Obama Vs. The Somali Pirates: Round 2

by John Hawkins | April 15, 2009 9:22 am

It’s hard not to notice, although the mainstream media is certainly trying, that the Somali pirates never had the guts to take an American ship when George Bush was in office.

So, after being emboldened by Obama’s weakness, the pirates took their first American vessel. It didn’t work out so well for them and I even gave Obama credit for not botching the whole conflict[1],

All the Americans are safe, three pirates are dead, and we have one captured pirate. Personally, I think we should hang the pirate without a trial, dump his body overboard, and go on a massive pirate killing spree in Somalia to show them what’s going to happen every time they take an American.

However, in all fairness, I do have to admit that George Bush probably wouldn’t have gone that route either and it’s entirely possible that this incident will have a deterrent effect.

After all, what’s the ultimate message here? You capture a typical vessel and they pay you ransom. You capture an American vessel and not only do you not get paid, the Navy shows up and kills you.

I don’t think Obama is exactly Thomas Jefferson going toe-to-toe with the Barbary pirates here: it was the most powerful Navy in the world vs. a stranded, out-of-gas lifeboat. Just about the only way we could have lost would have been if Obama foolishly ordered the Navy to stand aside instead of merely allowing them to do their jobs.

However, that “deterrent effect?” Unfortunately,
it doesn’t seem to be working out so well[2],

Somali pirates fired grenades and automatic weapons at an American freighter loaded with food aid but the ship managed to escape the attack and was heading Wednesday to Kenya under U.S. Navy escort, officials said.

Despite President Barack Obama’s vow to halt their banditry, and the deaths of five pirates in recent French and U.S. hostage rescue missions, brigands seized four vessels and over 75 hostages off the Horn of Africa since Sunday’s dramatic rescue of an American freighter captain.
One pirate declared Wednesday they are grabbing more ships and hostages to prove they are not intimidated by Obama’s pledge.

“Our latest hijackings are meant to show that no one can deter us from protecting our waters from the enemy because we believe in dying for our land,” Omar Dahir Idle told The Associated Press by telephone from the Somali port of Harardhere.

The Liberty Sun’s American crew was not injured in the latest attack but the vessel sustained some damage, owner Liberty Maritime Corp. said.

Now taking four other vessels? That’s not necessarily our problem. But, firing on an American ship? Obama has a responsibility to do something about it — and since the government of Somalia, such as it is, isn’t capable of stopping these pirates, it means we need to take action to dissuade them from attacking American ships.

The best way to do that is to kill the pirates, bomb their bases and villages, and generally rain enough hell down on their heads that they’ll cut the throats of anybody on their own side who suggests attacking an American vessel.

The dots have been connected, the threat has been identified, and Obama has a responsibility to take serious action. If he doesn’t, then he should be held directly responsible for every American who’s captured or killed because he’s not serious about dealing with this threat to American shipping.

Endnotes:
  1. Obama credit for not botching the whole conflict: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/mt331/2009/04/an_obligatory_somali_pirate_po.php
  2. it doesn’t seem to be working out so well: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090415/D97IS9S80.html

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