Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to SDA Late Nite Radio. Tonight, for your delectation and pursuant to our distinguished lecture, documentary & interview series, here is molecular biologist Dr. Bonnie Bassler presenting her talk on The Secret, Social Lives of Bacteria (2009, 18:59). What, you didn’t know how much of humans are actually bacteria that talk to each other, already?
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Here is further reading on the 19th century Barbary Wars from the US Library of Congress
Further reading from the NY Times, which seems to get the basic history correct and then suggests, rather pathetically, that the nations of the world simply steer clear of Somalia’s coasts.
Both writings mention Commodore William Bainbridge, the 19th century US Naval officer that is the namesake of the US warship that rescued the captain. How appropriate!
Agree, Joe Molnar. As one who was born and raised in Woodstock and who still has relatives there, I feel a special sympathy for especially the family and indeed for all Woodstonians who are going through this trying time.
Pray that she will be found safe and sound.
The snipers did it right,
but part of me (a big part of me) wished they could have tossed the captain in a navy seal dingy, then a few seconds later, dropped a daisy cutter on that ship.
That would have been a nice easter message for would-be pirates.
me no dhimmi, ET face it you are both right. Obama has no Ideology except when asked, he defaults to a Marxist premise. His Marxism is an unthinking default instead of a studied philosophical position. Most of us have a built in default through which we attempt to make sense of this world. Some of us study our defaults, most it would seem do no such study because our default just seems ‘right’ in our own mind.
I for one, am glad the pirate problem was resolved as it was, although I am more than interested how the White House will spin it. This use of lethal force will not sit well with the latte crowd. I am still wondering whether or not the big “O” gave the word to get it done or told the Defense Department to “do what you have to” and then claim he didn’t know that deadly force was on the game plan.
As more than a few commentors here have prescribed arming the ships, I should point out that International Law of the Sea prevents legally arming commercial vessels. Besides causing no end to problems entering and leaving numerous countries who have jurisdiction over all vessels in their waters, an armed ship would be considered a vessel of war.
That being said, When I eventually sail around the world (look under “dreams, long term”), I will probably have something stuffed in the bilge in the event a Canadian “strongly worded letter” is not sufficient to ward off the bad guys.
Personally, to paraphrase Ralph Klein, any self-respecting navy should “shoot, scuttle and shut up”.
Good for the Seals.I can see a time coming soon where the ships in the area will be armed. Unfortunately I feel that soon after the arming, a boatload of young martyrs will go out on a fishing trip and drift into the danger zone and be dispatched to Casey Jone’s locker. These “Somali” pirates will use the media the same as their brothers in the ‘religion of peace’ always do… I have also noticed that very few news sources actually link the piracy to the underlying cause,which appears to be funding terorism.
I wouldn’t want to tangle with the Marines. In a pinch, I’d want them on my side.
‘Very happy to know that Captain Phillips is safe, and am having difficulty having much sympathy for the pirate lives that were lost: logical consequences, as anachronistic as they seem to have become. At least the U.S. Navy knows what’s what.
I wonder if it would be a wise move on the US’s part to have armed drones constantly in the air over that area so that when a ship calls in an attempted raid the raiders could be dispatched ASAP with a well placed Hellfire missile. According to reports the captured ship had been asking for help for two days before the pirates finally boarded her. Surely in those two days a drone could have prevented this whole drama.
However hearing a few of the details it struck me funny. The lifeboat was being towed about 30 meters off the stern of the Navy ship. The pirates pointed a rifle at the captain and promptly lost their lives to well placed shots by navy marksmen. Does ‘fish in a barrel’ ring a bell?
I saw this posted as a comment at JOM this morning about the pirates…
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According to Bloomberg, there has been a tentative deal worked out, but implementation has been put off for 24 hours.
“Under the terms of the agreement, which he said could still fall apart at any time, Richard Phillips and the four pirates holding him would all go free, and a ‘small’ ransom would be paid.”
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My hunch is the Navy knew about the deal and decided to take matters into their own hands by using the excuse of a gun being pointed at the hostage captain to open fire.
fritz – you might be right. I doubt that there were any ‘negotiatons’ going on. Surely the US could not be put in a public position where it would let pirates either negotiate and/or, go free.
Meanwhile, Obama and the White House are trying to milk as much political credit, for nothing, as they can. Why, the way they are spinning it, the whole scenario was captained and, step by step, under the direct and specific leadership of the Great Obama.
But, as Fox News points out (see also Michelle Malkin), the Navy had to ask Obama, as CIC, twice..that’s twice..for ‘permission’ to use force in this situation.
The tugboat was apparently being towed because it was, heh, out of gas. That was, indeed, as Joe points out, setting up a fish in the barrel situation. Admittedly, they were trying to offset this fish-set-up by pointing their gun at Phillips. But, they had forgotten all about snipers, who are quite indifferent to anything other than their sight-lines.
Why didn’t Obama say anything prior to this rescue? Was it to protect his image, in case Phillips was actually killed by the pirates? If that happened, Obama could distance himself from the event. But now, suddenly, he’s right there at the helm, taking credit for it all. Ahh, Obama. Is there nothing you cannot do?
ET – Obama actually sent over FBI negotiators and the one pirate who wasn’t shot was on the ship negotiating.
ET – Actually the Washington Post reports that the pirate had actually asked to go on board the Navy ship to make a phone call and receive medical attention – he had in effect surrendered.