...To the Shores of Tripoli...

The Saudi oil tanker Sirius Star was captured by Somali pirates off the coast of Kenya. It seems the pirates are asking $10,000,000 ransom for the ship that is carrying $100 million in oil. Pirates are nothing new in this world, and I am not talking about black beard or pirates of the Caribbean (or Penzance for that matter). The United States fought two wars, the First Barbary Pirate War or the Tripolitan War, from 1801-1805 and the Second Barbary War in 1815. The countries that promulgated piracy at the time were Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Tripoli (for those not familiar with that name might know it better a Libya). At the time, the Pasha of Tripoli demanded a ransom from Jefferson in the sum of $225,000. This may not seem like much, but considering the total treasury had $10,000,000, it was quite a chunk. Some may ask why? Barbary pirates were nothing new, but they were kept in check by the Knights Of Malta. What happened was that Napoleon seized Malta in 1798 and this created a power vacuum in the mediterranean. Without the Knights Of Malta, the pirates went on a spree. The first Barbary War was the first international engagement of the US Marines. The US Navy and the Marines kicked ass, killing and wounding 2000 pirates, while suffering fewer than 100 casualties, and capturing Tripoli. 

Today we find ourselves in a similar place with Somali pirates. International forces seem to be unwilling to go after them, even in this latest fiasco with the Saudi tanker. The Saudis must want it that way, but paying ransom is never a good thing, or as James Madison put it, peace is preferred to war, and war is preferred to paying tribute. The problem is that with paying tribute to anyone is that the criminals will have you over a saddle like Marcellus Wallace with the orange ball in his mouth. No fun at all. Better to fight than switch, but I digress. The right answer here is a couple seal teams on the tanker and it's all over but the crying. In the long run, naval ships from various countries need to patrol these areas terminate the pirates with extreme prejudice, setting the tone for what is inevitable. We'll have to see what happens. The last time we got involved with Somalia, President Clinton showed a lack of nerve and fortitude, folding like a cheap camera. This sets a bad example for the men. 

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