U.S. Navy: Pirates Not Our Problem

WTF? The US Navy can't fight pirates? As it says in this article, that is the reason they were formed! We have come a long way from our roots, but it seems we have come too far.

U.S. Navy: Pirates Not Our Problem (Updated) | Danger Room from Wired.com: "'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.

I also find it very frustrating that last Thursday, the Admirals stood in front of the American people in Durham and discussed in detail the role of naval power to protect the global system to insure the free flow of trade. Yet here we have a clear example of trade disruption on the seas, and the U.S. Navy basically tells ship owners they can't solve the problem."