The Maersk Alabama should stay away from the Indian Ocean

So the Maersk Alabama, who you may remember as the ship which was captured by pirates a few months ago, was AGAIN attacked earlier today off the coast of Somalia. However, this time the men on board the ship had guns of their own, and were able to repel the attack. This story has been getting some good news coverage, but here's hoping that this story gains some traction.

On a serious note, the piracy problem is a systemic one and has dire consequences for both sides. Part of me wishes that we could call these "pirates" something else, because when I hear this word I start thinking about Blackbeard, Jolly Rogers, and booty. Hehe, booty.

Pirates have become somewhat of a theme here on hischampion. Please note previous championships about Pirates here and here, among other places.

Here she is, the mighty Maersk Alabama. Custom built out of freedom to deliver American shipping containers where they are needed most.

P.S. I will now begin calling my posts championships. Are we pro or con on this?

Pirates in the News, Again

Once again our thoughts turn to piracy. This time the scourge of the Indian Ocean has been directed at America, the very nation that drove piracy from the Barbary Coast way back in the early 1800s.

Now the danger lies off the coast of Somalia. Some rouges recently took control of an American ship delivering aid to Kenya. Luckily, the crew was familiar with the use of high pressure fire hoses and drove the pirates off the ship, but not before they took the Captain hostage. Luckily, the American Nacy was nearby and our snipers were able to take the pirates out when they stuck their malicious heads out of their getaway raft in the middle of the night.

One pirate surrendered himself to the authorities, hoping for leniency. Little did he know that he would be extradited and tried in New York City Federal Court. This is Abde Wale Abdul Kadhir Muse:

Is he a minor? Probably, but I doubt that he'll be catching any breaks from our government. His buddies got sniped up, and I predict his ass will go to jail as an example of how America is going to deal with this chapter in the long history of piracy. If recent memory serves me right, we need to step our game up:

Oh, and for the record, His Champion has been on top of this story since December.

Wreckognize, fools.

Pirates!

First of all, I want to wish you all a good shabbos.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, today I want to talk about pirates.

No, not the most expensive adult film ever made; real pirates who roll up on oil tankers with AK-47s and grenades and dominate the Indian Ocean.

So much of the world's shipping traffic travels by the Horn of Africa and the Strait of Malacca that the scores of desperately poor people who watch all that wealth float by want a piece. So, they get some Zodiacs and surplus Soviet arms and strike fear into the hearts of some unwitting oil or transport ship captain. Its getting to the point where the pirates can do basically whatever they want, and local law enforcement agencies don't have the resources to do shit.

This kind of trend is so interesting to me because of how it is a by-product of Western Culture. All I want is my oil and I don't care how it gets to my gas tank. Meanwhile, some 22 year old in Indonesia is thinking that the only way he can live his life is to throw a rope ladder over the side of a huge ship and rob it.

Let me know your thoughts on Modern Piracy in the comments. Are the readers of His Champion sympathetic or antagonistic to the modern pirate?


For further reading, check out this article from Slate, the online newspaper.