Posted by
Charlie on Friday, April 10, 2009 3:44:59 PM
As this is being written Somali pirates are holding hostage the captain of a ship which was flying the US flag and which these pirates tried to hijack. The American crew, unlike the crews of other ships, fought off the hijackers. Unfortunately, the captain was taken hostage and now the pirates are demanding a $2 million ransom.
The Obama administration doesn't seem to have a clue as to how to handle this situation so I'd like to offer some suggestions which would not only end this standoff but would guarantee that American flag ships would have no problems sailing this perilous stretch of the ocean in the future.
1. Tell the pirates they will get no money.
2. Tell the pirates if they release the captain unharmed they will be allowed to leave but if the captain is harmed they will all be killed.
3. Once the captain is released take the pirates into custody.
4. If the pirates protest that they had a deal to go free tell them that the deal is invalid since it was made under duress.
5. Summarily hang the pirates. No ACLU, no endless appeals just a length of rope.
6. Send a detachment of Marines, with air cover, to the town where these creeps lived and burn it to the ground.
I don't think any ship flying the US flag would be bothered in the future.