<p>^ I hope you are kidding.</p>
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<p>How sad…I wasn’t expecting this either. I though the pirates usually tried for ransom.</p>
<p>I hear on the news the other day that this boat made a deliberate choice to leave the group they were traveling with to ‘go off exploring’ by themselves. Not a smart move…they took a risk and lost the bet. Very unfortunate.</p>
<p>It is very sad and does seem the yachters didn’t take seriously the risk factor of their pleasure trip. I’m sorry for their families.
On another note, hats off to the brave men of the U.S. Navy Seals who went into a tough situation and did their best to save the Americans. The news reported that one of the Somalians was killed in a knife fight with a Seal.</p>
<p>According to the linked article, the yacht was sailing in “remote waters between Oman and Somalia” and the owners of the yacht were on a multi-year mission to distribute bibles in a part of the world that is often hostile to Christian proselytizing. I’m sorry lives were lost, but these people knowingly took on a very high risk mission in pursuit of their religious goals. I’m thankful no American sailors lost their lives trying to save these folks from their own stupid decisions. It seems to me that when you knowingly take on giant risks, you should lose the right to have the US spend money and endanger lives to come rescue you.</p>
<p>I am very sorry that this was the outcome of this situation , but like hikers along Iran’s border or climbers of dangerous , mountain peaks, the people know the risks involved.
And also , carrying a cargo full of bibles in Muslim areas is sure to inflame…</p>
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<p>On CNN tonight, the report was that the pirates were fighting among themselves. According to the report, a rocket was launched from the yacht toward the U.S. Navy vessel. Navy seals boarded three (I think) of their small boats and headed toward the yacht. Shots were heard on board the yacht and when the Seals boarded the yacht, the four Americans were found below deck. They were not all dead at that time, but all four did die.</p>
<p>Why were these people sailing their boat near Somalia? They should grow a brain. I don’t really feel sad at all. They made their decision. Live (or die) with the consequences.</p>
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<p>The pirates have a bunch (hundreds) of hostages on land. There is worry that if we just used force all the time, the hostages would all be executed. Also, you can’t blow the boat out of the water while it has innocent people on it.</p>
<p>Navy SEALs should not have to risk their lives to try to rescue morons. If it is a commercial ship, that is one thing, but private pleasure boats? … meh.</p>
<p>My H received this in an email from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena:</p>
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<p>These guys don’t care who you are or what you espouse - opportunistic preying on vulnerable/valuable looking boats. They would have taken the same action on a yacht full of left-leaning ganja-smoking owners.</p>
<p>*Because we are Americans and our legal system is based on justice and not revenge. It’s what makes us great. *</p>
<p>Oh please…this wasn’t on US soil. We don’t follow our laws when we’re not on our soil. Do you think the military waits to get search warrants before barging in? LOL</p>
<p>Heard Wendy Murphy (victims’ rights attorney) on the radio last night talking about it, but she wasn’t talking enough about personal responsibility. It was all about how wrong and unfair this was. Well, yes, but they put themselves in harm’s way, and I’m not crazy about our military having to go after them.</p>
<p>+1 dke. Id they don’t consider their own lives they should consider those that might be at risk to come rescue them. Whatever money they left behind should go to the military to fund their efforts at protecting idiots.</p>
<p>[Local</a> News | Seattle pair ‘did not let fear chart their life’ | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014303156_pirateslocal23m.html]Local”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014303156_pirateslocal23m.html)</p>
<p>Foolish risk taking. Fools they were. They may have been well off, even smart. But they were foolish to take on that kind of risk. They left a larger group of yachts to venture this trip on their own in this area.</p>
<p>Risk is exciting. Risk is dangerous. Some people die. Who sails a yacht near to coast of Somalia? I have sympathy and empathy for the loves ones they left behind.</p>
<p>The victims sound like lovely, interesting people. Sailing around the world is, in itself, risky. Sailing on a small boat in areas infested with pirates crosses the line from adventure to idiocy, in my opinion. My understanding is that many resources are being expended to keep freighter convoys safe from the pirates, with limited success. The freight companies just write off the ransoms as a cost of doing business.</p>
<p>I read somewhere that at some point the victims stopped using their radio to communicate, in order to lower the risk of attracting pirates.</p>
<p>What is the average age of the pirates, anyway? They looked like babies in the photos I saw.</p>
<p>@ NYMomof2 – the report I heard said that they were teenagers which could explain why things went so horribly wrong during the negotiations. They were young, impulsive and panicked.</p>
<p>Every time I see one of these reports, the pirates look like they are 17 at most, standing there holding machine guns.</p>
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<p>This makes a lot of sense…a falling out among thieves.</p>
<p>pirates are probably teens… not a lot of people living to old age in Somalia… and not a lot of productive things for young people to do.</p>
<p>Notwithstanding reckless disregard for risky circumstances, I really do not agree with the all the criticism of this sailing couple. There are too many unknown details to be flogging these unfortunate [deceased] people at this time.</p>
<p>not a lot of people living to old age in Somalia… and not a lot of productive things for young people to do.</p>
<p>It isn’t worth it to become a fisherman anymore.</p>
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<p>Read more: [How</a> Somalia’s Fishermen Became Pirates - TIME](<a href=“http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1892376,00.html#ixzz1EtNQcJw5]How”>http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1892376,00.html#ixzz1EtNQcJw5)</p>