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U.S. Navy Blocks Ships Coming to Aid Pirates in Standoff
Foxnews ^ | Saturday, April 11, 2009 | AP

Posted on 04/11/2009 9:11:19 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

NAIROBI, Kenya  —  U.S. warships are trying to stop Somali pirates from sending reinforcements to a lifeboat where an American captain is being held hostage as the high-seas standoff off Africa's eastern coast entered a fourth day Saturday.

Underscoring the high stakes involved, France's navy on Friday freed a sailboat seized off Somalia last week by other pirates, but one of the hostages was killed.

A Nairobi-based diplomat, who spoke on condition on anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to reporters, said the pirates have summoned assistance but at least two American ships and U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft are deterring pirate ships and skiffs from contact with the lifeboat.

The pirates have threatened to kill their American hostage, Capt. Richard Phillips, if the U.S. attacks them, according to a Somali who has been in contact with the pirates.

The Somali said the pirates had called in four commandeered ships with hostages from a variety of nations including the Philippines, Russia and Germany.

The vice president of the Philippines, the nation with the largest number of sailors held captive by Somali pirates, appealed Saturday for the safety of hostages to be ensured in the standoff.

How Past Hijackings Have Been Resolved

"We hope that before launching any tactical action against the pirates, the welfare of every hostage is guaranteed and ensured," said Vice President Noli de Castro. "Moreover, any military action is best done in consultation with the United Nations to gain the support and cooperation of other countries."

U.S. rules of engagement prevent the Americans using their vastly superior fighting power to engage the pirates if there is any danger to civilians.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 444; hostages; maerskalabama; maritime; obama; somali; somalipirates; usnavy
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Blocking? ... and not blowing them into flotsam and jetsam?


21 posted on 04/11/2009 9:25:38 AM PDT by steelyourfaith (What new from the Thief-in-Chief?)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
"Moreover, any military action is best done in consultation with the United Nations to gain the support and cooperation of other countries."

Carter diplomacy does NOT work.

22 posted on 04/11/2009 9:25:57 AM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, Question everyone else)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
THIS standoff is the first real test of our closet Muslim, Kenyan Poseur and “Commander in Chief”..

If the pirates get to shore with the American hostage - he fails.
If a ransom is paid to secure the hostage - he fails.
If the hostage is killed - he fails.
If pirates fire on our Navy vessels and escape death - he fails.
If any pirates achieve prisoner status - he fails.
If he refuses to authorize killing every pirate is sight - He fails.

The ONLY way the Dalai Bama comes out of this with a passing grade - is after the hostages are all safely recovered and every freaking pirate on the sea is dead and their home ports are reduced to a single layer of smoldering rubble.

This is the outcome and the solution to the problem the world is waiting for....
Anything less is failure.

There is a huge chance Obama WILL fail this test - as Biden predicted, and our Republic will be hastened on it's journey to banana republic status.

23 posted on 04/11/2009 9:25:59 AM PDT by river rat (Semper Fi - You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
“U.S. warships are trying to stop Somali pirates from sending reinforcements “

I don't have a military background and am sitting here in my comfy fabric chair; but; this doesn't seem that difficult of a problem to solve.

24 posted on 04/11/2009 9:26:06 AM PDT by HereInTheHeartland (I agree with Rick..)
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To: sten

I’m sure he did think there were Seals waiting under the boat when he jumped off the first time. What a shame they weren’t there.


25 posted on 04/11/2009 9:27:13 AM PDT by ozarkgirl (I'll keep my money, my freedom and my guns. You can keep the change.)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
WTF IS GOING ON HERE?

Reference post #22.

26 posted on 04/11/2009 9:27:15 AM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, Question everyone else)
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To: sten
That's a good start.

Then sink all their boats, bomb their homes, kill their relatives, destroy their home ports, kill the people they traded with, kill those they lent money to. End of pirate problem.

27 posted on 04/11/2009 9:27:28 AM PDT by Former Proud Canadian (How do I change my screen name now that we have the most conservative government in the world?)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Why doesn't the great King of America tell these half wits that if they harm a hair on CPT Phillips head ever ship that the half wits have out will be sunk..We should not pay these creeps a cent,and if they hurt our man they should be blown into kingdom come..If they harm this man or any of the others Somali's should be blown off the map..All the criminal Muslim are there so we can take out them too..

If President Bush was sill in office this matter would have ended the first day..We see now we have no chance with King Obama in office along with his court jesters..People of America vote these Turds out of office.

28 posted on 04/11/2009 9:30:27 AM PDT by PLD
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To: Former Proud Canadian
Then sink all their boats, bomb their homes, kill their relatives, destroy their home ports, kill the people they traded with, kill those they lent money to. End of pirate problem.

Why stop there? /sarc

29 posted on 04/11/2009 9:30:59 AM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, Question everyone else)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

“U.S. warships are trying to stop Somali pirates from sending reinforcements to a lifeboat...”

What’s the difficulty? Just aim your big guns at them, and let loose.


30 posted on 04/11/2009 9:32:05 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist; JohnHuang2; Lorianne; Tijeras_Slim; Saint X; NormsRevenge; ...
Did you see this thread:

Obama Team Mulls Aims Of Somali Extremists: Seeing Potential Terror Threat

**********************EXCERPT INTRO************************

Senior Obama administration officials are debating how to address a potential terrorist threat to U.S. interests from a Somali extremist group, with some in the military advocating strikes against its training camps. But many officials maintain that uncertainty about the intentions of the al-Shabab organization dictates a more patient, nonmilitary approach.

Al-Shabab, whose fighters have battled Ethiopian occupiers and the tenuous Somali government, poses a dilemma for the administration, according to several senior national security officials who outlined the debate only on the condition of anonymity.

************************************

They are waffling BIG TIME!!!

31 posted on 04/11/2009 9:32:41 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Can you imagine being a SEAl team watching this unfold and being told to stand down.

Carter at least had some plausible excuse. More hostages, more of a diplomatic struggle, and a more vital region. I ain't excusing Carter-he was a disgrace. But this ass clown????????-Words fail me. I mean we are talking about a bunch of skinnies with AK 47s in a lifeboat with only one hostage. WTH?

Don't SEALS train for this?

32 posted on 04/11/2009 9:34:34 AM PDT by MattinNJ (Sanford/Palin in 2012)
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To: EGPWS; Former Proud Canadian

Why sink their boats? Take the boats. They likely belonged to someone and were stolen. So take them and let the rightful owners know so they can claim them if they want.


33 posted on 04/11/2009 9:34:56 AM PDT by mamelukesabre (Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum (If you want peace prepare for war))
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

No, I hadn’t seen that. Thank for the heads up!


34 posted on 04/11/2009 9:35:17 AM PDT by Lorianne
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To: river rat; HereInTheHeartland; steelyourfaith

See link at post #31.


35 posted on 04/11/2009 9:36:15 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Brilliant
What’s the difficulty? Just aim your big guns at them, and let loose.

All of the pirates' "reinforcements" are ships with hostages from other countries on them -- which explains the hand-wringing of the Philipine VP.

You didn't think the cowards would venture out without human shields, did you?

36 posted on 04/11/2009 9:37:09 AM PDT by browardchad
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
So far, present Obama is bravely keeping mum, apparently wanting to dial the whole thing back from 'Piracy Crisis' to 'annoyance', or 'distraction from my wonderful housing plan.' If that doesn't work, he'll just shoot pollution into the air to cool things down.

John Huang nails the obamination.

37 posted on 04/11/2009 9:40:10 AM PDT by BOBTHENAILER (my tagline is over-stimulated)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

U.S. rules of engagement prevent the Americans using their vastly superior fighting power to engage the pirates if there is any danger to civilians.

More politically correct stupidity. So their civilians are more important than ours.


38 posted on 04/11/2009 9:40:29 AM PDT by Islaminaction
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To: browardchad

Boats coming to the pirates’ rescue would be my dream senario. Get them together in one place, then blow them up.

It’s no different than our strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let them congregate together, get feeling comfortable, then blow them up.


39 posted on 04/11/2009 9:41:13 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: PLD
We see now we have no chance with King Obama in office along with his court jesters..People of America vote these Turds out of office.

I think somewhere around 48% voted for McCain-Palin in 2008. We knew our country would have no chance of surviving obama and his evil comrades.

As to voting these evil doers out..........they were just voted in.

Elections have consequences.

40 posted on 04/11/2009 9:43:26 AM PDT by BARLF
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