On Sun, Feb 20, 2011 at 01:35:20AM -0400, Walter Knopf wrote:
> I think it's about time we take the kid gloves off and show we mean business.
>
> I personally don't care what Sweden or Switzerland think about us, we have the
> duty (and power)
>
> to defend our citizens. Piracy is covered by international law… (hang'em
> high?)
>
> Loved the way the Russians handled it, maybe it sends a message "Don't mess
> with Russian flagged vessels"?
Well, they've had that reputation for quite a while now. In the mid-70s,
when one of their engineers got kidnapped in (Beirut, maybe? Don't
recall, exactly), the father of one of the kidnappers was found the next
day with... um, I'll elide the fine details, but surgical repositioning
of certain male organs was involved. Not only did that engineer get
returned all safe and sound, but no more Russians were kidnapped in that
area for years - while there was a brisk trade in Americans and Brits
and such.
I suspect that, with the recent Cameroon and Nigeria kidnappings, the
Russians felt that they needed to provide a reminder. Thus, the
"release" of the Somali pirates (all wounded, one dead) without any
navigational equipment 250 miles from anywhere.
When _that_ bear smiles, *all* you can see is big sharp teeth. That's
the kind of reputation the US once had, and what we're sorely lacking
today.
Ben
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