Posted on 04/13/2009 1:41:06 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
How out of touch with reality do you have to be to believe this?
The pirates' modus operandi is that they hold the crew, ship, and cargo harmlessly until a lot of money is paid to them. Phillips "heroic" actions put his crew and himself at risk. If he'd done nothing except acquiesce to the pirates' demands, there would have been no risk, just possible discomfort until the extortion money was paid. Instead he put himself and the Seals at grave risk.
I applaud the crew, the Seals, and the military chain of command for their actions. I think Phillips was in error--if not a grandstander, then greatly misguided. Does anyone know what Maersk's orders to Phillips and the other Maersk masters are in a piracy matter? Probably to do nothing to incite trouble and to notify the shipowner and the U.S. Navy. The captain works for the shipowner and must follow those orders. The master who fails to follow the shipowner's orders is guilty of the crime of barratry if a financial injury to the shipowner results.
The actual result is that Maersk, the shipowner, saved a lot of money that would have been lost with the ship inactive and off charter while it sat idle in a pirate port. Is this worth the deadly risk to the crew and the Seals? Not to me.
That, my friends, comes from the pages of the nation's largest lefty blog Daily Kos. They would just prefer us all to acquiesce to our enemies.
Not really all that surprising.
Yeah you can...they’re completely predictable.
Hey, he was just following Obama’s direct orders!
They’ll make for very good little dhimmis in the coming islamic revolution.
Is it just me or does anyone else think that there was little danger to the life of the captain at the time the pirates were shot?
Note to dumbass lefty apologist(s) at the DK:
It’s SEALS (all caps).
Other than the gun at his back, none whatsoever...
Sheesh.
The level of danger is irrelevant.
he was being held as a prisoner. Against his will. For a future ransom, or possible freedom for the kidnappers.
They didn’t know it, but they were targets.
A 'Cowboy', 'Unilateral Decision', Disproportionate Force!
I am puzzled at your concept of danger. Captain Phillips was being held at gun point for multiple days, gun fire had been used to force him back at a previous escape attempt and the gunmen were (as we now know and the Navy had already discovered) 17-19 year old gunmen (not known for considered actions). Just what constitutes danger in your opinion?
This really shows how warped the thinking is of the left wing.
It was the PIRATES who put the captain at risk. Until the moment they boarded his vessel, the captain had been minding his own business.
Another thing the left wingers don't seem to understand is that the shipping company can't just print the money up- it has to come from someone. It causes consumer prices to rise, and if paid by an insurer, it causes the premiums to rise- which, you guessed it, causes the prices to rise on consumer goods and insurance premiums.
Thus spake an idiot from his comfortable chair somewhere in the blogosphere. I would like to reverse his position with Capt.Phillips at a point 5 days ago when these pirates were boarding this ship with its humanitarian relief supplies that now will NOT BE STOLEN and will get to the relief agencies. I would bet that this puling idiot would be soiling its diapers and bawling for help. Words FAIL!
Doesn’t matter. They’re dead, and good riddance to them
“Is this worth the deadly risk to the crew and the Seals?”
Okay, perhaps risk to the crew - but seeing as they hid themselves deep in the bowels of the ship in some locked area, probably not too much.
Risk to the Seals? Ha. HA! HaHaHaHaHa!
(Okay the inherant risks of riding in helicoptors, etc. - perhaps.)
So warped. How can they twist their minds in so many directions at once? Heads full of rubber bands, apparently.
In Seattle, criminals own the downtown streets, robbing shoppers, murdering people, because none of the rubber-band brained liberals want to take away their means of making a living. Wouldn’t be fair.
We have a Winner!!!!!!
Category: FR Dumbest Question of the Year
Congratulations (sorry no prize).
Leni/MinuteGal
Actually, in the plural they’re SEALs. (Sea, Air, Land)
http://www.sealchallenge.navy.mil/seal/introduction.aspx
The life boat was tied to the warship and the pirate captain was in negotiations with the navy. I would think that risk to Phillips at that point in time was minimal. What did happen at that time was the three pirates (not the ripest mangoes on the tree)stuck their heads up at the same time presenting the perfect target of opportunity. Had there only been one or two pirates visible at that time the shots would not have been taken.
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