As you all know by now the U.S. Navy captured a Somali Pirate this month. Some say he was trying to escape others say captured. Doesn’t really matter, we’ve got him now.
So what do we do with him?
When I’m driving home late at night sometimes I pretend I am President and am preparing to address the nation about a problem we are facing. My constituency is the steering wheel. I’ll bet many of you do the same.
At this point I am going to have to disclose some things.
I really don’t have a political affiliation. I did vote, but I did not vote for Barack Obama. The biggest issue for me was taxes. Not that I am against taxes, I am not. It is the price we pay for a free society (Oliver Wendell Holmes). I like paved roads, providing education for our children, protecting our country, protecting our environment, caring for the truly needy. I do believe that government should stay out of religion and religion should stay out of government, but they are like two kids that can't keep their hands off each other. Maybe I am a Democrat?
I do however believe our government is lousy at managing its finances. The government lives in a way you and I could not. We have a budget. We stick to it.
I don’t think it’s the government’s responsibility to pay for my college, give me housing, provide my healthcare or childcare or really even deliver the mail. There are already so many government sponsored boon-doggles, I have lost my faith in government to be efficient at most anything. I don’t believe that government is going to solve any of my everyday problems nor do I expect it to. I do think we all pay too much in taxes for the return we get. Maybe I am a Republican?
At the end of the day I am more suspicious of government than I am trusting of it. I think the writers of the constitution were much the same.
Anyway, back to the pirate.
I’ve been taking a poll among friends asking what would you do if you were the judge? I say judge because the president is in a separate branch so factually he has no more say than you or I. Of course I don’t really believe that. President Obama’s wishes will go a long way here.
Here are the undisputed facts about the pirate as I know them:
He is a pirate.
He steals and holds goods for ransom.
He was not the mastermind but guilty nonetheless.
He was caught red handed.
He is a teenager.
He comes from a country of abject poverty and corruption.
So what are you going to do with him?
Here are your options:
Release him back to Somalia. This is probably the easiest thing to do. He’ll go back to his lifestyle. He’ll get his 15 minutes of fame but he won’t be much of a problem for us again. He may go back to pirating but that problem is still going to be there weather he is there or not.
We could put him in prison. Easy as well. We would forget about him eventually. He could do some hard time with some of our bad guys. After his release he would be deported. Too old to do much pirating. The problem is now we taxpayers have to pay for his food, lodging (as it is) and healthcare. It’s probably a step up for him compared to daily Somali life. But it is still prison, he is a teenager, surely we can do better.
We could have killed him. If he had actually shot that captain this is what the majority of American’s would have wanted. Don’t be so naive to think that wasn’t discussed at some level. This kid could be a problem. If we jail him he could become a living martyr. We could have easily been told he drowned or was shot with the other bad guys. The fact that we even know he exist means the government ruled this option out. I am glad about this.
Or lastly, we could do something good with him. This is my favorite option, probably because I soon will have teenage boys.
We could take this kid and give him an education. Provide him some type of family. He would get healthcare and security. He could discover a country that mostly has peace, because most Americans are peaceful. We don’t have to steal food. We don’t have to bribe judges or pay off the police. We believe we live in a country that provides our citizens the opportunity of a good life. A life we choose based on the choices we make.
This young pirate is truly guilty. But what were his options? I am not sure that I would not have made the same choices he made if I were a 16 or 18 year old Somali youth.
We could take this young man and show him what the U.S.A. is really all about. Not what he has been told. With a little love and some opportunity this kid could become something he never dreamed he could be. He could be a doctor, lawyer, school teacher, really anything he chooses. And when he turns forty, we pull the trigger.
By that I mean then send him back to Somalia. He doesn’t owe us a thing. He can do whatever he wants. We could support him as best we could from afar but it’s his choice. He can go back to being a thug or he can go be the leader that his people so desperately need.
If we do this job well, I know he will make the right decision.
Anyway, that’s what I would do. I would be interested in hearing your comments.
So what do we do with him?
When I’m driving home late at night sometimes I pretend I am President and am preparing to address the nation about a problem we are facing. My constituency is the steering wheel. I’ll bet many of you do the same.
At this point I am going to have to disclose some things.
I really don’t have a political affiliation. I did vote, but I did not vote for Barack Obama. The biggest issue for me was taxes. Not that I am against taxes, I am not. It is the price we pay for a free society (Oliver Wendell Holmes). I like paved roads, providing education for our children, protecting our country, protecting our environment, caring for the truly needy. I do believe that government should stay out of religion and religion should stay out of government, but they are like two kids that can't keep their hands off each other. Maybe I am a Democrat?
I do however believe our government is lousy at managing its finances. The government lives in a way you and I could not. We have a budget. We stick to it.
I don’t think it’s the government’s responsibility to pay for my college, give me housing, provide my healthcare or childcare or really even deliver the mail. There are already so many government sponsored boon-doggles, I have lost my faith in government to be efficient at most anything. I don’t believe that government is going to solve any of my everyday problems nor do I expect it to. I do think we all pay too much in taxes for the return we get. Maybe I am a Republican?
At the end of the day I am more suspicious of government than I am trusting of it. I think the writers of the constitution were much the same.
Anyway, back to the pirate.
I’ve been taking a poll among friends asking what would you do if you were the judge? I say judge because the president is in a separate branch so factually he has no more say than you or I. Of course I don’t really believe that. President Obama’s wishes will go a long way here.
Here are the undisputed facts about the pirate as I know them:
He is a pirate.
He steals and holds goods for ransom.
He was not the mastermind but guilty nonetheless.
He was caught red handed.
He is a teenager.
He comes from a country of abject poverty and corruption.
So what are you going to do with him?
Here are your options:
Release him back to Somalia. This is probably the easiest thing to do. He’ll go back to his lifestyle. He’ll get his 15 minutes of fame but he won’t be much of a problem for us again. He may go back to pirating but that problem is still going to be there weather he is there or not.
We could put him in prison. Easy as well. We would forget about him eventually. He could do some hard time with some of our bad guys. After his release he would be deported. Too old to do much pirating. The problem is now we taxpayers have to pay for his food, lodging (as it is) and healthcare. It’s probably a step up for him compared to daily Somali life. But it is still prison, he is a teenager, surely we can do better.
We could have killed him. If he had actually shot that captain this is what the majority of American’s would have wanted. Don’t be so naive to think that wasn’t discussed at some level. This kid could be a problem. If we jail him he could become a living martyr. We could have easily been told he drowned or was shot with the other bad guys. The fact that we even know he exist means the government ruled this option out. I am glad about this.
Or lastly, we could do something good with him. This is my favorite option, probably because I soon will have teenage boys.
We could take this kid and give him an education. Provide him some type of family. He would get healthcare and security. He could discover a country that mostly has peace, because most Americans are peaceful. We don’t have to steal food. We don’t have to bribe judges or pay off the police. We believe we live in a country that provides our citizens the opportunity of a good life. A life we choose based on the choices we make.
This young pirate is truly guilty. But what were his options? I am not sure that I would not have made the same choices he made if I were a 16 or 18 year old Somali youth.
We could take this young man and show him what the U.S.A. is really all about. Not what he has been told. With a little love and some opportunity this kid could become something he never dreamed he could be. He could be a doctor, lawyer, school teacher, really anything he chooses. And when he turns forty, we pull the trigger.
By that I mean then send him back to Somalia. He doesn’t owe us a thing. He can do whatever he wants. We could support him as best we could from afar but it’s his choice. He can go back to being a thug or he can go be the leader that his people so desperately need.
If we do this job well, I know he will make the right decision.
Anyway, that’s what I would do. I would be interested in hearing your comments.
