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Washington Times calls for arming ship crews
Editorial here.
A thought: it might take no more than a pistol. assuming the target ship unbolts its ladders, they have to come up via grappling hook. As soon as the first guy's head appears, the crewman shoots him. The pirate crew now must call for volunteers to be the next up. If, repeatedly, the point man get shot between the eyes, this will eventually lower morale.
That might explain why the pirates veered off when the cruise ship's crew just fired some shots in the area. They had AKs, but so long as the guys with pistols could duck out of sight and wait for them to expose themselves, they could wipe them out.
UPDATE: I wouldn't worry much about the videotaping. It's easy to prove a case when only one party is alive at the time of trial.
Hat tip to Don Hamrick....
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Watch for the new buzz phrase: "Code of Conduct" coming from the U.S. Coast Guard and the International Maritime Organization. "Code of Conduct" is bureaucratic language for more government control of what you do at sea. Notice they are using "Code of Conduct" instead of the Seamen's side of this issue who whant the buzz phrase "Rules of Engagement" or "Rules of Armed Self Defense" bantered about among the global maritime nations.
I am very close of finishing my new lawsuit for the Second Amendment as an Admiralty case where I will claim that the Second Amendment as "Intangible Property" under Admiralty law. "PETITORY ACTION & ACTION IN REM COMPLAINT"
I will present it as primae impressionis, a case of first impression.
In novo casu novum remedium apponendum est. In a novel case a new legal remedy must be applied.
I am using Admiralty jurisdiction, civil rights, human rights, and the RICO Act against the U.S. Government. My case will be like a plate of sphagetti thrown against the wall. I want to see what sticks. Had to do a lot of studying on Twombly and Notice Pleading.
Thanks goes to David Hardy for the occassional tip on procedure. I get many miles of research and education from his golden nuggets of passing tips.
Well...let's see how far and how fast it goes.
If it were up to me, I could have every deep-sea US vessel armed and trained and ready for action by the end of the year, (and probably for less than one would think).
What I expect is that this thing will be "studied to death" by having some "Blue-Ribbon" panel of landlubbing navel-gazers, time servers and union and corporate mid-level flunktionaries, along with some boob or two from the Coast Guard and the Navy who will never be elevated to flag-rank, form a "Chowder and Marching Society" to eat free taxpayer grub and swill free taxpayer booze until everybody forgets all about ships and the sea and pirates again.
Then they'll pop up with a "Recommendation".
That's the way the land end of the shipping biz rolls, kids.
If you want to absolutely waste several hours of your life and clench your sphincter tighter than a miser's fist, hie thee over to MarAd's (Made Another Ridiculously Absurd Decision...or Make Another Reservation At Dinner, for those who aren't familiar with 'em),site and start clicking through their Ship Operators Cooperative Program (SOCP) Working Groups...I'd recommend the Mariner Recruitment and Retention Working Group. It's usually good for a laugh, especially when you learn that not a soul on that group has been to sea any more recently than the early 1970's.
But they eat free grub, and YOU the taxpayer picks up the bill for it, while they listen to each others' chin music.
Anyway, big chops to the Wash Times for not suffering from cranio-rectal inversion on the subject.
Pistols? Just shoot the pirates in the head as they try to board? Oh dear. And if the pirates get in the habit of lobbing a few grenades (they have those, you know) over the railing prior to exposing their precious little tousled heads?
There are several rules in armed combat:
(1) Never bring a knife to a gun fight.
(2) Anyone who knowingly enters a gunfight armed only with a handgun (particularly if their opponents are known to carry not only rifles, but automatic rifles and grenade launchers) is trying to commit suicide.
In combat, particularly on the open sea, the range of one's weapons is very, very important. Those defending merchant ships need weapons capable of aimed and/or indirect fire at ranges exceeding 400 meters, and the further the better. Handguns, while worthwhile within 20 yards, are foolish for this application as one would want to keep the pirates so far away that they could not get off a good, aimed rifle or RPG shot at a very large and vulnerable target.
The WP recommendation is at trending in the right direction, but unfortunately, is not tactically proficient. Fortunately, that's easily corrected.
David:
I nominate the following as "painfully obvious statement of the year." And no pun is intended.
If, repeatedly, the point man get shot between the eyes, this will eventually lower morale.
But alas ... it's far beyond the comprehension of the NYT or the Wash Post ...