Wed, 18 Nov 2009
1050 CST AIPNews commentary
by: Tom Kovach About an hour ago, the Associated Press reported that the crew of the US-flagged merchant vessel Maersk Alabama repelled a pirate attack off the coast of Somalia. This is the same ship that was boarded by pirates last April. At that time, the captain of the ship was taken hostage and was held by pirates in a lifeboat for five days. The incident ended when US Navy SEAL snipers simultaneously killed all three pirates aboard the lifeboat in a nighttime action. This time, the pirates never got aboard the ship. What was the difference? Guns. As the AP report makes abundantly clear, members of the "international community" are steadfastly opposed to having armed guards or crewmembers aboard their vessels. And, events have provided a telling contrast between the two positions. On Monday, the chemical tanker Theresa was hijacked and its captain is now dead. (According to the AP report, the captain was not killed during the attack, but rather died later of internal injuries. That suggests a follow-on beating.) On Tuesday, the crew of a Spanish vessel was released after Somali pirates received a $3.3-million ransom. If I were a merchant seaman, I'd want to work only on an American vessel -- and thus live to laugh about "international opinion". Europeans complain that many ex-military armed guards used by American shipping companies (plus those of a scarce few other countries) have no maritime security experience. (Apparently, those Europeans have never heard of the United States Marines or the US Navy SEALs....) The cure is simple. The Massachussetts Maritime Academy teaches a course on maritime security. Apparently, certain shipping companies are willing to pay the fee. It's cheaper than lost cargo, increased insurance premiums, and dead crewmembers. The lesson here is simple, but bears repeating. Criminals are predators that prefer "soft targets". Weakness invites predators, and advocating a policy against self-defense is merely an invitation to such predators. European shipping companies maintain the position that it is the job of the naval forces of various countries to protect shipping. But, most countries have only limited military and naval resources at best. Even the military and naval forces of the United States are only a fraction of the size that the used to be before the Democratic downsizing craze (which started at the end of the Vietnam War, and continues to this day). Therefore, hoping for a warship to come along and save the day is a high-seas equivalent of trying to call the police during a home invasion. That is why many gun-rights advocates refer to "911" as merely "government-sponsored dial-a-prayer". Chances are that the surviving crewmembers would never be prosecuted for defending themselves against a pirate attack. But, even if they were, a conviction would be unlikely. An old saying applies: "Better to be tried by twelve than carried by six."
Tom Kovach (rhymes with "watch") is an author, inventor, horse wrangler, paralegal, and a former USAF Blue Beret. He is the Tennessee state chairman of America's Independent Party. Tom has been on the ballot for Congress twice. You can learn more by clicking: www.TomKovach.US. | 
