Easter SEALs
By Mitch Berg
Of course not all of the world’s intractable problems can be solved by sending in the commandos.
But it’s nice to know that when when we need to – no matter who our leader is…:
Right before his rescue, Richard Phillips, the 53-year-old captain of the Maersk Alabama, was being held in a capsule-like lifeboat in the Gulf of Aden. The pirates, armed with AK-47s and small-caliber pistols, were pointing the rifle at the captain, Vice Admiral William E. Gortney said at a news conference in Washington. The situation amounted to “imminent danger,” the vice admiral said, noting that the Navy had standing orders from President Obama to attack if the captain’s life were in jeopardy.
A little after 7 p.m. in Somalia (which is seven hours ahead of Eastern time) , U.S. special forces aboard the U.S.S. Bainbridge shot and killed the pirates from 25 to 30 meters away, the vice admiral said, and pulled the captain from the water…
…“I’m just the byline. The real heroes are the Navy, the Seals, those who have brought me home,” Phillips said, according to John Reinhart, the Maersk Line president and chief executive. A Navy photograph showed Mr. Phillips shaking hands with the commanding officer of the Bainbridge.
…that we can.
April 12th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Wow, looks like the president handled this one just fine. A shame for you America-haters, of course. You were rooting for the captain’s death so you could blame President Obama (“no matter who our leader is…” – mighty white of you, Mitch!) Nice try – blaming the president for failure, praising the SEALs for success. But Angryclown won’t let you get away with it.
Angryclown knows you wingnuts are too twisted by ideology to actually root for a Democratic president to succeed. Unfortunately you’ll also have to hope that the teens who came of age during the Shrub Residency prefer stupid, boastful incompetence over cool, understated success.
Mission accomplished!
April 12th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Angry Clown, you are not a psychic, you are a . . . clown.
Shouldn’t you be sweeping up elephant manure in the big top? Who let you near a computer?
April 12th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I recall a few years back a test of the 20,000 pound “mother of all bombs”. Perhaps we need to locate the town the the pirates came from and drop “The mother all bombs” in the middle of it.
April 12th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Heehee! That’s your best shot, izzit big guy?
Boy, it’s a good day when a brave ship’s captain, the U.S. military and the president of the US of A take out some bad guys with guns, eh? And on the holiest day on the Christian calendar. A glorious day, truly.
A shame you kooks don’t quite feel that way.
April 12th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Well, all’s well that ends well.
OTOH, some criticism of PBO’s performance is starting to surface. Something about two previous openings for rescue attempts being scrubbed d/t POTUS’ desire for “peaceful solutions”.
I’m not inclined to quibble – everyone but the pirates are safe. But the next crisis might not give him three shots at the right answer.
April 12th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Angryclown knows you wingnuts are too twisted by ideology to actually root for a Democratic president to succeed.
Wrong!
When American lives are at stake, I think we all are with the Prez.
Just as even most Democrats were after 9/11.
Not everything is an excuse for political snark.
April 12th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Just because you lefty Sadam lovers wanted Bush to fail in Iraq does not mean that conservatives want Obama to fail in defending this country.
Most conservatives love the USA for what it is, not because it has the potential to be . . . more progressive. Conservatives don’t hate their country when the other party is in charge. Liberals do.
April 12th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
I know you extremists hate those “peaceful solutions.” They’re the kind of thing that people like, say, real Christians, root for. Not always possible, of course. But for you neo-Stalinist wingnut types, it’s the propaganda – not the actual outcome – that matters. So it’s gotta be a sad day for you. Angryclown feels your pain.
April 12th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
cool, understated success
Followed by deafening silence. Suffice to say the Current Occupant has shaken Islamic terrorists to their very core. I expect the Taliban to capitulate by tea-time tomorrow.
April 12th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
One step at a time, Kerm. He’s only been president three months. A nice win today, though, dontcha think? Three-zip shutout, USA over Somali pirates and their right-wing “American” fans.
April 12th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
A lot of traffic on Mitch’s blog, late on a Sunday night.
Go to bed, far-right anti-Americans. Enjoy the tormented slumber of the traitor!
April 12th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Ah, Angryclown. A one-man show trial!
April 12th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE53A1LP20090412?sp=true
Somali pirates were quick to vow revenge over the shooting of their comrades, as well as a French military assault to rescue a yacht on Friday.
“The French and the Americans will regret starting this killing. We do not kill, but take only ransom. We shall do something to anyone we see as French or American from now,” Hussein, a pirate, told Reuters by satellite phone.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090412/D97H5GRG0.html
Navy Vice Admiral Bill Gortney said at a news conference Sunday that the rescue ending in the pirates’ deaths will likely have a ripple effect.
In Gortney’s words, “This could escalate violence in this part of the world, no question about it.”
He’s only been president three months.
Let’s hope the OJT has been adequate.
April 12th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
I was actually talking to a former Somali pirate a few days ago! “Retired” from it a long time ago, now a Minneapolis cab driver, who drinks beer but I suspect that he maintains contacts in Somalia.
Back five or so years back when he did it the Somali pirates preyed on the locals. Then the Somalis set up an alliance/bribery with the North Koreans and Cubans. The commies harvested far more fish than they said they would so the coastline got very badly over fished. This caused the Somali fisherman to venture farther out into shipping lanes to try to catch fish. The pirates followed and started harassing shipping.
The pirates found this more lucrative than an empty fishing boat (the old piracy when he did it was basically “commandeer the catch” and some valuables on the boat). According to the “pirate emeritus” this turned into an “industry” due to the money of course but also the lack of retaliation.
Over a few more beers I slipped in a few more leading questions and technical details but he stayed in “kabe” so I tend to believe him.
I also assumed he had no malice against us but he had communication potential with the current class of pirates. We also had a lengthy discussions about the capabilities and uses of moder n “flying aircraft carriers” (google it) of you are lazy http://newwars.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/amazing-aircraft-carrier-alternatives-flying-aircraft-carriers/
I’ve studied airships for more than 30 years. Airships can be tendered and refueled by marine ships. They can stay on station for days or even weeks at a time without refueling. Their radar is “look down” and can have “line of sight” radius of hundreds of miles.. The aircraft launch and retrieval was refined even for jets in the 1950’s but you don’t exactly need a “supersonic stealth fighter” airplane to counter a pirate boat, just a “weapons platform”. Heck, a diesel engine biplane would do just fine. Also, with an “air drop” launch an airplane can have a far greater takeoff weight, the equivalent of air-refueling “topping off”.
Our “pirate emeritus” listened intently to the details on this. I might have said that it was very early develop but I was acting sort of “drunk” at the time. Again, a lot of technical questions back and forth so I think he was “pumping me for information”.
An even chance the “flying aircraft carriers” might get back to Somalia and the pirates. If the active Somali pirates get in a “tizzy” over it the US communications eavesdropping will pick up “chatter” on this weapon that is so secret that not even the US government knows about it.
We will see if this is what it takes for a US native to communicate and idea to the US government.
April 12th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
This “we liberals love America, you conservatives hate it!” shtick would be a little more believable, Angry Clown, if the guys on your side would wave the flag instead of crapping on it. Or at least not be ashamed of America when the other guys are in charge.
April 12th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Being a zeppelin pilot would be the coolest job in the world.
Even cooler than dinosaur wrangler.
April 13th, 2009 at 6:28 am
I think Angryclown has driven Terry insane.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Being a zeppelin pilot would be the coolest job in the world.
I don’t think the pilot of the Hindenburg would agree with that.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Swap out hydrogen for helium, and it’d be a pretty cool gig.
April 13th, 2009 at 8:23 am
angryclown said:
“But for you neo-Stalinist wingnut types”
Who is more like Stalin now? Please try to be factual if you can’t be funny.
April 13th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Swap out hydrogen for helium, and it’d be a pretty cool gig.
http://www.ciderpresspottery.com/ZLA/greatzeps/american/Akron_Macon.html
I dunno, Mitch — I’d say the only zeppelin pilot who has come out well is Jimmy Page.
April 13th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Assclown’s peacefull solution – “If only we could talk to Hitler!”
April 13th, 2009 at 9:24 am
See Troy, lately you kooks are pretending that lefties are actually fascists. When in fact, you intolerant, hard-right wingnut types are really Nazis *and* Soviet Communists. Show trials at Gitmo, secret prisons, militarism, totalitarian control of what, in free societies, are personal choices. Stalin would be right at home with you wackos. Well, you keep on working to subvert a popularly elected government with your unelected cadre of anti-American leaders like Rush. You can leave it to the rest of us to uphold the American way.
April 13th, 2009 at 9:36 am
When in fact, you intolerant, hard-right wingnut types are really Nazis *and* Soviet Communists.
We’re a floor wax and a dessert topping!
April 13th, 2009 at 9:37 am
“Assclown’s peacefull solution – “If only we could talk to Hitler!””
Pretty sure that guy was taken out by FDR and Stalin, justplainstupid. Meanwhile you midwestern Republican isolationists jumped on board, burned your Bund cards and pretended to have been loyal Americans all along.
April 13th, 2009 at 10:09 am
angryclown said:
“Show trials at Gitmo”
So you really don’t know what a “show trial” is? OK.
You remind me of Kayne West, as portrayed on South Park. Do like fish sticks?
April 13th, 2009 at 10:11 am
“lately you kooks are pretending”
Who’s pretending? Any clown can research and compare Progressives with Fascists. OK, almost any clown. 😉
April 13th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Gee, Trojan Man, I kinda thought they were trials that lack procedural protections and end in a predetermined result, primarily for purposes of propaganda. Of course you wingnuts have your own definition of things. What does your copy of the Pravda stylebook tell you, Trojan?
April 13th, 2009 at 10:15 am
And then FDR proceeded to surrender Eastern Europe to Stalin, which precipitated 50 years of very “constructive” dialog.
April 13th, 2009 at 10:18 am
So every trial had a predetermined outcome? Where did we “pull” this information from, angryclown? “angryclown’s book of pretend information”?
April 13th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Assclown wiped: trials that lack procedural protections
Other then those of a military tribunal? What protections do foreign terrorists deserve? Oh, I am sorry, I did not mean to offend your sensibiities – men who cause disasters?