Posted on 04/08/2009 7:40:17 AM PDT by PotatoHeadMick
An American-operated container ship and its entire 20-member US crew were hijacked by Somali pirates early on Wednesday.
The Danish-owned and US-flagged 17,000-tonne Maersk Alabama, was seized as it passed 400 miles north-east of Mogadishu. Its immediate destination was not known.
The brazen attack took place despite the presence of a multi-national naval task force patrolling the waters off Somalia to deter pirates.
The incident is likely to be hugely embarrassing for the United States, which has warships involved in the patrols, and may spur the piracy problem to a whole new level of confrontation.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
In a ship this size surely they could be easily hidden from prying eyes - until they were required.
[The incident is likely to be hugely embarrassing for the United States]
This would have been a big mistake for the Somalis if Bush were here. Under Obambi, who knows?
The US fault. It certainly isn't the ROP carrying on as they have for centuries.
Apologies pending.
The 17,000-ton Alabama was carrying emergency relief to Mombasa, Kenya.
My President would have already have ordered the ship retaken and the pirates hanged. But then, my President would never bow to royalty either.
And that's the sticker because to use them - even defending from pirates - would get the Cap'n fired, arrested and tried.
0bama’s brothers just a workin’ for a livin’. I am so sure we will hear a semi-stern talkin’ to” out of this.
All the technology we have, and we can’t track down these pirates and the ships they are stealing? Please.... There was a time when America knew how to deal with pirates. I guess we really have lost our backbone.
“An American-operated container ship and its entire 20-member US crew were hijacked by Somali pirates early on Wednesday.”
The Carter years redux...
A few well-placed MOABs on the Somali Ports would send a good message.
The Somalis are the Kenyans’ northern neighbor. I am sure Obama could pursue diplomacy with his fellow East Africans.
Unfortunately, your president didn't even run for president... so kind of a pointless pipe dream.
re: The incident is likely to be hugely embarrassing for the United States
Only in the eyes of a liberal MSM that looks for anything that can be used against their own country. This took place 400 MILES from Mogadishu.
A lot is left to know about this incident. It’s probably just another impromptu test of Zero to see what the reaction will be. If the brief history we have of his response to provocations it will mean just more talk. That seems to be the one thing he’s good at.
Seems to me the earlier piracy events took place much close to the pirate’s home bases in Mogadishu. It would be really neat if the Navy just sent a flight carrier based fighters to handle the situation since it’s too far to send a launch to handle. What irony, they choose to launch an attack too far away to be handled like the previous interventions, but that only leads to them using the heavy guns instead.
We do know. We've seen it before
This is going to happen with more and more regularity. The Teleprompter in Chief will make a flowery speech, each time and then make a symbolic, yet useless military gesture, and be hailed as the greatest leader in all of history.
Eventually, something is going to happen that makes a real military response necessary, which will be handled in a ham fisted manner by the inexperienced group running our country. It will turn into an unmitigated disaster, and needlessly cost the live of brave young service members.
Pray for the future of our country, as it looks as though God has removed his lamphead from us.
“This would have been a big mistake for the Somalis if Bush were here. Under Obambi, who knows?”
I agree. But, I think we know the Obama response. Call the UN, ask them what to do, wait for the Chinese and Russians to decide what plan of inaction will hurt the US the most.
It’s with a perverse fascination I watch this all play out.
Obambi will offer up a deal you watch and see. Wanna guess how many millions go to the pirates to make them our allies?
Matthews and Olbermann will start counting the days until the crew is set free. As liberal as he was Ted Koppel counted the days until Carter's Iran hostages were set free. On Reagan Inauguration day.
If we had an American president, the Somali’s would be told that the bombing starts in 24 hours unless we see the ship, intact with its entire crew and cargo, sailing free.
This event will be downplayed by the WH and the MSM. It will play out just like the other hijacking events. Pay the ransome and get the ship and crew back.
Of course, he never uses His money.
Time for a contingent of Marines on these vessels that have American crews.. either that or a Blackwater type force.
Obama’s fault.
Perhaps our president, a native African, will be able to convince these naval entrepreneurs (”pirates” is so judgmental) to release the ship after he generously offers them a US taxpayer-funded bailout of several million dollars.
BO can work miracles with our checkbook.
I do not understand how this keeps happening. Blackwater was advertising to put small well-armed teams on ships but apparently that isn’t happening. I guess the ship owners are worried about offending the pirates...maybe damaging their self esteem. Incredible.
bow down to the mogadishu warlord and chant bad usa three times
“Pray for the future of our country, as it looks as though God has removed his lamphead from us.”
Our posts match pretty well. I would say that God didn’t remove his guidance, we turned away from it.
You go ashore and destroy them there, "shores of Tripoli". Oh wait, we already cleaned up Somalia and paid the blood to do it. Then our boy Bill saw dead American on CNN and ran like a girl.
In case everybody just forgot...
Olberaman came on at the end of Grandy and Andy this morning and sounded pretty bellicose to me. But of course that woman who partners with him will want to sent the pirates some flowers.
Well....maybe they DO have AK47’s....but, they are still “locked away”....while the crew is held hostage....kinda like having your gun locked up at home when someone kicks in your door and grabs you as you’re running to the safe?
I guess I don’t understand laws relating to the sea, but why can’t a captain defend his own ship? If that is a stupid question I am sorry, but it makes no sense to me.
That's my prediction as well. I'm surprised the media is making as much mention of the story as it is. There's apt to be one Q&A between the press and the administration on this (I mean literally one single question), after which time some other story will become more relevant.
I am disappointed that our allies, China and India have sent warships to the area to protect against this yet it continues to occur.
It baffles me too.
Quick, write a letter to the PIRATES telling them we are really angry and our feelings are hurt...that’ll show’em!
It’s OK everyone, 0bama is going to have the UN send them a very strongly worded letter.
This is O’s Jimmy Carter/Iranian hostages moment.
And bail out money.
“This would have been a big mistake for the Somalis if Bush were here. Under Obambi, who knows?”
Those pirate are in big trouble. The Alabama was carrying emergency relief to Mombasa, Kenya. During the Obama administration, you dont mess with Kenya.
"And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
"But we’ve proved it again and again,
"That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
"You never get rid of the Dane. "
--R. Kipling, The Dane-geld
Another Jimmy Carter moment?
Only time will tell. Last I heard The President was with his advisers. Hummmmm?
Just seems so simple- or is it me?
Obozo and the Somali hostages....
Carter and the Iranian hostages....
Different times....same answer....talk till you drop.
If the ship and it’s cargo are worth $500M, Obama will oferr $1B to the criminals.
We will then commence to fawning over the “brilliance” of his enlightened diplomacy. We will at the same time rejoice over the end of the cretin era of GWB who would have simply taken back what was ours by force.
Earlier I posted the NEW motto of TOTUS.
“MILLIONS FOR TRIBUTE...NOT ONE CENT FOR DEFENSE”
Anybody know where Chet Nimitz is these days? Sad.
P A R P
The Pirate Assistance and Relief Program
You mean the china that just got caught cyber spying and placing virus in our electrical power grids? The china that get's caught all the time spying on and paying for US military secrets. The china that plays war games with the US as the adversary? The china that flaunts our technological patents?
Good grief, first the North Koreans, firing a missle, that died I think in the UN, and then Monday I think it was, a turkish immigrant stole a plane from Canada and violated our air space, and got as far as Missouri, that has left the news very fast, now this will be but a burp by tomorrow, are Somalis muslim? If they are nothing to worry about.. zero will talk to them..
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