The Navy S.E.A.L.s rescued the captain of the Maersk Alabama today in an operation that was exactly what they are trained to do. President Obama made the right call by acknowledging that this was a military matter and not a law-enforcement problem. Kudos to Obama for doing the right thing. He owes a debt of gratitude to Mr. Bush for leaving him a military that is extraordinarily capable...let us pray that Mr. Obama does the same for his successor.
There are two large issues at stake here. First, piracy in international waters IS a military matter. It must be met with overwhelming force and destroyed. Mackubin Thomas Owens had an excellent piece in yesterday's Wall Street Journal on this subject. It goes back to Roman times and the distinction between "bellum" and "guerra" - the former is war between legitimate states, the latter war on brigands, outlaws, pirtates - can we say "terrorists?" These people do not deserve the courtesy of legal proceedings - they deserve the hangman's noose.
The second point that most reports are missing is the proper definition of who these people are - they are Muslim Extremists! These aren't modern day versions of Blackbeard, they are Islamic terrorists - they are doing on the high seas what their brethren are doing on the land in Iraq, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Indonesia etc. etc. For this reason, Obama is wrong to say we are not at war with Islam...we are at war with Islamic extremism and the pressure and blame needs to be put squarely on the heads of those who support these "latrunculi," the Saudis, the Iranians and all Islamic clergy and people who do not openly condemn these acts and work to change their religion from within.
The second point that most reports are missing is the proper definition of who these people are - they are Muslim Extremists! These aren't modern day versions of Blackbeard, they are Islamic terrorists - they are doing on the high seas what their brethren are doing on the land in Iraq, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Indonesia etc. etc. For this reason, Obama is wrong to say we are not at war with Islam...we are at war with Islamic extremism and the pressure and blame needs to be put squarely on the heads of those who support these "latrunculi," the Saudis, the Iranians and all Islamic clergy and people who do not openly condemn these acts and work to change their religion from within.
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