Navy 3, Pirates 0

Once again, the United States of America is up against Muslim pirates. Once again, it will do us well to remember our history with the Barbary Corsairs. In 1784 and 1785, American merchant ships were being seized by North African Muslim pirates, their crews held for ransom and the cargo and ships sold. For years, these crewmembers were held as slaves.


In 1786, then-ambassadors Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, met a visiting ambassador from Tripoli named Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja in London. When Adja was asked why his government was hostile to American ships, the ambassador had told them it was written in their Koran that all non-Muslim nations were sinners and it the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave such persons. Of course, he added, for an outrageous sum of money, they could make peace.

After fifteen years of paying ransom, the United States started fighting back in 1801.

We were fighting back again this Easter Sunday. After being held hostage for five days by Muslim pirates, Capt. Richard Phillips was freed by the United States Navy by three well-placed simultaneous head shots by Navy Seals or US Marines. For the sake of symmetry and poetry, I hope it was Marines, who in centuries past brought death to the Muslim pirates on the “shores of Tripoli.”

The United States has taken a back seat in fighting the scourge of Muslim piracy off the eastern horn of Africa. Perhaps now, our considerable naval resources will be brought to bear on these Muslim terrorists and extortionists. Or perhaps, Barak Hussein Obama just wants to apologize to his fellow native Kenyans and Somali brothers. At any rate, what Obama could not bring himself to say in his statement tonight, I will state for him on behalf of the American people.

We do not negotiate with terrorists who do not possess nuclear weapons.