Leave it to pirates to swear revenge for the deaths of their comrades while commiting piracy.

Excuse me, Mr. Pirates, but need I remind you of WHY three of your buddies' heads got blown into a fine mist? It just so happens that people don't like it when you fire rockets at their ships, climb aboard them (without permission, no less), hold their crews at gunpoint, then demand ransom from their respective companies. This is especially true with American ships, as you have learned the hard way. Now you want revenge for your comrades' deaths while they doing things that they really shouldn't have been doing to begin with. Pirates... go figure.

However, the pirates have stepped up their game. Not only did they seize at least four more ships after the rescue, they have attempted to seize another U.S. vessel, the Liberty Sun as well. They failed, with the crew of the Liberty Sun managing to shake their pursuers, and the pirates leaving empty handed (and minus a few rockets that apparently had little effect).

This didn't seem to dampen the pirates' determination, though. In a recent phone interview, one pirate, Omar Dahir Idle, boasted that "Our latest hijackings are to show that no one can deter us from protecting our waters from the enemy because we believe in dying for our land".

Another pirate, identified only as "Ismail", also vowed by phone that "We will seek out the Americans, and if we capture them, we will slaughter them. We will target their ships, because we know their flags. Last night, an American-flagged ship escaped us by a whisker. We have showered them with rocket-propelled grenades."

First, I'd like to point out to "Ismail" that it doesn't matter whether they escaped by "a whisker", or by a mile... they still escaped. You screwed up.

Second, I'd like to ask why we are interviewing these pirates, instead of capturing and interrogating them for information.

Third, I'd like for my readers to take the pirates' quotes under careful consideration. Note that they plainly stated that they're no longer interested in holding Americans for ransom. They just want to capture and "slaughter" them. So, if they're not capturing the crews for ransom, that really doesn't make them pirates anymore, does it?

It makes them terrorists. That is what terrorists do, kill people for the express purpose of causing terror and uncertainy, usually out of a religous cause or political purposes. Not "criminals", as our relatively inexperienced Secretary of State Clinton likes to call them... terrorists.

However, the pirates' boastings may backfire against them. If you were an American sailor, and you knew for certain that these pirates weren't even going to bother holding you for ransom but just execute you once you were captured, would you have any incentive to surrender? More than likely, you'd fight to the last breath, by whatever means possible, rather than just sit back and wait for them to slit your throat. At least, that's what most sane Americans would do.

I say we American sailors to fight back with something besides fire hoses. It's time to start supplying our ships with weapons, in one of two ways: Either arm the sailors themselves, and train them how to use these weapons, or hire armed, trained professionals to sail with them.

I prefer the second option. I understand that Blackwater could use some work now. They would be perfect for this. A great chance for some action, and no "innoccent civillians" to worry about, just bad guys trying to storm a ship.

We could also take a page from the Russian's playbook.

Hire a large ship, and staff it with a skeleton crew, with lots of armed professionals. Take the ship out to sea, and sail it in pirate infested waters. Make sure it's flying the American flag. Call it a Trojan Horse if you will. Sooner or later, those pirates are going to smell blood and attempt to take over the ship. Have the crew lock themselves in their rooms, and let the mercenaries hide in wait. Don't put up a fight; let the pirates climb aboard. When the pirates start sniffing around for Americans to slaughter, release the mercs and watch the fun. Kill every last pirate, spare no one. Stuff their bodies into trash bags (make sure the bags have American flag decals on them. I recommend those new Hefty "flex" bags.), and drop the bodies off onto the nearest Somali beach. If that doesn't make a statement of what will happen to them when they think about targeting another American ship, I don't know what will.

If this sounds cruel and unethical, you'll get no arguement from me. Keep in mind that these pirates vowed to slaughter our sailors if they captured them. Besides, they said it themselves... they believe in dying for their land. I say we oblige them.

Those who show no mercy, deserve no mercy themselves.

Sources:

Another US Cargo Ship Escapes Somali Pirate Attack

French Nab 11 Pirates as Threats Mount on US Ships