An article by Oliver North
November 7, 2001 10:47 PM Subscribe
An article by Oliver North discusses how the celebration of the Marine Corps' founding in Philadelphia and the president's U.N. discourse on the same day are perversely related in an interesting twist of irony.
One of the battles that will be recalled during the Corps' birthday celebrations on Nov. 10 is the 1804-1805 campaign by Marine Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon against the Barbary pirates. They were terrorists, and they were Muslims. The naval and land campaign continued through Ramadan, and the pirates were hunted down and hung. Thomas Jefferson ignored the critics and whiners of the day until success was achieved. And nobody accused the United States of pursuing a "war against Islam." But O'Bannon reportedly underlined in the Bible he carried with him the consoling words of John's Gospel (15:18), "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you."
One of the battles that will be recalled during the Corps' birthday celebrations on Nov. 10 is the 1804-1805 campaign by Marine Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon against the Barbary pirates. They were terrorists, and they were Muslims. The naval and land campaign continued through Ramadan, and the pirates were hunted down and hung. Thomas Jefferson ignored the critics and whiners of the day until success was achieved. And nobody accused the United States of pursuing a "war against Islam." But O'Bannon reportedly underlined in the Bible he carried with him the consoling words of John's Gospel (15:18), "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you."
...also that the pirate fleet was actually and finally eradicated by the British and the Dutch in 1816.
posted by talos at 4:46 AM on November 8, 2001
posted by talos at 4:46 AM on November 8, 2001
... and that pirates were not terrorists under any meaningful definition of the word, nor necessarily muslim and certainly weren't perceiving themselves to be fighting a holy war.
But then again Ollie North is not the most perceptive of people and he likes terrorists when he employs them.
posted by talos at 4:52 AM on November 8, 2001
But then again Ollie North is not the most perceptive of people and he likes terrorists when he employs them.
posted by talos at 4:52 AM on November 8, 2001
I used to be a pirate, then Microsoft made online authentication and activation required.
posted by benjh at 9:58 AM on November 8, 2001
posted by benjh at 9:58 AM on November 8, 2001
Ollie North: intolerable jingoistic schmuck or just run of the mill dickhead?
Discuss...
posted by Ty Webb at 1:06 PM on November 8, 2001
Discuss...
posted by Ty Webb at 1:06 PM on November 8, 2001
I like to think he occupies the middle ground between these two alternatives, Ty. Sort of a third way, if you will.
posted by dlewis at 2:11 PM on November 8, 2001
posted by dlewis at 2:11 PM on November 8, 2001
The authorization system of WindowsXP doth make pirates of us all...
posted by retrofut at 4:52 PM on November 8, 2001
posted by retrofut at 4:52 PM on November 8, 2001
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posted by dlewis at 4:10 AM on November 8, 2001