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2008-10-24 Africa Horn

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Posted by Fred 2008-10-24 00:00|| || Front Page|| [1 views ] Top

#1 You had permission earlier.

Posted by newc">newc 2008-10-24 00:21|| 2008-10-24 00:21|| Front Page Top

#2 Only to deal with the MV Faina.

Posted by Pappy 2008-10-24 11:13|| 2008-10-24 11:13|| Front Page Top

#3 Oh, oh

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2008-10-24 11:44|| 2008-10-24 11:44|| Front Page Top

#4 Somali authorities? Excuse me, but who are they? What authority do they have and how did they get it?

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2008-10-24 12:07|| 2008-10-24 12:07|| Front Page Top

#5 I do wish we still had a battleship or two that could throw Volkswagen-size shells into each street intersection until the pirates surrendered. This "modern, all-missile/aircraft Navy" sucks in terms of killing people and breaking things. You could replace the 16-inch batteries with GMLRS and accomplish the same thing the old 16-inchers did, but you NEED firepower. A 76mm popgun just doesn't cut it.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2008-10-24 14:20|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2008-10-24 14:20|| Front Page Top

#6 Somali authorities? Excuse me, but who are they? What authority do they have and how did they get it?

Research it. There's always a search engine a click or two away.

Posted by Pappy 2008-10-24 14:26|| 2008-10-24 14:26|| Front Page Top

#7 OP: Agreed, and this kindler, gentler Navy(and USAF, to pile on) ain't limited to you BB example.
Mass quantities of dumb bombs delivered from a decidedly non stealthy platform, and mix in a fair quantity of Rockeye would go a long way toward removing the miscreants and their civilian support system. and packs of roving feral fluffy bunnies as well.
one plane one bomb is stoopid.

Posted by USN, Ret. 2008-10-24 15:06|| 2008-10-24 15:06|| Front Page Top

#8 Pappy, I think he was being sarcastic. I think.

Posted by Steve White 2008-10-24 17:16|| 2008-10-24 17:16|| Front Page Top

#9 Be kind. If I recall correctly, Ebbang Uluque6305 is a physicist, not a rocket scientist. ;-)

Posted by trailing wife ">trailing wife 2008-10-24 17:29|| 2008-10-24 17:29|| Front Page Top

#10 I'm not a physicist, I can't even spell it without spell checker. I'm just a poor, pathetic computer nerd. I know about Google and I'm sure somebody sits in Mogadishu trying to act like they have some authority. That's implied by the fact that the Russians are asking them if they can do something about the pirates. Most likely, from what I've been reading here, they are doing so by the grace of the African Union or the Ethiopians. (Sometimes it's hard to keep up. I do my best.) But they don't really have any authority, do they? I mean, if it wasn't a failed state they wouldn't allow pirates to operate from their ports, would they? So I guess I was being sarcastic. Just remarking on the irony of the mighty Russians asking Somali authorities for "leeway".

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2008-10-24 18:22|| 2008-10-24 18:22|| Front Page Top

#11 What would be the consequences of declaring that 'no government exists in the area designated "Somalia?"' (aside from the risk of it being designated a UN protectorate and becoming subject to much posturing)
Would it make any practical difference to anybody but its immediate neighbors?

Posted by James">James 2008-10-24 22:04|| http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com]">[http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com] 2008-10-24 22:04|| Front Page Top

#12 It's both the African Union and the Ethiopians.

Somalia has what is termed a 'rump government'. Meaning it's a legal government but one without much authority or power. But it is the legit government, hence the Russians making the request.

Removal of the aforementioned government would mean that Somalia would fall back under the control of the Islamic Courts group. Meaning that it once again becomes an al-Qaeda support area.

It could possibly also herald the end of Somali piracy, but I doubt it. There's too much money to be made, and only a percentage of it stays with the pirates.

Posted by Pappy 2008-10-24 22:41|| 2008-10-24 22:41|| Front Page Top

23:57 Don Vito Gratch4072
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