ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist&reg;.com: Even Utilities Must Pay Their Bills</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style1 { font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> <table cool width="598" height="1274" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="116" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="116" height="1"></td> <td width="31" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="31" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="267" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="267" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr height="79"> <td width="1" height="79"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> <td width="116" height="118" colspan="1" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="31" height="79"></td> <td width="450" height="79" colspan="3" rowspan="1" valign="top" align="left" xpos="147"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> <td width="31" height="39"></td> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="267" height="39" colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top" align="left" xpos="329"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr height="20"> <td width="1" height="20"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="20"></td> <td width="597" height="20" colspan="5" rowspan="1" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#149; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#149; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#149; <a href="teflon.html">THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#149; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">REACTIONS</a> &#149; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="7"> <td width="1" height="7"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="7"></td> <td width="116" height="1135" colspan="1" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="31" height="7"></td> <td width="182" height="7"></td> <td width="267" height="7"></td> <td width="1" height="7"></td> </tr> <tr height="1128"> <td width="1" height="1128"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1128"></td> <td width="480" height="1128" colspan="3" rowspan="1" valign="top" align="left" xpos="116" content csheight="1123"> <font size="5" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b>Pirates Declare War</b></font><p><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b>by John M. Curtis<br> (310) 204-8700</b><br> </font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright April 15, 2009<br> All Rights Reserved.</i></font></p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="style1"> F</span>reeing U.S. cargo ship Capt. Richard Phillips from Somali pirates April 12, President Barack Obama faces some daunting decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Somali pirates have declared war on the U.S. threatening to hijack and kill U.S. sailors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Sunday s dramatic rescue, where Navy Seal snipers on the deck of the U.S.S. Bainbridge struck their targets, killed all three Somali pirates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Somali pirates view their criminal operation as harmless, Robin Hood on the high seas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Yet warlords routinely send out hit-men to hijack and take hostages, attacking victims when facing resistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>An April 10 French commando rescue of pleasure craft left its captain and two pirates dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>French Naval forces were busy again April 15 intercepting a pirate  mother ship used to ferry speedboats and supplies to pirates, preventing an attack on the Liberian cargo ship Safmarine Asia 550 miles of the coast of Mombasa, Kenya.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Responding to the shipping crisis in the Horn of Africa, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton promised to redouble efforts to track down and freeze assets of Somali pirates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>  We may be dealing with a 17th century crime, but we need to bring 21st century solutions to bear, said Clinton at a Washington press conference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>She avoided responding directly to recent pirate threats against the U.S.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> We will seek out the Americans and if we capture them we will slaughter them, said 25-year-old Ismail, a pirate connected with the group that abducted Capt. Phillips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Since freeing Capt. Phillips, pirates have gone on a rampage, capturing three more ships and 75 crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>On April 14, they fired rocket-propelled grenades at another U.S.-flagged ship, damaging the hull but causing no injuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whether admitted to or not, the U.S. finds itself at war with Somali pirates.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Somali pirate have now vowed to attack all American-flagged vessels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> We will target their ships because we know their flags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Last night, American-flagged ship escaped us by a whisker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>We have showered them with rocket-propelled grenades, said Ismail, who did not take part in the attack on the Liberty Sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>U.S. authorities must do more than freeze pirates assets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>They must find and destroy their bases of operation, leaving them on the run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Interdiction efforts can t possibly succeed, nor can Navy escorts through Somalia s Gulf of Aden en route to Egypt s Suez Canal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>American or French ships can t proceed through the Horn of Africa without added security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>U.S. authorities must recognize the danger and do what is necessary to protect its cargo ships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Pirate hideouts must be identified and the U.S. must defend its commercial and national security interests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Global shipping companies have inured themselves over the last 20 years to the risks of piracy, building ransoms into the costs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>With pirates vowing to attack U.S. ships and  slaughter U.S. citizens, the status quo has changed requiring new strategies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>When President Barack Obama met with the G-20 in London April 1-2, he vowed a new multilateral approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He now faces his first international crisis requiring coordinated effort while, at the same time, recognizing his responsibility as commander-in-chief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Much criticism was leveled at former President George W. Bush for his unilateral approach, sometimes called  cowboy diplomacy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Barack found out quickly he can t wait for U.N. approval or multilateral action to protect U.S. citizens or American interests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Somali pirates attacked April 14 the U.S. cargo ship Liberty Sun with rocket-propelled grenades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While it warded off the hijacking this time, the U.S. can t afford to wait for the pirates next move.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Bush got it right going after al-Qaida and the Taliban in the wake of Sept. 11.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Passive diplomacy won t prevent future attacks or make U.S. shipping safer in the Horn of Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Attacking the Liberty Sun with rocket-propelled grenades is an act of war, warranting a forceful response to pirates bases sponsoring the attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whatever mistakes Bush made in Iraq, he put al-Qaida and the Taliban on the run, making future attacks more difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Paying ransom to Somali pirates only makes a bad situation worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Barack did the right thing to free Capt. Phillips but he must now finish the job attacking Somali bases with U.S. airpower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>There s no need to repeat the mistakes of Mogadishu, where former President Bill Clinton sent in the Delta Force, resulting in18 dead soldiers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Pinpointed air-strikes at key bases can neutralize Somali pirates, opening up vital shipping lanes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Somali pirates now hold 280 sailors and 15 ships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>No civilized nation can support hijacking and hostage-taking on the high seas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Five ships and another 80 sailors have been hijacked since Capt. Phillips was freed on April 12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Kenyan authorities estimate that Somali pirates are on a record-braking pace in 2009, having raked in around $150 million in 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Despite the presence of warships from 12 countries, the Horn of African remains the most dangerous shipping lanes on the planet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>More than 20, 000 ships cross the Gulf of Aden to the Suez Canal each year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Pirate attacks have been steadily rising since 2003, with 79 attacks in the first four months of 2009, compared with 111 during all of last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Since there s no ruling authority in Somalia and no real channel for diplomacy, Obama must take preemptive action to protect U.S. commercial interests and national security.</p> <p><u><b>About the Author</b></u></p> <p><b>John M. Curtis</b> is editor of OnlineColumnist.com and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He&#146;s director of a Los Angeles think tank specializing in political consulting and strategic public relations. He&#146;s the author of <a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a> and <a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a>. <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="75" height="25"> <tr> <td></td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="1" height="1128"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>Home</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> || <a href="articlesindex.html">Articles</a> || <a href="books.html">Books</a> || <a href="teflon.html">The Teflon Report</a> || <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">Reactions</a> || <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">About Discobolos</a></strong></font> <div align="left"> <p><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">This site designed, developed and hosted by the experts at</font><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"> <a href="http://www.cmeonline.net" target="_blank"><img height="30" width="138" src="images/cmelogoANIM.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></a></font></p> </div> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">&copy;1999-2001 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>