Free Republic

If we are unable or unwilling to see and confront the extreme lack of character -- the dishonor -- in Captain Lee's behavior, on the grounds that "we weren't in his shoes," then we are only increasing the chances that our own response, should we ever find ourselves in similar shoes, will be as weak as his. If we rationalize his action, we are implicitly rationalizing our own. That, in fact, is likely the main reason we excuse shameful actions so easily today: we are hoping to excuse ourselves from scrutiny (including and especially self-scrutiny) regarding our own failures of...

The vice-principal of a South Korean high school who accompanied hundreds of pupils on a ferry that capsized has committed suicide, police said on Friday, as hopes faded of finding any of the 268 missing alive. The Sewol, carrying 475 passengers and crew, capsized on Wednesday on a journey from the port of Incheon to the southern holiday island of Jeju. Kang Min-gyu, 52, had been missing since Thursday. He appeared to have hanged himself with his belt from a tree outside a gym in the port city of Jindo where relatives of the people missing on the ship, mostly...

SEOUL—South Korea said almost 300 people remain missing after a passenger ferry sank early Wednesday near the country's southwest coast. Rescue services raced to find survivors from the ship, which quickly rolled over and may have trapped passengers inside. Two bodies have been recovered from the site. Officials said the cause of the disaster hadn't been determined.

It has just been reported that a Korean cruise ship with 450 aboard has sunk. Only 190 are reported to have been saved- many high schoolers aboard.

Jindo, South Korea (CNN) -- There were 46 lifeboats on the sunken South Korean ferry -- but only one was deployed, CNN affiliate YTN reported Thursday. CNN has not been able to independently confirm the report. If true, the report will add to the anger and desperation of families still waiting for word on the fate of 287 missing passengers. Video acquired by another affiliate JTBC showed at least 12 of the white survival capsules still attached to the ferry even as it was keeled over in the water. The survival capsules hold lifeboats.... At one point or another, the...

Shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday, passenger Kim Sung-Mook was eating breakfast in the ship's main hall when he felt a tilt, he told CNN affiliate YTN. At first, "we thought it was because of the tide," he said. The waves had been smooth until the ship suddenly leaned, witnesses said. The ship tilted further, and an announcement blared through loudspeakers warning passengers that moving would be dangerous. Then, he heard a loud bang from inside the ship. Kim said he thought a crane on board had toppled over. When seawater started gushing into the ferry, passengers began to scramble.

Military dive teams worked the dark, cold waters of the Yellow Sea on Wednesday night in a desperate effort to find nearly 300 people who remained missing after the ferry they were taking to a South Korean island resort sank with breathtaking speed. -excerpt- The bulk of those aboard were students and teachers from Seoul's Ansan Danwon High School heading to a four-day trip to Jeju, a resort island considered the Hawaii of Korea. More than 300 students and more than a dozen teachers from the school were on board, according to officials.

STRAITS OF MACKINAC, MI - At least one ferry service is predicting delayed trips to Mackinac Island due to ice that still covers a portion of the Great Lakes. Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry has announced it will be starting its 2014 season later than anticipated after temporarily relocating its ferry starts to St. Ignace, rather than Mackinaw City, as a result of the ice blockages which remain in the Straits of Mackinac. "The straits have completely frozen over, except for a shipping channel," said Misty Martinchek, Shepler's group sales manager, who said all local ferries have been affected by the...

SEATTLE -- A man was taken into custody Sunday morning after the Victoria Clipper was taken from its mooring and out into Elliott Bay. Darrell Bryan, president and chief executive officer of Clipper Vacations, was in his office and saw the boat leaving. "I looked out my window - I'm not normally here on Sunday mornings - but I got here about 5:20 and about 6 o'clock I saw the Clipper IV 100 feet off the dock, headed in a southerly direction and we didn't have it scheduled to sail today," he said. "We identified pretty quickly that all our...

MANILA, Philippines - Scores of people have been reported killed after a 2GO ferry sank in waters off Talisay City, Cebu province following a collision with a cargo vessel on Friday night. As of this posting, at least 17 people have been reported killed as rescue operations continue for hundreds of passengers of MV Thomas Aquinas, which collided with cargo vessel Sulpicio Express at Lewis Ledge at past 8 p.m.

New York Ferry Crash: Up To 50 Injured 3:30pm UK, Wednesday 09 January 2013 A commuter ferry has crashed into the dockside in Lower Manhattan in New York, injuring between 30 and 50 people. The Sea Streak Ferry, which provides daily services from Atlantic Highlands in New Jersey struck Pier 11 in the East River not far from Wall Street at about 8.45am ET (1.45pm GMT). Officials say at least one of the passengers was in a critical condition with head injuries. The vessel apparently had a hard landing as it was trying to dock. "There was a jolt when...

Up to 350 feared missing in PNG ferry sinking UPDATE 4.15pm: PRIME Minister Julia Gillard says there is likely to be a very high death toll from a ferry sinking in Papua New Guinea. Rescue crews have rescued 28 people from the water after a ferry sank with as many as 350 on board along the east coast. A distress signal was sent from the MV Rabaul Queen at about 8.30am (AEDT) when travelling between Lae and the West New Britain town of Kimbe today, PNG's National Maritime Safety Authority said. "There has been a boat go down in PNG...

Ferry Building merchants and managers are fed up with the mayhem that has come with the nearby Occupy SF encampment. A spike in shoplifting, break-ins and reports of abandoned human waste — and a reported drop in foot traffic — has management fuming about the Justin Herman Plaza encampment. There even are reports of occupiers using the building’s restrooms as washrooms — with folks taking sponge baths from toilets. And last Monday, eight men were allegedly escorted out of the building after they attempted to use the bathrooms wearing nothing but their boxer shorts. Property manager Jane Connors has written...

Badger ferry owners seek landmark status for coal-burning ship 11/8 - Facing a deadline to stop dumping toxic coal ash into Lake Michigan, owners of the last coal-powered steamship on the Great Lakes are pushing for it to join Mount Vernon, Lincoln's Tomb and Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthplace as a protected national historic landmark. Even if the Badger fails to make the list of the nation's historic and cultural treasures, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may be unable to force the aging coal burner to eliminate the nearly 4 tons of waste it dumps in the lake every time...

Five foreign men were arrested during a courthouse break-in early on Wednesday and police said they found photographs of public buildings, water systems and malls from various U.S. cities in their van. The men, at least three of whom were in their 20s, will be questioned by a joint terrorism task force including the FBI and immigration authorities, officials said. Bexar County spokeswoman Laura Jesse said three men were found inside the 120-year-old Bexar County Courthouse, a landmark in downtown San Antonio and two in a large recreational vehicle parked in front of the building. She said all five were...

Quote: www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1305834568650.shtm Department of Homeland Security Announces "If You See Something, Say Something™" Campaign Partnership with Washington State Ferries Release Date: May 19, 2011 For Immediate Release WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced the expansion of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) "If You See Something, Say Something™" public awareness campaign to the Washington State Ferries (WSF)—a partnership that will help to ensure the safety and security of riders, customers and crew members throughout the WSF system. "Every citizen plays a role in identifying and reporting suspicious activities and threats," said Secretary Napolitano. "Expanding the 'If You See...

Unreal… Team Obama Leaves Americans Stranded in Libya; Military STILL on Standby Posted by Jim Hoft on Thursday, February 24, 2011, 5:07 PM The Obama Administration won’t send the military to rescue US citizens in Libya. They don’t want to look like war-mongers. Stranded: An estimated 600 U.S. citizens are stuck on board the Maria Dolores (pictured) in Tripoli, and won’t leave until at least Friday (Daily Mail)The Obama Administration is STILL grappling with whether or not to send the military into Libya to rescue US citizens.CNN reported, via HotAir: The senior U.S. official also said the “prudent planning” for...

The U.S. government came under fire today for chartering a rescue boat for Americans stuck in Libya that is too small to cope with the rough Mediterranean sea. Hundreds of American citizens are spending a second night in Tripoli aboard the Maria Dolores, a small passenger ferry chartered by the U.S., trapped there because of adverse weather conditions. At the same time larger Greek and Turkish vessels have transported thousands of their own citizens to safety, crossing the choppy water to mainland Europe.

This week, the Globe and Mail asked General Lewis McKenzie (Retired) to write the obituary of American diplomat Richard Holbrooke. It was a good idea. The two men had crossed paths more than once on the global stage of the Great Game. McKenzie declined. Holbrooke had just died and the general knew that what he had to say would hardly produce the standard panegyric. When I caught up with McKenzie, he was shoveling snow after a spell away from home. I asked for an interview and to my surprise, he agreed. “I’m just going to tell you what I thought...

Grant for converting Badger from coal to diesel rejected by federal government 10/22 - Ludington, Mich. - A federal transportation grant application by the city of Ludington to convert the S.S. Badger cross-lake ferry from coal to diesel power was unsuccessful, officials announced Wednesday. Ludington’s $14 million request for special federal stimulus money for new engines for the Lake Michigan Carferry operation was not among the 42 projects funded nationwide. The city’s request to provide new diesel engines for the historic coal-powered steamship was among nearly 1,000 grant applications totaling $19 billion. The U.S. Department of Transportation had only $600...