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Piracy and Government

One of the very few legitimate purposes of government is keeping the high seas safe for shipping. In this case the United States Government, via it's Navy and Navy Seals, did the exact right thing. Seems to me if each time these pirates take ships and crews they ended up dead the popularity of piracy would decline pretty rapidly.

US ship captain is freed when snipers kill pirates

(04-12) 15:32 PDT MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) --

U.S. Navy snipers opened fire and killed three pirates holding an American captain at gunpoint in a lifeboat, delivering the skipper unharmed and ending a five-day high-seas hostage drama on Easter Sunday.

The pirates were pointing AK-47s at Capt. Richard Phillips and he was in "imminent danger" of being killed when the commander of the nearby USS Bainbridge made the split-second decision to order his men to shoot, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said.

Phillips' crew, who said they had escaped the pirates after he offered himself as a hostage, erupted in cheers aboard their ship in Mombasa, Kenya. Some waved an American flag and fired flares in celebration.

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