Somali Pirates v. the United States of America

UPDATE: U.S. Officials: American Warships Heading to Hijack Scene
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Barack Obama, Somali pirates tried to hijack a U.S. ship and are currently holding its captain hostage in a smaller boat.

What are you, commander in chief, going to do about it?

NAIROBI, Kenya -- The American crew of a hijacked U.S.-flagged ship retook control of the vessel from Somali pirates Wednesday but the captain was still being held hostage, according to Pentagon officials and a member of the crew.

The crew member told The Associated Press that the 20-member crew had managed to seize one pirate and then successfully negotiate their own release.

The man, who picked up the ship's satellite phone but did not identify himself, told the AP in a brief conversation that the crew had retaken control of the ship and the pirates were in a lifeboat. But the man also said that they were holding the ship's captain hostage.

The news came hours after Pentagon officials said the crew had retaken the vessel from the Somali pirates who seized it far off the Horn of Africa.

President Barack Obama was following the situation closely, foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough said.

The ship was carrying emergency food relief to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was hijacked, the Copenhagen-based container shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk said.

...Maersk Line Limited CEO John F. Reinhart said the vessel's manifest showed it was carrying 401 containers of food aid bound for Africa from USAID, Serving God Ministries, the World Food Program and Catholic Relief.

Hear that world?

Our ship was bound for Africa, carrying food aid from USAID, Serving God Ministries, the World Food Program and Catholic Relief.

The U.S. was bringing aid, not acting in a hostile manner, not bullying or threatening.

And to all you religion bashers and critics of people of faith--

Serving God Ministries and Catholic Relief were sending food to Africa. Please admit that's a noble mission.

I suppose the Obama administration would consider this a criminal matter.

Obama certainly wouldn't consider it to be an act of war.

In any event, the U.S. needs to respond.

Maybe Barack Hussein Obama can deliver an address reaching out to Somali pirates and post it on YouTube.

That might help.