???The six o'clock news Monday night was a sight to behold. Any regular viewer of that particular program has gotten used in the past several months to a near-constant barrage of bad news and anchors that looked scared and close to tears by the end of the half-hour.
???But not Monday night. No, Monday night Brian Williams was almost exuberant as he triumphantly announced the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips, who had been held captive by several Somali pirates for five days. The three Somalis were shot and killed by Navy SEAL snipers.
???It was the facts of the rescue that dominated the first half of NBC's nightly news broadcast, from the nighttime airdrop of a SEAL team to the naval destroyer following the lifeboat where Philips was held captive to the actual logistics of the sniping of the three pirates.
???There was an air of pride to William's narration, and it's not hard to see why: It's rare that he gets to read about the U.S. military doing something unequivocally right. Usually there's some kind of tragic afterword.
???Then again, this is a much less murky issue to deal with. Pirates, unlike terrorists or insurgents, are simply thieves, and we know how to deal with thieves: Guard our things and get 'em back when they get stolen. President Obama has already pledged to handle the modern pirate threat, which probably means a greater naval presence off the coast of Somalia. Problem solved.
???What we have proven less able to handle, however, are insurgents and terrorists, guerrilla soldiers who think of themselves as freedom fighters. With that in mind we need to be very careful to adhere to isolationism and eschew interventionism; our responsibility is to guard our interests, not 'liberate' Somalia.
???There is no question that we will see more of this behavior, and that this feeling of nationalism will not last. In response to the death of their comrades other Somalis have promised retribution, and with an increased naval presence that retribution can only come with more violence. Already at least four ships have been seized, and Phillips isn't even back in country.
???But for now we can take pride in the fact that for once, we really are completely on the right side, protecting those who need protecting and meting out justice to those who would do them wrong.
???It's nice to be back in the saddle again. If only we didn't know why the Somalis turned to piracy in the first place.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
