The crew of the Maersk Alabama speaks

Via a commenter at Hot Air, I saw this link to this video/story of the crew of the Maersk Alabama talking to the mainstream media shortly after it was reported that Captain Phillips had been rescued. In the video, two crew members – one of them the second in command – talked about the bravery of those on board, how the ship never was actually out of their control (which is not what was first reported), how various media reports endangered the lives of those trying to rescue the Captain. Click below to watch:

In related news, revenge-minded Somali pirates took aim at a US Congressman earlier today:

MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Militant Islamist insurgents fired mortars toward U.S. congressman Donald Payne as he left Somalia on Monday after a rare visit by a U.S. politician to the anarchic Horn of Africa nation.

The attack came a day after U.S. forces killed three pirates in an assault off Somalia that freed an American hostage.

The al Shabaab insurgents, whom Washington accuses of being al Qaeda’s proxy in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the mortar attack, saying it was a message to the United States.

“We fired on the airport to target the so-called democratic congressman sent by (U.S. President Barack) Obama,” Sheikh Hussein Ali, a spokesman for al Shabaab, told Reuters.

“Let him go back with the message of our strength and enmity toward the U.S. and its allies. No single group can claim control of Mogadishu, and al Shabaab will continue its attacks.”

Payne was unharmed.

Here’s MSDNC’s video report on the incident:

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How to deal with the piracy issue going forward? Ed Morrissey’s got a thoughtful post up discussing the issue here.

Related: In my post this morning on the media/lefty reactions to the rescue of Captain Phillips, I referenced a post by Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive regarding how Obama “reaffirmed” the military’s authority to respond in the event that a US civilian’s life is in “imminent danger.” Jim adds further thoughts here in a post I largely agree with. His earlier point, and mine, was the overreaction by the left and the mainstream media in treating Obama as though he’d personally fired the sniper shots that killed three of the four pirates and single-handedly rescued the Captain himself – the point never was that Obama deserved “no credit” but instead that he had been given way too much.

NC Cop says:

April 13, 2009 at 8:34 pm

“Let him go back with the message of our strength and enmity toward the U.S. and its allies. No single group can claim control of Mogadishu, and al Shabaab will continue its attacks.”

Yeah, we’re just quaking in our shoes over here, pal. I sure don’t want to see any of your comrades in that motorized bathtub of yours charging any of our Aegis class cruisers. What a moron.

Tom the Redhunter says:

April 13, 2009 at 10:24 pm

It is true that some on the left are giving President Obama too much credit. But it’s also true that some on the right are being petty by denying him any. Those who would hold back any congratulations to Obama need to ask themselves if they’d have blamed him if the situation had turned out badly.