The pirates are plaguing us as they once did early on in our history. It is a sign of our impotence and that of the world community. It is also a sign of things to come. Meaning we will be less safe.
The family of hijacked ship captain Richard Phillips gathered in his Vermont farmhouse, anxiously watching news reports and taking telephone calls from the U.S. State Department to learn if he would be freed by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa.The family of hijacked ship captain Richard Phillips gathered in his Vermont farmhouse, anxiously watching news reports and taking telephone calls from the U.S. State Department to learn if he would be freed by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa. "We are on pins and needles," said Lea Coggio, half-sister of Phillips' wife, Andrea, as she stood on the porch of his one-story house on Wednesday in a light snow. "I know the crew has been in touch with their own family members, and we're hoping we'll hear from Richard soon." Phillips, 55, was taken hostage Wednesday after his unarmed U.S. crew wrested control of the Maersk Alabama from the pirates and sent them fleeing to a lifeboat - with Phillips as their bargaining chip. According to the family, Phillips offered himself up as a hostage in order to protect his crew. "That's Richard. . That's just what he's about," Coggio told CBS' The Early Show. Phillips and the pirates on the lifeboat have received food and water from the ship, Coggio said
