Simmer down now

It feels like all we are going to hear about in the news now is pirates. I guess its somewhat expected because really they are the only people in the world in conflict with the US that don’t seem to have some redeeming factor to their names. They are so universally despised (mostly because they extort money…a little because they threaten lives) that even countries that are usually cold with one another are willing to cooperate in rooting out pirates. That being said, I was a bit disturbed and continue to be a bit disturbed about the reaction to the rescue of captain Phillips. On more than one occasion I have heard people celebrating the fact that the pirate were killed. Well lets hold on just a minute, we should be celebrating that a brave American who was willing to sacrifice himself for his crew is now able to return home safely. Celebrating the death of 3 teenage Somalis, no matter how heinous their actions, is wrong. I can remember quite vividly the horror and disgust I felt watching footage within the muslim world after 9/11 of people cheering the deaths of those thousands of people. It was disgusting not because they were our enemies stomping on our flag and taunting (they weren’t really) but rather because they showed such disrespect for human life. I’m not one to make excuses for terrorists or pirates (they really are the same thing one is just more honest about their intentions), but these people were leading an impoverished life in a horrible lawless theocracy and made the unfortunate but perhaps necessary choice of turning to piracy. I’m not sure this means they deserved to be killed but their deaths certainly do not warrant celebration on our part. Rather we should feel immense sadness that such a situation exists and that it came to such a gruesome end for 3 young men. No one should be glad that the standoff ended in death…that is a situation that should be avoided at all costs, and if public sentiment means that it is not avoided in the future then how will we reconcile these killings from murder.  Patrick OUT!!!