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HANG 'EM HIGH!
by Ralph PetersFor a young Somali, piracy's a glamorous profession, the local equivalent of being a Manhattan hedge-fund manager a few years back: His risk is minimal, the rewards are huge - and there's no punishment for pillaging other people's wealth. If there's no serious penalty for lucrative bad behavior, the bad behavior will spread. That's the story of Somalia's Skull and Bones club. Coping with pirates is also simple. We make it hard by agonizing over the "human rights" of these seagoing terrorists. This week, as a powerful US warship loomed over a bobbing lifeboat, FBI negotiators begged for understanding from thugs who had attacked a ship flying our flag. The correct approach would have been to lower boats with armed sailors and take the Somalis, dead or alive. Historically, civilized nations understood how to handle pirates: When captured, pirates were hanged. When found, their bases were destroyed. That worked. But threatening to put one pirate in a thousand in a posh European cell where he gets free visits from a prostitute isn't much of a deterrent when a single successful raid on a ship can bring in millions of dollars. Yeah, "citizens of the world" will cry that "You can't just hang pirates!" Sure you can. It's easy. If you're short of rope, wire will do. The only serious question arises once the noose is around the pirate's throat: Should we drop him over the side and let the rope snap his neck, or raise him up on a spar and let him suffocate slowly? Posted by: Glenmore 2009-04-12 |
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