The title of this piece sounds like the title of a children’s book, what?
I must tell you I was amused at the left wing writers who continually bemoaned that Obama’s hands were tied and he had limited options in dealing with those Somali pirates and on and on the hand-wringing and the weeping and wailing went. It was and is , to say the least, pathetic!
It was laughable to see the reaction of the “press’ when the story broke that the pirates had been killed and the captain rescued. It was as if a collective sigh of relief went up from the left-wing media when they realized their man, unlike their “other” man, Jimmy Carter, could and would, and, in fact, DID, give the order to use deadly force to free an American in the clutches of Islamofacist pirates. In fact, my family and I had several belly laughs at the expense of the Mainstream Media. Their effervescent bubbling-over with relief and their words of praise tumbled nearly uncontrolled from their lips. It was hilarious! I watched as one reporter literally gushed with praise in a manner like unto that of one drunk on pure joy. He ran out of superlatives in the first few seconds and thus began his repeat and repeat rendition of the “Messiah Saves Again.” I fought the urge to phone his director with the suggestion that he be removed from the air immediately and made to lie down until the euphoria passed and someone with a more detached demeanor and a cooler head run in to replace him on the air. It was THAT BAD!
During those few days the captain of the seized vessel was held hostage this scribe was urging the President on toward the use of deadly force. You know, something like blasting the lifeboat to smithereens and then machine gunning the surviving pirates as they tried to swim away. That didn’t happen, exactly, but it was close enough to satisfy my personal thirst for retribution.
Over the next few days, I fear, we are going to be awash in praise and adulation of the President, over his part in this high seas drama. That is in accordance with the left’s way of overreaching, or just plain overdoing it. We already know what Obama did. It is enough. Let us move on.
If I had a suggestion to make it would be that we station more assets in the area off the Somali coast and interdict those pirates with a little “gunboat diplomacy” by blowing their boats out of the water and machine gunning any who try to swim away. I said that, already, didn’t I? Do that often enough and you wipe them out by attrition, or scare them out of business. Either way the problem is solved. Somehow, I don’t expect that to happen, so let’s move on to plan “B” which is simple enough. Locate the bases from which the pirates operate, along the east Africa coast, and drop hellfire missiles and bombs on those bases wiping everything, and everyone, out.
Do not delude yourself into believing this one incident will deter the pirates. They are not afraid of us, as they have said. So, let’s make them afraid!
Unfortunately, with the limp-wristed socialists in the White House, and in the State Department, we find, regrettably, they tend to wet themselves every time a problem, the solution of which demands the use if force, presents itself. Sometimes, of course they will simple assume the fetal position and just whimper. I am reassured that the story of the Xanax vending machine in the hallway, outside the Oval Office, is only an unsubstantiated rumor!
Lord knows, I try to prepare myself for never ending embarrassment every time a left-wing administration gains the presidency in America. I know they just don’t have it in them to act like, and behave as, men. Is there a shortage of testosterone on the left side of the political aisle? Is that what it is? Beats me. Then what is it? Why do they do the public hand-wringing thing, and the awful whimpering? It is unmanly. And, as I have said… it is embarrassing!
Without taking anything away from Obama for his ordering the use of deadly force in rescuing Captain Phillips, I still have to ask the following question: Why does Obama insist on elevating Iran’s Ahmadinejad, by having “talks” with him? Those talks will accomplish nothing for the US and everything for Iran. All Iran has to do is show up. Game over… Iran wins. There is something terribly wrong about that.
A few days ago I was entertaining the notion that Barry should take a lesson form the way Teddy Roosevelt handled a similar situation back in 1904 when a Trenton, New Jersey, man, named Ion Perdicaris, became the 20th century's first American victim of Middle Eastern terrorism. Mr. Perdicaris was taken hostage from his villa in Tangier, Morocco by a band of Berber tribesmen. Their leader was Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli.
President Theodore Roosevelt began waving his "big stick," by sending battleships steaming toward the African coast to ensure Perdicaris' safe release. Roosevelt also issued one of his most blood-curdling proclamations a President of the US has ever made. It was a statement that helped ensure his re-election and made Americans proud to be Americans.
Roosevelt’s proclamation was short and to the point: "Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead!" A few days later Perdicaris was free. And yes, there was some back door diplomacy involved, but the job was done in short order without the US losing face and coming off as the “Paper Tiger” to which we are so often compared.
Ok, so I am still not satisfied that we have not elected another Jimmy Carter to the office of President. I sincerely hope I am wrong. Time will tell. If we have, then prepare to be embarrassed time and again.
The left just can’t help themselves. It just isn’t in them. The “doormat” posture seems to come naturally to them.
I’m beginning to think there should be a mandatory requirement for a blood test to determine testosterone levels for all Presidential candidates, left and/or right, in the future.
OK, OK, I hear ya! What about the lady Presidents, huh? Well, lets have one first, shall we? Then, maybe, eminent biologists can do whatever it is they do, and then tell us what the acceptable level of testosterone in the female candidates should be. Forgive me ladies; I am aware I am treading where angels fear to tread. Think about it. It just might save us more degrading embarrassments such as that Iranian hostage situation under Jimmy Carter.
Yes, I AM happy that things turned out the way they did, but I would have been even happier had the end come in a matter of hours rather than days. I believe that speaks to our being “unprepared” for this sort of circumstance and we should not allow that to happen again. We need to have the assets in place in the Indian Ocean, especially off the Somali coast… and be ready. It WILL happen again. Of that we can be sure.
While I am ranting here, let me ask the obvious. Why do we not have armed guards aboard merchant vessels plying those pirate-infested waters? Why are merchant vessels unarmed? I’m sure there are formerly reasonable answers to these questions. However, we need to reassess and change whatever needs changing, whether it is maritime law, or Insurance rules and regulations, or whatever. It is pure folly to sail those shipping lanes without protection.
J. D. Longstreet is a conservative Southern American (A native sandlapper and an adopted Tar Heel) with a deep passion for the history, heritage, and culture of the southern states of America. At the same time he is a deeply loyal American believing strongly in "America First".
He is a thirty-year veteran of the broadcasting business, as an "in the field" and "on-air" news reporter (contributing to radio, TV, and newspapers) and a conservative broadcast commentator.
Longstreet is a veteran of the US Army and US Army Reserve. He is a member of the American Legion and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. A lifelong Christian, Longstreet subscribes to "old Lutheranism" to express and exercise his faith.
In addition to appearing at WEBCommentary, J.D. Longstreet's articles are posted as:
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