Open season on Americans

Most should know by now,

Four Americans who were being held hostage by Somali pirates were slaughtered Tuesday before the U.S. Navy could rescue them.

After boarding the yacht, "the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors," General James Mattis, head of the U.S. Central Command, said in a statement.

"Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds," he wrote.

The victims were identified as yacht owners Jean and Scott Adam of California, and Seattle residents Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle.

Fred has a post up on USNIBlog where I left my immediate thoughts,

We have the intel, the forces, and the training to do what needs to be done – a punitive expedition; preferably from the air and sea.

We have a track record of thousands of years of the written word of successful anti-piracy campaigns. Most involve two parallel efforts – (1) impact the economics that encourage it, (2) Kill the pirates when you find them, destroy their bases, homes, ships, and other support facilities.

Another thing we know is that you need to make the punishment severe for any killing of your nation’s nationals and/or taking of your nation’s property. That makes you a higher profit risk, and they will go on to easier targets. This is part of 1 & 2 above.

All it takes is political will. If you do not like Americans being killed at sea – focus your questions at the civilian leadership, that is where the orders come from.

We continue to fail; and fail because of a lack of will.

Let’s see what happens over the next couple of weeks. If nothing happens ashore, then know this; more Americans will be slaughtered like pigs; and more; and more – and not just by pirates. Once word spreads that Americans are easy targets you can kill with impunity, the laws of nature will take its course.

Your countrymen, how cheap are you willing to sell their lives?

Americans killed like this. Gloves should come off at long last. No more talking things to oblivion. Time to act. Time to put down a marker.

I know SECDEF Gates will do it - I have no qualms about SECSTATE's ruthlessness when needed - and as I mentioned in my comment above, I know the military can do this.

There is only one place this decision is made, that is the CINC.

Politics aside - let us see what the CINC wants to do about this. Give him a chance.

I will wait until the Ides of March. If nothing is done ashore by then; well --- elections have consequences; we'll see what happens in 2012.

I highly recommend you read EagleOne's post on this as well.