# Four Americans Murderd By Somali Pirates-Time to Get Serious? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 22, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256 "2011-02-22T18:17:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/1 "2011-02-22T18:17:27Z")
I must admit that these 4 were not the brightest people on earth-why anyone would sail into the most dangerous waters on earth is something I don’t understand. Yet, they were set upon and murdered. What should the world community do? It is clear that passive actions are are only increasing the pirate’s boldness-and it is hugely profitable for them. Would it not make sense to destroy the pirate vessels in port? I also think that it would make sense to sink these pirates at sea. Or maybe, the world’s shipping lines should pay a negotiated tribute in advance-so that these attacks would not take place. What is your opinion? ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/2 "2011-02-22T18:26:06Z")
I took it straight to the[Pit.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=598055) ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/3 "2011-02-22T18:30:54Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Or maybe, the world’s shipping lines should pay a negotiated tribute in advance-so that these attacks would not take place. They call that “protection money” in the business. I don’t think supporting violent extortion is the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/4 "2011-02-22T18:35:09Z")
[_Never_ pay the Dane-geld.](http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/dane_geld.html) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/5 "2011-02-22T18:39:25Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I must admit that these 4 were not the brightest people on earth-why anyone would sail into the most dangerous waters on earth is something I don’t understand. I think they all probably were terribly bright. They were also dedicated, adventurous and, needing to get somewhere, took a calculated risk. The ones that weren’t very bright fired an RPG at a warship, killed hostages under surveillance and brought a torso to a knife fight. ---
**Author:** ![hansel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/6 "2011-02-22T18:43:14Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > I think they all probably were terribly bright. They were also dedicated, adventurous and, needing to get somewhere, took a calculated risk. > > The ones that weren’t very bright fired an RPG at a warship, killed hostages under surveillance and brought a torso to a knife fight. They were retired millionaires with a hold full of bibles, bringing the Word to the rest of the world. They weren’t trying to race through the pirate infested waters to get somewhere, they were there as missionaries. Not very bright missionaries. ---
**Author:** ![hansel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/7 "2011-02-22T18:45:55Z")
The question in my mind is: If the U.S. Navy is there to address piracy, why not simply escort boats through the area? Pirates won’t attack a ship guarded by a destroyer, and if they’re all guarded (perhaps convoy style), piracy as a viable source of income would dry up pretty quick. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/8 "2011-02-22T18:51:08Z")
How about calling on Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton to go to Somalia? They could negotiate a cease-fire, and discuss ways in which the evil Western powers could help the poor of Somalia. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/9 "2011-02-22T18:53:35Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > How about calling on Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton to go to Somalia? They could negotiate a cease-fire, and discuss ways in which the evil Western powers could help the poor of Somalia. A cease-fire between who? ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/10 "2011-02-22T19:01:54Z")
> [@hansel](#): > > The question in my mind is: If the U.S. Navy is there to address piracy, why not simply escort boats through the area? Pirates won’t attack a ship guarded by a destroyer, and if they’re all guarded (perhaps convoy style), piracy as a viable source of income would dry up pretty quick. That’s just plain silly. So the US Navy is supposed to escort a privately owned yacht if they want to go through pirate infested waters? What the hell happened to personal accountability? They should have hired their own security force if they wanted a pleasure cruise in such a dangerous place. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/11 "2011-02-22T19:16:08Z")
I vote for stupid and removed from the gene pool. Probably after they had kids. There are US navy patrols in the area, but it is very, very large. I have some sympathy for the very stupid, but not a lot. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/12 "2011-02-22T19:24:36Z")
Can we get this on land, too? I’ve taken some pretty risky trips in my travels…a poorly planned trip through Maoist Nepal at the height of the civil war, countless trips through the bandit lands of Cameroon, and a nice jaunt across Guatemala where tourists are considered prime targets. It’d be pretty awesome if the US military could have formed a convoy to personally protect me every time I wanted to make a risky decision in a foreign land. I’m sure the respective governments wouldn’t mind, either. i mean, really, who needs to be a “sovereign nation” anyway? The thing that leaves me wondering though…if a Chinese gambler gets murdered during a barfight on a cruise ship off the coast of Florida, is it cool if the Chinese military bombs our ports and patrols our waters? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/13 "2011-02-22T20:02:25Z")
> [@hansel](#): > > The question in my mind is: If the U.S. Navy is there to address piracy, why not simply escort boats through the area? Pirates won’t attack a ship guarded by a destroyer, and if they’re all guarded (perhaps convoy style), piracy as a viable source of income would dry up pretty quick. The factual answer to your question is that there is more ocean and more commercial / civilian boats spread around it than there are US Navy ships. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/14 "2011-02-22T20:02:48Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > How about calling on Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton to go to Somalia? They could negotiate a cease-fire, and discuss ways in which the evil Western powers could help the poor of Somalia. How about a one-world government with the authority to crack down on piracy from ashore? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/15 "2011-02-22T20:13:00Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Can we get this on land, too? I’ve taken some pretty risky trips in my travels…a poorly planned trip through Maoist Nepal at the height of the civil war, countless trips through the bandit lands of Cameroon, and a nice jaunt across Guatemala where tourists are considered prime targets. It’d be pretty awesome if the US military could have formed a convoy to personally protect me every time I wanted to make a risky decision in a foreign land. I’m sure the respective governments wouldn’t mind, either. i mean, really, who needs to be a “sovereign nation” anyway? > > The thing that leaves me wondering though…if a Chinese gambler gets murdered during a barfight on a cruise ship off the coast of Florida, is it cool if the Chinese military bombs our ports and patrols our waters? Land is quite a different thing from the sea. The US has for near 100 years sailed around the world asserting its freedom of navigation outside of territorial waters. On land each country is its own law and it is that country you look to for protection. At sea the US can look after its citizens anywhere in the world (outside of territorial waters). As for escorting ships I agree it’d be silly for a single, private sailboat to get its own destroyer dedicated to it. However, I see no reason why the Americans and other countries with ships in the area (there are several) could not arrange meeting points at either side of Somalia and any ships wishing an escort collect there and they go as a group. One frigate would be more than sufficient. Have one going each way, once a day. That is not too far off sailing back and forth that they do anyway as a usual patrol. If someone doesn’t want to wait to go with the group then they take their chances. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/16 "2011-02-22T20:17:37Z")
What makes you think we aren’t serious? There are about 10 U. S. Navy ships out there and about 3 other ships from other Navies. That part of the ocean is a very, very big place. The U. S. Navy can’t sail with every ship there. What else would you like to do? ---
**Author:** ![Nadir](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nadir/32/7302_2.png) [@Nadir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nadir)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/17 "2011-02-22T20:25:03Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Time to Get Serious? About what - a boatload of bibles and it’s too-stupid crew? ---
**Author:** ![Nadir](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nadir/32/7302_2.png) [@Nadir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nadir)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/18 "2011-02-22T20:27:01Z")
> [@Agnostic\_Pagan](#): > > I took it straight to the Pit. As only a hysterical, overreacting, misinformed alarmist should. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/19 "2011-02-22T20:42:04Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > How about calling on Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton to go to Somalia? They could negotiate a cease-fire, and discuss ways in which the evil Western powers could help the poor of Somalia. Oh my god. Please explain this line of thinking, because I am cracking up. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256/20 "2011-02-22T20:45:56Z")
> [@Nadir](#): > > As only a hysterical, overreacting, misinformed alarmist should. :rolleyes: Keep these kinds of comment in the Pit; calling someone a “hysterical, overreacting, misinformed alarmist” is not appropriate for Great Debates. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-americans-murderd-by-somali-pirates-time-to-get-serious/572256.md?page=2)