Posted on 04/12/2009 8:40:04 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The shipping company whose captain is being held hostage by Somali pirates said the US Navy saw him alive Sunday, as a top senator said the United States is "not going to give in to blackmail."
Maersk Line, operators of the Maersk Alabama which was briefly hijacked by armed pirates this week before its captain was taken captive, said the navy told them they "had sight contact of Captain Richard Phillips" Sunday.
Intense negotiations are ongoing off the coast of Somalia where the small band of pirates have held Phillips in a lifeboat since Wednesday, closely shadowed by two US Navy warships.
...
The pirates' defiance of Western naval powers has highlighted the difficulty in dealing with the pirates wreaking havoc on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, but a US lawmaker warned that Washington was not ready to cave in to the demands of outlaws.
"We're not going to give in to blackmail, and we're not going to allow them to continue to do what they're doing," pledged Republican Senator Tom Coburn on the Fox News Sunday program.
The US approach to the piracy problem is "going to have to be much more aggressive," he added.
The talks -- involving Somali elders and negotiators from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation -- for the captain's release broke off Saturday when US authorities insisted the pirates be arrested, while the hijackers reportedly demanded a two-million-dollar ransom and safe passage to Somalia.
Democratic Senator Evan Bayh, speaking alongside Coburn, said the United States has "got to make them pay a price for this kind of activity that is larger than the ransoms they're extracting," so the pirates will be forced to "discontinue" their activities.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
A US flag can be seen flying in a mast of the US merchant ship Maersk Alabama as she sits moored at the Mombasa port, April 12. The shipping company whose captain is being held hostage by Somali pirates said the US Navy saw him alive as a top senator said the United States is "not going to give in to blackmail. "(AFP/Roberto Schmidt)
I heard the pirates turned down the ransom offer from the US, said it was too cheap.
Somali “Pirates” -— $40,000,000
FRee World -— $0
at least they won’t be needing a bail-out.
The sternly worded letters will fly now! Jimmuh Carter must be very proud to be an American today.
Not your call, Tom. Remember, “I won.”
Well thank you “President” Coburn. It’s good to hear from somebody in government about this. He’s right, this is like blackmail and if we give in, it’s going to be worse in the future.
Where is President Obama? Why hasn’t he said anything about this publicly?
Sen Coburn is not a muslim, as our acting President is.. BO will not harm a muslim brother, (one could be a half brother)
The UN needs to write a stern letter to those pirates.
Unfortunately, baring a navy officer acting on his own.........B. Hussein has to solve this, god help us.
Our police should come with the warrant and subpoena to Somali and bring the offenders here to be tried by the jury of their peers (come to think of it - we will also need to give immigrant visas to thousands of the somali boat people to be able to select the jury).
We should generously supply the pirates with food and water laced with something that would knock them out long enough for us to go in and get the captain. Once he was rescued, the pirates could pound sand, after and if they managed to swim ashore. I don’t believe their threats to kill him, because he is their last, remaining bargaining chip, the only thing that stands between them and certain death.
I suspect we have options available or undergoing testing even as we post here.
I am sure more than a few ‘recons’ are itching for the ‘Go’ order.
“Where is President Obama? Why hasn’t he said anything about this publicly?”
Because George Soros has not told him what to say yet.
Interesting that Bayh and Coburn are in agreement on this one. Bayh is a member of the Armed services, Intel, and Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance. Look for Barrack Hussein Ibn al-Douchebag al-Chicagowi to cave and let his brothers in Islam off with millions and a free ride back to Durkaville. Maybe Bayh knows this already and wants to come out early as someone who isn’t in-line with his boss. I don’t know.. just sounds fishy to me..
The most recent piracy attacks off the coast of Somalia and Gulf of Aden. Pirates holding a US merchant captain hostage on a lifeboat near Somalia could be preparing to transfer him to another ship, as an Italian vessel became the latest hijacking prey in the Gulf of Aden. (AFP/Graphic)
“Where is President Obama? Why hasn’t he said anything about this publicly?”
Maybe he’s soaking his miniscule sack in Miracle-Grow hoping for a “growth-spurt.”
man you just destroyed my mental picture of Lynda Carter in that costume.
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