[Mishmash] So Quiet

[Fred Atkinson]

Folks, 

    A major event like the rescue of Captain Phillips occurs and no one on Mishmash has any chatter to give about it?  

    My comment is that those pirate should've known better than to mess with America.  They got exactly what they invited on themselves.  

    At one time, piracy on the high seas carried the death penalty.  But Fox News is saying he may only be looking at a life sentence.  I am all for extraditing him to the U.S. to face trial.  They were on international waters when they committed an act of piracy on a vessel sailing under the U.S. flag.  That puts him under the jurisdiction of our law.  In my book, letting him face trial in Kenya (or the world court or any other nation) is not an option.  He has to face our system of justice.  This is clearly a U.S. matter of justice.  

    It's past the time that the world community needs to deal with this problem.  We need to stop this ransom payment for acts of piracy.  If they knew they would get nothing for their efforts, fewer incidents of piracy would occur.  

    When I was sent to South America by my church to do work for the Foreign Mission Board, there was something that they didn't tell me about my presence down there.  That was: If a missionary is kidnapped and held for ransom, the Foreign Mission Board just writes you off as a loss.  They will not pay a ransom for your return.  That is for your own protection.  

    If they paid ransoms on missionaries, missionaries would be kidnapped all the time.  It would become a money making business and missionaries would not be safe.  To that end, we never saw an issue of kidnapping associated with that ministry.  

    Perhaps the shipping industry should take that under consideration.  

    I'm looking forward to seeing Captain Phillips tell of his ordeal.  The story of his actions should be a inspiration to our young people!  It is to me.  

    Why is it that it takes an incident like this before the media will bring out the best in Americans and people like us in other nations (yes folks, I do include our friends in Australia.  I know what kind of fine people there are Down Under.  They've stood together with us countless numbers of times)?  

    God Bless our Nation and all of our Allies who share the dream of a world without fear.  This is a great time for nations to arise to the cause and come together to stop this world problem.  

    This is what the dream of freedom is all about.  

    Regards, 



        
                                                                Fred 
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