It would be a different feeling if the victims are your family members. It will be very hard if they were your friends or family members. But I also do pity them(the suspects), because they need to do that just to be noticed by other people.
Sure people can say "oh it's not their fault, they probably had rough childhoods and biological predisposition to crime and aggression, etc." Sure there are people who really probably can't help it and have legitimate psychological problems, but my guess is that is a small minority. In any case when it comes down to it, people need to take responsibilities for their own actions and if they can't then we need to do something about it - otherwise innocent people start getting hurt.
Well, I hear now that the 3 pirates shot were teenagers. That will swell sympathy for them, no doubt. But I agree with Delta that when you do something, you have to expect to take responsibility for it. They hijacked the ship, kidnapped the captain and pointed a gun at him. They apparently didn't do much homework on the capabilities of their enemies though.
They are simply doing what criminals do, find a weakness and exploit it. And they need to get the sort of answer that is traditional to the sea and the area.
They are simply doing what criminals do, find a weakness and exploit it. And they need to get the sort of answer that is traditional to the sea and the area.
Well, if we argue on the side of the pirates and what their rights are one would first of all wonder how the surviving pirate could be removed to the United States. Was he apprehended in international territorial waters? Surely he is a Somalian citizen?
One can probably go contrarian and ask what would have happened if a Somalian ship had been attacked by US pirates along the Alaskan coast somewhere. What would the US have thought if the Somalian Navy (if there is such a unit) had got some snipers to kill the US pirates, then apprehend the surviving US pirate and flown it to Somalia for a hearing?
Yeah. I think they have a rough experiences on their childhood that's why they made this terrible mistake to hijack a ship. They should be on schools not on custody of the pirates or any other bad guys.
OK, when you were a kid, what would be the most fun thing to do, going to school or being a pirate?
The legality of it is a little shady. He was on a US military ship when he was arrested, which should fall under US territory. Regardless, we still have the right for extreme rendition (fancy legal kidnapping). He kidnapped a US captain and tried to commit piracy. He can be tried in US courts.
The big help is that Somalia has no real government to fight to get him back. They probably won't say anything about it. Plus, we don't recognize the validity of the Islamic Courts that rule the slightly civilized part of the country, so we'd just ignore them.
The big help is that Somalia has no real government to fight to get him back. They probably won't say anything about it. Plus, we don't recognize the validity of the Islamic Courts that rule the slightly civilized part of the country, so we'd just ignore them.
They could have just fed him to the fish. That would save a lot of trouble from people suffering from "do good" syndrome.
There's another news last night that there was another tanker that has been hijacked by the Somali Pirates. This ship's crews are almost Filipinos. I also heard that they are trying to ask UN Security Forces(I don't know if I got the name right) for help to prevent these kinds of crimes.
Oh no, not the UN!
I really don't trust the UN to do much more than "talk" about doing something. They may send someone in a blue helmet with a unloaded gun to "observe". But since these are "robbers" they will shoot at the pretty blue helmet!.I haven't got any update on that news yet but I'm hoping UN will help the hostaged seamen and to prevent this from making this happen again.Oh no, not the UN!
By the way, what is the use of an unloaded gun? It can't even kill a single mosquito.
Haha, I think that's kind of the point he was trying to make. That they will go there to appear as if they are doing something and actually helping out, but at the end of the day, all they've done is nothing.
I'm sure they will push the wrong country too far eventually... probably america? These seem to be happening quite frequently, does anyone know how large their crew is?
Or they will go there and watch while everything is happening "waiting for instructions to act on the situation". By the time they get those instructions after a series of meetings and more people uhing and ahing, the situation will have already developed past assistance stage.
I was actually going to say that. The UN almost always has a "return fire" policy. As long as the pirates don't shoot at them, they can kill all the hostages while staring right at any UN team.
I sometimes think the UN is more of an obstacle to solving international crises than actually a catalyst in solving them. Take for example Rwanda, that must be one of the worst cases, as well as best reasons for letting go of the UN. I'm sure the US can make better use of their prime real estate space in Manhatten Island.
I'm sure the US can make better use of their prime real estate space in Manhatten Island.
It would make a great animal shelter.
Very cute! Where did you get them?It would make a great animal shelter.
Was also thinking about a crocodile farm ..... This is where DodgeFB got them: http://bestsmileys.com/pageindex.htmVery cute! Where did you get them?
Just choose at your preferred category and you'll see the smileys.
One of the things that really gets me is that when a UN flagged ship captures a pirate, they are briefly questioned and detained but are released short after. They go straight back to piracy. Only this time Oh, and this is after we give them medical attention and food.
Honestly, we need some guidelines and a charter on how to handle pirates. We still don't even know what to do with the pirate our SEALS captured. Just prosecuting him involves dusting out old law books.
Honestly, we need some guidelines and a charter on how to handle pirates. We still don't even know what to do with the pirate our SEALS captured. Just prosecuting him involves dusting out old law books.
I noticed some media reports about his hearing. First he was going to be tried as a non-adult, he lied about his age. Now it is clarified he is 19 years old and he will be tried as an adult. Would appear that he may be incarcerated for the rest of his life. Just imagine the cost of all of this for US taxpayers, the hearing, the lawyers fees, and then prison. None of it really makes much sense to me. Why not extradite him to Somalia for a proper hearing there Somali style, and let them carry the costs of everything!
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