Since when is 88mm better than 4" and 5"...? :hmmm:

No one said it's better.

Just more famous!!:D:haha:

If you're interested, we can make a discount for you, because after some posts in a submarine forum a lot of our clients turned to a rival company featuring Oto Melara, Exocet & Harpoon!:rotfl::rotfl:

Haha, I knew you were a capitalist in your heart :shucks:

I think the difference is that mercenaries do what they do because that's all they know how to do and they're good at it. I don't think they, on the whole, get off on killing for killings sake.

This kind of "tourism" caters to the people that want to kill someone just to do it. It offers them a sanctioned murder spree because "they're only Somalian pirates after all!"

To major degrees I am, and never said anything different. In too many regards, for a lefty's taste. In too few regards, for a conservative's taste. I believe in healthy competition of creative energy and invention. But I also believe in social and communal responsibility. :know:

Who in the West is forced to become mercenary? You must not assign to that kind of job, nobody forces you. You are free to look for something else. If you do that job, than you do it voluntarily.

Imagine if the police would give you a riot suit, a baton and a tazer for £100
every time they went out to watch over a protest.

Those who are paid to be police, mercenaries, navy sailors, etc are not
generally interested in killing/thwacking anyone they don't need to. The same
can't be said of someone who has paid to shoot at/baton/etc. people.

They do some times, though they are usually paid for such help and not paying. Deputy Marshall.

-S

I don't see it as hunting human beings. You're going on a cruise where human beings are likely to be hunting you.

The Somali pirates don't hunt people - they hunt the cargo on ships. They only kill people on very rare occasions, when things go wrong.

You're right, but I think the distinction is only elementary. They often hold the crews hostage for ransom - which means that they are hunting people, in a sense.

But they'd avoid getting shot by such vacationers altogether if they simply stopped pirating, so the onus is on them.

A policeman does not look forward to shoot somebody, but he hopes he can prevent circumstances were people get shot at. He is ready to shoot at somebody, though (at least he should be). but he is not after it.

The soldier or navymean must take into account much greater probability that he needs to shot at others. His motivation to accept that chance has to do with a wish to serve and or protect hic country, to put it simple.

The mercanery does usually does not fight to protect a country, he fights for the fee he is payed. If the paymenet is right, he shoots. If the payment is not right, he leaves. Ideals, patriotism and altruism have nothign to do with it - it is about money. It is a payed job.

Ceasar, Napolean and several other names in history had very low opinions of mercenaries for the reason that these accepted to volunteer for the madness of masskilling other people for no other motivation than getting money for it.

Mercenaries are not accepted to be regular combatants by international law. They are not protected by the legal status of "prisoner of war", and in case of being captured are treated as oridnary civilians who raised weapons against the victor (for which they can be executed right in place). American, Austrian and Swiss law threatens any national who offers his armed service to another nation with loss of his citizenship. In Germany, recruiting Germans for service in a non-German armed service is under penalty.

I know you were joking about the navy by subscription, but I like the way you merged concepts, very clever. :salute:

Should that make us feeling relief? When pirates attack ships, then things are going wrong for sure.

Yeah, and you're in a position to fight back.