Posted on 04/11/2009 1:16:29 PM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pirates off the eastern coast of Africa fired on U.S. sailors Saturday as they tried to reach the lifeboat where an American captain is being held, a U.S. official familiar with the situation told CNN.
The gunfire forced the sailors, who did not return fire, to turn back, the official said.
The incident took place some 12 hours ago as the guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge sent a small team toward the lifeboat, said the official.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
Where are the snipers?
Do we now allow terrorists to fire on the U.S. military with no return fire?
WTH is going on? Aren’t their any snipers to off these thugs?
I wonder how they’re going to deliver their mildly tersely worded letter?
Send the seals in, blow the bottom of the life boat out and pick up the captn.
Let the sharks have the scum remaining.
They are not *censored*
Thanks Obama.
This just keeps getting better and better. /s
Good grief.
Pirates and North Korea expose technology hoaxes.
Pirates also expose the “war on terror” hoax and why the “totally disarm citizens” agenda now has the highest priority among all agendas.
Similar to my thought when the capt. tried to escape. Swimmers loitering under the boat could have "neutralized" the pirates when the capt went into the drink.
Perhaps that is naive, not knowing fully what is involved in "loitering" swimmers below.
The Sailors were trying to serve a UN Resolution on the pirates for the release of the Captain.
It looks like it is time for Obama to use the big guns. Someone needs to call the UN at once. We need a RESOLUTION and we need it fast. If that doesn’t work then we will use SANCTIONS. Pirates just hate resolutions and sanctions. It’s like the kiss of death to them
used to be a sniper and believe me I’d be mroe than happy to go if called on
still on the other hand I would never get called on as obama won’t let us shoot back or even shoot, while the french are storming the pirates and saving their people we just sit there and watch
Blackbeard would have loved the seas of today.
Canadian ship comes up and see pirates heading to a ship, they send a helicopter up and drop a banner saying stop.
pirates wave to helicopter and head elsewhere
yea that is great, so they poet the pirates go so hit another ship
pathetic
Since when DO WE NOT RETURN FIRE?????
argh
What the _____? over
We need a picture of that specific lifeboat too...
Don’t picture your usual rubber tube life raft. This boat holds a 10 day supply of food for 34 PEOPLE. It is covered.
And, “if” the pirates are “firing” they also have to count how many bullets they get to keep in their chambers.
Let alone that the FBI understands that hostage negotiations, by definition, need to take a long time. To the pirates? This is an eternity. They’ve also got their eyes peeled for a rescue vessel. And, on has not appeared.
That means during daylight hours they get to look at the horizon.
And, if you think the Bainbridge sent out a “rescue boat” that makes enough noise; or that could be seen during daylight hours, you don’t know a thing about Navy Seals. Or, for that matter, how long Seals can “stay under water.” Out of sight.
Navy seals borded the Maersk Alabama! Yes, they did! Captain Phillips had “anti-terror training.” He told his crew (ORDERED THEM!) into a room where they could lock the door!
And, all you know, now, is that “somehow” US NAVY SEALS got to be on board. Rescuing the crew. And, putting the M-Alabama back under sail. Where she has already arrived in port with her humanitarian aid.
While there are thousands of American sailors near the life boat, out on the Indian Ocean. No ransom has been paid. And, I bet, none has been offered.
Because it’s a hostage crisis, you need enough time to pass for the pirates to get very sleepy. During the first few days? All they get is grumpy.
What do they do to pass the time of day?
At what point would they realize there’s “no rescue ship?” Let alone a DECOY!
Hello. America isn’t without options, here! While all Obama has done was go into the mode of RADIO SILENCE. Why? Because MEN are working to solve this one. Without a loss in life. And, without a ransom payment, either.
Go ahead, think of the pirates, now without a good night’s sleep. While all the sailors out at sea have provisions provided by our very worthy navy.
Yes, I’m betting on American competence! Nothing less.
Armed with a single MA-2 .50 caliber Browning, this much feared naval vessel carries up to 30 rounds of armor piercing ammunition. It is the first in an entirely new naval architecture being pushed on the Pentagon by the defense minded Obama Administration as a cost-saving measure. If you look closely, you can see the heavy-duty seat restraint which prevents the pilot/gunner – Kamakazi Kowalski – from leaping from the vessel prior to engaging the enemy. The 12 V trolling motor – which lacks a reverse function -- propels this sophisticated craft forward at a top speed of 4 knots. Reverse travel – at approximately 35 knots -- is achieved by firing the Browning.
The no-bid contract to build 200 of these fearsome warships was recently awarded to Obama-Soros-Emanuel Shipbuilding and Stormdoor Manufacturing (formerly General Dynamics) and will be administered by trusted Obama associate and Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel who commented that, at $12 million each, they are a bargain. They will be constructed exclusively at the company’s facility in Kenya with major subcomponent production (rivets and miscellaneous fasteners) at the company’s Harlem and Skokie plants. Delivery is expected to begin in 2024.
Thats what happens when you try and talk reason with terrorist and pirates.I would bet money those were FBI agents sent by order of the O. to try and negotiate.
Get use to it, this is just a taste of things to come folks, its gonna get much worse before it gets any better.
Someone named Hussein is running your country.
Where are all the people who called me a “birther” here?
The Somalis are a protected class.
It might be like this one....1975 model.
This report sounds fishy.
This “source” could well be the brother/cousin (in the inbred sense) of one of the pirates. ...or it could be some local stringer reporting the current rumor in the streets of Mogadishu. ...or the brother/cousin is the stringer.
It reminds me of the “confirmed” report of a C-17 crash in Texas a week ago. Turns out some yokels saw a C-17 disappear behinds a hill and called it in to the sheriff.
The poor captain probably thought a SEAL team was waiting in the dark ocean to take out the terrorists when he jomped overboard.
Just like when The US Army asked for tanks in Somalia pre-Black Hawk Down and the Congressional Black Caucus told Clinton NO. “You will not use tanks against Africans.”
Also - you will not have ANY oversight over Fannie and Freddie when the CBC, Dodd and Frank say so.
I'd settle for marksmen. Or even a half-dozen boy scouts with .22s.
/johnny
This is my hoped for outcome too, very well expressed. The only downside of course is that Obama will claim credit.
ROFLMAO!!!
There you go talking sense. If this was anything, it was a probing mission not a rescue mission.
Obama is studying up on “pirate-speak” now...
How to talk like a pirate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWgxuc45YCY
He’ll have it down pretty soon, and then he’ll be able to speak to them properly...
Terminology can be so indistinguishably vague...
“The U.S. Navy — which is in charge of the situation — requested help from the FBI to resolve the standoff. “
I don’t know how to respond to this news.
I was reading the comments on another website I forget which and some dozy dumb liberal wrote that they can’t blame the pirates as the west is not helping that country and it is so sad that they have to resort to piracy to feed themselves
that comment just shows hos out of touch these idiots are and when obama says it was not a bow then that just shows how they look upon the people of this country
words got him there and they think everyone accepts his word
Great post. You are a voice of reason and sanity. Thanks!
Same thing I was wondering.
I was wondering why we are not jamming he pirate’s satcom? They were able to make and receive calls.
I doubt that the DDG has a SEAL team aboard. The LHD on the other hand, might. Why not approach the escape boat underwater, tie a line to the prop shaft and slowly drag it towards the DDG?
Or we could send them some rations with enough morphine in them to knock out everyone.
There are always options.
You are full of “HOPE” it appears.
Obama has ordered that competence will not be allowed!
Ha, that's actually a good idea and pretty funny. Imagine the "pirates" waking up to find themselves moving ever closer to the Navy ship. ("WTF?") And when one comes out to try to cut the line, as they surely will, a sniper takes them out.
If hihoherman's assesment is accurate and a positive resolution is obtained thereby, then I say the CIC would deserve some of the credit - we will see.
Kerry, is that you?
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