Piracy growing

And not enough resources to stop it. [Link]

The U.S. Navy says its mission today is to keep sea lanes open to commerce. Then pirates seize dozens of ships off the Horn of Africa -- including ones allegedly loaded with tanks. And the Navy responds by essentially throwing its hands in the air.

The U.S. Navy said the international naval force CTF-150 -- with forces from Britain, France, Canada, Germany, Pakistan and the United States -- had stopped more then 12 attacks since May. Unfortunately, there have also been six ships seized by pirates so far just in September: a French yacht, an Egyptian dry cargo ship, a South Korean cargo ship, a Greek bulk carrier, a Hong Kong bulk carrier, and now, a Ukrainian Ro Ro reportedly carrying T-72 tanks.

"The coalition does not have the resources to provide 24-hour protection for the vast number of merchant vessels in the region," Combined Maritime Forces commander, U.S. vice admiral Bill Gortney tells Reuters. "The shipping companies must take measures to defend their vessels and their crews."

Taking a historical view, it pains me to read this. One of the primary reasons he United States of America dumped the Articles of Confederation and wrote the Constitution of the United States was to gain the power of taxation. And the primary reason the founding fathers needed taxation was so the country could build a Navy for the specific purpose of fighting pirates.