Crew members of the Maersk Alabama celebrated after hearing that their captain, who had been held hostage by Somali pirates, had been rescued. Image Credit: Roberto Schmidt/AFP — Getty ImagesSomali Pirate Or Enemy Combatant – What’s The Difference?
All this last week and Easter weekend, the world media attention was affixed upon the events surrounding the assault, attempted takeover, and kidnapping of a captain of an American flagged container ship. The leadership and action shown by our military that ended the internationally illegal action and saved the container ship captain, Capt. Richard Phillips, was exemplary.
While our President ducked questions from the media (and diplomats from the State Department negotiated with Somali Klan Elders via satellite phone) about the assault and kidnapping happening in the Indian Ocean off of Somalia, the military was preparing for action, then acted under direct orders from the on-scene commander.
President-elect Barack Obama at a press conference on December 7, 2008. Image Credit: Scott Olson, Getty Images This excerpted and edited from WXYZ-TV Detroit –
Obama declines to answer question on piracy
wxyz.com - Last Update: 4/09 10:37 am
President Barack Obama has declined to answer a question about the hostage situation off the coast of Somalia.
The president was asked about the incident as he met with U.S. homeowners about refinancing mortgages. At the close of a Roosevelt Room event, the president was asked by a reporter if he were concerned about the piracy incident.
Obama responded: "Guys, we're talking about housing right now."
Reporters were then ushered out of the room as they usually are after such events.
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This is the new leader of the Free World and he can not even address the terrorist and illegal acts of pirates on an American vessel. I would have hated to see what President Barack Obama’s reaction to the bombing of Pearl Harbor would have been if he were in place on 7 December 1941.
Last March, the Obama Administration decided to remove the term “Enemy Combatant” from the terminology used by the American Government in dealing with people who committed acts of war but were not controlled or governed by any organized country. A term was needed after 11 September 2001, to deal with people who caused acts of war, mass murder, and were not governed by an organized country after hijacked passenger jets were flown into the World Trade Center Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C..
Why don’t we just call them Pirates?
Pirates are not governed by any country, they terrorize, disrupt a culture, murder and profit from their uncivilized and illegal acts just as “Enemy Combatants” and the international laws of piracy are clear and the punishment is harsh … first offense can get one life in prison!
We, at MAXINE, suggest that we call “Enemy Combatants” (EC’s) … “Pirates” (P’s).
EC’s and P’s are all working to disrupt the way life is carried out because of some perceived nonnegotiable grievance. EC’s and P’s all will use what ever means to achieve their ends that include violence, kidnapping, theft, and destruction. With EC’s and P’s, the war never ends until they choose not to act, otherwise all of these acts must be dealt with at the time they happen and harshly … these acts should never be appeased.
It is time to end ... Piracy, once and for all!
