"We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose." - President Eisenhower, First Inaugural Address
Turkey's military says navy commandos aboard a frigate have captured 13 pirates in the Indian Ocean.
The military says the commandos aboard Turkey's TCG Gelibolu stopped the pirate vessel on Sunday as it sailed off the Seychelles on a route being used by a Turkish freighter heading to Mombassa, Kenya.
The commandos captured the pirates, destroyed their two skiffs and confiscated other pirate material.
The military says the pirates were photographed throwing weapons and ammunition overboard, but didn't say how close the pirates were to the freighter.
UPDATE: A look at the U.S. Coast Guard and the illegal immigrant problem off the east coast of the U.S. here. Photo nearby is of a Yola used for people smuggling from the Dominican Republic.
Why, when we owe $12 trillion, would the Obama administration set out budgets that will ensure our collective debt climbs to $20 trillion? Why are we borrowing more money, when Medicare, Social Security, the Postal Service, Amtrak, etc. are all insolvent as it is?
What is the logic behind something so clearly unhinged?
I present seven alternative reasons — some overlapping — why the present government is hell-bent on doubling the national debt in eight years. Either one, or all, or some, or none, of the below explain Obama’s peculiar frenzied spending.
I add that when you elect to office people who do not understand economics, you get programs that reflect their level of understanding. And, that when their operating premise is that everything you earn and own really belongs to the state, they are being kind to let you "keep" any of it while they redistribute the remainder to make up for alleged unfairness in the the system which you and your family exploited to the detriment of others. At least in the future we will all be poor together, fed, housed and cared for by the loving state.
George Will on the VAT and abandoning the income tax here. He needs to take a look at the "Fair Tax" which takes his point and still provides for those with less income - fairly - see here:
The FairTax plan is a comprehensive proposal that replaces all federal income and payroll based taxes with an integrated approach including a progressive national retail sales tax, a prebate to ensure no American pays federal taxes on spending up to the poverty level, dollar-for-dollar federal revenue neutrality, and, through companion legislation, the repeal of the 16th Amendment.
The FairTax Act (HR 25, S 296) is nonpartisan legislation. It abolishes all federal personal and corporate income taxes, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, and self-employment taxes and replaces them with one simple, visible, federal retail sales tax administered primarily by existing state sales tax authorities.
The FairTax taxes us only on what we choose to spend on new goods or services, not on what we earn. The FairTax is a fair, efficient, transparent, and intelligent solution to the frustration and inequity of our current tax system.
The FairTax:
* Enables workers to keep their entire paychecks
* Enables retirees to keep their entire pensions
* Refunds in advance the tax on purchases of basic necessities
* Allows American products to compete fairly
* Brings transparency and accountability to tax policy
* Ensures Social Security and Medicare funding
* Closes all loopholes and brings fairness to taxation
* Abolishes the IRS
Oh, yes, it also reduces government control over doling out perks to meet social agendas (see the first item above by Hanson).
UPDATE: Global warming may cause more volcanic action (see here) which may cause a slow down in global warming (see here).
With a hat tip to Saturn5 of Bosphorus Navy News, a collection of photos of damage done by Somali pirates to the Turkish flagged vessel "Yasin C" can be found at Turkish maritime publication Aktüeldeniz.
For those of you unfamiliar with the saga of Yasin C, the ship was boarded by Somali pirates (reported here), but the crew managed to shut down the operating systems and hide in a "safe room."
Saturn 5's comment to that report:
As of today the ship is free again. It turned out that the crew stopped the ship and locked themself in a safe room inside machinery space. after 17 hours of wait one of them ventured to the outside to check the situation only to find the ship empty.
The crew is in charge again and are sailing to Mombasa.
It seems the pirates vented their frustrations on the vessel before departing.
An Indian flagged dhow, the VISHVAKALYAN, which had been seized by Somali pirates and used as a pirate mother ship has been intercepted by the NATO warship HMS Chatham in the area to the East of the Gulf of Aden. The Royal Navy frigate, which is part of NATO’s counter piracy Operation Ocean Shield, spent three days shadowing the vessel, exerting pressure on the Somali pirates on board until the mother ship ran out of fuel and was forced to stop. Stricken and overwhelmed by the warship which closed to the point of bringing the mother ship alongside, the pirates were directed to leave the VISHVAKALYAN under the shadow of HMS Chatham’s close range weapons and Royal Marine marksmen. They then fled back to the Somali coast in a smaller skiff, leaving the dhow and her crew unharmed.
It is believed that the dhow had been used to mount an unsuccessful attack against at least one merchant ship over the proceeding days, before she was intercepted by HMS Chatham. In response to the night time attack on 6 Apr, the NATO warship diverted to the scene and launched her Lynx helicopter which quickly located the suspect dhow. HMS Chatham closed their position and this initial action was sufficient to ensure that the pirates could not continue with their mission.
As HMS Chatham approached, it became clear that the personnel on board were carrying a variety of weapons including Rocket Propelled Grenades and AK47 rifles. The action taken by the warship, her helicopter and fast boats with Royal Marines embarked, over the three days, left the pirates no option but to comply with NATO’s demands and peacefully abandon the dhow.
The Master and fourteen other crew members of the VISHVAKALYAN were extremely relieved to be released and grateful to HMS Chatham, who provided them with medical assistance, water and fuel to allow them to proceed towards their next port.
Commander Simon Huntington, HMS Chatham’s Commanding Officer, said
“We have actively disrupted a group of pirates who had hijacked this dhow, taking the crew hostage, and they were obviously intent on seizing a larger merchant vessel and its crew, for criminal means. I am extremely pleased that due to the actions of my Ship’s Company, HMS Chatham quickly found and intercepted them, forcing them to abort their mission; but what is most rewarding for all of us involved in this operation, is that we have secured the release of this dhow and her crew unharmed and without the need for an escalation in violence.”
U.S. destroyer hunted down a group of pirates who attacked a vessel in the Gulf of Aden with rocket-propelled grenades early Friday and chased them with a helicopter, officials said.
The helicopter from the USS Farragut watched the pirates throw items — possibly weapons — overboard. A boarding team confiscated pirate paraphernalia and the skiff was instructed to return to the Somali coast, the Combined Maritime Forces said in a statement.
The military said the pirates attacked the Thailand-flagged MV Thor Traveler with RPGs and rifles at 3 a.m. on a moonless morning.
That the pirates were set free underscores one of the problems the international community has not yet solved over the piracy issue: which country should take possession of the suspects and prosecute them.
The encounter was at least the fourth skirmish with pirates that U.S. warships have had in the last several weeks.
Photo caption:
GULF OF ADEN (April 15, 2010) Master-at-Arms 1st Class Daniel Fuentes, a member of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) visit, board, search and seizure team investigates a suspicious dhow during anti-piracy operations in the area. Farragut is part of Combined Task Force 151, a multinational task force established to conduct anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Cassandra Thompson/Released)
Join EagleOne of the blog "EagleSpeak" and Sal of "CDR Salamander" as they discuss homeland security and the role the maritime services have to play in it.
Our guests will be Jim Dolbow and Mark Stanovich.
Jim Dolbow is a writer, blogger for both USNI blog and CGBlog.org, Coast Guard Reserve Officer, and former defense staffer on Capitol Hill. He has served as Legislative Director/Military Legislative Assistant for Congressman John Hostettler (IN-08), Legislative Director for the Conservative Action Team (CATs), and legislative assistant for Rep. Jim Ryun (KS-02). In his USCGR responsibilities, he ha served as a SAR Controller training, recalled to active duty in support of OPERATION NOBLE EAGLE, served as a watch stander for the Joint Operations Command Center in Washington, D.C., harbor patrol team leader, post-Hurricane Katrina operations, and served as a legislative affairs analyst on the staff of the Principal Federal Official, Admiral Thad W. Allen, USCG. He holds a BS in Political Science from Marymount University, an MA in National Security & Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, and an M.A. in Statecraft and World Politics from the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C. His works on national defense and homeland security issues have appeared in Proceedings, The Washington Post, Washington Times, Sea Power, National Defense, Navy Times, Armed Forces Journal International, to name a few.
Mark Stanovich is a is a Lt. Col. in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, an Artillery officer with 22 years of service. He has served in all four Marine Divisions, and is a combat veteran of OIFII. In his civilian occupation, he is an emergency planner in New England, and is a qualified exercise developer who has participated in the planning and conduct of myriad federal and state exercises with scenarios ranging from natural disaster to terrorism to cyber attack. His current USMCR unit supports Title X war games for all services.
Yesterday, 15 April, EU NAVFOR Spanish warship ESPS VICTORIA tracked, boarded and destroyed a Pirate mother ship.
This event, just off the coast of Somalia, shows that EU NAVFORs new, more robust strategy is working. On Thursday morning, an EU NAVFOR helicopter, from the Spanish ship Victoria, detected a Whaler with three suspected pirates onboard, just off the Somali coast. Victoria called upon the Whaler to stop but got no response. After warning shots were fired, a boarding was carried out.
On inspection of the whaler large amounts of fuel and ammunition were found. Although the individuals said they were fishermen, no fishing equipment was found. The decision was taken to dispose of the whaler and the three men on board were transported ashore. The whaler was subsequently destroyed.
I guarantee this will be a really interesting legal battle over the right of a single member state of the United States of American to control undocumented aliens as Arizona Clears Strict Immigration Bill.
It is almost certain that the federal government, under its current leadership, will oppose one or more states bordering on Mexico from asserting their own rights in controlling access by illegal aliens who cross over that border.
The usual federal response to states asserting sovereign rights has been to threaten to cut off federal funding for various projects like highways, education and the like - buying the state into compliance using the argument that the Commerce Clause* covers such matters because the Supreme Court has given that clause very broad scope.
Here, however, the southern border states have legitimate concerns over border security and the federal government has not been able or willing to enforce federal laws against illegal access to this country across the borders with Mexico.
Naturally, "rights groups" are all upset, as reported here and here:
"Dozens of people rallying Wednesday at the State Capitol urged Gov. Jan Brewer to veto a bill that would require local law enforcement to assist in enforcing federal immigration law"
Really? Dozens? Probably outnumbered by the Arizona legislature.
See a "fact sheet" on the bill here. And the bill itself here. You might note that the underlying law to be enforced is federal law.
Almost certainly the 10th Amendment will come into play:
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people
UPDATE: Is immigration mentioned in the Constitution? Not directly, but Art I, Section 8 provides Congress has the power "To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization" which the Supreme Court has ruled covers immigration (here)...
UPDATE3: A roundup of views - all of which point out why this will be some Constitutional fun down the road:
My view is that Geraldo is simply incorrect (once again)in his Constitutional knee jerk reaction. There's no trampling on federal "supremacy" if you are simply enforcing existing federal law that the feds are not enforcing. In fact, I want to see that argument fleshed out. Take your best shot in the comments.
To me it looks like Arizona is actually complying with federal law and some assistant attorney general is going to have to get creative in arguing that is somehow unconstitutional.
I suppose you could argue that the law will have a disparate impact on people appear to be, well, Mexican in that undoubtedly fewer Nordic type blonds will be asked to show some sort of identity proof.
This all could have been avoided with tighter border controls. As it is, it seems unfair to be able to ask a foreign person who has legally entered the country for his/her passport as they travel and not be able to ask the same of a person who sneaked across the border. Especially if you find the latter on some rancher's land out in the middle of nowhere (but near the border)or involved in a crime or in an accident.
*Article I, Section 8. The Congress shall have power ... To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states...
All flights in and out of the UK have been suspended as ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland moves south.
Safety body Eurocontrol said up to 4,000 flights across northern Europe would be cancelled on Thursday.
The air traffic control service (Nats) said no flights would be allowed in or out of UK airspace until 1800BST amid fears of engine damage.
***
Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark were among the European countries hit.
Thousand of flights were canceled, stranding tens of thousands of passengers, and authorities said it was not clear when it would be safe enough to fly again.
One scientist in Iceland said the ejection of volcanic ash — and therefore possible disruptions in air travel — could continue for days or even weeks.
***
"It is likely that the production of ash will continue at a comparable level for some days or weeks. But where it disrupts travel, that depends on the weather," said Einar Kjartansson, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office. "It depends how the wind carries the ash"
In Paris, all flights north were canceled until midnight. At Copenhagen's international airport, spokesman Henrik Peter Joergensen said some 25,000 passengers were affected.
Piracy in Cameroon has cut off some oil production, causing worries about future investments from overseas oil companies.
The African country has recently been embroiled in piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, which has led to insecurity in the oil industry.
As much as 95 percent of Cameroon's oil comes from a basin in the Gulf of Guinea, where attacks on commercial shipping have made the area increasingly dangerous.
Seven Chinese fishermen were kidnapped last month and a Nigerian boat was hijacked off the coast of Cameroon.
On each occasion, pirates demanded more than $1 million to release the ships.
Crude oil production in Cameroon has gone down to average just over 73,000 barrels a day with spending in the oil sector dropping by more than one-third.
Gilpin says piracy threatens the profitability of new oil exploration off Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria's Niger Delta. The interest in new sources of oil will always be there, but Gilpin says it is the quality of investment that will suffer.
"You are less likely to see oil majors who have the capacity and the deep-pockets for the sort of exploration that will be required go in first," he said. "You are more likely to see smaller concerns go in and test the waters. And what this does it costs the countries because when the oil majors come in later, the beneficiaries are the smaller companies that took the risk to go in in the first place, not the countries."
Gilpin says very few countries in the Gulf of Guinea have addressed what he calls vast gaps in maritime security from Nigeria to Angola. Pirate groups that withdrew after increased security in 2000 are now reemerging. But unlike the more-publicized piracy off the coast of Somalia, Gulf of Guinea pirates are less organized.
The St Vincent & Grenadines flagged cargo ship MV RAK AFRIKANA has been hijacked this morning 11 April approximately 280 nautical miles west of Seychelles.
Previously, EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft spotted the MV and reported 8 POB (3 of them possible pirates) and several fuel barrels. ITS Scirocco from CTF 508 is heading towards the position to investigate. The RAK AFRIKANA has currently stopped due to engine problems. MV RAK AFRICANA has deadweight of 7,561 tonnes and is owned by Rak Afrikana Shipping LTD fromSeychelles. The nationality of the crew is at this moment unknown.
USS ASHLAND, Gulf of Aden (NNS) -- At approximately 5:00 a.m. local time, the USS Ashland (LSD 48), was fired upon by a skiff manned by suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 330 nautical miles off the coast of Djibouti.
During the attack, the Ashland received small arms fire on the port side from the six man crew of suspected pirates aboard the skiff. The Ashland, in accordance with her rules of engagement, returned fire.
USS Ashland fired two rounds at the skiff from her MK-38 Mod 2, 25mm gun. The skiff caught fire and the suspected pirates abandoned the skiff. The Ashland deployed her rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) to assist the pirates who were in the water near their skiff.
Once it was verified that the suspected pirates no longer had weapons on their person, all six were brought on board the Ashland where they received medical care. There is no apparent damage to the USS Ashland and there were no injuries to any members of her crew.
Captain John Bruening, commanding officer, Nassau Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), expressed the commitment of the ships in the Nassau ARG to ensuring the success of creating a stable and secure maritime environment.
"This is why we are here," said Bruening. "It is so much more than just putting a stop to the illegal activities of only one pirate skiff. It is about fostering an environment that will give every nation the freedom to navigate the seas without fear of attack."
Three events over the past ten days have allowed the U.S. Navy to capture a total of 21 suspected pirates. Two of these events were precipitated by attacks on the U.S. vessels, while the third was in response to a fellow mariner's call for help. USS Nicholas (FFG 47) was attacked late in the evening by pirates on March 31, resulting in the capture of five, while today's attack on USS Ashland netted an additional six. The third event, USS McFaul (DDG 74) responded to the distress call from M/V Rising Sun on April 5, helping thwart the attack and capture an additional ten suspected pirates. The U.S. Navy is now reviewing multiple options regarding these suspected pirates' legal dispositions.
Photo captions:
(upper) GULF OF ADEN (April 10, 2010) A suspected pirate skiff burns after being destroyed by the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48). Ashland while operating approximately 330 nautical miles off the coast of Djibouti, was fired upon from a skiff manned by suspected pirates. Ashland returned fire and disabled the skiff. USS Ashland is part of the Nassau Amphibious Ready Group and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently supporting Maritime Security Operations (MSO) and Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) Operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason R. Zalasky/Released)
(lower) GULF OF ADEN (April 10, 2010) The burned out hull of a suspected pirate skiff drifts near the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48). Ashland while operating approximately 330 nautical miles off the coast of Djibouti, was fired upon and returned fire disabling a skiff manned by suspected pirates. Ashland deployed a visit, board, search and seizure team to rescue the suspects from the sea. USS Ashland is part of the Nassau Amphibious Ready Group and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently supporting Maritime Security Operations (MSO) and Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) Operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason R. Zalasky/Released)
UPDATE: A suspected Somali pirate is pulled from the sea to join a fellow pirate in the custody of the U.S. Navy. It appears a couple of the Navy team are on "shark watch" for the benefit of other suspected pirates or, in the alternative, keeping on eye on other suspects in the water.
This week's episode is a special one, we will be live from the Navy Memorial in Washington DC as it gets ready for the annual Blessing of the Fleets. The 2010 Blessing of the Fleets will debut the Navy Memorial's latest exhibit, Supporting the Force: Navy Supply in Action—Ready for Sea, Ready Ashore, and will kick off the Year of Navy Supply. Following on popular exhibits in recent years that have honored the Seabees, Navy Medicine and Navy Special Warfare, 2010 has been set aside to honor the Navy’s logistics, culinary and business specialists. A full schedule of events will accompany the exhibit, including food tastings, films, lectures and equipment displays. To help get the ball rolling, we have three scheduled guests; - Rear Admiral Edward K. Walker, Jr., Supply Corps USN (Ret.); President and Chief Executive Officer, United States Navy
Memorial Foundation. - Rear Admiral Michael J. Lyden, USN; Commander, Naval Supply Systems Command and the 45th Chief of Supply Corps. - Documentarian Brian J. Kelly who will be screening their new work, Discovery Channel's film about Navy operations today "At Sea." Make sure and join us for the show, or better yet - if you are in DC this weekend, come by and see the exhibit.
CDR Salamander will be live at the scene, I get to tend to the home fires.
08. April 2010 WARNING Pirate Attack Somali Basin / Indian Ocean (1343N,05641E) Alert number 327 / 2010. At 0622 UTC a merchant vessel is currently under attack by 1 skiffs in position 13 43N - 056 41E Weapons have been fired -------------------------------------------- 07. April 2010 Alert Update, Somali Basin / Indian Ocean (04 59S,043 52E) Alert number 326 / 2010. Reference previous Alert number 325 / 2010. At 12:43 UTC a merchant vessel was under attack by pirates in position 0459S 04352E. ***This vessel has been hijacked*** Alert number 325 / 2010. At 12:43 UTC a merchant vessel is currently under attack by pirates in position 0459S 04352E.
