Mortars as anti-aircraft weapons make as much sense as tennis racket flyswatters.

Since the Congressman was a Democrat, stand by for comments from the far right loons expressing sorrow that the Somali attackers missed.

Maybe Obama should call out the Europeans and others that exploit the anarchy in Somalia by illegally dumping nuclear waste and overfishing.

Carl: You get the government you deserve. Lots of excuse-generators for Somalia, but they must take responsibility for their state of affairs eventually. Saw a Somali author deflecting blame on Huff-Po this morning with much the same reasoning. "The west forced us to piracy." Great. Excuses make things worse.

Carl wrote: "illegally dumping nuclear waste and overfishing"

Yeah, this definitely needs to be addressed as part of the overall solution, but I still find the nuclear waste dumping allegation kind of hard to believe. And enough waste to sicken people on shore, as I have seen reported? Seems like that would take a huge quantity of high level waste to bring that large a quantity of water to such a level.

Given the prolitheration of guns and ammo now prevelent in the US, and the carnage of innocent bystanders related to these easily accessed armamnets, why would anyone on the right or left for that matter begrudge an occasional mortor round being fired at an "innocent" senator or two. I mean really. If these outraged pols won't demand arms control here what makes you think the Somalians give a hoot what we dictate?

Fire away people. AND, when you run out of rounds just phone-up Haliburton.

I agree with Carl. Al Jazeera has it right, and oddly, you just don't see it in US media:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2008/10/2008109174223218644.html

Go to this UN report on page 10 to read about hazardous waste dumped in Somalia.

Again. what are the Somalis doing for themselves? There are lots of outlets to protest and sanction environmental depredations. "Stop us before we kill again." Silly reasoning.

From the Al Jazeera link:

"We [the UNEP] had planned to do a proper, in-depth scientific assessment on the magnitude of the problem. But because of the high levels of insecurity onshore and off the Somali coast, we are unable to carry out an accurate assessment of the extent of the problem," he said.

I am a cynic. I am especially a cynic when it comes to allegations that are useful props for otherwise indefensible criminal activity, but it sounds like the pirates have a vested interest in not proving whether the coast is contaminated or not. In your heart of hearts do you really believe piracy would stop if the shore were pristine? And even if toxic waste dumping is going on, how does that affect what one country should do when its citizens are being held hostage?

It's equally the case that the lawlessness and craziness that is contemporary Somalia led Europeans to realize that they could engage in dumping without repercussion.

No matter where you stand, almost nothing good can happen in Somalia until it has a functioning government (or Puntland or Somaliland get functioning governments for their own territorial holdings).

Sniper fire!! Hillary!! Yah!! Yah!!

[/wingnut]

Is piracy going to stop if pollution and foreign fishing stop? No.

Did overfishing by foreigners cause fishermen to lose their livelihoods which pushed them toward making deals with warlords to conduct piracy? Yes.

Is it morally wrong for pirates to steal ships? Yes.

Is it morally wrong for foreign ships to overfish Somali waters? Yes.

Which is the greater wrong? It depends on your perspective.

That is a sensible and tremendous post, Barbara. All of this excuse making and "Somalia as victim" makes me think of our own GOP pirates. Both are decrying toxic waste while releasing toxic ideology--and never accepting their role in the mess. I want to be sympathetic to the GOP and Somalia, but responsible action is a self-administered medicine.

Barbara: ...or Puntland or Somaliland get functioning governments for their own territorial holdings)

Somaliland in particular has a functioning government. It declared independence from the rest of Somalia many years ago.

It is relatively "safe" to visit Somaliland, and any US efforts to engage the Somalis generally should start there.

If the Congressman had done his homework, he would have been aware of the danger. Not doing their homework was one reason the bushies invaded Iraq.

Somaliland does have a functioning government and its level of violence is much lower, but it lacks international recognition and is always being threatened with being overwhelmed by misguided repatriation efforts (just dump all the returning Somali refugees in Somaliland). That was more of what I was getting at. The U.N., I think, has resisted any effort to view Somaliland as a separate country even though it was politically separate for a long time. I think the U.N.'s position on repatriation figures prominently in this calculus. There is also disputed territory between Puntland and Somaliland (Lasanod), so there is the threat of constant destabilization. And yet, compared to the rest of Somalia . . .

Metaphor correction: As a rule, tennis rackets make excellent flyswatters, or at least, I know a woodshop that keeps badminton rackets around to dispatch carpenter bees -- which can be kind of a problem any place you have a lot of wood.

Try to hit a carpenter bee with anything solid, and you literally blow it out of reach -- but swat at it with a mesh racket, and you'll hit it every time.

Mortars as anti-aircraft weapons make as much sense as tennis racket flyswatters.

The article is kind of light on details, but it sounds like the fire was directed at the aircraft on the ground at the airport to catch it before takeoff. Which makes considerably more sense than trying to shoot down a flying aircraft with mortar fire.

Somalia-a republican paradise lots of guns of all kinds and very little law and regulation.

Barbara: agree with your last post at 12:24pm...all accurate and valid points.

Yes, the UN has resisted the notion that Somaliland is independent, as has pretty much everyone else. For UN and NGO staff "on the ground," however, it's understood that one never refers to Somaliland as a part of Somalia proper. Neither here nor there, I suppose.

Must read Piracy article of the day:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-you-are-being-lied-to-about-pirates-1225817.html