Kerry to the fore- "Kerry calls for pirate hearings as drama continues"

[masuki bance]

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee called for hearings on the mounting piracy threat as the fate of an American cargo-ship captain remained in limbo Thursday.

"These acts of piracy off of Somalia’s coastline may seem surreal, but they’re all too real and a thorough policy debate is long overdue," said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in a statement. "When Americans, including at least one from Massachusetts, are endangered, you’ve got a complicated and dangerous international situation brewing, and that includes questions about a hot-pursuit policy on Somalia’s coastline."...

The pirate attack was not only the first on American sailors in 200 years, but the sixth in the span of a week along the lawless Somali coast.



"There have been more than 50 attacks in the area this year alone and the problem isn’t going away," Kerry said. "I plan to hold hearings to further examine the growing threat of piracy and all the policy options that need to be on the table before the next fire drill becomes an international incident with big implications.”

Vice President Biden was less forthcoming about the unfolding drama when asked at an economic recovery meeting Thursday what the U.S. was going to do about the pirates. "This is being worked on around the clock since this happened, and — but I'm not in a position, right now, to comment on it," Biden said as pool reporters were shown the door....

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/kerry-calls-for-pirate-hearings-as-drama-continues-2009-04-09.html

This is a critical issue that deserves some strong hearings

[SpiralHawk]

1. Keelhaul all who fly the evil Skull & Boner

[karynnj]

2. Grow up - Senator Kerry did

He spoke of needing to hold hearings to address this back in December when he was spoke of the direction he wanted to take the SFRC. This is a problem that Obama needs to address.

[SpiralHawk]

3. D'oh

Like you think I am unaware of the Kerry's Skull & Boner bona fides

Can you spell, i-r-o-n-y?

[karynnj]

6. If all you see in Kerry's 4 decades of public service is

that he was selected for an elite college fraternity, I feel sorry for you. As to thinking you were unaware - I thought that was why you chose to make that stupid comment.

As to irony - this is a serious issue and Senator Kerry was the only person speaking of the dangers of this back in December.

[LittleClarkie]

11. Can you say non sequitur?

Or are frat boys known for their piracy exploits? Beer in one hand and jolly roger in the other? "We raid for the beer...hehheh...hehheh."

S and B is B and S.

[SpiralHawk]

12. "I totally agree with you. Smirk." - xCommander AWOL (Skull & Boner Division)

[LittleClarkie]

13. Oh, I get it. You're a troll. Never mind

Silly me for responding to you.

Please don't compare Senator Kerry to Smirkboy. One served honorably. The other didn't. That is all I have to say.

[Starry Messenger]

21. Well, that is stupid.

:thumbsdown:

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. sounds useless

[LittleClarkie]

14. Sounds like a first step to me before policy is made

Will only be useless if the next step is NOT made. We shall see.

[ProSense]

5. This falls under the SFRC's jurisdiction. What I find interesting is

that Kerry raised this issue last December and now that the situation has worsened the MSM is all over it like they had no idea.

[Kdillard]

16. John Kerry seems always to be ahead of the curve. I am so glad that he is in this position.

I hope the hearings will lead to something substantive being done.

[Thothmes]

23. Ahead of the curve.?

Where has he been for the last couple of years while the level of piracy was sky rocketing off the cast of Somalia.

[karynnj]

25. He mentioned it as soon as he took over the SFRC in December before

that it was not in his jurisdiction - it was in Feingold's. Kerry also spoke of actions that could be taken way back then - this was before anyone else in the US was speaking of it recently.

[ProSense]

27. Piracy is an ongoing issue. Kerry has probably given this

more though than most. In 2004, his views were the subject of right wing attacks.

Even those focused on the issue recognize that he has been ahead of the curve.

FOUNDATIONS IN THE LAW OF PIRACY

It is correct, both historically and legally, to make the case that crimes against humanity have their origin in the laws of piracy under international law. As Shaw (2003), points out, piracy was the first offense clearly belonging to the sphere of universal jurisdiction, which is important, since "jurisdiction" is a legal concept not to be taken lightly. For hundreds of years, all states have had both arrest and punishment powers over pirates, provided, of course, that they have been apprehended on the high seas or within the territory of the state concerned. Tribunals for piracy can take place anywhere, and punishment for piracy can take place regardless of nationality. Although piracy is the foundation for the whole sub-discipline of international criminal law (e.g., crimes against peace, war crimes, terrorism), piracy is also international law’s foundational bete noire (Simpson 2005). In fact, during the trial of Adolf Eichmann, piracy law was cited (In Re Piracy Jure Gentium, 1934 App. Cas. 586, 598) to refute the defense claim that Israeli law had no jurisdiction over the defendant. As Sir Edward Coke, Emerich de Vattel, Hugo Grotius, and numerous other jurists have stated, pirates are truly criminals against mankind, and are hostis humani generis, which means they have renounced all the benefits of society and government, and have reduced themselves to the savage state of nature, and that by declaring war against all mankind, all mankind must declare war against them, so that every community has a right under the rule of self-defense to inflict that punishment upon them as every individual would. Under contemporary international law regarding the suppression of piracy (see Robertson 2005), the "law of nations" language in the High Seas Convention is not attuned with US domestic law which requires piracy to be for private ends and involve another ship. Senator John Kerry's (1998) book, The New War, makes the case that foreign criminal law ought to be imported into the United States precisely because international notions of piracy are far superior to US domestic notions. International piracy law recognizes attempt as the same as successful piracy. Piracy can also be committed for political reasons, although the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS II) places little weight on motive (however see Are Terrorists Evil Because of What They Do or Because of What They Are?). Pirates are not any one nation's enemies, but rather the enemies of all; i.e., enemies of the whole human race. If terrorists can be considered the world's "new pirates," then humanity criminals should be considered similarly.

link

[slackmaster]

7. We must not allow a Pirate Gap

[Festivito]

8. Including or excluding radioactive material dumping? /nt

[masuki bance]

10. why?

[Festivito]

20. The story goes that they were originally stopping dumping.

There is an increase in birth defects due to dumping of radioactive waste along Somalian coastlines. Somalians reacted by attacking the ships.

Perhaps like our Iran-Contra, they decided it was a good way to make arms money to be freedom-from-waste fighters.

So, I'm wondering if that aspect will be investigated as truthful or not, or just ignored as can be the usual let's-not-get-controversial active ignoring.

[ananda]

9. "He sent his prisoners home, they walked the plank."

Chaucer's shipman...

[mkultra]

15. Ninjas seen laughing

[gauguin57]

17. First set of witnesses, arriving to testify at the hearings...

[AtomicKitten]

18. This is escalating and deserves a strategy to combat in the long term.

Good on JK.

[Snazzy]

19. and in Pirate

these acts o' sweet trade off th' coast o' Somalia might seem surreal, but they be all real an' comprehensive discussion o' th' policy be long overdue. When Americans, includin' at least one o' th' state o' Massachusetts, risk, an' ye be havin' a complex an' dangerous international situation thar, which includes questions about th' policy o' hot pursuit on th' coast o' Somalia. Thar be more than 50 attacks in th' region this voyage alone, an' this problem will nay disappear. I plan t' hold hearings t' consider further th' growin' threat o' sweet trade, an' all th' political options that ortin' ta be on th' table before 't becomes th' next diggin' fire wi' th' effects o' a major international incident. Arr!

[MrPerson]

22. He is a Navy Man. Yaaaaaarrrr!!!

[Sparkly]

24. It's an easy thing to make fun of...

But evidently it's become a real problem.

[AnnieBW]

26. In Order to Celebrate "Talk Like a Pirate Day" This Year

we're all going to have to learn to speak Somali.

[ProSense]

28. Kerry's full statement

“These acts of piracy off of Somalia’s coastline may seem surreal, but they’re all too real and a thorough policy debate is long overdue. When Americans, including at least one from Massachusetts, are endangered, you’ve got a complicated and dangerous international situation brewing, and that includes questions about a hot pursuit policy on Somalia’s coastline. There have been more than 50 attacks in the area this year alone and the problem isn’t going away. I plan to hold hearings to further examine the growing threat of piracy and all the policy options that need to be on the table before the next fire drill becomes an international incident with big implications.”

link