Better Maritime Threat (Pirate) Symmetry

Galrahn shows some anxiety over pirates and Asymmetric Maritime Threats here. Reading the linked article by Fred Kaplan (Slate) gave me agita. Speaking of the recent SEAL rescue, Kaplan says:

"Piracy, of course, is nothing new, though its frequency is intensifying, and the attack on an American-flagged merchant ship, the Maersk Alabama, revealed an unusual degree of daring—and, as it turned out, at least this time, stupidity."

If that were not bad enough, Mr. Kaplan states that, The Somali pirates, by contrast, are simply bandits. ... Let's start by treating them like the criminals they are.

Well, that's Mr. Kaplan's opinion. Actually, the simple pirates collect hundreds of times more dollars in ransoms than bank robbers and they commit their crimes, including homicides, at sea. My guess is Mr. Kaplan is a lawyer or has close relatives who are. Kaplan's arguments are self-serving for the legal profession who want to disarm other Americans. Curiously, many lawyers have concealed carry permits for their personal protection.

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Far worse, Kaplan insists:

The fight against the Somali pirates is not, nor should it be presented as, a campaign in the 'war on terror' ... Does Mr. Kaplan know how Somali pirates divvy their rich spoils? If Al Qaeda or their partners ever share in these proceeds, Mr. Kaplan, we can be certain the pirates are funding are opponents in our contingency operations overseas.

A sure method to discourage modern piracy is to dispatch miscreants to paradise, but PETOP

(People for the Ethical Treatment of Pirates) objects to summary execution. A better way is suggested in the YouTube here. [ skip to 7:12 for the boarding, 8:04 for the repel boarder action, and the resulting chaos scenes].

Note: When the natives are coming down the ladder on the Nautilus, the lead native is wearing a wedding band.

Submarines are always silent and strange.