"Ocean Going Thugs!"

"Captain Blood", "Long John Silver", "Black Beard" and the "Dreaded Pirate Roberts" are names that sparked the imagination of many young boys. I remember watching a swashbuckling Errol Flynn swing aboard his intended conquest, his sword slashing through any who stood in his way. It was a glamorous thing to be a pirate. They were all handsome and virile; never harming the beautiful maidens who always managed to be aboard their captured vessels. Once the battle was over, the heroic pirate never indulged in pointless violence; he always took the high road, never turning to revenge on any helpless captive. Eventually the hero would release his victims on a desert island, with enough provisions to last them until they could be found. Back in the days of Errol Flynn, those pirates had "honor". In reality, pirates throughout history were sea going street gangs who terrorized the oceans with abandon and merciless violence; few lived through encounters with those renegade murderers and rapists. In truth, there were no "Errol Flynn's", with flashing smiles and love of "honor and chivalry"; they were thugs and sociopaths. It's too bad life isn't like the movies!

Last week four innocent people lost their lives to Somali pirates. These people were Americans who were on a mission to distribute bibles to other nations. None of them had ever harmed anyone; these were good honest people. Scott and Jean Adams, and Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle were middle aged folks who wanted to do something good when they set sail aboard the "Quest". They didn't resist their invaders; they offered no opposition or retaliation to those sea-thugs. One of the pirates said, "The hostages pleaded with us not to harm them. They cried when we captured them...and asked us to release them because they were too old and couldn't endure captivity." I guess those guys didn't watch any "Errol Flynn Movies"! They proceeded to murder those innocent people without conscience. Statements that have since been released by pirates say they will now kill any Americans that they capture, with no exceptions!

It is time for our President to issue orders to sink all pirate vessels, regardless of the flags they may fly. It is time to arm all commercial vessels with enough fire power to destroy any threatening vessels that may approach them. If these murderers want to "battle on the high seas", then we should give it to them with our fullest efforts. If any government endorses their actions, they should be put on notice that the United States will no longer exercise mercy on any ship that may aid these killers. Perhaps, if the United States provides an example of strength to the rest of the world, they will learn from it. There are no "Errol Flynn's" on those ships; they are more like "Cripps and Bloods", and should be regarded as such!!