Pirates take American yacht...what to do?

[ScubaSteve]

For me, any attack or act of piracy against a US flagged vessel would constitute an act of war. The pirates involved would be captured and if an innocent was killed, the pirates would be executed at sea, their bodies would be returned to their host nation. Any vessel that hosted or aided the pirates would be sunk. The host country would be made to pay retributions to the families of the victims and or companies affected.
I realize this maybe an extreme solution but at this point what do we have to lose? How many more innocent people need to suffer or be killed before we decide to act?

 

[Cave Diver]

I suppose my issue really boils down to this:

If you say they should have known better and stayed away, I believe you should be able to define the conditions under which it is not acceptable.

I don't know that a hard and fast definition can be given. But if they stayed 275 miles off shore as reported that is ~240 nautical miles.

According to the the chart previously posted, they were venturing well beyond that range as far back as 2008 (445 nm).

From my viewpoint, that is an important factor that someone traveling in that region needs to take into consideration.

 

[Cave Diver]

For me, any attack or act of piracy against a US flagged vessel would constitute an act of war. The pirates involved would be captured and if an innocent was killed, the pirates would be executed at sea, their bodies would be returned to their host nation. Any vessel that hosted or aided the pirates would be sunk. The host country would be made to pay retributions to the families of the victims and or companies affected.
I realize this maybe an extreme solution but at this point what do we have to lose? How many more innocent people need to suffer or be killed before we decide to act?

We can't even enforce this in our country. How are we supposed to impose it on others?

 

[Teamcasa]

We can't even enforce this in our country. How are we supposed to impose it on others?

We don't really have a big piracy issue here do we?
But to answer the question directly, we could - but sadly, we won't. Not since the days since William Eaton, have we even given it much of an effort. We just paid tributes to the pirates and moved on.

 

[Cave Diver]

We don't really have a big piracy issue here do we?
But to answer the question directly, we could - but sadly, we won't. Not since the days since William Eaton, have we even given it much of an effort. We just paid tributes to the pirates and moved on.

No, we don't have piracy, but we have illegal immigration that we can't seem to stem. We have crimes against each other that go unpunished. We have military veterans that can't get retribution from our own country that they fought for.

I just think we need to have our own house more in order before demanding the same of others.

 

[thor1]

ok they captured 14 pirates and nyc wants to put them on trial, for most of these pirates an american prison is a step up from their normal situation you know food, clothing etc. when the seals saw the hostages get murdered they should have executed 13 of them saving 1 for tracer implant and sending him home to get the message out then send in the reapers. very simple and cheap fix.

 

[Teamcasa]

No, we don't have piracy, but we have illegal immigration that we can't seem to stem. We have crimes against each other that go unpunished. We have military veterans that can't get retribution from our own country that they fought for.

I just think we need to have our own house more in order before demanding the same of others.

Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction. - Will Rogers

There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction. - John F. Kennedy

 

[vladimir]

For me, any attack or act of piracy against a US flagged vessel would constitute an act of war. The pirates involved would be captured and if an innocent was killed, the pirates would be executed at sea, their bodies would be returned to their host nation. Any vessel that hosted or aided the pirates would be sunk. The host country would be made to pay retributions to the families of the victims and or companies affected.
I realize this maybe an extreme solution but at this point what do we have to lose? How many more innocent people need to suffer or be killed before we decide to act?

I support all of these approaches. So, which government in Somalia should we be at war with? What targets do we attack? Who do we collect the "retribution" from? That, as far as I can see, is the problem, and it is a practical problem, rather than a philosophical one.

There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction. - John F. Kennedy

The same JFK who got us up to our waists in Vietnam, which, in hindsight, would have been better off left to inaction?

 

[ScubaSteve]

So, which government in Somalia should we be at war with? What targets do we attack? Who do we collect the "retribution" from? That, as far as I can see, is the problem, and it is a practical problem, rather than a philosophical one.

Start with the people that board your boat (or the decoy boats) with automatic weapons 1300+ miles offshore? I know they are not Government but they sure as hell are the people that killed the 4 Americans.

That is as good a place to start as any IMO.

 

[adurso]

We don't really have a big piracy issue here do we?
But to answer the question directly, we could - but sadly, we won't. Not since the days since William Eaton, have we even given it much of an effort. We just paid tributes to the pirates and moved on.

According to some there is pirate activity in the Chesapeake Bay and off the coast of North Carolina....