Ruminations - Italian Cruise Ships & Terrorists

When I heard of the Somali pirate attack Sunday on the Italian cruise ship, Msc Melody, it was inevitable it would resurrect the feelings of anger and frustration when Abu Abbas and his fellow terrorists seized the Achille Lauro in 1985. The terrorists slaughtered 69-year-old Leon Klinghoffer, an innocent American who's crime was that he was Jewish. Soon after that, a gutsy move by President Reagan resulted in the capture of the terrorists who were set free by the Italians to plan and execute more murder and mayhem against the West. The terrorist responsible for that killing, Abu Abbas, was finally captured outside of Baghdad in 2003. While it buttressed the Bush Administration's claim of Iraq being a safe haven for terrorists, most of the US media chose to downplay or ignore that idea that Iraq was a such a place under Saddam Hussein. I suspect it was because only one American died that day in 1985! Ultimately it didn't matter to the media anyhow. WMD became the "only" reason the US invaded Iraq ... until the politicians in power switched to the silly rationale of "bringing democracy" to the repressed. It's a reminder that the evil's of altruism infest the Ripofflicans and Dimocrats equally and why we so need a political party that reflects mainstream America - but that's another post already here on RofaSix. The media also tells us that Somalian pirates are motivated by poverty, anarchy, and no economic opportunity in their impoverished nation. Interestingly enough, when Bush was in office there was a great political and media outcry about Islamic terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda using Somalia for training camps and growing terrorists. Since the election, we have heard actually very little about the "missing" Minnesota high school students believed to be training in Al-Qaeda training camps in Somalia or the other terrorist training groups there. It suggests that with the new administration, these terrorists are now pacified and no longer hate the USA - right? (Kum-bye-ya baby!) But back to those "impoverished" pirates who are ransoming back seized ships, crews and cargoes for millions each. So far, the skittish boat owners have all turned to their states and whined for help ... the states responded with warships but without a central coordination and command structure it is like trying to direct ants. We used to call stuff like that, "all flash - no bang." It still is ... no doubt the current lingo has such a nickname for feckless operations like this that are conducted purely to show they are doing something ... no matter how useless. We have said here often times that until the shipping companies took responsibility for their actions they would continue to be easy pickings for crews. The media has ranted about "arming crews" which is actually silly idea. Having a bunch of untrained seaman running around with small arms, machineguns and other munitions on a ship is a recipe for disaster. A choice between armed and untrained crew members and armed and untrained Somali teenagers is one no one should ever have to make. The Italian cruise ship avoided all that by hiring a "security force" which was probably about ten contractors. They were believed to be Israeli, but their nationality is immaterial. What is important is that this security force repelled the invaders, protected the ship and her passengers from the marauders. Had they not done so the capture of hundreds of tourists and the ship would be all we heard about today ... accompanied by much gnashing of teeth as to why "the Navy" can't protect ships. Kudos to the "security force." But even more to the Italian cruise ship company that chose to heed the lessons of the Achille Lauro. Yet, there is another dynamic here at play. While I don't dispute that Somalian piracy began because of start economic conditions, it has now proved to be too lucrative and too easy for terrorists to not leverage to fund their future operations. It is but one more reason that Somalian piracy must be stopped dead in its tracks by attacks on their camps and ports and ocean craft, but also by hardening each possible target with the capability to repel any pirate attack. As with most things in life. It comes down to the individual business deciding to act in its best interests to protect its ships and not awaiting for the collective to lend a hand. But the nation-state has an obligation too the businesses that fly their flag. It is to decimate the pirates and their operational capiblility.