4 Americans Being Held by Pirates Off Coast of Somalia

[Deebs]

Have you all heard about this and that now we have Naval, FBI, and other forces there trying to free them? Maybe this is me getting sick of DH's cases of people calling 9-1-1 for a ride to the hospital for loneliness, but I think as a culture, we have become dependent on getting "bailed out" by our country. These people supposedly went off course from the rest of the boats they were with, and there have been maritime warnings for months not to go into this area. These people are not transporting goods from one place to another. I don't think this is anything like the crew that was rescued a couple of years ago. I think that if they chose to take this risk, they may have to face the consequences. Perhaps when they are rescued we will learn that something went wrong and they fell off course, but I just think of all the resources we are putting toward this that could be used elsewhere (and I'm not talking from a financial perspective, but more that we now have other human lives in harms way trying to rescue them). I'm sure the naval ship and crew now shadowing them does have other things to do. At a certain point, do we, as a people, decide that if someone has gone against all warning, we are not going to go save them, and utilize those resources elsewhere?

[GrayMatterWife]

Totally NOT an intelligent response to your genuinely thoughtful thread, but just as an aside (kind of related): has anyone seen Wanda Sykes routine regarding the sudden appearance of the threat of pirates, just as Obama was taking office? Her shtick about Rahm Emmanuel having to go into the Oval Office and tell the President that they are having a problem with...pirates...is just hysterical.

It IS kind of unbelievable. Pirates?? Really? PIRATES? (As if he didn't have enough to deal with between the economy, the two war fronts, and his general compulsion to condescend with his self-declared teachable moments.) Now he's got pirates.

[Auspicious]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/akdobbins/nu...each-president

I wonder if they can make these folks pay after the fact. When the "runaway bride" caused an unnecessary manhunt for her, didn't they end up charging her for public services that were used?

That's a really interesting question. The article I read made it sound like the couple knowing took an unnecessary risk. I wouldn't be expecting anyone to rescue me in such a scenario. On the other hand, if we have the ability to save them from years of captivity in a pirate lair, it is hard to sit back and just say they got what was coming to them.

DH and I had a similar debate this summer after a local rescue effort to save someone who intentionally went kayaking over a waterfall in a wilderness area. Smaller-scale dumb decision making, but similar I think. If people want to take stupid risks, I'm glad they have that freedom, but no one seems to calculate in the actual societal costs of such decisions.

[rainbabies]

They're dead. All four and some pirates.

[GrayMatterWife]

They're dead. All four and some pirates.

Awful. Just sickening.

[Vishenka69]

It is awful that they're dead but I agree with the first post that they went into that area intentionally and should have been expecting this outcome. Did they seriously expect that a pile of Bibles would stop the pirates? Also agree that those resources could have been better used elsewhere.

[alison]

I'm in the middle of trying to find out if the couple from Seattle are friends of a friend.

It is awful that they're dead but I agree with the first post that they went into that area intentionally and should have been expecting this outcome. Did they seriously expect that a pile of Bibles would stop the pirates? Also agree that those resources could have been better used elsewhere.

exactly.

[Vanquisher]

What Julie said.

[alison]

Not friends of a friend. My friend sails with her husband very often, and they are active in the boating ad yachting community here.

They shouldn't have left their flotilla.