Navy Adopts Oddballs Defense From Movie Kelly Heroes

Back in 1970, Clint Eastwood came out with an off beat war flick about GI Joes fighting Germans who decided to get killed for something that really matters--like a bank full of 14,000 goldbars behind enemy lines. Kelly Heroes include Donald Sutherland who volunteers his tank and crew for the bank heist. Kelly is unimpressed and Oddball shows off the tank engine to prove they are up to the job.

Oddball: This engine's been modified by our mechanical genius here, Moriarty. Right?
Moriarty: Whatever you say, babe.
[giggles]
Oddball: These engines are the fastest in any tanks in the European Theater of Operations, forwards or backwards. You see, man, we like to feel we can get out of trouble, quicker than we got into it.
This scene came to mind as I read the CNN story headlined : Navy Ship Out Runs Pirates
I kid you not. Check it out. Apprently, two skiffs of near brain dead Somali pirates decided to pull over and hold for ransom the USNS Lewis and Clark, a cargo and ammo supply ship in support of the Fifth Fleet. My god, I ask you, is there no end to this crap. Two boat loads of skinny malnourished Somali pirates chased the Navy supply boat for a hour,an hour, shooting off their AK's while the ship's security team issued stern CEASE AND DESIST! warnings over the ships megaphone. Life imitates art. How bitterly ridiculous. An hour of this ...excuse me, what do you say after an hour of this charade. Stop at once, I say. You'll be grounded until your father gets home, young man. What was the Captain doing all this time. Was he screaming Engine Room! More speed! Scotty! More speed! Captain! She won't hold together much longer. She's coming apart at the seams! Apparently Capt. Picard finally got tired of playing footsie with the pirates and ordered full warp drive and left the pirates far astern. Hoh, but this not the end of the story. Not by a long shot. oh no. Instead of setting of couple of Marine lance corporals at the fan tail with a couple of M-14 to take target practice at the chase boats the Ready Now Navy Higher Food chain is stating that this run away, run away defense is the number one, prime directive for pirates:

"The actions taken by Lewis and Clark were exactly what the U.S. Navy has been recommending to prevent piracy attacks -- for both commercial and military vessels," said Capt. Steve Kelley, commander of Task Force 53, assigned to the Lewis and Clark.

"Merchant mariners can and should use Lewis and Clark's actions as an unequivocal example of how to prevent a successful attack from occurring," he said.

Mother of god! Has it come to this? Is this the age of Barrack Hussein Obama? John Paul Jones is spinning like a whirling dervish.