American captain rescued, pirates killed, U.S. official says

[IndianaGreen]

Source: CNN

Breaking on CNN. No details.

Reported by Barbara Starr, Pentagon correspondent.

On edit:

(CNN) -- The captain of the Maersk Alabama was freed Sunday after being held captive by pirates on a lifeboat off Somalia since Wednesday, a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

The official said Capt. Richard Phillips is uninjured and in good condition, and that three of the four pirates were killed. The fourth pirate is in custody. Phillips was taken aboard the USS Bainbridge, a nearby naval warship.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/12/somalia.pirates/index.html

[FightingIrish]

1. Three of four pirates killed.

http://www.cnn.com/

[IndianaGreen]

3. Looks like the Navy Seals accomplished their mission

:-)

[cliffordu]

25. Yep. I kinda thought this was goinng to happen.

The seals live up to the hype.

[tabatha]

85. Yeah, I had a feeling that there was much more going on than we knew.

So take that, naysayers and negativers (not a word, I know).

[VermeerLives]

132. Yeaahh! Good news!

As the wife of a former Navy SEAL, I'm very proud of the men who rescued the Captain and took out the pirates. I'm very happy this is over. Kudos to the SEALs and to the brave Captain and crew!!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. What a relief!

Let's hope he's not injured.

[Dover]

146. European Companies Dumping Toxic Waste Off Coast Of Somalia

I'm relieved he's safe too, but there is a whole sub-story here regarding shipping and
Somalia:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5435385

[jwirr]

165. Good for the Navy. On the issue of waste I wish that President Obama

would take that on but it would be hard because I think some of that waste in Africa is ours. They pirates will no doubt think twice before the take on the US again.

[dflprincess]

178. If we are among the countries dumping toxic waste off the coast of Somalia

I would now expect that we own up to it and find a way to help protect the Somalis protect their coastal waters.

I'm a little taken aback over the carrying on about this like it was a major naval victory. Yes, we had to go in, but it would have been pretty pathetic if the U.S. Navy couldn't take on a group of rag tag pirates.

[wordpix]

213. taking on the rag tag pirates was not the issue - getting the capt. out alive while shootout

going on was.

[KoKo]

187. Yes...they should not be concerned about American Nuke dumping or anyone elses...

Go Seals! Let's do RAMBO!

:eyes:

[Cousin It]

191. Spare me....

...it's not a sub story - it's a whole different story.

Are you saying the pirates are inspired by environmental concerns, as opposed to being good old fashioned thieves ?

[Dover]

226. Do some reading on this and I think you'll find the connection.

Their economic livelihoods have been ruined, their fishing areas are toxic as well, and their people are sick. Remember that strange story about the pirates being exposed to some toxic waste last year when they boarded one ship? As far as I know that story was thrown overboard just like the toxic waste before it came to light what was really happening. And I think if you do some research you'll discover that this illegal dumping off the coast of Somalia has been going on for years.

When people are literally and figuratively 'dumped on', sometimes desperate people do desperate things. Sure, it's morphed into a whole new animal now, but it didn't have to come to
this.

And the whole issue of dumping nuclear waste in the ocean also need to be brought to light. It's hardly a just a local issue, and Somalia is not the only place it's happened.

[Lasher]

192. Fuck Somalia.

[muryan]

219. When these pirates start demanding enviro protections

and not large amounts of money then i'll believe it.

[Dover]

227. Well lets see. Their government is looking the other way as the illegal dumping goes on.

And we all know how powerless a feeling it is to have a corrupt government who is doing lots of
bad things under the table at everyone else's expense, not properly responding to devastating and illegal activities or protecting the environment. Sound familiar? And what if this was happening off our own coastline? Sometimes people have to take things into their own hands and fend for themselves. These days it's very difficult to distinguish who the real 'pirates' are. Desperate people....

So lots of money changing hands under the table. And meanwhile the dumping off Somalia's coast, which has been going on for years now, has led to the destruction of their fishing industry and has caused extensive health problems as you might imagine.

And we should ALL be concerned about this because foreign vessels ARE still fishing those waters and then selling their toxic fish to worldwide markets. And we can ill afford to further contaminate the oceans with nuclear waste, but as long as we stay fixated on the good guy vs. bad guy pirate story, the much bigger issue gets lost or dilluted.

[muryan]

235. Somalia is a failed state

What the government does is largely irrelevant to the populace. I understand the idea of these environmental crusaders is extremely romantic to many here, but it simply doesn't apply.

The only story is here is the pirate/hostage story. There has no been environmental bend to any of it. My childhood neighbor was just arrested for the rape/assault of two women. The local news is correctly covering the facts of the case and are less concerned with other factors surrounding his life. Because my neighbor made a choice, as did these pirates...we cannot be blamed for taking the proper(only) course of action.

[Cirque du So-What]

4. Terrific!

I hope the captain came through it uninjured.

[jefferson_dem]

5. CNN reporting that he's unharmed.

n/t

[Name removed]

203. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Captain Hilts]

6. Go NAVY!!!!!!!!!!!

[IndianaGreen]

8. Navy has 200-years of experience dealing with piracy

Family of captain apparently knew he had been freed several hours ago.

[salguine]

23. Except for that 205-year gap since the last time.

[cliffordu]

26. Well...

:rofl:

[IndianaGreen]

30. There is a reason for that gap in years

Our Marines kicked ass!

[Captain Hilts]

35. When someone absolutely, positively, needs to be killed the next day...nt

[Optical.Catalyst]

125. Don't run, you will only die tired

[RedCloud]

156. That's when revolutionaries and liberals reigned supreme.

Who would dare to challenge the US back then?

[proud2BlibKansan]

49. LOL

[paparush]

189. LMAO!

[FightingIrish]

12. I'm damn proud

The surface forces, naval air, seals and amphibs were involved through the whole ordeal.

[Captain Hilts]

13. Yes. This couldn't have come at a better time for the skimmers. Well done!

[FightingIrish]

16. Bravo Zulu

?w=300&h=300

[SeeHopeWin]

66. What a perfect outcome, well done brothers!

[Happyhippychick]

7. Gee, what will the wingnuts criticize Obama for now???? Oh, forgot about "Bo"...

[IndianaGreen]

10. Ann Coulter was on TV last night saying Obama had failed his first crisis test

Shove that up your ass, Coulter.

[Captain Hilts]

22. Or, as the Marines say, shove it up your ass and set it on fire. nt

[Politicalboi]

123. Kind of like this?

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/80448552/

[sellitman]

136. I wish that was left as a mental image only.

Thanks a bunch!

[Hansel]

69. It's always interesting how the right uses the military differntly depending

on the party of the president. When Bush was president you couldn't say boo about the Iraq War without it somehow being a criticism of the troops. None of our military personnel was apparently capable of discerning the difference between criticizing them and the White House policies. I can remember Melanie Morgan and other right wing loon pundits screaming about how those who spoke out against the war were traitors and should be executed.

Now it is perfectly alright to blast the supposed incompetence of Obama and thus those same "apparently hyper-sensitive" members of the armed forces by criticizing them for "being held hostage" by pirates. All as they attempted to rescue a sea captain from a boatload of armed thugs without having to put him in a body bag.

I suspect that Ann and her pals are gravely disappointed at the outcome.

[LiberalFighter]

92. The military will need to have a reconnaissance to determine how to enter her ass.

It is very tight.

[high density]

98. Another victory for Barack Hussein Obama as Commander in Chief

:)

[curiousdemo]

153. Yea, While the racist wingnuts is

screaming, yelling and insulting. Our beloved President was working behind the scene with our powerful military to free the brave Captain. His polls number will surely go up, while the racist winguts, such as Hannity, Limbaugh, O'relliy, Beck, Coulter, Fox News, Republican Party and the Tea Party will be marginalize as right wing idiots.

[sellitman]

134. I second that thought!

The Reigh wingnuts all should be eating a huge pound of crow this afternoon!

Go Navy Seals!!!!!!

[Nay]

143. Yeah, you know, I got that "Obama is a pussy" shit at work last week. Wait

until tomorrow -- bet they'll all be quiet.

[L. Coyote]

157. Faux says Obama is opening a covert pirate prison in the Carribean somewhere.

:rofl: So, Coulter wants to finally quit holding her breath for Obama to fail somehow. :rofl:

Meanwhile, the left has a long list of Obama failures going.

[AlbertCat]

183. Shove that up your ass, Coulter.

I know! Conservatives are exploding they're so mad things didn't go badly. For days they've been yelling "Blow them outta the water! Why aren't they doing something. They had a chance when he escaped and blew it! Obama is a pussy who can't do anything right!"

Of course not rushing in Conservo-butch with guns blazing and dicks erect worked well....even if it took more than 30 minutes and required thought.




WHOOPIE!

[Liberal Veteran]

11. He left one of them alive! See? He's weak on piracy!

[Happyhippychick]

27. Yes, he left the socialist pirate alive. He's weak on piracy and a socialist!

[LiberalFighter]

94. I thought the plan was to ransom the pirate back to them.

[pam4water]

70. Now now he only kept him a live to torture him! They are going to lock him in a cell and play

Anne Coulter audio books on a loop. Argh.

[FailureToCommunicate]

80. What's Somali for "I'll talk,I'll talk!! Please stop the tape!!" Good one, but Coulter tapes run

afoul of Geneva Convention guidlines...

[Dr.Phool]

86. Show him nekkid pictures of Coulter.

He'll beg his parrot to gnaw his eyes out!

[davidinalameda]

198. I'd bash my own brains out

if I had to deal with that

[imdjh]

81. LOL! Some people can really capture the RW mentality in just a few words. Well done. n/t

[MindMatter]

149. And now we don't even have anybody ready to torture the pirate

What is this country coming to?

[chrisa]

174. Blood!!!

Blood! Kill everyone!

He should have not only killed the pirate, but went and killed 5 other random people for the hell of it. Our swords will run red, with blood!!!

[truthisfreedom]

9. Excellent. Now they've broken the spell... the pirates will be second-guessing themselves

every time they attack a ship.

[IndianaGreen]

21. Moral of the story: Don't attack an American flag ship

or French for that matter.

If the shipping owners stopped paying ransom, this would have come to end a lot sooner.

[joshcryer]

51. Exactly, US and French flags are now going to be seen as "not worth the risk."

If only more of them actually fought back.

[Garbo 2004]

114. Previous captures, deaths of pirates by France have not stopped pirates

from attacking their ships and taking French citizens hostages. Note the date of the articles I posted below.

[Pavulon]

127. zombies? if not it stopped the ones they shot (nt)

[Garbo 2004]

152. But hasn't stopped others. Piracy=$multimillion business but not an occupation for the risk averse.

Meanwhile:

A look at ships still held by Somali pirates
By The Associated Press – 1 hour ago

At least a dozen ships and more than 200 crew members are currently being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau and NATO. A look at some of recent examples:

_ April 11: Italian tugboat seized with 16 crew members aboard: 10 Italians, five Romanians and a Croatian.

_ April 9: Yemeni fishing boat Shugaa Almadhi with 13 crew hijacked.

_ April 6: British-owned bulk carrier, the Malaspina Castle, hijacked in the Gulf of Aden. It is carrying iron and has a crew of 24 from Bulgaria, the Philippines, Russia and Ukraine. Lloyd's Marine Intelligence Unit says the ship is owned by Navalmar U.K. Ltd. and managed by BNavi SpA of Italy.

_ April 4: German 20,000-ton freighter Hansa Stavanger seized 400 miles (645 kilometers) off the Somali coast. It has 24 crew members on board: 5 Germans, 3 Russians, 2 Ukrainians, 2 Filipinos and 12 Tuvalus. It is owned by Hamburg-based Leonhardt & Blumberg Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co.KG.

_ April 4: Taiwanese ship, Win Far 161, seized near the Seychelles islands. It has a crew of 30, including 17 Filipinos, six Indonesians, five Chinese and two Taiwanese.

_ March 25: Panama-registered, Greek-owned Nipayia with 18 Filipino crew members and a Russian captain is seized by pirates. The Nipayia is managed by Athens-based Lotus Shipping.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gE1L5mqP4iprVog6We61MnaPl_TAD97H4MA80

2009 Piracy map: http://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php?option=com_fabrik&view=visualization&controller=visualization.googlemap&Itemid=219

[Garbo 2004]

40. Looks like France previously had "broken the spell" with rescues and captures.

French commandos rescue tourists from Somali pirates
French commandos stormed a sailboat to free two French tourists who were being held by heavily-armed Somali pirates, President Nicolas Sarkozy has said.

By Henry Samuel in Paris
Last Updated: 12:50PM BST 16 Sep 2008

One pirate was killed and another six captured in the lightning raid, which lasted 10 minutes. The hostages were unharmed.

With the backing from a French warship stationed nearby, some thirty commandos swooped on the pirates. They received support from Germany and Malaysia, according to the Elysée. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/2968620/French-commandos-rescue-tourists-from-Somali-pirates.html

And most recently on Friday:

A French hostage and two pirates died Friday in a rescue operation off Somalia, the French president's office in Paris said Friday...

...According to French media reports, a special forces unit attacked the hijacked vessel from different directions in two motor-powered rubber boats. The pirates opened fire and the special forces team fired back...

...The French military brought back 12 pirates to stand trial in the previous two rescue missions, the Defense Ministry said.

There has been a series of high-profile and increasingly sophisticated pirate attacks in recent months. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/10/somalia.france/

[Captain Hilts]

43. Yay France! nt

[sufrommich]

14. Way to go, good job! nt

[steaa]

15. I wonder what the deaths of these pirates will mean...

for the hostages other pirates are holding in ships in the area.


Glad the Captain got out safely.

[PFunk]

18. My thoughts exactly (see earlier post)

[Pavulon]

77. new underwear.

it means fucking with flagged vessels will result in swift death. Maybe a new day job for the pirates?

[LiberalFighter]

96. Warn the pirates that they risk a 75% chance of being killed.

[ChazII]

138. Occupational Hazard. n/t

[PFunk]

17. Good, but worring news.

While I'm glad the guy was freed. The way it was done (which I think it was the only way) may actually ramp up things. The next breed of pirates will be ready for this the next time. Which will ramp up things worse. Which and anger the african street in the process. Maybe even turning that nation into a no-go area for the US. And in a time where the US is (right or wrong) looked at as a world bully that's not exactly a great thing.

[mountainvue]

19. Go Navy! n/t

[Lone_Star_Dem]

20. Typical Obama Administration... they left one alive.

They can't do anything right. :sarcasm:

[wndycty]

24. LOL

:kick:

[OregonBlue]

29. Seriously, I went straight to FR and that's exactly what they are saying. God, I had to LOL!!!

I read FR this morning and every article they had posted was about how weak Obama was and how this would be his Iran crisis and how they had to talk up the pirate story because he was gonna fail and it would show what a weakling he was.

[Uben]

32. Look Moran!

They left him alive so we could waterboard him! Yeah, and if he survives the electro-shock testicular rejuvenation, he'll be a prime candidate for a Cheney huntin trip!

[safeinOhio]

74. Rush is pissed off

He wanted Obama to fail.

[eauclaireliberal]

207. Yeah-in other words, he would have prefered for this guy to die!

What an attitude. What a piece of shit.

[OregonBlue]

28. Went to FR to see what the crazies were saying. Their meme "why only 3 pirates killed, Obama is weak

because they should all have been killed"!!!

They are truly nut jobs!!!

[SpiralHawk]

33. "Curses. Foiled again." - Republicon Homelanders

"We were so hoping America would FAIL -- the way we Homelanders FAILED for 8 miserable years. Curses."

- Republicon Homelanders

[OregonBlue]

37. Every right wing crazy this morning was saying that this was Obama's first test and predicting

he would FAIL because he is so weak. LOL This is just so wonderful on so many levels. Not only has this brave guy been freed but they have such egg on their face!!!

[Faygo Kid]

38. They are indeed nutjobs, and their beloved GOP NOMINATED a pirate last year.

Walk the plank, ye FReepers!

[Posteritatis]

41. They seem to have forgotten about the one tied up on the Alabama (nt)

[The Wizard]

53. And Bush would have invaded and occupied

Nicaragua or North Korea.

[Incitatus]

55. He could torture the 4th one.

I wonder if that would make them happy.

[GinaMaria]

68. Need 1 left to do the talking n/t

[tabatha]

87. So Obama was part of the rescue team?

[AlbertCat]

186. Yes. The 4th pirate surrendered when he saw Obama's cape flapping in the breeze.

Well?


Right Wingers think life is a Batman movie, so.....

[corpseratemedia]

119. well why don't frs volunteer and go to kill the last one since they are so brave

:eyes:

[wordpix]

205. and why don't the freeps and Rush go to Afghanistan to get OBL & Co?

Too chickenhawk, mebbe? :eyes:

[onehandle]

142. Freepers wanted the rescue to Fail. They are praying for Blackhawk Down events.

They are unamerican.

[shaniqua6392]

164. The one that was left alive was only 16 years old.

The evening news here just said that he had jumped off the lifeboat and swam over to the Navy vessel. They used information from the kid they captured to kill the other 3 on board and free the Captain. I guess it could not have gone better. But I am sure the freepers will find fault with the way things went down.

[ohio2007]

201. Captain KID was negotiating with the FBI/ navy when the snipers picked off his 'banga' gangster buds

the truth of what happened will take maybe a week and two interviews of the survivors imo

[LisaL]

31. Great news.

[Hamlette]

34. So, does Obama still have to start a war someplace because of the pirates?

imagine, Bush would attack France unless it could prove it didn't have any pirate movies.

(pundits have been saying Obama has to act because of the pirates, like start a war, or else it proves he's a wimp like Carter. Even the once (very long time ago) great Broder is infected with this neo-con bullshit)

[OneAngryDemocrat]

36. Thank you, Lord

I want to thank you, Gracious Lord,
for the protection of the US Navy, which You have given me;
they are for me a priceless bounty.

I owe to your providence, Lord,
the possibiltiy of counting on
the constant help of these good friends.

I promise to do everything in my power
to deserve this precious gift
that you have reserved for me.

I ask you, Gracious Lord, to keep them safe in your hands,
for they are yours above all.

Amen.

[cali]

39. It's snowing in Underhill, but spring is right around the corner.

Come on home, Captain Phillips.

[PopSixSquish]

42. "The Only Easy Day was Yesterday"

Navy Seals!

[iamthebandfanman]

44. wish it coulda been resolved without loss of life

but some people are just impossible to talk down from things

[MidwestTransplant]

45. But but but the US is impotent under Obama. I don't understand. Ok back to FreeRepublic

[MidwestTransplant]

46. But but but the US is impotent under Obama. I don't understand. Ok back to FreeRepublic

[dipsydoodle]

47. Good news the captian was rescued but not that some pirates were killed.

The death of the pirates is viewed as an issue that could take future acts of piracy to another level quite aside from the exposure now to the other +200 captives.

[joshcryer]

50. I disagree, these pirates don't want to die for their actions, it will send a swift signal.

The signal being that you can't get away with it so easily when the US is involved.

[Darth_Ole]

54. Good point, Joshcryer.

Dealing with Somali pirates is different from dealing with al-Qaeda. These are businessmen demanding a ransom, not suicidal jihadists hell bent on expelling the West from Saudi Arabia. Same tactics, but different motivations.

[joshcryer]

57. Someone else pointed out the French, who also deserve credit for fighting back.

If you have a French or American flag the pirates will now second guess attacking you, as another poster pointed out.

[Garbo 2004]

108. Successful rescues/captures by French have not stopped piracy against

their ships. I posted excerpts of one article of a rescue/capture by the French from 2008 and another from Friday. Pirates have been and are still taking French vessels and citizens hostage despite previous deaths and captures.

[FailureToCommunicate]

89. The actual guys boarding boats as pirates are probably only paid henchmen of businessmen

The rich businessmen pirates back on land live in (relative) rich gansta lifestyle from what I've heard. Gee, same old story as here, now that I think about it...

[ohio2007]

202. Africa has armies of children soldiers and are working their way up the ranks

life is cheap to the warlords.

[dipsydoodle]

161. Swift signal ? In your dreams

Somalia has turned to piracy for economic reasons. It could only have been prevented by helping them in the past.

The death of that lone pirate has already led to fears they may now completely disrupt the Suez Canal.

[ecstatic]

113. Well the pirates were about to shoot the captain who

jumped overboard for the second time. So the NAVY was just trying to save the Captain's life.

[Brooklyns_Finest]

48. Glad to hear

To all those people that were doubting the effectiveness of out armed forces. Well, we are that good!

[AlbertCat]

190. the effectiveness of OUT armed forces?

We haven't gotten rid of "don't ask/ don't tell" yet!

[OmahaBlueDog]

52. Damn.Good.Job

Obama may love Lincoln, but this is a page out of the Jefferson playbook.

[applexcore]

56. Lets here it for our armed forces!

USA! USA! USA!


(And before anyone says thats "too freeper like" or not very progressive of me, fuck off.)

[applexcore]

103. hear**

[Binka]

169. Go Navy! Daughter Of A Flag Officer And Mother Of A Marine Critically Wounded In Ramadi

Niece of two Naval Captains, ex wife of an F-14 pilot, I say GO NAVY!

[mbperrin]

58. The captain is safe and uninjured.

Great!

:)

[Haole Girl]

59. Good. That is the proper response. (nt)

[joshcryer]

64. Indeed, no amount of handwaving and dancing around can change that fact.

Brute force was necessary, and it worked.

[FailureToCommunicate]

97. All the negotiators who worked round the clock to bring this about would probably disagree...

[christx30]

171. I didn't see

the part where the negotiators got the pirates to surrender. And the part where the pirates were about to surrender their prisoner. Just the part where brute force got the pirates absolutely flattened without us giving money to criminals.
I mean.. I did see the part where pirates briefly took control of a US ship before 3 of them were stopped by brute force and not negotiated with. And I did see where the Capt. Philips got tired of waiting for the negotiations and made a break for it, with the US Navy protecting him and mowing down the guys that wanted to kill him.
The Navy showed strength. Stopped the bad guys. Freed the hostage. And now the pirates are going to think twice about attacking a US ship.
Now is the time to get the land locations of pirate bases from the two guys they captured, and flatten them and rescue the rest of the hostages and get the captured ships back and put those guys out of business.
And all without negotiations, ransoms, or bribes (unless it's "I'll give you an hour of extra television tonight if you tell us where in Eyl they are").

[FailureToCommunicate]

188. Been watching too many Death Wish movies have we? You are completely full of

crap and I mean that in a most sincere way. Honestly, don't apply for any State Department jobs any time soon, at least in the real world.
Enjoy your virtual victories from the comfort of your moms basement.

[christx30]

217. I do live in the real world

and with people like this, negotiation does not work.
So enjoy paying millions in ransom and making criminals stronger. I'd rather just rid the world of their kind.
Enjoy your tut tut tutting and capitulating to criminals. People like you make muggers very happy.

[FailureToCommunicate]

222. You'd " rather just rid the world of their kind."? Do you own guns? All I was saying

was that in the real world of kidnapping for ransom -which is the desperate game these 'pirates' have been playing- they use negotiators all the time because the ones
kidnapped and their loved ones want them back alive. Your method of going in guns blazing is much more satisfying but much less successful. If your wife or mom were the one with
a Mossberg taped to her head would you still think negotiation is only for wimps? Oh and by the way, as you're toasting the Navy sharpshooters, that had time to set-up and figure out who to
target because of days of talk by professional hostage negotiators, those guys will be quietly moving on to the next life saving assignment...

[christx30]

224. Those pirates

were not going to give up. Out of fuel, with two navy ships around them, with no hope of rescue, they were demanding $2 million in ransom for Phillips. And the pirates KNOW that most of the world will gladly pay the ransom, which encourages this crap. But if more of the kidnappers would die, rather than get paid, In my mind, negotiations are good for one thing: distracting the gunmen long enough for snipers or rescuers to get into place. Giving them money just encourages them to kidnap people and hijack ships.
Are you mad that this case ended up like it did with 3 dead kidnappers, the victim freed?
Put yourself in the mindset of these guys. You see the US flagged ship and a Russian flagged ship what goes through your mind? The Russians will pay the ransom. The Americans will arrest us if we're lucky, but mostly likely slaughter us.

[FailureToCommunicate]

228. Okay Rambo, but don't complain when Uncle Sam wants you to pay for all the increased

military presence there to try and deter what has been up to this point piracy on only a tiny fraction of the regular cargo traffic through this region. Don't complain when next time the
SEALS aren't quite as lucky and the lone hero hostage is killed by the pirates anyway. Then the mindset of the pirates -which you seem to know- will be what? "Gee, we took on the whole US Navy and they couldn't
stop our crimes. Let's board any ship."
Oh and by the way, I'm not "mad it turned out this way"
I AM mad that for days the right wing-nut commentators,including "fair and balanced" Fox news, were accusing Obama of being everything from Carter Wimp to
Chamberlain (Nazi) Appeaser. So much for supporting our troops and their CIC. Hypocrites.

[christx30]

230. More does need to be done

to protect the shipping lanes. And that, to me, means giving the merchant ships permission to carry weapons on board their ships, as well as reinforcing ships against attack.
Right now the pirates attack ships because they are highly vulnerable. What would happen is they were headed toward a ship and started receiving .50 cal fire from the bow or stern of the ship? They would probably either turn around and leave the ship alone or they would sink to the bottom of the Aden.
That way, the shipping companies are paying for their own protection and not the American tax payer. Plus, there is less risk that the crews of the ships will be taken hostage.
What alternative do you propose? Continue paying these people millions in bribes and ransoms? Allowing them to use the money to buy better weapons and more ammunition or armor for their ships? That would make the problem much worse than it already is.

[slackmaster]

231. Eh? The outcome is just fine.

US Navy 3
Pirates 0
Hostage freed unharmed.

[AlbertCat]

194. Brute force was necessary, and it worked.

There was nothing "brute" about the force. It worked because it wasn't "brute".

[OneBlueSky]

233. the fact that force (brute or otherwise) was necessary, and that it worked, . . .

is no reason to celebrate by waving the flag and shouting "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" like this was the hockey team beating the Russians or something . . . the force WAS necessary, and it DID work -- and that's all . . . nationalism and patriotism are already such destructive forces in world affairs that maybe we should save the flag waving for parades and football games and such . . .

[OKNancy]

60. Off topic.. a little navel-gazing about LBN

I think there must be a higher-class crowd who read and comment in LBN because of all the threads on DU today about this subject, this one is the most positive and has a little fun thrown in. No cranky conspiracy stuff etc.
Good job!!

[Crabby Appleton]

61. Good job, Navy! nt

[someone else]

65. Get the motherships

I thought I read that during this affair, we knew where the mothership was. I hope we confronted it the minute the captain was safe.

[MrPerson]

62. Would ya know if they were sent to Davy Jones Locker? Yarrrrrr!!!

[spindrifter]

63. Thank God!! And thank God for the SEALS!

[Hulk]

67. Story from Crooks and Liars....what the media is NOT telling you....

What The International Media Aren't Telling You About Somalia Pirates
By Susie Madrak Sunday Apr 12, 2009 6:30am Johann Hari from The Independent:

In 1991, the government of Somalia collapsed. Its nine million people have been teetering on starvation ever since – and the ugliest forces in the Western world have seen this as a great opportunity to steal the country's food supply and dump our nuclear waste in their seas.

Yes: nuclear waste. As soon as the government was gone, mysterious European ships started appearing off the coast of Somalia, dumping vast barrels into the ocean. The coastal population began to sicken. At first they suffered strange rashes, nausea and malformed babies. Then, after the 2005 tsunami, hundreds of the dumped and leaking barrels washed up on shore. People began to suffer from radiation sickness, and more than 300 died.

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN envoy to Somalia, tells me: "Somebody is dumping nuclear material here. There is also lead, and heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury – you name it." Much of it can be traced back to European hospitals and factories, who seem to be passing it on to the Italian mafia to "dispose" of cheaply. When I asked Mr Ould-Abdallah what European governments were doing about it, he said with a sigh: "Nothing. There has been no clean-up, no compensation, and no prevention."

At the same time, other European ships have been looting Somalia's seas of their greatest resource: seafood. We have destroyed our own fish stocks by overexploitation – and now we have moved on to theirs. More than $300m-worth of tuna, shrimp, and lobster are being stolen every year by illegal trawlers. The local fishermen are now starving. Mohammed Hussein, a fisherman in the town of Marka 100km south of Mogadishu, told Reuters: "If nothing is done, there soon won't be much fish left in our coastal waters."

This is the context in which the "pirates" have emerged. Somalian fishermen took speedboats to try to dissuade the dumpers and trawlers, or at least levy a "tax" on them. They call themselves the Volunteer Coastguard of Somalia – and ordinary Somalis agree. The independent Somalian news site WardheerNews found 70 per cent "strongly supported the piracy as a form of national defence".

No, this doesn't make hostage-taking justifiable, and yes, some are clearly just gangsters – especially those who have held up World Food Programme supplies. But in a telephone interview, one of the pirate leaders, Sugule Ali: "We don't consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits those who illegally fish and dump in our seas." William Scott would understand.

Did we expect starving Somalians to stand passively on their beaches, paddling in our toxic waste, and watch us snatch their fish to eat in restaurants in London and Paris and Rome? We won't act on those crimes – the only sane solution to this problem – but when some of the fishermen responded by disrupting the transit-corridor for 20 per cent of the world's oil supply, we swiftly send in the gunboats.

You can read the United Nations report here.

I wonder which principled member of our corporate media will point out that, in the big picture, the Somali pirates are acting in self-defense?

[Jester Messiah]

73. Even so.

Taking hostages for ransom is not an appropriate response. It reduces the true grievances of Somalia to a fig leaf. The pirates have received their due.

[FightingIrish]

76. Captain Phillips is not responsible for the plight of Somalia

The U.S. did not act precipitously and gave the pirates ample opportunity to exit. It is sad that the best possible outcome, given the pirates refusal to release Captain Phillips and threats to kill him, involved bloodshed. A possible outcome from this event is that the world will focus on the plight of Somalia. We have a president who is capable of turning this situation into a good outcome for the people of Somalia rather than another "crusade" against evildoers.

[Pavulon]

75. Yeah that captian doing his job had nothing to do with that..

Somalia is a failed state. It has been failed before we whent there to feed people and got distracted and will remain failed.

[razorman]

79. In fact, the Maersk Alabama was supposedly carrying food aid

for Africans.

[margotb822]

78. We'll never solve the pirate problem without a true Somali government

Yes, we handled this situation, but handling the pirates on an individual basis will never solve the problem. There is no coast guard to protect Somali waters, and for many years the Somali fishermen banded together to protect themselves. This is the direct result of anarchic conditions.

[JayMusgrove]

88. Yes, I agree, this is why anarchy is not a valid

political philosophy.

Nor is libertarianism, either, in my view.

This incident will beckon in some form of international rule in Somalia, IMO. We will see Obama leading the world into some new international rule of Somalia and of the sea.

[ShareTheWoods]

95. there will always be pirate/terrorist sympathizers

They will try to paint the victims of terror as deserving their crisis. It's good to have the sympathizers
around to add humor to an otherwise sad and serious situation.

[Trajan]

106. Separate issues ....

While those issues are legitimate, I greatly doubt the pirates are using their ill gotten gains for environmental cleanup, or for food to feed the starving masses ....

One can always look upstream for some peripheral 'cause' to criminal behaviour, but there is no direct nexus that can be demonstrated between ocean dumping-overfishing and simple acts of piracy ...

There is no difference between these pirates and the other pirates of history .... It is robbery and extortion, and those crimes stand on their own outside of weak attempts at mitigation ....

[WinstonSmith4740]

179. Fabulous outcome!

"While those issues are legitimate, I greatly doubt the pirates are using their ill gotten gains for environmental cleanup, or for food to feed the starving masses ...."

Excellent point, Trajan. They also don't seem to be using the millions of dollars they've received so far trying to show the world the environmental damage being done to their country and it's water. I don't care what's going on in their country, they had their chance back in the early 90's to join the international community, and chose to side with the war lords. Did they think there would be another outcome?

So, way to go everyone, from the Seals to the Navy to the support personnel, to everyone involved up to and including Obama. THIS is how it's done.

I do have one nagging question though, and it's been working me for a while, back to when I first started hearing about the "Somali pirates" in the news a few months back. Why in the hell are these people being sent into these waters un-armed? How the hell do a few men "armed with AK-47's" do this stuff? Why do the crews of these boats only have things like fire hoses to try to keep these pirates off their ship? Somehow I think if they were able to use, I don't know, flame throwers instead, those grappling hooks wouldn't be thrown over the railings. Actually, these guys want to play pirate? I'm sure we have some kind of weapondry that could blow them out of the water at 500 yards.

The last time I felt like this, I was asking myself, "How do you hijack a plane using box cutters?" and "Damn, that building collapse looked like every other controlled demolition I've ever seen.":tinfoilhat:

[Johnyawl]

110. fuck the Somalis...

...We tried to help them in '92 & and '93; established some control over their capitol, launched a large scale humanitarian effort to feed them, and set about trying to help them rebuild their nation. When the warlords that had broken the country tried to steal the food the UN was handing out and sell it to the starving population, it turned into a war between UN forces and the warlords, and the population rallied to the side of the warlords. And the UN pulled out. Had the population supported the UN forces, and fought the warlords they would have had an effective government to deal with the depradations that followed. They have the 'government' they wanted, which is no government. So fuck 'em. As far as I'm concerned we should sweep that coast from the Horn of Africa to the Kenyan border and break everything that floats. And then shoot on sight anybody floating out to sea on so much as a log.

[eauclaireliberal]

232. That is why I am all for a joint effort

With the Royal Navy, French Navy, and the U.S. to create a submarine patrol net. We DO have the hardware. We need to use it. To protect us and our allies and everyone's economic interests.

As for the argument about international waters? We have done naval escorts before. Everyone is stuck in this shit world economy, freight must move. This is defensive, not meaningless offense. Unlike the GOPtards, we need to be aiming our guns in the right direction.

The world knows we are stretched beyond our limits military-wise. This should not come as to a surprise to no one. Well, except for the right-turds. They seem to think our troops are obligated to some righteous crusade to fight and die for.

[quakerboy]

116. Wait... so Europe is dumping toxic waste, then fishing there?

Anyone see a flaw in this?

[MNBrewer]

147. we're dumping nuclear waste AND taking the fish?

Doesn't sound too bright. I don't believe that both are occurring, although, it could be I suppose.

[Historic NY]

172. Exactly when you look into the internet story its always the same people,

same story, nuclear waste became radioactive medical waste, then the Italian mafia. It is acknowledged that some stuff went off a ship in high seas. There is no evidence to suggest that any other country in the immediate area is experiencing problems due to dumping in the shipping channels. Fish do swim out of the area. The story goes way back to when the War Lords were letting dumping in-country to occur. If anyone is guilty is their own people. Hell New Jersey has medical waste and crap washing up on its shores all the time. It seems the same story is repeated over and over. People are complaining because the media haven't picked up the story. I don't think anyone is going in country to check because the area is unstable. A lot more work need to be done to verify the story and MSM isn't going in to do it.

[wordpix]

211. "Fish do swim out of the area." Yes, and where to? Sewage spills, chemical & cruise ship dumps

ghost nets, draggers, drift nets miles long...there is really nowhere else for fish to go except the way of extinction unless we DO SOMETHING to protect them.

[Regret My New Name]

175. If the water is extremely polluted and radioactive, then why are people fishing those waters?

[Regret My New Name]

176. Ok, I see I'm not the only one who saw that. :P

[wordpix]

208. do you actually think anyone is testing the fish for radioactive contamination?

not likely. The US couldn't even test contaminated baby food from China, for godssake.

[wordpix]

206. that is interesting, indeed - but "nukes are safe" is the corporate raiders' mantra

yeah, real safe. There's always blowback for any dirty business.

[muryan]

220. Murder is reasonable self defense against speculated dumping

Absolutely baffling.

[SpartanDem]

71. Good job Navy

3 fewer assholes for us to deal with in the future.

[ecstatic]

72. I was beginning to think the ransom should be paid

to get the Captain back alive. This sounds like a decent result as far as the Captain being saved and a message being sent to potential pirates. It could have turned out *really* bad though.

[FailureToCommunicate]

100. Sure, they could have used TARP bailout 'funny money' Not just for rich bankers

[IndianaGreen]

82. Photo of Captain of USS Bainbridge shaking Captain Phillips hand after rescue

The media is showing a photo of Captain Phillips after his rescue, shaking the hand of an unnamed sailor.

The sailor in question is the captain of the USS Bainbridge, Commander Frank X. Castellano. Cmdr Castellano is wearing Phillips's cap, while Phillips is wearing Castellano's cap.

His picture and bio is here:

http://www.bainbridge.navy.mil/site%20pages/coc.aspx

Commander Frank X. Castellano graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1990 earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in History.

His sea duty assignments include OI Division Officer, Auxilliaries Officer, and Communications Officer in USS ANZIO (CG-68); Operations Officer in USS COLE (DDG-67); Commanding Officer in USS CHINOOK (PC 9); and Executive Officer in USS DONALD COOK (DDG-75).

Ashore, he served as an Associate Fellow to the Chief Of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group XVI and as a Surface Warfare Lieutenant Commander - Commander Assignments Officer, Navy Personnel Command (PERS 41).

He has attended the Naval Postgraduate School, earning a Master Of Science Degree in Systems Technology (Joint Command, Control, Communcations, Computers, and Intelligence), and the United States Naval War College, earning Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.

His personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Navy-Marine Corpsm Commendation Medal (three awards), and various campaign and service ribbons.

[JayMusgrove]

83. A Happy Easter for everyone!

Mass Maritime Academy is so proud.

News now coming from Mass and VT, where the captain schooled and where he lived.

I am impressed with the Admiral Rick Gurnon...from Mass Maritime Academy who remembers all the OTHER people held hostage in Somalia.

I think Obama should speak before sunset.

Thankfully this is the first minor military victory for the Obama administration.

[stray cat]

84. Welcome home Captain Phillips

[Historic NY]

90. Go Navy, Go Merchants......huzzah Seals. Happy Easter to all.

[Drunken Irishman]

91. Good and I'm glad they were killed.

[AlbertCat]

197. I'm glad they were killed.

What?!! GLAD?


This "revenge" mentality is killing the USA!

[rollin74]

93. Great News

Outstanding job by the U.S. Navy!

:patriot:

[sandrakae]

99. Boy he is one scrappy dude.

Captain Phillips is amazing. He never gave up and continued to try to escape.

[JayMusgrove]

104. I'm trying to understand what the heck happened.

Just getting little clips and bits of detail.

Did he try to swim again?

Did the sharpshooters kill 3 pirates in that boat or what?

I'm misssing the details, and I wonder if both CNN and MSNBC, and all other news networks don't have it either.

Anybody have a source link for the details, or is everyone just speculating?

[Egnever]

163. Agreed that Captain is a real hero.

Cant wait to hear his story if he tells it.

[Kajsa]

101. That is excellent news!

I'm so glad he is safe.

:)

[muriel_volestrangler]

102. ABC: "one pirate has been killed and three are in custody" according to Navy

http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=7318145&page=1

which is better.

[JayMusgrove]

105. Every other network has the numbers the other way around... what's up with

ABC?

Do they have "Rovian Math"?

[JayMusgrove]

107. No, you have it backwards,

"three pirates have been killed and one was in custody" direct text in the link you provided.

[muriel_volestrangler]

They've corrected it - it used to read this:

Shame.

[JayMusgrove]

128. Well, thanks! I know you were not lying, Just can't always trust

the media to get the facts right in the first 48 hours, I have found.

I hope someone loses their job over that mistake, but I doubt it will happen. Everyone makes mistakes.

[OKNancy]

109. MSNBC gal said Obama ordered military action

I think I'd like to find a link to verify though

[OKNancy]

118. Obama approved force to rescue pirate hostage

WASHINGTON (AP) — Administration officials say President Barack Obama approved the military operation that rescued a U.S. captain held hostage by Somali pirates.
The officials say Obama ordered the Defense Department to use military resources to rescue Richard Phillips from a lifeboat off the Somali coast.
The officials discussed this information on the condition of anonymity because they were not yet authorized to disclose the president's decision-making process.
Obama praised the captain for his bravery and courage. The president also said the United States needs help from other countries to deal with the threat of piracy and to hold pirates accountable.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iqznz3bUMKIUbrDYAUHHuMQ4vyJAD97H45GO1

[President Decider]

111. *** MESSAGE TO OBAMA BASHERS ***

To those of you Chuck Norris "knee jerk reaction" types that have been busting President OBama's balls on the handling of this situtation over the past few days ... I say to you:

UP YOUR'S! .... YOU CLOWNS!

Once again Obama takes a cool, careful, and calculating "DO IT ONCE, DO IT RIGHT" approach to solve a problem

[JayMusgrove]

131. MOST MASTERFUL post of the week! And to the Chuck Norris fakes

Ever since Obama smacked you with his diplomacy a week ago, and got cheers all over Europe, you Chuck Norris fans need to go take your head out of your rear ends.

[BeatleBoot]

112. U.S. Navy Seals

You just don't mess with them.

Friggin' studs.

A better outcome than I had expected on this Easter Sunday.

[FightingIrish]

117. When I was stationed at NAS North Island the seals hung out

in a bar in Coronado. I took everyone's advice and crossed the street rather than walk by the front door of the bar. You didn't mess with the seals even when they were relaxing.

[LongTomH]

115. U.S. Navy, I raise my glass to you!

Good job, well done! I'm having a toast with good Irish whiskey!:toast:

[Old Vet]

122. Maybe.......

They will start carrying weapons to defend themselves? Good job navy, And our President.

[eauclaireliberal]

120. It think it would be a good time for a joint effort with the RN and the U.S. Navy...

...to set up an effective net of submarine patrols in the Indian ocean. For good.

[jimnasium]

121. Never a doubt in my mind...

That our country would come through here.

Great job by all in executing this operation successfully!

[Optical.Catalyst]

124. What could these pirates have been thinking?

They hijack the Marersk Alabama, and the crew proceeds to kick their butts and toss them adrift in an un-powered boat. The pirates renege on a deal to exchange hostages and become the focus of the world press.

After a couple of days, a U.S. Navy surface combatant shows up (operating cost of about a million dollars a day) and advises them to surrender 'or else!'

Did the pirates think they were going to win this one? Did they think the could make a clean get-a-way?

They must have been mesmerized by the thought of being the lead story in "Dumb Crook News".

[eauclaireliberal]

126. MORE PROOF of Bush's failed policies

Regions like this are where the REAL threats are. Not some Muslim "evil-doers" dreamed-up in a Texas boardroom of an oil company. So much for right-wing superiority in defense!

These thugs might have figured that because after 9-11 Bush couldn't find Bin Laden if he had a foot up W's ass that anyone who may be associated with the U.S. is easy-pickings.

[JayMusgrove]

130. No more "PROOF" is needed.

I am sorry, but we know that 8 years of a failed Bush Presidency, we all should know by now...that Bush was a total failure from the day the US Supreme Court declared Bush the winner despite 500,000 more votes for Gore.

[eauclaireliberal]

133. His policies have been eight-years of entertainment for extremists like bin Laden

...I'm sure Osama been laughing has ass off since 2003.

[JayMusgrove]

139. Since September 11, 2001, actually

Ever since then, every day was a laugh a minute for OBL, until the USA woke up and elected a real leader.

I bet, if OBL is still really alive, (how hard is it to find someone that height who needed kidney treatment in Pakistan or somewhere?)

IF he is still alive, he's getting more and more desperate every day....knowing Obama is in charge and going after Osama.

[inwiththenew]

129. Bravo SEALS, bravo

Excellent work. Navy SEALs are the real deal. How long until someone tries to buy the movie/tv rights from this guy?

[rasputin1952]

135. Most excellent News...

Watching the Press asking ?'s on MSNBC...some of them are a tad ridiculaous, but that is to be expected...:hi:

[Zambero]

137. Next up from Hannity, Beck, Coulter, Limpballs, et al:

That Obama deliberately approved this successful operation in order to exploit it for cheap political gain. They must be extremely disappointed right about now.

The wingnuts' loss is a blessed relief for Phillips and his family!

[JayMusgrove]

140. Rush Limpballs will now sound like the ACLU... why did the US kill

innocent pirates who only wanted to make a profit in a free economy?

Yeah, I can hear it all now.

Let's have Rush do a show from a lifeboat with some millions of his dollars on board from 100 feet off the coast of Somalia.

[onehandle]

141. Good. nt

[bkkyosemite]

144. Capt of the Bainbridge says: That they saw the shoulders of the pirates and a

weapon that was being held on the Capt. And the Navy Seals shot and killed the Pirates and the Capt was tied up. They untied him and got him clear. So they shot the Pirates I think while the Capt was still in the life raft. Close quarters and they shot these Pirates while on the Bainbridge. Still kind of rough draft...

President Obama gave the order as a standing order if Capt. in imminent danger.

[JayMusgrove]

145. I'm sorry, It's TIME for OBAMA to GO ON TV!!!!!!!!!!

We have victory, a moment of "mission accomplished".....let's use it.

At least by tomorrow morning, we need our President, our Navy, our people to celebrate!

Let's see this in the next 24 hours PLEASE! Obama needs this to screw Fox News and say, "I am commander, now"

[ohio2007]

150. you looking for a "Bring it on" moment ?

The pirate threat remains. There are still about 300 prisoners held in Somalia. I'm sure the # would increase if you embolden "the pirates" to put out their own video press release.

jmo
The investigation continues

[ohio2007]

148. So whats the status of the "pirate" still alive? Is he being advised what to say by his attorney?

The navy seals pounced on the 2nd chance the captain gave them.

Where do we send the cards and flowers to the family of the dead pirates?

Hope we get answers.

[TheCowsCameHome]

151. That's great news. Congrats to the rescuers and Capt. Phillips.

I had a feeling the SEALS were going to come into play.

[Swede Atlanta]

154. I did not doubt this would be the outcome.....

When we allow the military to do what they are trained to do our forces are second to none in this world. Unfortunately our troops are often used as political cannon fodder. The Reichwing were criticizing Obama for not making any comments about this situation. I had a feeling there was something more afoot. The naval assets brought in really had nothing to do with the situation other than to provide a staging ground for the Seals. Go Navy!!

[L. Coyote]

155. Can we catch Osama now?

[Kingofalldems]

158. Freeper teabaggers are very upset now

Guarantee you they were hoping for a different outcome.

[JayMusgrove]

160. I would like to see some of these Freepers actually

teabag........and show their face while they teabag.... if you know what teabagging actually means.

Let's make sure 1000 of these guys and girls get their pictures taken on April 15 with their mouths open... let's make sure the next day we show them actually "teabagging" on here.. and invite the Freepers over here to see the pictures.

[johnhannahthree]

214. Here is a sample from "brilliant"

To: bimboeruption
I know you’re all wondering what Obama’s role in all this was. Here’s the anwer:

“The negotiations between the elders and American officials have broken down. The reason is American officials wanted to arrest the pirates in Puntland and elders refused the arrest of the pirates,” said the commissioner...

In other words, the only reason why we have a favorable outcome is that the Somalis would not let Obama have his way.

24 posted on Sunday, April 12, 2009 1:14:06 PM by Brilliant

[JeanGrey]

159. Well done. It's about time.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

162. Yay! People were killed!

:party:

[razorman]

185. At least they were people who deserved it.

[davidpdx]

166. When people were fretting over this whole thing

I said, "let the military do their job". I love it when I'm right.

[JayMusgrove]

170. So do I.. I think the US Military is the best ever!

I am happy that the US Navy solved this problem. I am also glad this happened under Obama.

Now Obama will start an international force to stop piracy, and solve Somalia's problems...........something Bush never dared do.

[Deep13]

167. Obama aces first military test. nt

[Flatulo]

168. What a great outcome - Obama handled this perfectly.

Thomas Jefferson would be uber-proud.

[MissDeeds]

173. So glad the captain is safe

It was wonderfully heroic that he offered himself as a hostage in place of his crew. Wow. What a story. Thank heaven there are heroes like Captain Phillips - and the Navy seals that brought him to safety.

K&R :party:

[cherish44]

177. Let the negotiations for the book deal and movie begin

and you bet your ass I'll read it and go it...What an amazing story! So glad the good guys triumphed and the Captain Phillips was rescued on this Easter Sunday.

[quakerboy]

180. Too bad Obama turned this oportunity into a tradgedy

by not acting swiftly to combat this menace.

[FightingIrish]

182. Did you lose your sarcasm thingy?

[quakerboy]

184. If you have to put it in, you might as well not post.

Edited to add "I refuse to negotiate with the humorless"

[ManiacJoe]

196. Extremely bad advice for a text-only format.

Since there is no voice inflection nor body language, the lack of appropriate tags all but guarantees you will be taken literally as it is the norm in a text only forum.

[harun]

181. Wow, SEALS know how to get it done.

[havocmom]

193. Look for Navy recruiters to have a good week

Do NOT mess with the Seals. Those guys are tough.

[DFW]

195. I know what to do with the fourth pirate

Offer to exchange him for the hostages and ships presently being held, and if
the pirates refuse, threaten to send them Ann Coulter in reprisal.

[slackmaster]

225. Nice

:hi:

[backscatter712]

199. VICTORY!!!

One hostage rescued, three Kalashnikov-toting scumbags popped like zits.

What's not to celebrate?

:party: :toast: :bounce:

[AnnieBW]

200. WOOT!

Go Navy!

:yourock: :woohoo: :applause: :patriot:

[sarcasmo]

204. Glad they didn't negotiate.

[FailureToCommunicate]

229. You're...kidding right? They had negotiators talking for days. Even if the talks broke down

it gave the Navy time to get "assets" in position.

[Liberty Belle]

209. Good for Obama. Dems have long born the blame for Carter's botched rescue of US hostages in Iran.

This certainly should reassure those who think Dems are weak on national security or can't be strong military leaders when called for.

Bravo to the seals and to our Commander in Chief for pulling this off so adeptly.

[wordpix]

212. of course- it was all Carter's fault that big sandstorm blew in, causing the botched mission

:sarcasm:

[RandomThoughts]

210. There is a good comment made by a Maratime Spokesman

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/12/somalia.pirates/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Without celebrating the death of the pirates, the news of the rescue of the Captain and the efforts of the people that accomplished that is really great.

It seems it was handled really well, the comment by the Officer seemed to say that they had maintained control over the situation, leading to such a good outcome to the situation.

[ButterflyBlood]

215. Great news and I can't believe some of the replies

Mostly the delusion that the pirates are some sort of freedom fighters against the west. The pirates are nothing more than common criminals, comparable to the Mafia except with loss honor. If anyone seriously thinks the end of the waste dumping will end piracy in the region...:rofl:

[MrSlayer]

216. Excellent news.

Now perhaps it's time to free the remaining hostages and sink the rest of the pirates.

[quaker bill]

218. Anyone who thought

that President Obama would flinch before pulling the trigger has not been paying much attention. My understanding is that an ultimatum was delivered, the pirates did not respond, they died.

I took the man dead serious when he said that if he ever gets OBL in his sights, he will not hesitate. As long as the President first makes a good faith and obvious attempt to settle things like this without the use of deadly force, he has nothing at all to lose sending in the seals.

While I do not favor the use of deadly force personally, I am assured by the feeling that unlike Bush, President Obama will at least get the right guys in the cross hairs before acting.

[llmart]

221. Now THAT'S a real Commander in Chief.

President Obama will get more kudos for this. The freepers who wish for him to fail are irrelevant.

[underpants]

223. BREAKING NEWS-Obama gave the okay twice (Friday and Saturday)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3828519&mesg_id=3828519

[tiddlywinks]

234. i want to see pictures

are there pix? can i has pix? play by play? pirates, dead or alive?
action shots??

(i gotta go back to work now-will chk later thanks)
happy day!!!!!!!!!
cheers!!!!!!

[ohio2007]

236. Teen piracy suspect raises legal, moral issues ( not yet )

gotta wait til the swelling goes down on the punk ass kids face


jmo









WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. officials, in deciding how to handle the lone surviving pirate from the hostage-taking of an American ship captain, must weigh the violence of the suspect's actions against his surprisingly young age.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday the four pirates were between 17 and 19 years old.

Authorities had previously put the surviving Somali suspect's age at somewhere from 16 to 20.
snip



http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97HQFGO1&show_article=1

I guess they failed to become lieutenants