Posted on 04/11/2009 6:03:39 AM PDT by Mobile Vulgus
In what almost seems a gleeful pronouncement, The New York Times trumpeted America's powerlessness over the recent capture by pirates of a captain of a U.S. run freighter on the high seas. With an April 9 headline that blares, "Standoff With Pirates Shows U.S. Power Has Limits," the Times almost seems to revel in that taking down of an arrogant America by mere pirates in power boats.
It's quite hard not to feel that the Times is celebrating the enfeebling of the "world's most powerful military," here.
The Indian Ocean standoff between an $800 million United States Navy destroyer and four pirates bobbing in a lifeboat showed the limits of the world’s most powerful military as it faces a booming pirate economy in a treacherous patch of international waters.
But, does it really show "limits"? or does it rather show an American administration that is acting with extreme caution, instead? Don't get me wrong, I am not sticking up for the Obama administration here, but just because something hasn't been done as of yet does not mean that the U.S. military is showing its "limits."
Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...
These so called pirates are just 2-bit punks, imagine when some bigger danger challenges US
Not a limit of power but a limit of WILL.
It’s NO FAIR that those meanie pirates are ganging up on our poor, helpless Navy!
Let’s be clear. We don’t lack capability. We lack will.
The latter is more important than the former.
Did they forget that the Americans sailors have the ship? The navy is there. We just have to wait and see how this ends, but the captain is an danger of not just the rat pirates, but they may not have water or food. The navy needs to get this moving. As much as freepers like to call the French names, they did go in and get back 4 of 5 of their citizens.
The French don't. Frenchman dies in Somalia rescue
Well thanks NYT, you framed exactly what terrorists and pirates may be contemplating right now.
They can put that article on the first page of their bible.
Yes, NYT, America has returned to the weak, wishy-washy, apology and retreat days of the Carter administration—exactly where you wanted it to be. Even two-bit pirates in rubber boats hold us hostage now.
I guess letting loose a missile at the little raft and accidently hitting the NY Slimes building is out of the question, eh?
No doubt the American captain expect a hail of gunfire to follow his jump from the lifeboat. He must’ve felt like a chump when it didn’t happen.
For the first time since Jimmy Dhimmi Carter, I am ashamed of my country.
Cheers!
...just WORDS?
Yup.
It depends on what the meaning of the words "Natural Born" or "My Muslim Faith" is.
/sarc>
Cheers!
Why not send a seal team over to drill a couple of holes in the bottom of the boat and when it sinks save the American.
There seems to be a problem with the link to Publius Forum.
Our power is limited only by the backbone of the person sitting in the Oval Office. Right now, we’re screwed. The wus should have had ROE (Rules Of Engagement) in-place for our military handling the pirates that basically said “You get a shot, you take those thieving, murdering pirates out.” Obviously the ROE are something that are holding the Navy back. That comes from the top.
> Why not send a seal team over to drill a couple of holes in the bottom of the boat and when it sinks save the American.
Two things. First, the lifeboat is built like a plastic walnut: difficult to open and essentially waterproof, AND it is difficult or impossible to sink as it has multiple floatation cells — if this plan in front of me is right. Drilling holes in the boat won’t do anything except p*ss off the terrorists and make sitting in the boat miserable.
Second, it appears to be equipped with an automatic sump pump for baling. Otherwise, it is equipped with a bucket for manually baling.
These boats are specifically designed to survive high seas and not to sink. A limpet mine might sink one, or more likely blow it to bits — but that’s not the desired outcome.
Given that we now have a candy-assed, communist Kenyan in the white house, I think that they may be on to something. A proper response to the actions of pirates would be “shoot to kill”, not “the world is coming together to arrest the criminals”.
All they have to do is sleep gas them from upwind at night.
Then send in the amphibious marines.
Just an amatuer guess as to what is best.
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