Happy Easter, Courtesy USN
By Mitch Berg
I don’t normally blog on Easter, but I read this, and had to sound off
This time, when Captain Phillips jumped overboad, the Navy was ready. Three pirates are now chum, and Captain Phillips is free.
An American ship captain was freed unharmed Sunday in a swift firefight that killed three of the four Somali pirates who had been holding him for days in a lifeboat off the coast of Africa, the ship’s owner said and a U.S. official said.A senior U.S. intelligence official said a pirate who had been involved in negotiations to free Capt. Richard Phillips but who was not on the lifeboat was in custody.
His crew was duly happy:
When Phillips’ crew heard the news aboard their ship in the port of Mombasa, they placed an American flag over the rail of the top of the Maersk Alabama and whistled and pumped their fists in the air. Crew fired a bright red flare into the sky from the ship.
Thank God and the US Navy. And God Bless America.
NOTE: There are two kinds of people in the world who still know Morse Code; old sailors, and Special Forces signal operators (and, I guess, Navy signalmen, now that I think about it…OK. Three kinds of people in the world who still know Morse Code, as well as people who took their ham radio license before about 1997…Four kinds of people who still know Morse Code…)
OK. From the top; here’s a fearless prediction: five’ll get you ten when this story is finally told, it’ll involve someone surreptitiously signalling to Phillips “let’s do a mulligan on that whole ‘jumping from the boat’ thing; we’ll be ready this time”.
Just a prediction. Not putting any money on it.
April 12th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
It’s great to hear the captain is safe.
While Obama twiddled his thumbs trying to negotiate, these guys got it done. Right? http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009028012_apuspiracyobama.html
April 12th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Best joke of the day:
The USN sent the Somali pirates some Easter Seals.
April 12th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Ah yes, the ever present “officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity”. Scary stuff. Obama brave!
April 12th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Stoo,
Not sure what you’re getting at. I’m not bagging on Obama. I mean, the Somalis had broken off negotiations and were drifting toward their friendly territory; some situations would seem too obvious to miss.
PBO did the right thing Kudos. Remember – even Jimmy Carter eventually authorized force; thank God Obama inherited a military capable of carrying out the mission, and a fairly manageable situation.
This time.
At any rate – attaboys and attagirls to all involved.
April 12th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Now that that’s taken care of, the next question is whether anything will be done to the pirates’ bases of operations. Rescuing Capt. Phillips is a great thing. Putting the fear of God in the pirates is a better thing.
April 12th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Obama should have sent the pirates a videotaped bow and a nice basket of Changey-Hopey.
April 12th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Yeah, he was thinking of doing that, Shiftee. Instead, he sent in the Navy and authorized the SEALs to kill the African pirates. Boy, reality just keeps kicking you kooks in the balls these days, eh shithead?
April 12th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
LOVED that joke about Obama reaching out to the “moderate pirates,” Mitch. Of course the punchline shoulda been WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE.
Smoke ’em out!
April 12th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Obama should have sent the pirates a videotaped bow and a nice basket of Changey-Hopey.
That’s what I was getting at. The idea that Obama would let them get away or kill the hostage rather than attack that was the theme of the last post on the subject.
April 13th, 2009 at 9:26 am
A shame it didn’t work out for ya, DiscoStooj. But real Americans like Angryclown are happy it turned out the way it did.