As the saga of cargo ship Maersk Alabama unfolds along with the fate of Captain Richard Phillips in the Gulf of Aden, undoubtedly the heroism of the American crew will be an integral part of the story. Their ship was taken hostage by Somali pirates, which prompted the customary calls for diplomacy and restraint from Barack Obama’s administration. Pictures and video below.
Somali Pirates Defeated by Maersk Alabama Crew
One wonders if the White House had a plan? What would it be? About the financial crisis members of Obama’s inner circle were quoted as saying every crisis is an opportunity for political gain. This administration seems to openly relish crises, as if feeding from the anguish of out-of-work Americans and out-of-port crews.
Within an hour of the ship’s seizure, Obama’s team was already meeting in their war-room planning how to stage the current crisis. Their first act was to issue a statement saying the Obama administration is “watching closely” and “assessing a course of action.” The new bureaucrats were clearly in charge.
Meanwhile the 21 members of the Maersk Alabama crew were not waiting to find out proper protocol from Washington. They did not even bother calling the American authorities, but instead made a frantic SOS call to their corporate office. Then the men metaphorically stormed the gun rack and surprised the Somali pirates with armed resistance. They took one pirate captive while the others mysteriously landed in the sea. At this hour they still have the captain, Richard Phillips, hostage in their attack boats. But it is the crew themselves negotiating his release rather than Obama’s men.
One pictures the rough men of the Maersk Alabama grizzled from years of the high-seas, wrapped in tattoos, smoking, drinking and swearing their way around the globe. And we reluctantly contrast this Warholian Americana image with an emerging whiny entertainment culture which produced a skinny metro-sexual president who humorously bowled a 63 score while wearing a tie.
What separates this American crew from others is our unique American culture. We are a rugged people of individual responsibility who are culturally empowered to make our own destiny in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. That is our way, the way of all Americans who preceded the rise of Barack Obama’s men and the vaporous allure of sissified socialism. Now with frittering bailout after bailout emanating from our Washington tax dollars, one suspects that the most precious aspect of American culture is dying under the weight of a girlish nanny state.
But not today. Somali pirates learned a little something about American resourcefulness and ingenuity. While Obama’s war-room in the White House prepared for a public-relations opportunity, the brave crew of the Maersk Alabama took charge of their own destiny. In times of crisis American men rise on their own, just as the brave passengers of Flight 93 did so long ago.
These are American heroes, not the stuff of Obama’s men. While we pray for the success of the crew in negotiating Richard Phillips’ release, we are comforted in knowing the problem is in the right hands.
Somali Pirates (Photos)
Somali Pirates: Maersk Alabama Ship Hijacking (Video)
April 8th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
This pirate issue has gone on too long! See the pictures of the small attack boats? Many are open vessels.
The Solution:
Arm the freighters post a global notice: “Any small boats approaching large ships in that area of the ocean will be blown out of the water on sight and without warning.” Film four or five boarding attempts that leave the pirates mostly dead and adrift 250 NM from shore and post them on You Tube. Show the BS and AS (before and after shark) footage. Piracy will decline.
The only reason they are successful is because the world no longer has the backbone (Trans: balls) to deal with them. Well, all except for the US crew!
April 8th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
It has been long since I have heard a news about pirates.. Anyway, hope that the crews would remain safe and that the reports would soon be consistent that the ship has been retaken by the crews.. All we can do today is to pray for the safety of the crews..
April 8th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Oh my goodness, really?! We’re going to take this completely unrelated act of piracy and use it as an opportunity to call the Obama Administration opportunists? Really? Relating them to sissified socialists and girlish nannies was good, too, but I am a bit disappointed that you couldn’t fit “pals around with terrorists” in there somewhere….
April 8th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
What objective uncolored journalism! Such an example for the red lib media. You really have cojones to sift these extrapolations from the facts that are withheld from most international agencies.
April 8th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Cheap shot. You should preserve your credibility and argue your position carefully, with respect, sources, and evidence. Otherwise, you diminish the side you purport to represent. If you really want to help advance your argument, do it carefully or avoid posting altogether.
April 8th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Joe The Realist,
It’s strange that we haven’t heard from the commander-in-chief yet on this. We have heard from him on everything else. I’m sure something decisive is in the works. Hopefully the UN will issue a condemnation. Wonder what sunshine will do?
April 8th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Too many people are thinking that pirates are laughable creatures like the Johnny Depp character in “Pirates of the Caribbean.” The truth is more sinister than that. These pirates sneak up in open boats, are heavily armed and are closely aligned with the black markets that steal donated goods to prevent their distribution to needy people. The fact that an American ship was attacked this way points to the escalating danger in the Indian Ocean and that many of the world’s bad actors have no fear of what is becoming the weak response of the current administration. Pirates today, missiles from North Korea last week, what next? And at what point will this administration realize that the world doesn’t care about their smooth style or sweet speeches-after another 9/11?
April 8th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
“We’re going to take this completely unrelated act of piracy and use it as an opportunity to call the Obama Administration opportunists? Really?”
Why not ? It wouldnt surprise me at all if more to that motive came to surface as just about everything else hes done seemed to be an opportunity with ulterior motives stacked in behind the original problem. AIG, the banks, Gm were all good opportunities to see just how much he could dump on the constitution and play nanny to coporate America.
As the author so correctly quoted one of Obamas top administrators saying you dont want to let crisis go to waste it seems logical that they’d take advantage of this as well as any other crisis to elevate themselves in some light, probably with the Muslim community.
After telling the whole world from his speech in Turkey that America is not and never will be at war with Islam hes probably going to use this opportunity to back those words up by sending a bunch of aid to Somalia in exchange for the captain and say it was for the people and attach some sob story to it about all their suffering and bla bla bla.
“Relating them to sissified socialists and girlish nannies was good, too,”
yea, it was.
” but I am a bit disappointed that you couldn’t fit “pals around with terrorists” in there somewhere….”
We’ll see if he sends any aid to Somalia
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I think we should start sending dummy ships out there that look fully loaded but actually contain no cargo except for empty containers.
Have a little chopper buried on board for the crew and when the pirates jump on the boat the crew just gets in the chopper, takes, hits the button blowing up the whole ship and punks to smithereens.
After that happens 2 or 3 times these guys might want to weigh their odds, the cost in blowing up 2 or 3 ships will be nothing compared to the savings in the long run
April 9th, 2009 at 1:45 am
The cargo of food aid for the World Food Program, was intended for 2.4 million people in Somalia alone: http://bit.ly/318ZdW
The people most affected by the piracy are the people who can least afford it.
It’s frustrating watching people who have almost nothing, having that little taken away from them!
April 9th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Barry in Charge has not done anything about this because he has not figured out how to apologize for this.
What if this had happened in Iraq or Iran? What would be doing about it.
We have an inempt President and Sec. of State. Billary is laughing at her press conferance.
You liberal wimps got chanage. Hope you like it. Unless the captian is related to you, I gues you don’t care.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Are you kidding me? “They stormed the gun rack and surprised the Somali pirates with resistance.” THERE ARE NO GUNS ON THESE SHIPS! Props to the crew for overthrowing the pirates, but shame on you rightpundints.com for not having your facts straight. As a mechant mariner myself, I have been disgusted with the ignorance of the media and websites like this about the US Merchant Marine. Get it right before you publish it.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
McCain, congrats on being the only source anywhere that I’ve seen politicize this situation. What a tool.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:57 am
I don’t think that Obama staged the event, but it is attacks against Americans like this that really stress the difference between the speed at which news travels and the speed at which we are able to get people into position to take action. The news outlets continue to pontificate on the lack of US action, but there has been little commentary about the logistics of getting a SEAL team into the area. For examples of this check out this video clip of various US networks coverage of the situation http://www.newsy.com/videos/captive_captain_jumping_ship/
April 10th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Your speculation about the profile of the average American merchant seaman is the stuff of action hero movies like Bogart’s portrayal in “Action In The North Atlantic” or some characters from a Brando film like “On The Waterfront”. You might be tipped off by the stated size of the crew what kind of work this is. While international treaty generally limits work days to less than 15 hours a day, the typical work place is more like 17 a day 7 days a week. That’s when at sea and life is easy. In port after working a full day before 8 am to have the vessel alongside to get the lowest labor rate from the longshore workers, the maintenance goes on thru the day of shut down propulsion machineries. Generally when you would be just about done with the first half of your day the fuel oil barge will arrive. You can expect to get fueling started before 8 PM and finish the light MDO (Diesel) part by 2 or 3 AM. Then you disconnect hoses and hook up for the HFO (heavy oil) for the propulsion diesels and generators. You can usually get done with that by noon. A quick lunch break and then back to work to finish up the Main engine maintenance that must then be complete by 9PM when the vessel is scheduled to depart. By then generally another crew member will be available to relieve you and be on duty as the vessel maneuvers out to sea where it is presumed settled down enough to put things into the “unintended” mode. So you can get a few hours rest before falling back into the easy at sea routine of 17/7. Since the days of the infamous Joe Hazelwood there are now strictly enforced rules prohibiting any alcohol at all to the point of hysteria over the subject. A nice letter of thanks at Christmas time from the office posted next to all the notices telling you the multiple ways you can get fired. No bottle of wine on the table for Christmas dinner. Fried institutional shrimp cocktail appys as the Steward has not enough common sense to save even half the raw shrimp the ship is provisioned with, but sells it all, regarding it as part of his wages. And naturally he is very angry if anyone should dare to complain. Drug tests are every 5 months and then randomly administered while on board any vessel in US territorial waters. This is a life of deprivation and depravity. As for age unless you are fortunate enough to have a lower requirement job in terms of physical conditioning as a 2nd or third mate or even a Captain or Chief engineer, your career is basically over at age 50. Some vessels have elevators that service 3/4s of the 12-14 flights of stairs between the upper accommodation decks and the lower machinery spaces. You certainly did get it right in terms of it not exactly being like on the Love Boat. Today’s merchant mariners are all highly skilled professionals. They typically undergo 6 weeks of training at company sponsored training facilities in addition to the 6-8 months they spend on board ship. Deprivation and depravity being what it is can be compensated with financial renumeration. The problem today for the industry is finding enough young people who can actually say “Yes Sir!” and also pass a drug test. Out side of this group of miscreants we can always find a few good young men to carry on the tradition of “They that go down to the sea in ships and do business in great waters”. Hardly “grizzled, smoking and drinking”. Smoking as in any work place in the US is not permitted nor is it permitted in the common places as passageways, lounges, gymnasium and dining halls. It is just after all another drug addiction that deteriorates one’s health and physical conditioning. Just as in the general US population it is not as common as it once was. The person(s) overcoming the Somali Pirate was a trained professional. It was this effective training that made it possible to maintain a cool and focused attitude, to fight back and gain control of a bad situation. We have learned a lot from situations like Waco, Tx and the Mayaguez incident. In the end these Bozo’s will run out of food and water and dehydration will set in. They may even come to realize that they may need to draw straws to see who they eat first. It will be another ten days or so until the next new moon. I would not give these morons much of a chance going up against a team of US Navy Seals at 2:30 in the very dark morning. One is left to wonder why the so called reinforcement pirate boats were not obliterated well over the horizon from the current position of the life boat, by US military action. It is clear that with out NTSB investigating, pirates that go to sea and are never seen or heard from again may influence the thinking of these heinous criminals.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Have we not learned anything from the bombing of the USS Cole? Since when are any ships allowing small vessels to approach without signaling? And when are American officials going to get a freaking clue that this is not a Disney movie? I read on another post that the pirates wanted the folks to “pray for them.” Maybe they are right, I would be scared too if American Navy Seals were coming after me. I just hope that very brave captain survives. As for the pirates-meh….
April 10th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
[...] No “spine of steel” from this President. Read background here and commentary here. [...]
April 11th, 2009 at 5:04 am
Hooray for the USA and real men!
April 12th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Wake up America! Your country has been seized by socialist pirates! Will you wait for the UN to come and rescue you? Or take it back yourselves?
Just wondering…
April 12th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Halleluja, the capt. is free thanks to nothing other than great American heroes.
Yea ! Thats how its done baby !
The biggest obstacle and cause for all this crap is the stupid international law that dictates these ships cant have arms on them stemming from instances during WW2 where Germany and others used commercial vessels disguised as liners or freighters as battle ships.
“oh yea, we’re carrying billions of dollars worth of stuff and we’re just gonna cruise right past the arm pit of the world with out a problem”
April 12th, 2009 at 10:54 am
the international naval force should just go in and raid the pirate camps on by air and on land and shoot up their little boats to send a message to both them and somalia to govern itself and police these people then put the coast of somalia under quaranteen till a governement evolves that shows it can police its own territorial waters. We have the momentum now. we should use it.
April 12th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Brian.
Do you really expect that whimp a$$ president to do anything of the sort after he just got done telling the whole Muslim world that we are not at war with them and never will be ? To storm a Muslim city no matter how illegitimate the leadereship is right now would go against everything hes led the moonbats to believe is him and definitely look like we are invading Muslims no matter how screwed up that society is
Its not just the harbors and the boats or the coastal areas as the whole greater area of Somalia is about as lawless as it gets.
This crap that they’re doing it to pay for radioactive waste dumping on their soil is bogus because the moneys not going to the people they say iare victim to the dumping.
Aside from all that we should go in do some housekeeping.
April 12th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
obama knows he cannot afford to appear weak where his common sense tells him we can win one. I expect him to fight the war on terror aggressively while protecting our rights at home. People underestimate him on actionable opportunities. He is not going to let himself go down in history as a weak president that lets others push him or us around. It would be a feather in his cap to finally crush al queda.
April 12th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
ha! you red pundits fell for it all. i’ve spoken with two navy seals who were privey to the details in this rescue. obama knew and approved this military action! so much for obama being a wimp.
our president was thoughtful and decisive. he is after all in charge of our military now and you can’t even give him credit for being commander in chief. he knew exactly what was happening. it just bothers you folks because he is intelligent, thoughtful AND a hard ass. most of us realize that in this climate, one layer(rugged, tough, etc…) just doesn’t cut it.
you have to have brains and restraint.
April 12th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
“obama knows he cannot afford to appear weak”
No he doesnt, thats all he does is intentionally appear weak and demure for appeasment sake.
“ha! you red pundits fell for it all. i’ve spoken with two navy seals who were privey to the details in this rescue. obama knew and approved this military action! so much for obama being a wimp.”
Awww, gime a huge break bro ! During the initial hi jacking Obama was not to be heard from because he said he “”DIDNT WANT THE FOCUS TO BE ON HIM “”
Everything points to him not wanting his name attached to this unless it was a success. All of a sudden now that the capts. okay its all over the airwaves that Obama approved this.
Got news for ya buddy.
YOU FELL FOR IT !!!
“our president was thoughtful and decisive,
you have to have brains and restraint.”
Yea, especially if you’re going to play the brown nose media to make you look good.
April 12th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
golly be, you’re sure fishing for cynicisim! if you sat and did an ink blot reading it would be unprintable.