INDONESIANS PAY $4.5 MILLION RANSOM TO SOMALI/MUSLIM PIRATES

JAKARTA POST:

The Somalian pirates have finally released the Sinar Kudus boat and all of its Indonesian boat crew after the boat owner company decided to pay US$ 4.5 million (Rp 38.5 billion) to the pirates, a member of the Somalian pirate groups identified as Geney said.

“We have received the money this morning and right now are preparing to go out from the boat,” Geney said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com on Sunday.

He said that the ransom was dropped from the sky by an aircraft this morning.

WHY DID THEY PAY THE RANSOM!?!?! THIS WILL ONLY ENCOURAGE THE PIRATES TO DO MORE KIDNAPPING.

IT ALWAYS HAS. THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN ONLY ONE WAY TO STOP THEM:

The nation's first Secretary State, Thomas Jefferson, told Congress it must choose "...between war, tribute and ransom." He believed war was the only reasonable choice, and advocated the creation of a navy. Tribute paid to the pirates was "money thrown away," and the only thing they truely understood was gunpowder and shot. Just as Luther 250 years earlier, Jefferson called for a united military alliance among the European powers, along with America, to blockade North Africa and provide for a military solution against the pirates. Europe chose to continue paying tribute.

"Would to Heaven we had a navy to reform those enemies to mankind, or crush them into non-existence," said George Washington in 1786. Said one American envoy, "There is but one language which can be held to these people, and this is terror."

By 1794, Algiers had captured 11 American vessels and taken over 100 prisoners. In 1795 Congress agreed to their ranson by authorizing a payment of cash, munitions, a 36-gun frigate, and an annual tribute of $21,600 worth of naval supplies. In 1799, agreements were negotiated with Morocco, Algiers, and Tunis. Tripoli agreed not to attack American shipping, in return for an annual tribute of $18,000.

The Barbary Pirates, though discriminating against Christians, were businessmen, much like the Mafia. It was reported that ransom rates were set at a fixed price: $4,000 for a passenger, $1,400 for a cabin boy. In the coastal towns of Salem, Newport, and Boston, the names of those who were captured by the Barbary Pirates were read aloud each Sunday in the churches, just as those who were lost at sea. Most of the ransom had to be raised privately, as Congress was unable or unwilling to pay the full asking price.

By 1800 a new slogan was beginning to appear across the new country, "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute."

"Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute."

THAT WAS OUR SLOGAN THEN; IT SHOULD BECOME OUR SLOGAN AGAIN!

IT TOOK TWO WARS TO DEFEAT THEM THEN. WE OUGHT TO FIGHT AT LEAST ONE MORE NOW.

WE PROBABLY COULD ANNIHILATE THE SOMALI PIRATES IN A WEEK OR TWO.

BTW/ASIDE:

PERHAPS THIS PAYING OF RANSOM BY THE INDONESIANS IS A WAY THE MUSLIMS IN INDONESIA CAN FUNNEL MONEY TO THE GLOBAL JIHAD?

JUST ASKING.