FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It was about time. The Navy SEALs ended that hostage crisis off the coast of Somalia yesterday with three fatal shots in the dark killing all three pirates aboard the lifeboat. But the military action came only after the band of ragtag troublemakers held Captain Richard Phillips hostage for five days as U.S. Navy ships floated and watched in the surrounding waters.
Cafferty: Piracy is getting worse because there hasn’t been a high enough price for pirates to pay to stop it.
It got to the point where a handful of pirates in a lifeboat were making the mightiest navy on earth look like little more than a collection of plastic bathtub toys. But President Obama authorized the use of lethal force if there was imminent danger to the captain's life; and the mission was a success.
Meanwhile the U.S. military acknowledges that its actions to rescue Phillips could now increase violence. And already Somali pirates are vowing revenge - saying they will kill U.S. and French sailors "if they happen to be among our future hostages." A French raid on Friday had killed two other pirates.
The piracy in this part of the world is getting worse because so far there hasn't been a high enough price for the pirates to pay to stop it. The first officer of the ship that came under attack is calling on the world to "wake up" to the dangers of piracy. He says it's a crisis and that the U.S. should be at the forefront of the fight.
Here's my question to you: What can be done about the increasing piracy on the high seas?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Billy from Las Vegas writes:
Jack, Two things will solve the problem quickly. First, put armed guards with the firepower to blow the pirates out of the water on the merchant ships. Second, halt any suspected Somali "mother ship" trawler for inspection. If they refuse to be inspected, sink 'em. No "mother ship" and the pirates have no way to get to the deep water Indian Ocean shipping lanes. That leaves the Gulf of Aden in the north which is a lot less area to patrol.
Charles writes:
The threat of violence has always been what pirates have used to intimidate shipping management. It’s interesting that these criminals take umbrage at us when that same violence is visited upon them. Until shipping owners refuse to pay ransoms and demand actions from their own governments, piracy will continue.
Matt writes:
I believe the U.S. Navy should use what appear to be easy targets for pirates, but in reality would be decoys with armed soldiers instead of civilians. If pirates know that such things exist they will be more reluctant to charge at unsuspecting vessels.
Alberto writes:
Jack, We have air marshals that go in planes. We should do the same with ships. A contingent of armed security personnel will become a deterrent. If it comes to a confrontation, our weapons and training are superior. For piracy to take place, you need a pirate and a vulnerable ship. All you need to do is take one element out of the equation.
Brian from New Creek, West Virginia writes:
When piracy was a problem centuries ago, the British would hold public executions of pirates. "Hang 'em high!" as they used to say... we probably wouldn't hang them but a more public show of force against pirates would make them realize the benefits do not outweigh the risks.