Pirates revenge: 4 ships hijacked
posted at 2:15 pm on April 14, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Pirates vowed revenge after the US Navy killed five of their brethren, and in the last 24 hours, they’ve begun to wreak havoc in the Gulf of Aden again. Pirates now hold four ships and 60 hostages in their latest spree. However, note one key difference:
Somali pirates captured four more ships and took more than 60 crew members hostage in a brazen hijacking spree, while the American captain who escaped their grip planned to reunite with his crew and fly home Wednesday to the United States. …
Despite Mullen’s confident statement and President Barack Obama’s warning of further U.S. action, Somali pirates captured two more nautical trophies Tuesday to match the two ships they seized a day or two earlier.
The latest seizures were the Lebanese-owned cargo ship MV Sea Horse, the Greek-managed bulk carrier MV Irene E.M. and two Egyptian fishing boats. Maritime officials said the Irene carried 21 to 23 Filipino crew and the International Maritime Bureau reported 36 fishermen, all believed to be Egyptian, on the two boats.
It was not known exactly how many crew the Sea Horse had, but a ship that size would probably need at least a dozen sailors.
None of the ships are American, and none of the hostages are American, either. That may be more coincidental than deliberate, as pirates would attack targets of opportunity, and perhaps no American shipping is present at the moment. But it certainly appears that the pirates have taken one important lesson from watching their colleagues wind up in Davy Jones’ locker after the Maersk Alabama hijacking.
It’s going to take more than one lesson to teach the pirates a lesson. I’d expect this to continue until we start sinking their ships in port, which will make it clear to everyone that we’ve reached the end of our tolerance for lawlessness. And if we start sinking them at sea, the lesson may not be as dramatic, but it will eventually make more of the pirates reluctant to leave shore at all.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: 1 2 Next »
I know it’s not funny, but I laughed at the arrrr.
BadgerHawk on April 14, 2009 at 2:18 PM
Who’s going to resolve this situation? And will the pirates be appeased enough to never go after US ships again?
Sorry, but I don’t think they’re scared of the US. I think they want people to blame the US for causing this “escalation”. Depending on the outcome, they’ll move on to their next target.
MrX on April 14, 2009 at 2:19 PM
Pick 4 pirate ports. Smoke ‘em.
mojo on April 14, 2009 at 2:20 PM
How did we deal with pirates in the 1700′s? We sank em. Rinse and repeat, please. What state will protect them?
Vanceone on April 14, 2009 at 2:20 PM
Can’t do that, that would be profiling!!
exhelodrvr on April 14, 2009 at 2:20 PM
As you noted, Ed, when things go right the C-in-C gets the credit–and when things don’t go so good, he gets the Shaft.
So, one could argue that this Sudden Surge in Piracy is Obama’s fault
ALL YOUR SHIPS IS BELONG TO US!!!!!
Janos Hunyadi on April 14, 2009 at 2:20 PM
I thought Obama fixed all that?
Firebird on April 14, 2009 at 2:20 PM
I knew before I even read your synopsis – it would not be American ships in that list. Odd, you’d think they’d be taking revenge against us. I suppose they are hoping the world will band together and stop the real pirates – us.
I hope they are a patient people.
kybowexar on April 14, 2009 at 2:21 PM
Pussies.
Try stealing another American ship, you pricks.
MadisonConservative on April 14, 2009 at 2:22 PM
It’s time for the rest of the countries of the world to step up. This situation will only stop, when everyone stops tolerating it.
Tommy_G on April 14, 2009 at 2:23 PM
bombs away
jp on April 14, 2009 at 2:23 PM
Maybe it’s time to start issuing Letters of Marque again.
patriette on April 14, 2009 at 2:24 PM
So where’s Obama’s follow through on protecting the waters?
Negotiating an alliance to stop the scourge or piracy?
Or is he too busy hunting down Republicans now?
Skywise on April 14, 2009 at 2:24 PM
what is the Keynan Govt. relations with Somalia and these Pirates?
jp on April 14, 2009 at 2:24 PM
Let the Lebanese, Egyptians and Greeks take care of their own affairs.
That way, Spain can’t bring up our SEALS on charges of being terrorists.
elderberry on April 14, 2009 at 2:24 PM
The world is watching.
Dark-Star on April 14, 2009 at 2:24 PM
Why do they hate us?
eforhan on April 14, 2009 at 2:25 PM
Hey, Chrissie Matthews, I bet these hostages would feel mighty lucky if they had some Navy seals to come to their rescue.
Disturb the Universe on April 14, 2009 at 2:25 PM
They feel entitled to the booty they have been scamming off of their victims, and feel offended that the US won’t yoke itself to their gravy train.
Count to 10 on April 14, 2009 at 2:25 PM
Why is it our job to intervene on the other countries behalf? If they aren’t hurting any more Americans why get involved? Shouldn’t the other countries have to stand up for themselves the same way the US did?
offroadaz on April 14, 2009 at 2:26 PM
Obama’s fault.
Hey, as Bernard Goldberg said, that’s the way the game is played.
madmonkphotog on April 14, 2009 at 2:26 PM
+1
Firebird on April 14, 2009 at 2:26 PM
Obama’s unilateral action is just creating more pirates.
JammieWearingFool on April 14, 2009 at 2:26 PM
Ha ha.
peski on April 14, 2009 at 2:26 PM
No negotiation with pirates. No appeasement of pirates. Give them no legitimacy. Do not give in to the belief that if only we improve their lives they will become wonderful citizens of the world. They couldn’t care any less about their fellow Somali citizens. They do care about taking by force what is not theirs.
A 20-30 nautical mile exclusion zone along the entire Somali coast starting now…with orders to sink any craft that does not heave to and identify itself and permit full inspection of its contents and the identities of its crew.
Our recovery of Captain Phillips will not have any effect on the pirates. They will ply their trade because they know they can. Our current operations, and those of the rest of the anti-piracy joint force is to shadow same-flagged merchant ships, and respond if, and only if, there is an ongoing threat.
Swatting flies in a several million square mile piece of open ocean. Our concentration of naval forces at the approaches to the Red Sea has merely pushed the pirates farther south and farther out into open ocean.
We know where they have safe harbors. We know who they are. Bring the patrols closer to the harbors and coastline…destroy them before they have a chance to prey on merchant ships on the high seas.
De-incentivize their business model Make it more costly, supremely costly, for them to ply their trade.
coldwarrior on April 14, 2009 at 2:30 PM
I’d have to say that’d be the proper response – only it would have to either be those countries that have ships taken or a specific request to us to do it for them. That way we are not the policemen, merely the military who happens to be close doing an ally a service.
kybowexar on April 14, 2009 at 2:30 PM
Simple, however many hostages, round up twice the number of “elders” for trade.
If they want to play the escalation game, we can too.
redshirt on April 14, 2009 at 2:30 PM
It seems pretty simply – the US takes military action when they seize an American ship – other countries pony up the ransom or mount their own rescue.
katiejane on April 14, 2009 at 2:30 PM
Rush must have spent twenty minutes emphasizing that Obama ordered the death of these Muslim, black teenagers.
I seldom tune in, but I may have to listen a bit more often. :-)
Laura on April 14, 2009 at 2:31 PM
So, Ed, is THIS the test of Obama that Biden was taking about where it would look like he was doing the wrong thing? I’m getting tired of waiting.
Traffic Cop Timmy on April 14, 2009 at 2:32 PM
My sentiments exactly. I’m sick of our constant role as the “world’s policeman”, with constant expense and endangering of life on our part for so little in return. Let the respective nations of these ships show some spine and ventilate pirate skulls with their OWN armed forces.
Dark-Star on April 14, 2009 at 2:32 PM
[elderberry on April 14, 2009 at 2:24 PM]
The heck with that. Put a price on the head of the Spanish prosecutor, too, for aiding and abetting.
Dusty on April 14, 2009 at 2:32 PM
It’ll be a cold day in hell when Obama gives an order to attack their home ports or mother ships pre-emptively. He’ll stay in a passive/reactive mode.
a capella on April 14, 2009 at 2:33 PM
Do you think CAIR will sue the Obama administation?
Spectreman on April 14, 2009 at 2:35 PM
Why doesn’t Obama just walk on the water and talk to these pirates? He’ll just make them believe in The One and they’ll stop the piracy.
jencab on April 14, 2009 at 2:37 PM
Wow, Meghan McCain is certainly upset today, isn’t she?
TTheoLogan on April 14, 2009 at 2:37 PM
These pirates are obviously right-wing extremists who just returned home from a tour of duty in Iraq and are having a terrible time readjusting to society.
Scrappy on April 14, 2009 at 2:40 PM
Sink their ships in port. I want to see liberals demonstrate against American ‘imperialism’ against the poor peaceful victims in Edenic Somalia.
Grafted on April 14, 2009 at 2:40 PM
Do any experts here know what international treaties have to say on this subject? Or the Law of the Sea Treaty? Is there a responsibility for the nearest naval power to respond?
It boils down to this:
Is the USA expected to be the world’s police? If not why respond if no US ships have been seized? If the government of the seized ship asks for help, of course we give it. And demand a public thanks for doing so, I would add.
redshirt on April 14, 2009 at 2:41 PM
Over 20 different navies are on patrol in the region as part of a joint force anti-piracy patrol. Even South Korwea and Japan….Iran and Russia…India, too, as well as the Australians, New Zealanders, most of NATO…so we are not the only navy out there taking care of things.
What we do not have is a common set of ROE’s, thus allowing each participant to define their own operations. Some naval shiups tail merchant vessels having the same national flag. Others are on a response alert…when one of their own or other ship issues a distress call, they move in to see what they can do.
it is indeed swatting flies in a huge expanse of ocean.
Why we, jointly, do not focus our efforts within a defined exclusion zone at or near where the pirates have safe harbors to prevent these pirates from making sea is beyond me.
Still believe shelling any pirate enclave or port when a pirate vessel makes sea is a good means to dissuade other pirates from being so foolish.
The longer this goes on, the more legitimacy these pirates will gain…then it all becomes far more complex than it needs to be.
coldwarrior on April 14, 2009 at 2:41 PM
more opportunities for brave commander obama to teach the pirates a lesson.
Let’s hope, though, that none of these is over 16 years old.
notagool on April 14, 2009 at 2:42 PM
Sooner or later the pirates will attack a US ship again. My greatest fear is that right away the pirates will kill a hostage or two to show (1) that they mean business and (2) they are not afraid.
My guess is that they are actually pleased that the President of the US has turned his head their way (the loss of four lackies is nothing compared to the gain). Makes them look big.
The real test will come when there are a lot of hostages.
As for the current situation with the other boats currently held hostage, I agree with the overall sentiment here:
Let the other countries deal with the mess unless asked for help by the US. It will build our credibility if we do help out successfully when asked.
But if we go out and start becoming the police of the sea we (1) will invoke the Somalians specifically targeting our ships (even more than they are probably doing right now) and (2) put undue pressure on our military to protect ALL ships instead of just ours. On top of that we may come off as arrogant to the rest of the world and lose even more international goodwill if we police the waters without being specifically asked.
I know international creds doesn’t matter to some here but it doesn’t hurt.
ckoeber on April 14, 2009 at 2:42 PM
Pirates manhandled by the Yankees, entire team sent down to AAA.
But I thought interleague play wasn’t for a while yet.
rbj on April 14, 2009 at 2:43 PM
Actually, now it’s “Allah akbarrrr“
stefanite on April 14, 2009 at 2:43 PM
Barney Frank is excited at the prospect of more pirate booty.
viking01 on April 14, 2009 at 2:44 PM
Yo ho, a boat full of scum, a pirates life is dumb! :D LOL
Cut Obama some slack on decision making. He’s going have an extra chore now. De-worming the dog!
capejasmine on April 14, 2009 at 2:44 PM
at=by
viking01 on April 14, 2009 at 2:44 PM
Don’t look for Obummer to bomb Islamic pirate dens. He won’t put his relatives at risk. It would be much more likely that a crack team of community organizers will show up in Somalia to get the pirates card checked and unionized.
Guardian on April 14, 2009 at 2:45 PM
I laughed too. I think it’s hilarious.
Pirates are sooo romantic.
patriette on April 14, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Where’s that leadership that Obama is supposed to so full of huh?
Defector01 on April 14, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Barney Frank is excited at the prospect of more pirate booty.
viking01 on April 14, 2009 at 2:44 PM
ROFL!!!! Thank you for that much needed laugh!!!
capejasmine on April 14, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Why do the pirates hijack these ships?
Because they are unarrrrrmed.
sorry
Buddahpundit on April 14, 2009 at 2:53 PM
I’m sure Barney will turn over a new page first…
coldwarrior on April 14, 2009 at 2:54 PM
So much for the “We’re just peaceful Muslims! We won’t hurt anyone, just point a gun at their head until we get millions of dollars in ransom!”
Muslims don’t hijack other Muslims (like two Egyptian fishing boats).
Nethicus on April 14, 2009 at 2:56 PM
offroadaz on April 14, 2009 at 2:26 PM
Dark-Star on April 14, 2009 at 2:32 PM
I’m mostly in agreement – but a big part of me just really enjoys our military blowing things up and putting holes in bad guys.
innominatus on April 14, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Not that I think Obama’s puppet masters are great at manipulaing things in the idiot’s favor, but has anybody wondered why such a sitting duck target has arisen for the idiot’s first big Commander in Chief test?
The first puppy can defeat rag-tag pirates with the U.S. navy at his beck and call.
Somebody funds these pirate kids.
Where has George Soros been the last couple of weeks?
notagool on April 14, 2009 at 2:57 PM
These countries whose ships and people are held hostage already don’t seem to care much about it at all. These countries invite continued attack by their half hearted and ineffectual and feeble attempts to stop it. There is no excuse for the European treatment(or lack) of this. They have, or could have, the resources and talent to stop this and just don’t bother for whatever reasons. I hope this country never becomes so indifferent to our own value and self respect that we become them.
jeanie on April 14, 2009 at 2:59 PM
Boy that really scared them off.
Brat on April 14, 2009 at 3:00 PM
I’m all for that myself. Would give a reason not to cut defense.
But I want the other countries ponying up some sort of cash in return! We have a deficit to pay off!
Chaz706 on April 14, 2009 at 3:00 PM
I saw blurb this morning saying there has already been 40 hijackings in 2009 already.
That’s too many, I think a strongly worded letter is in order.
kirkill on April 14, 2009 at 3:01 PM
It appears that would be the jurisdiction of the Somali Coast Guard, aka Pirates, the closest naval force. The Law of the Sea Treaty is null, We did not sign it. The UN will fire off a firmly worded resolution that will be laughably ignored.
With Defense cuts coming up, a US Naval presence cannot be depended upon. After all Obama is busy with running GM, Wall Street and consolidating his control of the Country.
old trooper2 on April 14, 2009 at 3:02 PM
I know it’s not funny, but I laughed at the arrrr.
BadgerHawk on April 14, 2009 at 2:18 PM
Me too. Why does that remind me of Disneyland?
Okay real pirates today: This is what the UN should be for. They should blockade Somalia.
At this point we do need to step up surveillance for possible terrorist using this to recruit… (whisper please, Obama might have given them a recruitment tool…)
But at this point one Danish/American ship was taken by mistake…(if they had known they wouldn’t get any money and some would die, they wouldn’t have taken it.) all our people are safe. The UN should do something useful for all that money we give them.
petunia on April 14, 2009 at 3:02 PM
pirate jihad continues.
We must eliminate this AQ, Shabaab, pirate nexus.
blatantblue on April 14, 2009 at 3:04 PM
No that is a great conspiracy theory if I ever saw one. Make it viral!
petunia on April 14, 2009 at 3:05 PM
“No” was supposed to be “Now”!
petunia on April 14, 2009 at 3:06 PM
The UN is such an incredible, unbelievable, overwhelming farce and failure it does not even bear mentioning. As it exists now, the only solution is to disband it and start again.
jeanie on April 14, 2009 at 3:07 PM
What are the Chinese doing that we are not doing?
Dolphins stop a pirate attack on a Chinese ship? Amazing!
coldwarrior on April 14, 2009 at 3:07 PM
I predict by the end of next week. My bigger fear is the pirates going totally nuclear and trying to take out a big commercial cruise liner and holding the passengers hostage. There are literally dozens of cruise ships sailing in the Mediteranean daily and it ain’t all that far from the Aden
It’s only a matter of time.
Knucklehead on April 14, 2009 at 3:07 PM
How many of these are fishing ships one day and pirate ships the next?
I’d count the seconds before the MSM report:
“Americans sink fishing fleet of impoverished Somali village. Starvation ensues…”
eeyore on April 14, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Obama already shot his wad for the year. The pirates will have open & unfettered access to the rest of the worlds shipping that dare get to close. When you are losers you have nothing to lose but your life. And where the pirates come from that does not even mean very much.
izoneguy on April 14, 2009 at 3:08 PM
I suspect that the pirates know that the Chinese government would not care a jot about how many hostages they take. Only the loss of the ship and its cargo would bother them.
jeanie on April 14, 2009 at 3:09 PM
RETALIATION, my eye.
AS IF the pirates weren’t already pirates.
Pirates pirate ships, whether or not they are taken down by the US Navy or the Navy of India, or whether the dolphins surround the Chinese Navy (China’s response to the US Navy presumed by the media to be Obama’s Unicorns).
REVENGE should befall the media whose loose lips nearly sank our ships, and whose foul mouths persist in fondling pirates.
maverick muse on April 14, 2009 at 3:12 PM
ckoeber @ 2:42,
I mostly agree, but if you think the pirates aren’t trying to capture another US vessel, you are smokin’ something. My hope is that we have taken measures to protect OUR ships, and will leave the rest of the world to protect their own. After all, Obama on his world tour got virtually no help for Afghanistan and hardly anything for pumping $$$ into the world economy.
My guess is girly Obama has little spine but lots of vindictiveness…You don’t scratch my back, I let you itch a little too. Which may in the end be a good thing.
Let’s just mind our own business and let the other countries take care of their own shipments. We really don’t need to save world shipping, esp when they don’t help themselves…or us. Reciprocity may be a big word but it’s a very simple concept.
marybel on April 14, 2009 at 3:17 PM
Ten bucks says Barry & The Crew have adjusted the ROE to include ‘you can’t shoot unless __________ tells you to’.
The schmuk got egg on his face when some uniform decided to say “fire” without asking “Mother May I” first.
Limerick on April 14, 2009 at 3:19 PM
No. We should never cede the responsibility for our own security to those corruptocrats.
patriette on April 14, 2009 at 3:19 PM
Train and arm the Merchant Marine. Every ship should carry a locker with M-16s on it, and every crewman should know how to use one. This will stop piracy.
paulsur on April 14, 2009 at 3:19 PM
Can’t disagree with that! Especially not with modern-day sea rovers!
“Yo ho ho and a bottle of…RUN!!!”
Dark-Star on April 14, 2009 at 3:20 PM
Basicly boils down to this…
If the Ship in question flys your flag, you can pretty much board it any time, so if the Pirates have taken it, you can take it back.
IF the ship flys the flag of another nation? Even if the Pirates have taken it over, you cannot board it without the countries permission… UNLESS you come upon the scene while the Piracy is actualy taking place… once the Rats have control of the ship… even if you suspect it is contoled by Pirates, you can’t board WITHOUT the ships country of origin.
There are some cases, like in a declared Embargo (like we did in the Gulf for years), where you can board ships and search them while enforcing UN Arms resolutions and such… but as of yet, no embargo of the Somali coast is in place…
so… essentialy, legaly, our hands are pretty much tied unless they either attack a US Flag’s ship, OR we catch the Rats in the ACT.
Romeo13 on April 14, 2009 at 3:24 PM
Obama doesn’t have the guts to ban piracy and make it stick.
But he does feel that he has the wisdom and compassion to resolve the situation. And he will. With American dollars.
Obama will do a pirate bailout, addressing the root causes of piracy and poverty and offering them hope and change, and give them lots of our money.
This is Jizya, the Islamic tribute money paid by dhimmis to retain their right to live in humiliation under their betters.
The Barbary Pirates demanded tribute, and got so swacked by Jefferson that we haven’t seen them for over 200 years. We didn’t pay tribute then, but we will now. I predicted this yesterday and that very evening saw glimmers of this in statements from the Administration.
Obama was already involved in a global poverty tax on the American people before he was elected. He will try to do it, and he will start with the poor people of Somalia and their pirates.
Therefore, we shall see more barbarism committed against Americans as those would be aggressor nations discover it pays to poke the giant in the eye.
Maquis on April 14, 2009 at 3:24 PM
I heard somewhere that there are only a tiny number of ships sailing under the US flag (outside of our navy)–for practical reasons–so odds are there weren’t a lot of them there.
DaveS on April 14, 2009 at 3:26 PM
………… WTF?
Seven Percent Solution on April 14, 2009 at 3:30 PM
Sink those fools!
youngO on April 14, 2009 at 3:32 PM
Anyone suggesting Obama is soft on this is being a bit of a head in the sand bozo. He did give the order to shoot to kill (but of course the order didn’t come soon enough for you guys, so that somehow negates the whole thing). The next American ship seized will be met with harsher swifter action – but hopefully you guys will have enough time to make up some other complaint about that response being inadequate.
As or the pirates, sink the boats and let the sharks sort them out.
Or sink them in port. How hard could it be?
Dave Rywall on April 14, 2009 at 3:36 PM
Well, there are two competing philosopies here, I suppose. Any bets on which will be taken?
1) Men ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them they take vengeance, but if you injure them greatly they are unable to retaliate, so that if injury is to be done to a man it ought to be such that vengeance cannot be feared.
- Niccolo Machiavelli
2) My aim then was to talk tough on camera, aided by my faithful companion Sir Teleprompter, but to behind the scenes apologize to the undocumented ship unloaders and undocumented captain and crew escorts for all the sins of the evil America and the evil Europe and to offer bailouts, billed to America’s kids and grandkids credit cards, to the downtrodden victims who are obviously just trying to support their families in what would be a prosperous land if not for the evil colonialists, like Winston Churchill.
- The One
MB4 on April 14, 2009 at 3:40 PM
I don’t care anymore. You either defend yourself or you don’t complain about it. It’s ridiculous.
Blake on April 14, 2009 at 3:47 PM
Get real. From everything that I have read Obama gave VERY restrictive ROE that permitted the killing of the “pirates” ONLY if the Captain’s life was in imminent danger. When someones life is actually in imminent danger it is probably already too late in most cases. Clearly the Navy, how shall I say, “stretched” things (wink-wink among themselves) and did the right thing. By his VERY restrictive ROE, Obama put the Captain’s life at greater risk for a longer period of time than was necessary or prudent. The fact that things worked out well for the Captain does not change any of that.
MB4 on April 14, 2009 at 3:50 PM
Get real. From everything that I have read Obama gave VERY restrictive ROE that permitted the killing of the “pirates” ONLY if the Captain’s life was in imminent danger. When someones life is actually in imminent danger it is probably already too late in most cases. Clearly the Navy, how shall I say, “stretched” things (wink-wink among themselves) and did the right thing. By his VERY restrictive ROE, Obama put the Captain’s life at greater risk for a longer period of time than was necessary or prudent. The fact that things worked out well for the Captain does not change any of that.
MB4 on April 14, 2009 at 3:50 PM
———-
Pffft.
Obama could have had the pirates’ eyes gouged out and placed on toothpicks on the White House lawn and you’d complain that the eyes should have been donated to some needy blind person and the toothpicks were a waste of valuable wood resources.
Keep up your valuable cynical work.
Dave Rywall on April 14, 2009 at 3:53 PM
Today in class I had to listen to my liberal “teacher” say: These pirates treat their “prisoners” well, that this is the only way they can make a living because Somalia is in such disarray, that they aren’t terrorists and they mean no harm.
Yep, sure does look like it teach’.
YoungAmerican on April 14, 2009 at 3:54 PM
Hang in there and just nod your head…
right2bright on April 14, 2009 at 3:56 PM
How long before all ships in the area, regardless of nationality, are flying Old Glory?
cackcon on April 14, 2009 at 3:58 PM
Now you understand the disdain in which conservatives held the petty vindictive comments of the Bush Derangement Syndrome sufferers. Bush could have crapped out a cure for AIDS and you’d be here complaining that he didn’t wipe afterwards.
Say…what’s CANADA doing about the pirate scourge….?
JohnTant on April 14, 2009 at 4:00 PM
Today in class I had to listen to my liberal “teacher” say: These pirates treat their “prisoners” well, that this is the only way they can make a living because Somalia is in such disarray, that they aren’t terrorists and they mean no harm.
Yep, sure does look like it teach’.
YoungAmerican on April 14, 2009 at 3:54 PM
——-
Well, regardless of the high stench of bullsh*t that surrounds your “story”, here’s a news alert for you: they AREN’T terrorists. They’re pirates. You need to stay in school, son.
Dave Rywall on April 14, 2009 at 4:01 PM
Funny, coming from someone who took every shot at President Bush, and Governor Palin.
Everything Obama did, and he did right, was put in place by President Bush.
Long before Obama dreamed of being in the White House, President Bush was dealing with this problem here.
Meanwhile, as noted in another post, Obama and Biden were skipping out on there duties of going to hearings and helping formulate procedures to deal with pirates…in other words, they didn’t care, it wasn’t important.
Obama did exactly what he should have, followed the procedures that a real leader had put in place. Obama was a good boy.
right2bright on April 14, 2009 at 4:02 PM
You are the reductio ad absurdum Queen of the reductio ad absurdum Drama Queens.
Keep up your valuable hyperbolic hysteria.
MB4 on April 14, 2009 at 4:04 PM
Ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. And the easy answer as to why, is that ugly word “taxes”. Most of these ships are flying “flags of convenience” and are registered in countries with less strict guidelines with regards to labor restrictions, safety restrictions, taxes and duty.
Even the American owned cruiseliners fly under the flag of the Bahama’s or Panama.
Knucklehead on April 14, 2009 at 4:07 PM
He is just reporting what his liberal teacher is telling him…and yes they are terrorists (you can be both). Better look up the definition, they don’t have to be a Muslim, or a democrat to be a terrorist. They have known ties to A.Q. All there has to be is a financial tie between the two, and that has been established.
right2bright on April 14, 2009 at 4:07 PM
Now you understand the disdain in which conservatives held the petty vindictive comments of the Bush Derangement Syndrome sufferers. Bush could have crapped out a cure for AIDS and you’d be here complaining that he didn’t wipe afterwards.
Say…what’s CANADA doing about the pirate scourge….?
JohnTant on April 14, 2009 at 4:00 PM
——-
Huh? I cheered when Afghanistan was invaded, you clown. Iraq, not so much. Unlike you and your koolaid moustache, I have the objectivity to give credit where credit is due.
As for Canada’s role in fighting them dirty pirates, we deployed the Ville de Quebec warship in August ’08 to escort world food program ships, the HMS Winnipeg already thwarted an attack in April ’08 so we’re right there in the thick of it, so please feel free to
s
t
f
u.
Dave Rywall on April 14, 2009 at 4:08 PM
Not to make light of a tragic situation, but I had to LOL when I saw this under the photo.
UltimateBob on April 14, 2009 at 4:08 PM
Comment pages: 1 2 Next »