What Price Victory?
Friends, the hostage crisis involving the American captain Richard Phillips (with the beard) has been resolved and three pirates on the lifeboat were shot in the head by three American snipers on a warship who certainly exhibited extraordinary marksmanship! The fourth pirate, who was on the warship while his companions were having their brains blown out, was captured and will probably spend the rest of his life in some jail somewhere.
The moral of this story is: Don’t Mess With Us. We’re Americans. But will that be the outcome of the story? The U.S., as everyone knows, has a century-old history of resolving problems by killing people. And of course, as everyone knows, killing people does not necessarily solve any problems and neither does it mean victory. I think Vietnam showed that to be the reality.
Now, as I understand it, the ‘pirates’ are holding a large number of ships and 250 crew members in Somalia as they await the payment of large ransoms. After the head-shooting incident, it may well be the case that the pirates adopt a similar strategy and begin to shoot their hostages in the head just to hasten the ransom payments.
And in the future, they might not be so particular when they board ships just who they might kill, especially if the crew are American.
Now, of course, I am not justifying piracy. It is a crime. But then so is shooting people in the head. As far as I know, the U.S. is not at war with Somalia so shooting its citizens, even if they are engaged in criminal activities, would seem rather drastic, perhaps even criminal.
I wonder where this escalation by the U.S. will lead?
Sadly, it might end up another Pyrrhic victory for them.
P.S. I just checked on Reuters prior to posting this and the pirates have already threatened to target U.S. shipping. They also claimed they had agreed to release the American captain without a ransom before the killings occurred.
The Rambo approach is great in Hollywood movies but in the real world, it’s problematic. That doesn’t stop some folk from giving it yet another try, and another…, and another!
David, Your words in this essay are a fitting example of what I find inappropriately conciliatory with some of what you write on your site, although I concur, generally, with your general position and thinking most of the time. You state that “piracy…is a crime,” yet you offer no context for this statement: shoplifting is a crime, but to a starving mother with no job and no income and several mouths to feed (the social context for this tragedy notwithstanding), what is the entire context for the moral dilemma?
Here’s one example of what you could offer as a counterpoint, a letter I wrote to several mainstream media outlets last week on the heels of Hideous Hilary’s kneejerk hypocrisy:
“Hilary Clinton should be careful what she wishes for in calling for the world to “come together to end the scourge of piracy”. While she mouths the status quo U. S. government baloney about a few inconveniences to corporate imperialism, the U. S. and its partnership of the killing practice piracy each and every day, killing indigenous cultures and people and exploiting lands that are not our government’s to take. I applaud any pirates who exploit the hypocrisy and greed of western culture, and for all I care, they can take Hilary hostage next time.”
Again, as I’ve noted in the past, I realize you have to “toe the line” lest you lose your website privileges. But, that said, criticism of the double standard Western governments have established is not all that radical. Piracy is a reaction to capitalism practiced at the expense of the majority of the world’s people and its entire environment, so be careful about whose side you appear to be on when you aver, simply, that piracy is a crime. I say, bring on more pirates, and more radical and militant resistance to greed and exploitation.
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David, your post-script is appreciated, and i am totally not surprised of the outcome.
I read an article on ICH claiming that nuclear waste from European countries are being dumped in the seas off the coast of Somalia. Also, fish are being robbed to satisfy the needs of the Europeans, which is depleting the quality of water and resources of such a starving country! You claim that piracy is not justifiable. In this case, wouldn’t you find pirating justifiable for defending a nation’s sea resources?
I would for sure!
Irfaan
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Ah, Peter, as a person who is always on the side of the downtrodden and who is relentless in my criticism of capitalism, imperialism, nationalism, militarism and all the other ‘isms’ and the U.S. in particular, I thought I had called into question the sensibility and the legitimacy of the shooting of the kidnapping pirates by the American Navy. That was my intention in the post.
Irfaan, I read that report but I suppose that I believe that two wrongs don’t make a right. Apparently, the Somali Government is troubled by the pirates also and wishes someone would move them on.
Piracy on the high seas is a crime as I stated. It’s part of international law which pirates and Americans often ignore.
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America in a nutshell, Obama at the one hand, talks about a peaceful world without nuclear weopons all the while, with the other, kills at will.
America shows – in deed – time and again, that it’s not by law and order the world has to be ruled but, by those possessing the most powerful weapons.
Not odd so many countries is working feverishly to get those ‘magic’ weapons.!
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Ah the poor pirates my heart bleeds for them.As for equating the crimes of these toe rags to some poor starving sod done for shop lifting ummmmmmmmmmmm! I just hope the men aboard the other ships patrolling the seas off Somalia are as good a shot.If they can get rid of three a day let me see now, should clean the problem up in about six months.
This particular subject for want of a better word, has nothing to do with dumping,stealing, or any other excuse for scum bags who are intent on an easy way to riches.Any so called logical argument to excuse these toe rags for these crimes, along the lines of what the U.S. foreign policy is at any time, borders on being barking mad.
This has nothing to do with politics or fried fish, this is stealing by fear and intimidation of the highest order.I for one hope the pirate just taken into custody gets a life sentence in prison, a floating one,on a raft left in the middle of the Indian ocean.
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Peter Reply:
April 17th, 2009 at 3:57 am
Hey, Phill (short for philistine?):
You seem very familiar with the psychologies and motivations of these so-called pirates, yet I doubt you possess any small proportion of their courage and determination.
What would be your brilliant response to the imperialist actions of invaders from another land? Just remember, according to your twisted logic, you can’t justify your actions based on what they might do, no matter how unjust or offensive. Nothing about politics…man, you are one deluded apologist for corporate-militaristic hypocrisy!
On another subject, what right-wing hate groups do you belong to?
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Phill Reply:
April 17th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Peter go away.
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These shooters will be out killing deer elk on the day off. Must have loved it, great sport. Hope they got a raise in pay.
On March 11, 2009, Tim K. went on a rampage, near Stuttgart, and killed 9 fellow students, 3 teachers, left the build and subsequently killed 3 more over a period of about 2 hours, all with a Beretta 9mm. The police still finally shot him in the legs when he was in the open on a parking lot to take him down; shortly thereafter, he killed himself.
If one man’s life is garbage, then so are they all.
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Dr. Orly Taitz, born in Republic of Moldova and long time US resident, is a dentist and lawyer. She has made a project out of trying to force the government and justice system to provide legal evidence of the legality of King O to be president. She has filed cases across the US, from top, supreme? court, to bottom, the California Secretary of State. All of her efforts are ignored and futile.
The specific case is not important as none of this matters any more. But what is, is that this is the response to any attempt on the part of anyone to force out any government accountability. They all get the big finger. Now this is a serious crime and will take the nation down into the abyss, NAZI style.
Pirate things get more press. Useful distraction, but there is likely some honor behind it, a message to the West, their Big middle finger.
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John, America seems to be locked into a mindset that embraces force. A less peaceful nation is hard to find!
“…any other excuse for scum bags who are intent on an easy way to riches.” I guess this statement applies to pirates and most capitalists, eh, Phill?
The IDF have some pretty good snipers too, Ken. They hit Palestinian kids regularly, in the head too. On the Obama birth certificate, it does raise some interesting legal questions. Perhaps where there’s smoke there is fire!
Cheers.
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“I guess this statement applies to pirates and most capitalists, eh, Phill?”
True David, However until I hear and see to the contrary I am not being hijacked to do anything at this point in time by capitalists or by who ever.Nothing I have said in the past about the cretins that run the world changes, they are scum bags and make bullshit a science.The pirates are criminals and like any other piece of work that would shove a gun in some ones face to enrich themselves, and should be treated as such.To excuse their actions on the grounds of what the west may have done or not done to them in the context of the “political big picture” is crap.
The capitalists and money barons of Wall St who are currently screwing over the working class for the record, are no better than the pirates, and their future just like the pirates is going to be a short one.
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Problem is, Phill, that someone with a gun stuck in your face is easy to see. The masses don’t see the capitalist pigs living in their luxury and they don’t realize exactly how cleverly and unobtrusively they do their robbing.
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The pirate that was caught “and will probably spend the rest of his life in jail” is only 16 years old. The other three were all under 19.
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Phill Reply:
April 16th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Ah good.It’s called a learning curve.I wonder how old some of the hostages are not that would make any difference to these scum bags.
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Those scumbags had more balls than all the american, shit for brains, video killer babies have, all put together. Grown men in this country watch their country being raped, pillaged and plundered, on a daily basis, and won’t stand up and fight, but bend over and take it like the supposed cowards they hysterically point fingers at, all the while teaching their children to do what they don’t have the balls to do themselves. Sick and disgusting. Thankfully, women are taking control. The men, and that’s a real stretch, have failed miserably. They most likely won’t get what they deserve, but such is life.
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Phill Reply:
April 16th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Um I love it, now let me see the Pirates have more balls than all the American shit for brains video killer babies have? I would not normally respond to such an asinine comment but hey I have a sense of humour too, and I know you are just joking aren’t you? No ????
O/K I tell ya what I’m a live and let live kind of guy, lets bring the Pirates to the U.S and give them the keys to a city, New York in the spring sounds good to me. We could pin the congressional medal of honor on them, and the ones that have been wounded award them the purple heart. Of course three of them will have that honor bestowed on them posthumously because from all reports they have left their brains in the bottom of a life boat some where, being removed by a snipers of that gutless U.S. Navy.
And I suggest some sort of medical insurance for them, after all sticking an AK 47 in some poor defenceless seaman’s face could be quite taxing and dangerous.Maybe a little R&R for the pirates on Acapulco beach or some where nice, nothing to expensive mind you.Yada yada yada.
Oh I almost forgot, it is probably the Jews and not really the Somalis that are hijacking the said ships.
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Hear, hear, VR2LNNNTT. Miserable fail grades, for surel
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