PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA handled things well in freeing a U.S. cargo ship captain who was a captive of Somali pirates. Capt. Richard Phillips was freed Sunday after U.S. Navy snipers killed three of the four pirates.
The president’s role in the rescue did not include the political posturing the nation had become used to. Obama made no blustering threats and waved no flags. He simply told the Navy that its job was to see that Phillips came to no harm and was freed as soon as possible. The details of the negotiations and the attack that freed the captain were apparently left to the competent authorities on the scene.
It is good to see the White House delegating authority once again, rather than trying to micro-manage the world.
The rescue of Phillips does not resolve the worsening problem of piracy off the coast of eastern Africa. Pirates in Somalia responded to the rescue by threatening to kill American hostages when the opportunity arises. The opportunity is sure to present itself soon. The waters off Somalia are a busy international sea lane. Even the threat of piracy is not enough to shift the ship traffic to safer routes. The only way to stop the piracy is to make the business so expensive in lives and treasure that it is no longer worth the possible rewards of success.
The United States is not alone in fighting piracy. The Navy ships that responded to last week’s pirate attack are part of an international task force — including ships from the European Union, Russia, Japan and China. Last week, French Navy commandos stormed a sailboat that had been seized by pirates, killing two pirates and one hostage.
Stopping piracy in Somalia will not be easy, but one by one, nations are stepping forward to join the fight.
Sunday’s rescue shows that the United States will be a valuable partner in this international effort.
Patrick S. Kelley
Editorial Page Editor
madpoet (anonymous) says...
Sure it's easy. Arm the crews. The American crew fought off pirates with AK-47s with knives, it sounds like. Imagine if they'd had guns? I don't see why there are not armed guards on all the ships that go thru that area. It's not a new situation, after all. Heck, give me a handgun and some training and I could probably pop the buggers as they attempt to board the ship. They're sitting ducks as they try to board; fire hoses have been used to knock them off before. I fail to see why it is so complicated. Start killing and wounding these criminals and they'll learn to look for easier prey.
April 14, 2009 at 2:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
under_score (anonymous) says...
I am now convinced that Patrick Kelley is deliberately writing these inflammatory articles just to get under my skin.
What did Obama do that Bush wouldn't have done? You derided Bush for listening to his Generals on the ground in Iraq and now you are saying he micro-managed too much. Which is it? What do you believe? At least be consistent. The only thing that is consistent within the subject of your editorials is that you do not like Bush and he could not do anything correctly. Okay, we got it.
I've really grown to dislike you Patrick S Kelley. And that's putting it mildly.
Of course, like President Bush, I could never hope to be as smart as Patrick S Kelley.
Oh please, Patrick S Kelley, enlighten us more with some of your wisdom!
From now on, I'm going to start using your name as a dirty word to call someone whom I think is completely ignorant. e.g. crackinsack you are a true Patrick S Kelley!
April 14, 2009 at 3:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
I agree with madpoet, place armed guards on the ships, install .50 caliber machine guns, and go on with business after cutting the pirate ships in half.
April 14, 2009 at 3:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I would think that shipping companies would find it less expensive to hire marshalls to protect their ships than to buy piracy insurance which I understand costs an additional premium of $64,000 per trip. Although insurance covers their million dollar losses, in the end, we get to pay for all of it when the price of goods go skyward. Still, let's hope this latest incident focuses more attention on this problem than a weekend's worth.
A former CBS reporter who lived among Somali pirates in order to write a story, reports that Somali piracy is much more sophisticated than most people believe. For one thing, among those who get a cut of the booty are the elders. Hmmmmmm...
April 14, 2009 at 3:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
Wow, create, I didn't realize the insurance was that high! You would think you could hire lots of guards for that. Think of all the unemployed people, some of them former military, who could be hired by shipping companies...Two problems solved.
April 14, 2009 at 3:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Bjnemp (anonymous) says...
What a biased liberal crock. It took Obama five days and 17 separate meetings with staff to finally issue an order allowing our Navy to take action "only if Capt. Phillips life was in danger". Duh. His life was in danger the moment the pirates/terrorists began boarding his ship! A real leader would have issued orders within hours, not after 5 long days of confused inaction.
"It is good to see the White House delegating authority once again, rather than trying to micro-manage the world."
Boy! There's some liberal spin for you. The White House (Obama) had no idea what to do so they finally passed on the decision to those who did know what to do, our Navy Seals.
Obama had little to do with the outcome of this situation but Mr. Kelley, Mr. fair and balanced, is convinced his Messiah did everything except simultaneously pull the triggers on the sniper rifles.
Oh! And I love the title of P. Hussein Kelley's comment: "Without the swagger". Now, THAT is funny! I guess Patrack hasn't noticed that his savior is by far the most arrogant, smug president in history.
Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and Kelley. God help America.
April 14, 2009 at 4:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Under score....You might add under-thought, lack of reason, and nothing of value to offer to your user name. What a typical Republican response to anything and everything done by President Obama...and/or anything that doesn't agree with your narrow view of the world. Forget specifics....offer nothing of your own...and attack on a personal level....that's the Republican way. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem....and that's where your party appears to be today. Good write-up Patrick no matter what the radical right thinks.
April 14, 2009 at 4:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tbluma (anonymous) says...
The biggest difference between Mr. Bush and barry is the media.
If Pres. Bush had okayed this action everyone in the media would have accused him of killing some poor underprivalged black teenagers, but since the media is in love with barry whatever he does is probably going to be just fine.
April 14, 2009 at 4:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tbluma (anonymous) says...
bisquitboy For 8 years the media treated Bush the same way asyou are accusing rep. of doing now. IF THE SHOE FITS SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOTTA WEAR IT
April 14, 2009 at 4:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
I seem to recall just a few weeks ago many repubs crying foul because a spokesman for President Obama had not shown proper respect in a comment made by thankfully ex-Vice President Dick Cheny. "He is afterall a former Vice President of the United States of America they cried with great crocodile tears. How then does tbluma and virtually every other rebub blowhard justify the plethora of vile, nasty,disrespectful and downright disgusting names they routinely use in refering to President Obama. He is afterall the sitting President of the United States of America and as such deserves every bit as much respect as does the architect of much of the lunacy of the preceeding administration. You May not have to like him...but you damned sure ought to respect him just as much as you demand respect for your ilk.
April 14, 2009 at 6:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
I wonder if we would be having these problems if we would have not pulled out of Somalia prematurely in 93. Another Bush screw up! I realize that he wasn't president then but I'm sure someone will spin it enough to blame him. I saved you a little time. You are very welcome.
April 14, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
Don't worry, all, I'm sure soon we will read a line in a Pat article along the lines of ""It is good to see the White House micor-managing once again, rather than trying to delegate authority."
Apparently Pat has been out of the loop for awhile, and hasn't been watching the takeover & micromanagement of all the private companies by the goverrnment.
I remember a swagger slogan that hasn't been lived up to, either. "Change We Can Believe In".
YY4U....... well, you pretty much say it all. The perfect embodiment of what we talk about. Could you explain to me exactly what is meant by "sending our children after Terrorists without defining the word?" Oh, I forgot - we can no longer USE the word "terrorists"...... as Helen Thomas said, these "so-called terrorists" in Pakistan....... now there's deep thoughts for ya.....
Biscuit, you could please back up your claims? Could you do a little research and list all the "plethora of vile, nasty, disrespectful and downright disgusting names they routinely use in referring to President Obama" - and then could you compare them to the "nice, respectful, compassionate" comments made about Bush routinely on here?
Yeah, right. I thought not. Be sure to throw in none of the Repubs here knew Asia was a continent or some other "fact".
April 14, 2009 at 7:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tbluma (anonymous) says...
bisquitboy "EMPHASIS ON BOY" and yy4u, all I said was that the media treated Bush the same way for 8 years. Now the shoe is on the other foot and you guys/gals are crying foul.
Like I said "IF THE SHOE FITS SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO WEAR IT". I certainly didn't agree with everything Bush did. I damn sure will not agree with everything barry does, but if he does do something right I will give him credit for it.
The problem with you people is your tunnel vision.
Whats good for my goose should be good for your gander.
Like I've said many times in my posts before, I really can't have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.
April 14, 2009 at 8:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
Actually, we had some of those locked up. In Guatanamo. But we turned them loose, so they're back to running free in Afghanistan.
It might be that alot of those responsible running free in Afghanistan & Pakistan are there because we "delegated authority" to quite an extent there, and the locals who pretended to be helping us let many of them slip thru.
Maybe we would have been better off if we had "micro-managed" the war more........
OOPS. Did I just point out yet another "spin" for Pat to turn a total 180 with his usual "The exact same thing can be done by both, but it's bad if Bush does it, but good if Obama does it? OOPS.......
Obama Administration Quietly Expands Bush's Legal Defense of Warrantless Wiretapping
http://www.alternet.org/rights/135605...
"In a stunning defense of President George W. Bush's warrantless wiretapping program, President Barack Obama has broadened the government's legal argument for immunizing his Administration and government agencies from lawsuits surrounding the National Security Agency's eavesdropping efforts.
In fact, a close read of a government filing last Friday reveals that the Obama Administration has gone beyond any previous legal claims put forth by former President Bush."
OOPS...........
Oh, now, Pat is "fair & balanced", so he & the Bush haters on here who have ranted against the Patriot Act will SURELY definitely blast Obama for this even worse "illegal infringement on their rights".......
And donkeys will fly.......
Oh, I keep forgetting. Dang it, open_eyes, you've been on this board long enough to know the score: Same thing: Bush does it: Illegal: Obama does it: Legal.
Problem is, when I try to keep score, I keep running out of erasers & wearing thru the paper up on the liberal column because the atomic weight of hydrogen keeps changing every time depending on whether it was assigned by a liberal or a conservative.... at least on the conservative side, they may love or hate the number assigned it depending on who assigned it, but at least it stays the same....
April 14, 2009 at 11:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
He writes these just to read your entertaining responses, and I can't blame him.
April 15, 2009 at 12:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
OpenEyes...I don't have to do a lot of research to back up my claim, all I have to do is turn on my TV to FOX NEWS. The vitriolic bile that spews forth from there everyday is more than enough to make my claim. But just to further make my case, as long as tubluma continues to refer to President Obama as barry I will refer to thankfully ex-President Bush as bushey. I readily accept the assertion that references to bushey, both by much of the media as well as the general public, became increasingly dis-repectful during the last four years of his reign. But during his first term bushyboy was almost idolized by most of the press...the change only coming as the failure of his policies became more evident. President Obama should at least be given the same chance to prove himself as that given to bushyboy, "(EMPHASIS ON BOY)" tubluma, and his sidekick Lon. We do agree on one thing however, I know just how you feel about doing battle with an unarmed man.
April 15, 2009 at 6:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Happiness09 (anonymous) says...
It seems to me that in the general public's opinion (at least in Emporia, KS) you're either damned if you do or damned if you don't. I personally approve of killing the bastards. Maybe if we would have taken Osama out like that there wouldn't have been a 911. It's about time we had a President that took care of our own.
April 15, 2009 at 8:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Happiness09 (anonymous) says...
And Mr. Kelley....how dare you express your opinion in a public newspaper!
April 15, 2009 at 8:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
Goodoleboy, you may be right, I think he writes them just to get informed, since he obviously doesn't do alot of homework on his own.
Biscuit, while your at it, turn on MSNBC, and sit back and give an honest listen there to what you hear. Also, go look at websites like the DailyKos, Media Matters, etc..... and you'll find plenty of right-wing sites with criticism as well, but what we are talking about here depends on your definition of "vitriolic". I saw alot of hoping Tony Snow rotted in hell & suffered & so on when he was sick, I haven't seen one-single-statement like that about Kennedy when he was diagnosed with his tumor, for example. I don't consider EVERY criticism "vitriolic". The freedom to openly be critical of our elected officials is what keeps our system alive, but can you honestly say you've seen any balance in the last few years? Why are all the media so soft on Barney Frank since the meltdown of Fannie & Freddie? Why aren't the same rights groups that have been so vocal about every little misstep against a liberal not ranting & raving about M&M's video?
Sometimes its not so much what people complain about & say, it's what they FAIL to complain about & say. These are cases where the silence of the media (& people on these boards) on matters equally as despicable as things they were formerly extremely vocal about, but just when it was on the other foot, speaks VOLUMES.
Happiness...... you're right..... now, remind me again, exactly WHO was it (which president) that basically had Obama in his grasp and let him go? (Pre 9/11). Remember? When you make statements like "It's about time we had a President that took care of our own", you ARE obviously referring to Clinton, RIGHT? Sure, that was pre-9/11, but it was POST '93 Trade Center bombings, and POST Obama openly "declaring war on the US and the West".......
YY4U - Yes, I would always prefer that all things being equal, we had someone who could articulate themselves over someone who could not. I've said it before, & I'll say it again - good job on the pirate scum, Mr. President Obama.
But, in answer to your last question........ no... I'm not happy now. I would prefer that ALL of our leaders did such a good job that NONE of us EVER needed to criticize them for ANYTHING! That goes for Obama, Bush, Congress, ALL of them! LOL :)
April 15, 2009 at 9:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
LOL, YY4U. You're right. In returning (sorry) to the original theme of this editorial..... Bush wanted to micro-manage Fannie/Freddie in 2003...... ended up doing nothing (although not of his choice)..... now catching flak (deservedly) for his part in that.... but Pat doesn't like it when the White House micro-manages, so I guess he's glad good old Barney kept any of that "White House micro-management" from straightening out the mortgage mess when they had the chance & tried to........... LOL ..... but gosh darn, I just watched the Texas governor complaining about the Feds trying to force the stimulus money on them that they don't want....(would that be some of Pat's "micro-managing" that today's White House is "no longer trying to do"?????) LOL
Gosh I get dizzy from all the spinning around everytime I read a Pat spin piece.
Sorry, I keep straying. The problem is, international maritime law forbids arming merchant ships. Should the law be changed so that ships can protect themselves? Or would that open a whole can of worms that would/could make things worse?
April 15, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
under_score (anonymous) says...
I believe I was being critical of Patrick Kelley and his eternal blame of everything on Bush, which you obviously support. I said nothing critical of Obama, although I do have plenty of criticism. I am actually registered independent but also very pro-American. So I have given up on the Democrats for the time being after they sold our troops down the river on Iraq.
April 15, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
open-eyes....perhaps you can do a little research and provide specific information as to mainstream media sources making the type of attacks you described as being made about Tony
Snow during his illness. If you can offer proof of such statements I will condemn them just as quickly as I do the same kind of crap coming from right wing guru Rush (Loud Mouth) Limbaugh. Don"t bother with data from some radical left wing blog that has no more legitimacy nor audience than their radical right wing bretheran. Fair is fair....right is right...and wrong is wrong, no matter which side of the street you live on. Personal attacks like the ones you described, if you can indeed document them, should have no place in political discourse. But to claim that the victims of such attacks are more often right than left is absurd as well as very misinformed. For years the dems sat by and took all the mud-slinging crap the repubs could dish out. Only in the recent past have they responded in kind....and therin probably lies the rub.
April 15, 2009 at 12:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
alfalfa (anonymous) says...
You can bet your bottom dollar if Bush was still President and had handled this exactly the same way Pat Kelley would be wetting his pants over the fact the pirates were killed. For me personally this was the most impressive thing Obama has done since he has been President, I am sure the far left is seething privately over it, but can't say anything in public against their messiah. The pirate situation is a bad deal our nation has to deal with, just like Iran, North Korea, etc. etc. I hope Obama keeps handling foreign affairs as well as he did this incident.
April 15, 2009 at 2:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
You are absolutely right, biscuit - I did err in lumping the statements about Snow into "mainstream media". Thank you for the correction. Olbermann named Tony Snow his "Worst Person In The World" over a year before he died, and even though he had cancer by then, it wasn't about that. But his "Worst Person In the World" segments aren't exactly "respectfully critical"...... I don't think O'Reilly's "Pinheads & Patriots" even comes close....
I did see a segment on O'Reilly once where they tried to do a comparison of hate sites on both the right and left. Specifically targeting sites that spewed hate and so forth - printing articles & blogs very disrespectful & hateful, not just criticism. They found plenty on the left, but not as many on the right - only a much smaller handful. The right-wing blogs were every bit as hateful as the left ones, if not moreso - nazi-style sites & so forth - but the other interesting info was that the right-wing hate blogs were much less well-known or visited - their hits would only number in the hundreds, or few thousands, not coming close to the number of hits the left sites were getting.
Now, take this however you want, after all it WAS on O'Reilly, and it was no scientific study in any way - just his "internet" person and her team combing the web trying to find sites that were "out there". I DO see sites like the Kos & Media Matters & so forth cited more often than right-wing sites, so I don't think it's a stretch to say there is more traffic out there on that side. On the other hand, talk radio, obviously is very heavily conservative. Not even close there. Perhaps that is why the web seems to be weighted in the other direction, for balance....
I don't know, I wasn't as active on the internet back when it first started, is it possible that in it's early days (like right after Gore invented it) - that it leaned the other direction? Perhaps it always eventually tilts against whoever is currently in power...... I don't know. But getting into blogs is going down the endless rabbit-hole - each side is always going to complain that the other is worse. Well, the internet wasn't arround for all of Clinton's years, so we've had our first full administration with internet access - interesting to see if it tilts the other direction in the next few years....
But I AM truly interested in why all the women's rights groups are so silent on the Palin rap. Especially when they've been so up in arms about so much less in the past............ anyone have an answer for that? Other than the answer we already know, but is continually denied?
April 15, 2009 at 2:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Pollyanna (anonymous) says...
On a lighter note, I have a hearty republican brother who has always been anti Obama. He also happens to be a merchant marine who is on a ship in the Indian Ocean who frequents the pirated waterways.
He sent an email when the news was out that it "wasn't his ship..he was just fine", and also mockingly mentioned, "what is your boyfriend Obama going to do about this one... personally have tea with the pirates?"
Once the situation was over and the Captain was safe, our next emails lightheartedly discussed the steaming bowl of crow he was to eat on the ship that night. He reluctantly agreed.
April 15, 2009 at 2:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
I also recall an awful lot of complaining both by Pat & by bloggers here about the Patriot Act. Now that I've posted the info on Obama actually broadening the legal argument for the wiretapping & so forth, so far all I've heard is........ (insert crickets chirping here)......
April 15, 2009 at 2:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
LOL Pollyana, I'm with alfalfa on being impressed with how he handled it & hope he keeps it up. I'm just glad he didn't apologize to them for the US like he recently did in I think it was Turkey? (You know, home of the Ottoman empire, which kept Europe under their thumb for centuries but hasn't apologized for that yet).
But I am beginning to think (unfortunately) that the solution to the Somalian piracy problem lies not in the sea itself. As long as Somalia itself is such a mess...... maybe we need to go into Somalia to get rid of the WMP's (Weapons of Mass Piracy). LOL
April 15, 2009 at 2:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
I believe they may be fast turning into the latest Al-Qaeda stronghold. I'm sure everyone remembers the recent reports about their recruitment among somalian groups in the midwestern US. What should we do? It will be interesting to see how Obama handles it, not only the piracy issue. I just hope he doesn't ignore it so that his successor has another 9/11 on his hands. I don't see any easy answers and I certainly don't have them. Other than we might end up having to micro-manage it, whether we like it or not..... :)
April 15, 2009 at 4:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
open-eyes.....Thank You. Your 2:45pm post was thoughtful and informative, and helps point out what in my opinion is the real problem here. All political bickering aside...unless we can get past this "your side is worse than my side" .....and "my side has been more wronged than your side"...we stand very little chance as a nation. The beauty of our political system as it was designed encouraged compromise. The far left and the far right could accomplish little and the real work was done by the middle right and left compromising for the mutual good. That cooperation has been as rare as money in my wallet in recent years as we get further and further polarized. If this continues unabated we may well reach a point where the country falls apart....and that my friend will be a terrible day for all of us.
April 15, 2009 at 7:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
To be true to my word: From an article on today's tea parties.
"Salt Lake City..... Kate Maloney held a cardboard sign that read "Pin the tail on the jacka$$" with a picture of Obama on a Democratic donkey.
Other protesters also took direct aim at Obama. One sign in the crowd in Madison, Wis., compared him to the Antichrist. At a rally in Montgomery, Ala., ......carried a sign that showed the president with Hitler-style hair and mustache and said, "Sieg Heil Herr Obama."
Although I agree wholeheartedly with the tea parties and our right to protest and demonstrate, I do NOT agree with disrespect of this sort. You can criticize and voice displeasure without resorting to displays of this sort. We've had enough of that for the last 8 years. And I strongly condemn this kind of disrespect of our president.
I still patiently await all those who very vocally blasted Bush on these boards for the Patriot Act to condemn Obama in the same way for expanding Bush's defense of warrantless wiretapping. And M&M's video.
But, before you do, give me another second to put my earplugs in. The silence is deafening.
April 16, 2009 at 12:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
YY4U, we have our answer now on the definition of the word "Terrorist".
We cannot use it for Islamic extremists who fly into buildings or cut off peoples heads. We are no longer allowed to use it for Islamic extremists who will blow themselves and a bus load of kindergarteners up just to spite America.
HOWEVER, according to the new Homeland Security Bulletin, the word IS used to define potential right-wing extremists that may include returning military veterens, 2nd Amendment supporters, anti-abortionists, and those who oppose illegal immigration.
I'm not a vet, but for the rest, well, the shoe fits, so I guess I have to wear it....... gosh, I'm starting to scare MYSELF.......
April 16, 2009 at 7:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
josiesbar (anonymous) says...
http://www.kmbc.com/download/2009/041...
Here's the full document, thanks to kmbc in Kansas City.
Enjoy!
April 16, 2009 at 10:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )