Quote Originally Posted by carl View Post
But Sir, what you say also means the criminals have won and we must pay and pay, and more and more crewman must endure unjust imprisonment-forever.
Yes, because there's absolutely no middle ground between a full assault and throwing up our hands.

Quote Originally Posted by carl View Post
I have thought of something else Sir. The foul pirates are asking for more and more money each time they steal a ship and abduct crewmen. I fear they may grow frustrated when there is a reluctance to pay. That may be very bad for the kidnapped crewman. Africa is a most dangerous place.
No doubt it will be, and no kidding it is. But we haven't yet reached the point where we'll kill less hostages by actively assaulting the pirates than we will by taking less direct action.