American Pirates

[JailBush]

I knew George Bush, Inc. was talking about searching ships on the high seas, but did you know that American forces boarded 3,000 ships this year?


http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/153351_qaida20.html

Saturday, December 20, 2003

U.S. Navy intercepts hashish tied to al-Qaida
Officials say capture shows need to continue gulf patrols

By GEORGE EDMONSON
COX NEWS SERVICE

"WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Navy announced yesterday that it had captured nearly two tons of hashish being shipped through the Persian Gulf with "clear ties" to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network. . . .

"Sailors from the USS Decatur detained the 12 crew members and their 40-foot dhow, a common type of wooden sailing vessel in the region. According to a statement from U.S. Central Command, three members of the dhow crew were believed to have links to al-Qaida.

"Graybeal, speaking by phone from Bahrain, would not say where the captured ship had originated or where it was headed. He also would not elaborate on what evidence linked the crew members and the shipment to al-Qaida."

Hmmmmm... They won't tell us where the ship was coming from, where it was going, or what evidence links it to terrorists. Sounds like piracy to me.

[pinkpops]

1. So is hash illegal everywhere?

[soupkitchen]

2. Sounds like there could be a great Cheech and Chong movie here

"Cheech and Chong On the High Seas"

[PSR40004]

3. Sounds like....

a drug bust to me, like many I believe I'm a moderate on drugs grow what you want for yourself but 2 tons is more then anyone needs :)

[Caution]

4. However

What the hell gives the US Navy the right to stop ships in international waters now? That is in fact the very definition of piracy. This is appalling.

[Jen]

5. The International Patriot Act

The American goverment has once again gone overboard!(pun intended)

First the Patriot(Sic) Act and now this. Even other countries must submit to whatever America wants.

[Undecided Okie]

6. Boardings

Isn't it the Coast Guard's job to board and search suspicious vessels before thjey enter port?

[Bridget Burke]

7. The priorities seem odd....

Container ships are considered the greatest maritime terror threat. Here in Houston the manmade Ship Channel snakes its way through a jungle of petrochemical plants to the Port of Houston not far from downtown. Containers arrive in great numbers & are stacked, awaiting delivery. "Suitcase nukes" may not be possible but a really big dirty bomb could fit easily into a container. Or a not-so-dirty bomb could go off as the ship passes, say, the DuPont plant. (Can anybody say "Bhopal"?)

In this article from September 2002, it's stated that only 2% of containers are inspected.

www.gannettonline.com/gns/911/more4.htm

Maybe the percentage is higher now, but busting a few tons of pot here & there is not doing a thing for national security.