Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Johnny Depp Part II

I have to commend President Obama on his actions that led to the rescue of Captain Phillips. I apologize for the lapse in time from the first post to this one. I have been doing a bit of traveling. During my travels I took a private poll. I asked people how they would rate the Presidents performance in regards to the successful rescue of Captain Phillips.

I was not surprised to hear almost everyone thought he acted appropriately and very Presidential. I was actually proud to say he was my President. He did not give into the demands and brought an American hero back home to his family. A clear sign was sent to the pirates and my article should end at that. However, I did come across one detractor. I was discussing the incident with a few friends and he interjected. He had some very interesting points.

I need to premise the rest of the story by saying my friend is very conservative. He is not blinded by his beliefs but is very steadfast in his resolve. He is fair and I have always known him to give credit where credit was due. I was actually surprised to hear his argument.

He started off by stating that he was happy Obama ordered the Navy Seals to take the shot, but he believed they should have shot sooner. He then justified his statement. President Obama did not make many statements concerning the kidnapping. He was cool and collective and wanted all the facts. Most good leaders do. The issue he had with this was Obama was actually attempting to negotiate with the pirates. While the line of communication was being opened Captain Phillips jumped out of the raft and attempted to swim to safety. What if the Seals have been given the order to take out the pirates when they had an opportunity to without risking the life of the captain. What better time to take the shots - he wasn't even in the boat.

We know that Seals were present when the attempted escape occurred. Why was the order to shot not given. Did the President want to show the world that he was the great negotiator. My friend believes Obama was shamed into ordering the snipers to fire.

The news coverage of the escape attempt was almost non-existent. No one mentioned an attempted rescue. No one. Was it safer to let the snipers shot from one moving boat to another with Phillips on board or was it safer to shot when he was in the water. The point here is the order was not given. The Seals had to wait.

I am very happy that Captain Phillips is home and well. I hope that President Obama has realized that negotiation with terrorists will never work. Thank God for the Navy Seals and their quick actions. I am sure Easter Sunday would have been less eventful if the President had only given the simple order to protect an American hero.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Johnny Depp Strikes Again

Last time I checked the year was 2009. I open the paper and read that pirates have taken a U.S. citizen hostage. What is going on? This makes absolutely no sense to me at all. We have a group of Somalian pirates in speed boats sailing around the African coast "looting" foreign ships. Have we forgotten that we are the United States of America? The pirates have demanded a 2 million dollar ransom for the release of Captain Phillips. This is ridiculous. I understand that the captain has a family and I am sure they want to get him back at all costs. However, if the ransom is paid we are telling pirates everywhere that the most powerful nation on the planet will negotiate and give in to terrorists demands. This is not the example that we need to send given the current state of affairs.

We are currently involved in two wars in two different countries. We have a weak president who is looking to cut and run and admit defeat in both of these conflicts. We have our enemies threatening us every chance they get. Right now we are not well liked in the world. Giving in to these thugs would be disastrous. The fact that the pirates would take an American hostage just shows how brave they have become. Other countries have already paid ransoms and are still at risk for future attacks. Giving in will not solve this problem or any future problems that may arise.

Captain Phillips is a hero. There is no doubt about that. He willingly gave himself up to secure the safety and release of his crew. He deserves to come home but I am sure he knew what he was getting himself into when he chose to become a hostage. We as a nation have an obligation to bring this hero back home and reunite him with his family. We already have ships in the area. We have highly trained Navy Seals ready to take the lifeboat. We need to let our brave men and women do what they were trained to do and bring the Captain home.

A clear message must be sent. If you take an American hostage you will pay the price. No questions asked. Somalia is not a stable country by any stretch of the imagination but that is no excuse for the pirates' actions. The Somalian leadership must be held accountable for the actions of the pirates. They know where they are. Either they take care of it or while we have the ships in the area maybe we should.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Let the testing begin

North Korea has announced that it intends to shoot down any and all U.S. "spy" planes monitoring its missile launch site. The north has accused both the U.S. and South Korea of conducting about 190 spy missions over its territory. I have no doubt that the U.S. has been conducting these missions. I believe they are justified and must be carried out. North Korea has been rattling its sword for a while now. Negotiations have been allowed to take place over its nuclear program and that has gotten us no where. We are allowing an angry child to act out on a global stage. It is apparent that U.N. "time outs" are not going to change the North Korean mindset.

Former President Bush was criticized for his unwillingness to deal with North Korea. We attempted to deal with North Korea and now they are threatening to launch a satellite. Most believe that this is an attempt to test their long range missile capability. The North Korean leadership has been effectively starving its people for decades. What do they really have to fear from U.N. sanctions?

If North Korea develops or already has the capability for long range missile launches several of our allies are in direct danger. Japan has stated they would shoot down any missile debris that may stray into their territory. North Korea responded that they would consider that an act of war. It looks like the North is trying to muscle its way onto the political stage once again. We have to remember, if a child is given an inch then they will try to take a mile. North Korea must realize if they launch this "satellite" other countries besides the U.S. may take measures. South Korea and Japan both have the right to defend their territory and interests. A nuclear North Korea with long range missiles is not what is in the best interest of our allies or the world.

When will we realize rogue nations can not be dealt with logically? Obama wants to be the great healer, but it looks like North Korea doesn't believe it needs to be healed. A confrontation is looming ahead of us and right now diplomacy is only buying the North Koreans time.