of the Saudi tanker are "in negotiation" with the pirates:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExdtySOfRRA&NR=1

At least one country's navy knows how to deal with pirates:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081119/ts_afp/somaliapiracyshipping_081119125508

When the story of this recent pirate activity broke, a number of my on-line friends asked the following questions:

How do you impose "sanctions" against what can be euphemistically be called NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations)?

When did we need a "mandate" to deal with pirates?

In the past, such "mandates" weren't needed because pirates were viewed as scourge to all mankind.

Here's a short explanation for the 280-year lull in pirate activity:

"Piracy’s Golden Age ended by the 1720s, when pirates were outmatched by European military forces in the Caribbean...Piracy in general declined throughout the late 18th century and early 19th century with the development of the steam engine and the growth of the British and American navies. However, piracy never dissappeared completely..."

(From the History Channel's Website, "True Pirates of the Carribean: History of Piracy").