"an american couple that has sailed the world with a yacht full of bibles was hijacked by somali pirates".
you simply cannot make this stuff up.
the ap story is here, but you'll be disappointed. (i was). their writers went with the global geopolitical angle, and left almost all the good comedy untouched. (though jason straziuso and abdi guled did give us at least this one: "the pirates from puntland are not hardline islamists and the fact the adams carry bibles is not likely to be a problem. pirates in puntland are known to spend their ransom spoils on alcohol, drugs and prostitutes.")
obviously the good old fashion kind of pirates.
the ap story is here, but you'll be disappointed. (i was). their writers went with the global geopolitical angle, and left almost all the good comedy untouched. (though jason straziuso and abdi guled did give us at least this one: "the pirates from puntland are not hardline islamists and the fact the adams carry bibles is not likely to be a problem. pirates in puntland are known to spend their ransom spoils on alcohol, drugs and prostitutes.")
obviously the good old fashion kind of pirates.
posted by kad barma at 7:42 PM
2 Comments:
There is the additional question of if those who cruise should carry weapons with them. There was one incident where a shotgun was used to hole the two pirate boats, which were left in the wake as the yacht sped off on its auxiliary engine. Some ports of call confiscate weapons and never return them, even when you surrender them voluntarily.
Then there is the question of if the "civilized" nations should be doing more to police this action. We (e.g., NATO, but also China and India) do some things as a global community, but it is obviously not enough, and the pirates are venturing further from shore.
As for the bible transportation and distribution effort, this is a long story. When we were in the Philippines (80-82) we met a couple who smuggled bibles into Mainland China, where Christians were sharing bibles by sharing individual pages. Re the Soviet Union there is a book on the activities of one such operation, God's Smuggler. Freedom of religion is not a universal attribute and some regimes find it threatening. Thus, the provision of bibles is an important activity to help those who are so oppressed.
But, yes, the irony is marvelous.
Regards — Cliff
Maritime lawlessness is a perennial problem, and we're no closer to an effective solution than were 17th century Europeans. (e.g. the French conquest of Algiers to stop the Barbary Corsairs, etc.) Short of invading East Africa, I'd say one proper course might be for folks to stop sailing pleasure boats through the Gulf of Aden, and/or for the rest of us to stop feeling sympathetic when said folks turn up in trouble. (As for commercial freighters, it would seem prudent to furnish gunboat escorts and make armed response to ocean-going larceny as a simple matter of economics).
The bible angle vs booze, drugs and prostitution, is just plain fun. It's well understood that many people feel compelled to evangelize, but I wonder how "free" we really prefer our religion even here, observing the public panic muslim prayer spaces, etc., can prompt. Does that make us oppressed? Or just preferring not to be proselytized by foreigners? Maybe we could consider offering others the same respect we prefer for ourselves?
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