Hands off my booty

We’ve got trouble, mateys.

Near the Horn of Africa, Somali pirates are hijacking ships, plundering them for goods and hostages. And while most Americans were alerted to this situation last week as the first U.S. ship was targeted by these pirates, this is by no means a new problem.

Capturing more than 40 ships last year, Somali pirates are growing increasingly sophisticated, having used their immense earnings from high-priced ransoms (some reaching as much as $2 million) to buy speed boats and automatic weapons.

They aren’t your typical parrot-toting buccaneers. Gun-wielding and mask-wearing, these pirates can shiver any unsuspecting captain’s timbers.

Finding safety on the Somali coast, they have exploited that country’s weak – and by weak, I mean practically non-existent – government, which has been riddled with internal violence and unrest. These pirates have turned to the seas to find wealth under the guise of defending their nation’s waters from capitalizing companies, who would use the country’s otherwise unguarded seas as dump sites for dangerous waste.

Clearly, the situation is complex.

While the waters off Somalia have been over-fished and abused, the pirates are not simply functioning as protectors. They’ve ransacked innocent maritime vessels. And with their violence persisting, something must be done.

But how can we best address this threat?

Ancient legend narrates the kidnapping of Julius Caesar by Cilician pirates. The Chuck Norris of his day, Caesar is said to have remained confident throughout his imprisonment, even encouraging his captors to raise his ransom.

He’s worth it, right? Once the money was paid, Caesar raised a fleet and pursued his kidnappers, capturing and crucifying them all.

I can hear it now: “Walk the plank? How about I nail you to it.”

Caesar responded with force, and now, so must we.

Piracy is entirely about the money. It’s a lifestyle of profiteering that offers incentives to those who engage in its practice. The threat to human life through kidnapping and imprisonment is simply a means to an end. Pirates are not suicide bombers; they don’t inflict terror for terror’s stake. Their evil is one with a clear motive: the loot.

Last October, the BBC published a report about the lavish lifestyle of the Somali pirates who “wed the most beautiful girls (and) are building big houses.”
In a country where half the population receives food aid, the pirates are estimated to have stolen and extorted $30 million last year.  With that kind of income, these guys should be some real Jolly Rogers.

But the raiding persists.

While the social and political situation in Somalia is devastating and regrettable, piracy is not the answer. It is illegal, harmful and wrong.

Meaningful change will be accomplished after international fishing laws are enforced and internal governmental stability is accomplished. And these swashbucklers play no part in that solution.

Until that dialogue and intervention can take place, we must stand firm against the pirates. It’s time to look these attackers straight in the eyes and say, “Hands off my booty.”