Benerson Little

November 2, 2008: Alexander Selkirk and Robinson Crusoe

Archaeologists from the National Museums Scotland believe they have found the campsites of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish seaman and privateer who was probably a large part of the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's eponimous Robinson Crusoe. Selkirk voluntarily marooned himself during a privateering voyage to the South Sea (the Pacific) aboard the Cinque Ports after a dispute with the ship's captain. He was later rescued by Woodes Rogers, commander of the Duke privateer, in 1709. Selkirk's adventures are known primarily through the journals of Woodes Rogers and Edward Cooke (commander of the Duchess, consort to the Duke), and through a short description published in the early 18th century, entitled "Providence Displayed." The archaeologists discovered the campsites on Robinson Crusoe Island in the Juan Fernandez archipelago. The island was formerly known as Aguas Buenas, and by late 17th and early 18th century buccaneers and pirates as Juan Fernandez.

Selkirk was not the only marooner who probably influenced Defoe in writing his adventure of a man alone in the universe, or at least as alone as one can truly be. In 1681, William, or Will as he was often called, a Moskito “striker,” was accidentally marooned on the same island while hunting goats to provision the pirate ship Trinidad. A small Spanish flotilla was sighted, and the Trinidad--a captured Spanish galleon--set sail to meet it, engaging in a cat and mouse game in which no real action took place. Unfortunately, the galleon was unable to return for Will. He was rescued by the buccaneers of a subsequent voyage three years later. Juan Fernandez island was a common provisioning place of buccaneers and privateers in the South Sea, and several of those who had been on the previous voyage went looking for Will, remembering that he had been left there by accident.

But Robinson Crusoe was not the only literary connection to Selkirk. Defoe also wrote The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. Serving as pilot to Woodes Rogers was former buccaneer, naval commander, and naturalist William Dampier, who wrote several important accounts of his own buccaneering, naval, and privateering voyages, and also described the rescue of the Moskito Will. Dampier had been a member of both the first expedition in which Will was marooned, and of the subsequent expedition in which he was rescued. All of Dampier’s books contain detailed cultural, physical, hydrological, meteorological, and zoological descriptions. Woodes Rogers himself wrote a highly readable journal of his own privateering voyage, one that took him and his crew around the world. He later became Governor of New Providence where he was instrumental in reducing piracy in the Caribbean. These journals were in the tradition of earlier sea roving journals by buccaneers and filibusters such as Alexander Esquemeling, Bartholomew Sharp, and John Cox. (See my October 9th post below on “Pirate Literature” at the Boston College library.)

While we enjoy Defoe’s tale, we should not forget that real men lived the real story he told. There is something quite impressive, even enviable, in a man or woman surviving alone in a wilderness, by dint only of their wits. We in the US have largely become a society of un-adventurers, addicted to a lifestyle in which Disney-esque entertainments take the place of real adventure. Not matter how much we enjoy the rides--and many of us do enjoy these highly imaginative rides and similar entertainments--they do not test us. Further, we know how the rides will end. In adventures we do not.

November 2, 2008: Days of Remembrance in October

October has passed with little remark on the anniversaries of two significant US military incidents in which US service personnel were killed. Twenty-five years ago on October 25, Palestinian terrorists used a suicide truck bomb to attack the US Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killing two hundred forty-one US servicemen, most of them Marines, and wounding sixty. Two minutes later, fifty-eight French paratroopers were killed in a similar attack. Four months later, President Reagan ordered US troops withdrawn.

October 3 and 4 of this year was the fifteenth anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu, in which US forces consisting primarily of Army Rangers and Delta Force commandos attempted to capture leading members of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid’s clan. Eighteen US troops were killed in the failed action and seventy-three were wounded. Again, US troops were soon withdrawn, this time by order of President Clinton.

Both incidents led to a reevaluation of US military missions and the circumstances under which they would be employed. In both cases, some observers considered the withdrawals to be retreats, while others considered them to be practical acts that removed US troops from hostile areas in which there was no reasonable US mission with a reasonable chance of success. In both cases, both major US political parties tended to react according to perceived political advantage.

November 2, 2008: $125 Million Settlement

Last week the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers, and Google settled a lawsuit over Google’s copying of millions of out-of-print but not out-of-copyright books. Google has not only been copying books whose copyrights have expired, but also those still under copyright. The search giant has not only placed most of the former on the web in their entirely, and has also placed brief “snippets” of the latter on the web, a practice both the Authors Guild, which represents authors’ rights, and publishing companies have objected to on the grounds of copyright infringement. Authors of such books will, once the settlement is approved, receive a small sum, and in the future will receive a share of revenues from institutional subscriptions. The entire text of such books will be available for a fee, provided the author or publisher consents. Although the ruling does not resolve the issue of whether the scanning of books still under copyright was acceptable under copyright law, and while some librarians and commentators have reservations about having a single institution control access to such a wealth of information, its protection of the value of writers’ works is a good start, and strikes a reasonable balance between the rights of writers and publishers, and Google’s desire to create greater access to out-of-print works. Google, in turn, is to be commended in particular for its effort in providing an easy access library of out-of-print, out-of-copyright, formerly hard-to-find books.

However, to date the quality of many of the Google-scanned books no longer within copyright is not ideal. Scanned fingers show up on some pages. Here and there a page is blurred and illegible. In a few cases some pages are duplicated. In many cases, fold-out maps and illustrations were not opened and scanned, but were copied in the folded position, rendering them useless. The resolution of some illustrations is less than ideal, and often the small print in some illustrations is impossible to make out. The book scans in the digital library of the Bibliotèque nationale de France set a standard Google would have been well-advised to follow. The ultimate digital library, of course, would be of high resolution photo-quality scans of each page, as is done with select works in some libraries and on some book CDs.

All this being said, the Google pdf library of books no longer in copyright is still an outstanding research source, particularly to researchers who may have only limited access to university library systems. Contrary to the image of universal access to materials, many resources remain difficult to access without a PhD and associated university post. The Google library goes a long way in aiding the researcher, whether amateur or professional.

The Authors Guild has posted resources associated with the settlement here.

October 27, 2008: Right Out of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

A recent article in the UK Telegraph describes how the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has initiated a contest to develop a vehicle capable of flight, as well as of travel on and under the surface of the water--a flying submarine, in other words. The vessel would be primarily used to insert and extract US Navy SEALs. Such a vehicle was first envisioned by the writers of the 1960s science fiction and fantasy television show Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Just how feasible such a project will be with current or near-term technology is debatable. The US Navy's Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS)--a mini-sub designed to insert Navy SEALs--had its inception in the late 1980s, was years overdue, was fraught with developmental problems and cost overruns, and was finally cancelled in 2006. And it was only a submarine. However, one ASDS was built, and further testing and development with this mini-sub is apparently still ongoing. More feasible, at least as an interim project, might be a flying semi-submersible--a vehicle which transits with most of its hull submerged, but whose upper surface or deck remains at sea level.

October 19, 2008: Countering the Gulf Pirates

A Bravo Zulu* to the French, in particular to the French Navy and its special operations force for the rescue of two French citizens held by Somali pirates, and to President Sarkozy for authorizing the raid. On the night of September 15, a force of French naval commandos composed of the commando Hubert--a French naval special operations unit specializing in "combat swimming"--parachuted into the ocean, swam underwater to the hijacked yacht Carré d'As IV, boarded it, and rescued the two hostages, killing one pirate and capturing six in the process. The details of the operation have not been released, nor should they be. However, the rescue also included the French frigate Courbet, two Atlantique 2 maritime surveillance aircraft, a helicopter, one or more special operations elements in zodiac inflatables, the possible participation of special operators in addition to the commando Hubert, and a diversion.

To date, only a few governments have taken direct action against the pirates of the Gulf of Aden. In April 2008, French commandos captured six pirates after a ransom was paid to Somali pirates holding hostages aboard the luxury yacht Le Ponant, and in the same month Puntland Somalis attacked and liberated a UAE-flagged merchantman held by Somali pirates. In September 2008 the Danish warship HMDS Absalon intercepted two suspected pirate vessels and arrested ten men, but due to circumstances of jurisdiction and logistics the Danes were obligated to set the men ashore less than ten days later. On October 14, 2008, Puntland Somali forces attacked pirates holding the Wael H, and successfully freed both vessel and crew after a failed assault two days earlier. There is also the possibility that, if negotiations fail, US or Russian forces will take direct military action against Somali pirates holding the MV Faina, a Belize-flagged Ukrainian merchant vessel carrying T-72 tanks and other military arms. Beyond these instances, however, naval forces in the Gulf of Aden have responded to vessels under attack, but have seldom specifically targeted and attacked pirates, although this is due in part to the limited forces available for such duties. However, this may be changing: various governments and international coalitions, including the EU, are at this moment preparing strategic military plans to combat piracy in the region, and such plans almost certainly include direct action, at least as a contingency.

It is unlikely that any remedy short of the political stabilization of Somalia will put an end to all Somali piracy, and this will not happen anytime soon. Somalia is a failed state dominated by warring factions, including self-serving warlords, politically motivated Islamists, and government-backed Ethiopian troops. Not even the government of the breakaway region of Puntland can impose order on its own shore. Further, given the scale and success of recent Somali piracy, some analysts fear it may set the example for large scale piracy in other regions, including a resurgence in Indonesia or a significant escalation in the Gulf of Guinea. Pirates may also realize the value of ecological blackmail, capture a tanker, and threaten ecological disaster if their monetary demands are not met, although such an action would inevitably meet with severe reprisal. The costs of doing nothing are escalating: ransoms, cargos lost or delayed, insurance premiums, and the very real potential for significant harm to seafarers, including loss of life. Terrorist organizations may come to see piracy as a viable means of funding their operations. Historically, it has been economic losses, and in some cases, the human cost, both above a somewhat arbitrary threshold, that finally leads to military and attendant political action against pirates. In the minds of many, we are currently at the economic threshold, if not also at the humanitarian, the latter of which should be the critical factor.

At present, quite understandably no nation or coalition is willing to deal with the consequences of invading and occupying Somalia in order to impose order. The loss of life among the occupying military, the attendant political consequences of such losses, the expense of maintaining a large military force, the potential for an occupation to become the focus of an insurgency, and the previous experience of US coalitions in Somalia and Iraq all serve to discourage intervention. Further, the US, one of the few nations with the military capital to undertake such an expedition, is already tied down with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and will not risk further domestic and international fallout by attempting to nation-build in a violent failed state that poses only a limited threat to the US. The Arab League has declined to intervene. UN-backed forces have been insufficient to restore and maintain order. At present, a military solution to the failed state of Somalia is thus out of the question.

However, there is still much that can be done to reduce Somali piracy to an acceptable level. Many of the following recommendations are already at some stage of consideration or development.

First, when the risk is acceptable, do as the French and Puntland Somalis have done: rescue hostages and vessels, and attack, arrest, and prosecute pirates. Historically, military action and subsequent criminal prosecution alone have never put an end to large scale piracy. However, they have often been a critical part of the overall solution, and were and often are necessary in the name of humanity. Further, they make plain the risks of piracy to the perpetrators. Two or three successful military actions may do little to diminish piracy in the Gulf of Aden (and so far they have not), but a dozen or more might. It is well to remember when contemplating such actions that they are high risk. Hostages and commandos may be injured or killed, and the political fallout from a failed special operation can be significant.

Some observers have advocated denying ransom to the pirates, but this will only put hostages at even greater risk, culminating at some point in the loss of some of their lives, either at the hands of Somali pirates as a means of making their intentions clear, or by accident during a rescue operation. Until Somali piracy is substantially suppressed, merchant owners will have little choice but to continue to negotiate ransoms, both as a means of preserving their crews from harm and of recovering their vessels, and as a means of gaining time while military action is considered and, as necessary, prepared and implemented.

A critical component of this direct action strategy is the identification and removal of pirate "mother ships" operating in the Gulf of Aden. Appropriate surveillance must be continued after the capture or destruction of existing mother ships, and warships and naval commando units kept on call, in order to handle the almost-certain reappearance of such vessels. The identification and removal of these mother ships is an important step in limiting the access of Somali pirates to the shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden. In line with this, whenever practical, naval forces should identify, track, board, search, and as necessary seize and destroy pirate craft departing from or returning to shore bases.

The use of "Q ships" or "mystery ships"--disguised warships or armed merchantmen manned by navy and marine personnel whose mission is to lure pirates in order to attack and capture them--should also be considered. The tactic has been a common one throughout the history of piracy and privateering, although with mixed success. Even so, at the very least the knowledge that a merchant vessel might actually be a pirate hunter should give Somali pirates pause.

Second, and more broadly, increase the naval presence in the region and devote part of it solely to anti-piracy operations, including escort, surveillance, and direct action. Surveillance aircraft are mandatory, as are armed ship-launched helicopters. Further, the entire naval presence in the region must be coordinated, whether or not forces belong to an established coalition. Intelligence support is critical, and must be composed both of HUMINT--human intelligence gleaned from individuals by individuals--and of the various surveillance technologies. Naval patrols alone have only had limited success historically, unless actively acting on good intelligence and with the authority to seek out and engage pirates. Convoys, of course, are the ideal means of protecting merchant shipping, but are expensive, both in the cost of naval escorts and in the cost of shipping delays.

Third, wherever possible, deny pirates the use of their major bases ashore, or at least make their use too risky for the potential gains. Historically, this has been one of the most significant means of reducing piracy, although, given Somalia's long coastline, political chaos, and heavily armed population, this may be unreasonably difficult. Quick raids to destroy pirate craft "in harbor"--drawn up on shore, in many cases--might also be suitable, provided the intelligence is available and the risk to local populations can be maintained near zero. Military action against Somali pirates must not give rise to increased support for piracy among local populations.

Fourth, consider direct action against the warlords who support piracy. Such action, which might include raids culminating in the arrest and prosecution local leaders who profit from piracy, would bring home, so to speak, the consequences of engaging in armed theft and blackmail on the sea.

Fifth, arm merchant vessels, at the very least those whose cargos, if discharged into the sea, burned, or detonated, would cause significant environmental damage. Shipments of arms, munitions, or other military equipment should be similarly protected. Arming should consist of well-trained, well-armed private security forces or military personnel. Or, if naval assets are sufficient, an escort can be provided. At present, private companies are available to (1) provide security forces aboard merchant shipping, (2) provide rescue forces should a merchant ship be captured, and (3) in the case of Blackwater Worldwide, provide an armed escort vessel, complete with helicopter surveillance. Arming merchant vessels does, however, increase the risks of escalation, reprisal, and, in the case of hazardous cargos, harm to both crew and environment. It should be noted that the International Maritime Bureau does not recommend the arming of merchant shipping, although a number of naval commanders and analysts do. Further, security forces are expensive to maintain routinely, and the number of specialized security force personnel capable of successfully engaging pirates in a significant firefight is limited--and such security forces must be of sufficient number and armament to repel attackers who may be willing to put up a fight. On a positive note, historically most pirates have been reticent to put up much of a fight against a well-defended merchant vessel, and this includes the Somali pirates. After all, pirates are in it for the money, notwithstanding the notions of some romantics and scholars who equate piracy primarily with social or political rebellion, as opposed to material gain.

Sixth, ensure that merchant crews are trained in standard anti-piracy measures and practices, including those recommended by the International Maritime Organization, and outfit merchant vessels with locating devices and non-lethal weapons such as sonic devices. Also, consider equipping merchant vessels with appropriate radar, thermal imagers, or other devices designed to assist in the detection of small craft at sea. Historically, both during the age of sail as well as during the past century, it has been difficult for the small crews of merchant vessels to maintain an adequate lookout in threat waters. Lookouts quickly lose their effectiveness, and must soon be relieved. (In the First and Second World Wars, this limitation was alleviated somewhat by convoy protection.)

Consider developing and outfitting merchant vessels with secure bridge compartments from which the vessels may be commanded and crews protected. During the age of sail, most merchant crews could retreat to "closed quarters"--prepared barricaded spaces--and from there sail and defend their vessels. With a modern version of such closed quarters (more sophisticated than but analogous to the locked, reinforced cockpit door now required on commercial aircraft), a merchant vessel might be able to hold off an attack long enough for help to arrive. An armed helicopter, for example, is sufficient to halt most attacks, given that Somali pirates are only lightly armed.

Seventh, develop a criminal data base so that photographs, fingerprints, and other evidence can be used to identify and prosecute pirates. Such a database must be coordinated with intelligence developed by naval and other military forces, and by intelligence agencies.

Eighth, review the existing law of piracy and revise it as necessary to provide nations, coalitions, and unions of nations the means of pursuing and prosecuting pirates effectively. Jurisdictional problems remain and must be resolved. For example, lawyers for the Somali pirates and others complicit in the hijacking of the yacht Le Ponant are arguing that France had no legal right to arrest the Somalis. Already noted are the jurisdictional issues that caused the Danes to set pirates ashore recently, rather than try them.

Consider whether nations that support piracy, or whose governments are so marginal as to be unable to prevent piracy by their citizens, need to be contacted for permission to engage pirates in their territorial waters, particularly in the case of hot pursuit. Permission from such states--Somalia and Puntland, specifically--is always to be preferred, but the invariable delays in obtaining such permission must be balanced with the risk to seafarers held hostage.

Some legal scholars believe we should abandon the law of piracy entirely, and pursue and prosecute pirates under other existing laws; the proposition merits review. Given the issues that have cropped up regarding the prosecution of Somali pirates, including jurisdiction and potential claims of asylum, consideration should be given to establishing an international court in which to try pirates. As to the standard of practice, the treatment and prosecution of suspected pirates must be carried out exactly according to international legal standards, with due respect to the right to due process. However, recognition of due process and other legal rights should not preclude military action when circumstances warrant, including the aggressive use of deadly force.

Ninth, develop and implement a plan to diminish economic hardship among coastal Somalis. Although piracy is typically a crime of opportunity, it is exacerbated by poverty, other hardship, and political chaos. Although naval and military forces could have a limited role in this by aiding the development of local economies via civic action programs, ultimately such economic development must be primarily coordinated and overseen by the UN or a strong international coalition, with the aid of various non-governmental organizations and appropriate security. Given the chaotic state of the Horn of Africa, this is probably impossible until some semblance of order is restored to Somalia in general.

In line with this, consider whether amnesty and other incentives might reduce Somali piracy. However, when this has worked in other regions historically, it has only worked hand-in-hand with aggressive military or police action, and often as well with measures designed to reduce the conditions that support piracy.

Tenth, repair the failed state of Somalia. This is the only viable long-term solution, and it is by far the most difficult of all the tasks set forth here. It will require solid, patient long-term diplomacy and negotiation among the various Somali factions and neighbors, the support of the UN and of various non-governmental agencies, and at some point for an indefinite period, very likely a military presence of sufficient force to defend itself against a large scale attack, given the heavily armed population of Somalia. The elevation of Somalia to a functioning state integrated with the world economy is necessary not only to put an end to piracy in the region, both by improving the economic circumstances of Somalis and by removing the support of Somali warlords for piracy, but also to stabilize the region in general, not to mention to improve the quality of life of the Somali people.

* "Bravo Zulu," or "BZ" as it is often written, is a NATO naval term indicating "Well done!" It derives from the name of the signal flags--bravo and zulu--used to convey the message.

October 16, 2008: Maritime Halloween Fare

Hallowe'en, or All Hallows Eve, a holiday well-celebrated in our home due much in part to a Hallowe'en birthday, is in the offing, and thus a review of some of the films and books celebrating the dark side of the sea is in order. From the sea are a multitude of images suitable to the holiday that celebrates the brief period when, as some believe, the dead briefly walk among the living. There are ghost ships and the ghosts aboard them, and spirits guarding treasures lost beneath the sea or buried in sandy shores. Strange sights and sounds are often seen and heard on stormy nights on or near the sea. Within the wrecks of ships are the bones and souls of those lost at sea. Anyone who has spent any time at all at sea can attest to at least one inexplicable occurrence that hints of the supernatural, whether or not the witness actually believes in ghosts and other things that go bump in the night.

Looking briefly at films, Ghost Ship, 2002, starring Julianna Margulies and Gabriel Byrne, is a modern tale of a violently haunted abandoned cruise liner, and one of several films that exploit the mystery of a cursed abandoned ship. The Fog is a coastal horror flick bound to a notion of lepers, mariners, murder, and revenge. The 1980 version stars Jamie Leigh Curtis, and the 2005, Selma Blair. In the "sea monster aboard ship" genre are Leviathan, 1989, starring Peter Weller and with an undersea base substituting for the usual ship; Deep Rising, 1998, starring Treat Williams and Famke Janssen; and Virus, 1999, starring Jamie Leigh Curtis, screenplay by ex-Navy SEAL Chuck Pfarrer. The Goonies is adolescent adventure of dead pirates and their treasure. The first Pirates of the Caribbean film might make the cut, as it is at least fodder for pirate costumes and dead pirate Halloween props, not to mention that the Black Pearl of the first film, with its cursed skeleton pirates and shredded black sails, is a ghostlier ghost ship than the Flying Dutchman of the second and third.

But films are social fare. Books, read in solitude, play better with the genre of ghostly tales of the sea, particularly late at night with the lights down low, or better, with candlelight, and if the weather cooperates, with wind howling outside and rain lashing at the window. Poe as ever is a good place to start. His "MS. Found in a Bottle" and "A Descent into the Maelström" are classic supernatural short stories of the sea, and may have influenced the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean films. "The Gold-Bug" is not a tale of the sea per se, but of buried treasure on a sea island and is listed here for its influence on Stevenson's Treasure Island. Ghosts, after all, are invariably associated with buried treasure. A Skeleton at the Helm, edited by John Richard Stephens in the tradition of the N. C. Wyeth's compilations Marauders of the Sea and Great Stories of the Sea and Ships, is an excellent collection of short stories, excerpts, and poetry of the supernatural at sea during the age of sail.

Turning to the novel, Bram Stoker's The Mystery of the Sea, a gothic tale replete with every cliché of the genre, is a good title to start with. Within its pages are ghosts, a Gaelic seer, the second sight, caves, vaults, grottos, buried treasure, secret passages, a shipwreck, an old castle, international intrigue, a kidnap plot, and a fight at sea, not to mention late nineteenth century stereotypes of women (even a strong-willed independent woman must be subordinate to her husband, for example), race, nationality, and ethnicity. The story even includes some clichés I had only seen spoofed in films mocking the gothic genre, and which, so as not to spoil them, I won't note here. The book is not up to the standard of Stoker's Dracula, but it does provide nearly everything one expects from a gothic tale of the sea, only a ghost ship excepted.

Failing all of the above, you could simply imagine yourself in the shoes of a Spaniard attacked and captured by a seventeenth century pirate such as L'Ollonois. Think Disney's Pirate's of the Caribbean ride with a pirate-costumed cutlass-armed sociopath on the loose. Surely the living nightmare of an assault by a man who might cut your heart out alive--and eat it--is far more horrific than even an imaginary headless horseman hunting heads.

October 13, 2008: Columbus Day

Today in the US it is Columbus Day, a half-holiday celebrated by bankers, most government employees, and some students taking a day off while the rest of us go to work or school as usual. Ostensibly we are celebrating the discovery of America by an Italian (Cristoforo Colombo) or Spanish (Cristóbal Colón) explorer and empire builder whose contacts with the New World led almost immediately to the death by disease, assault, and enslavement of thousands of Native Americans, and set the stage for European conquest and the enslavement of thousands upon thousands of Africans as well. From the European perspective at the time, Columbus did discover this land of two continents and an archipelago, or at least re-discovered it, the Vikings and quite possibly some European fishermen as well having already been here. Some faiths, the Catholic Church in particular, celebrate the holiday as the day in which Columbus brought the word of the true god to those who knew him not. This past weekend the Catholic television channel EWTN even broadcast an old biopic about the discoverer, replete with every Columbus myth and cliché. The film's advertising on the channel focused heavily on how the discovery led to the saving of souls--of "Indian" souls, that is. Of course, Columbus only opened European eyes to the existence of a lands unknown to them, but which had already been discovered, populated, and civilized some thousands of years before.

Given this reality, the holiday might better be celebrated both democratically and reverently as a day of change for both Europe and the Americas, as a day which soon and for centuries afterward wrought both good and bad. We are, after all, the offspring of a history we had no hand in, at least until our birth. The Americas would not be what they are today were it not for Columbus, or someone like him, and for those who followed him, again for good and bad. Perhaps then we should celebrate Columbus Day as a holiday in honor of the courage of exploration, or of Spanish influence in the Americas, or of all races, creeds, nationalities, ethnicities, and philosophies which have had a hand in the Americas to date. We could mourn the tragedies of misunderstanding, greed, and misused power, and celebrate the good that has been born from the ashes they made. Columbus Day would then stand as a day in review of and in honor of the history of the Americas in all their multi-ethnic glory and pathos.

October 13, 2008: Activist Authors

After a very narrow victory in the British House of Commons, the House of Lords today soundly defeated a measure that would have extended from twenty-eight days to forty-two days the amount of time a terrorism suspect could be held without being charged with a crime. This past Sunday forty-two British writers, organized by the human rights group Liberty, contributed to a "collection of satire, essay, fiction and poetry" in order to protest the proposed measure. Writers have a long history of political protest, and many famous British writers in past centuries were the authors of anonymous broadsheets and pamphlets that attacked corruption and violations of civil liberties. Writers--thinkers who can clearly express their thoughts--remain a primary bulwark against tyranny. (News reports consulted: Associated Press, BBC.)

October 12, 2008: Melville and the Rule Makers

This past Thursday the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a law designating Moby Dick as the state's epic novel. The vote came after a "spirited" and even contested debate over the relative merits of the novel and of Melville as writer, as compared to other Massachusetts novels and writers. State representative Christopher Speranzo originally proposed Moby Dick as the state novel, but his proposal wilted in the face of resistance, and eventually state representives agreed on the compromise of "epic novel." In particular, the works of Louisa May Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne, which include Little Women and The Scarlet Letter respectively, were cited in opposition to Melville and Moby Dick. The law must still pass muster in both the state Senate and the governor's office.

In my own opinion, unqualified except as a reader, writer, and longtime lover of that fickle mistress, the sea, Moby Dick is the best novel ever written in the English language, and one of the best in any language. This epic tale has been analyzed, over-analyzed, and even mis-analyzed by thousands of scholars of English literature, from undergraduates to professors. Perhaps hundreds of thousands of readers have pretended to have actually read it from cover to cover without skipping pages. Several film versions have been made. There is therefore no need remind anyone of its plot and themes, nor to spoil the tale for those who have never actually read the book or for whom analysis of a novel will invariably spoil the read. But beyond the story of the white whale and a mad sea captain, beyond the book's themes and details, Melville does something in Moby Dick that appeals to my rebellious instinct both as individual and writer, and may be the ultimate source of my affection for the book: he breaks the rules. He takes his time to tell his story. He meanders as he pleases. He breaks up his narrative with technical description. He uses obvious symbolism. He assumes his readers can think for themselves. In other words, he does what many writing teachers, book critics, and the usually banal and useless "how to write" books tell us we must never do. His manuscript might never be published today as a new novel, given modern publishing's readily apparent non sequitur: the search for "new voices with new stories" to imitate successful books already in print. More simply, it is the search for what cannot exist--the unique conformist. Thankfully, Melville heeded his rebellious instincts then, as writers ought to now. It is the only way we will ever see another spirited debate in a state legislature over the relative merits of a host of great books whose authors have been dead for more than a century.

October 9, 2008: Pirate Literature

It is rare indeed these days to be able to view the original works of pirate literature that have influenced our image of the pirate, however accurately and inaccurately. Yet all is not lost. "Pirate Treasures: An Exhibition of Maps & Books from the Special Collections of Boston College’s John J. Burns Library" has temporarily rectified the situation. The exhibition is displaying rare maps and books relating to piracy, including Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin's Histoire des Adventuriers Filibustiers, qui se sont Signalez dans les Indies (1699), whose English edition is better known as The Buccaneers of America, and William Dampier's New Voyage Round the World (1698). Exquemelin was a buccaneer surgeon during the 1660s and early 1670s; he later returned to the Caribbean as part of the French expedition against Cartagena in 1697, and may have returned briefly in prior years as well. Dampier was variously a buccaneer, naval officer, privateer, explorer, and naturalist from the 1670s until the early eighteenth century. Their books remain some of the principal primary sources on the Golden Age of piracy on the Spanish Main, and make for fascinating reading. The maps and works on display range from 1695 to 2007.

My many thanks to exhibit curator Shelly Barber for forwarding me notice of the exhibition. Read more about it at Boston College Pirate Treasures and Pirate Treasures Flyer. Or better yet, visit it. The exhibition runs through November 2008.

October 7, 2008: Somali Piracy

This year alone, Somali pirates have attacked more than fifty vessels, captured more than thirty, and have been paid more than $30 million in ransoms. Somali pirates are currently holding ten or more vessels and nearly two hundred sixty hostages. Six separate gangs are involved in the trade, and some estimates place annual income from Somali piracy at $100 million. The commercial shipping world agrees unanimously that piracy in the Gulf of Aden is out of hand, and that a solution is needed immediately. And there are plenty of government and private analysts with proposed solutions. Although many commentators routinely point out differences between modern and historical piracy, they are in fact much alike, sharing the same origins, circumstances, and even tactics. Most notably, piracy from past to present has been predominantly characterized by gangs of lightly armed men in small swift craft attacking large, slow merchant vessels.

To date, military action against the Somali pirates has been used sparingly, and for the most part in response to ships under immediate attack. However, in several recent critical instances armed forces took direct action against the Somali pirates. In April, pirates captured the luxury yacht Le Ponant (the West or Occident) and its crew of thirty. Members of the elite French Commando Hubert and GIGN were immediately dispatched, but a reconnaissance by nageurs de combat (combat swimmers) of the Commando Hubert made it clear that conditions around the vessel would not support an underwater ingress. Almost certainly an aerial ingress would have been spotted or heard, and surprise lost, thus compromising both the mission and the safety of the hostages. The hostages were eventually released after a private negotiation and payment of ransom. Immediately, commandos swept in via helicopter and arrested six pirates or associates and sent them to France for trial. In the same month a force from Puntland (a breakaway region of Somalia) attacked pirates holding the UAE cargo ship Al-Khaleej, liberated both vessel and crew, and captured seven pirates. In September, Commando Hubert combat swimmers parachuted into the ocean, used closed circuit dive equipment to swim underwater to the French yacht Carré d'As (Four Aces) being held by Somali pirates, boarded it, and rescued the two hostages, killing one pirate and capturing six in the process.

In general, though, navies have not sought out and attacked the Somali pirates. Naval forces are limited and the sea surrounding the Horn of Africa is large, making routine patrols unlikely to discover or deter pirates. Hostage rescues are high risk operations, and are usually undertaken only when the lives of hostages are in immediate danger, or when the operations have a high probability of success with a correspondingly low probability of harm to hostages. Before they can be attacked and arrested (or killed in action), pirates cruising at sea or lounging ashore must first be located, a difficult, but not impossible, task. Some shipping companies are hiring private security firms to protect their vessels, a practice many naval commanders approve of. Other shipping firms do not want to arm their vessels, probably both out of fear of escalation or reprisal and out of concern for the expense, and are instead clamoring for naval protection.

However, this reticence to attack pirates, whether deliberate or circumstantial, may be changing. The recent capture of the Ukrainian merchant ship MV Faina and its cargo of thirty-three refurbished Russian T-72 tanks, plus rocket-propelled grenade launchers and anti-aircraft guns, ostensibly destined for the Kenyan military, might very well precipitate a military raid on the vessel, both to rescue hostages and to secure the arms aboard. At present the ship is surrounded by US Navy warships whose mission is to prevent the ship's movement and the offloading of arms. A Russian warship with naval commandos aboard is en route. As for the pirates, they are asking for a reported $20 million in ransom. One of the hostage crew has died, apparently of a stroke. The remainder of the crew appears to be in good health, based on a visual inspection by the crew of a US warship. (US personnel did not board the captured ship.) The hostages were brought on deck at the warship's request, in order to confirm their health and well-being. Given the circumstances of the situation--arms that must not be permitted to get into Somali hands ashore, hostages whose safety will grow more tentative if tensions increase, the tendency of Russia to use force--military action is a possibility unless a deal is struck soon, as the Somali pirates claim is likely. Military action here would be risky to the hostages, though, given that there are reportedly roughly fifty pirates aboard the ship and twenty-one crew to rescue. More broadly, the capture of this ship of arms adds to the reasons to take action against pirates. Many nations are now calling for an end to Somali piracy, as is the UN. The European Union recently established a coalition to fight piracy in the region, and other nations are dispatching warships, in addition to those already there. Almost certainly the likelihood of direct action has increased, at least as a contingency.

In a curious, even amusing, twist to the capture of the cargo of tanks, the Somali pirates may have exposed regional skullduggery beyond mere piracy. Already the pirates aboard the ship have reportedly had one gunfight over what to do with the cargo, a not unusual occurrence when men seek material gain by force of arms. A similar incident occurred ashore within the past year when a disagreement between pirates and local militia erupted into gunfire, with at least one local militiaman reportedly killed. Now comes another plot twist: the BBC has examined documents provided by the pirates, which they claim prove that the tanks and other arms aboard were destined ultimately for South Sudan. If true, this would be a political embarrassment for Kenya, implying not only that the nation is not neutral in the conflict between the two Sudans, but is actively supporting one side with arms. If wise, or at least if they are good "sea lawyers," the pirates holding the MV Faina will complicate the accusations of piracy against them by claiming that they did not engage in an act of piracy, but instead acted as a local coast guard and intercepted an arms shipment intended to escalate a civil war.

(Facts stated in this commentary were taken from various news articles and reports, including those of the BBC, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, New York Times, MarineLog, Lloyd's List, Le Figaro, Le Monde, London Times, the Office of Naval Intelligence, and the International Maritime Bureau.)

October 6, 2008: Banned Books

The American Library Association’s annual Banned Books Week has just passed, and, except among librarians and English teachers, without nearly enough fanfare. Book banners--“book burners” is too strident a term for many book banners, although there are those who would not only ban, but burn books--remain among us today, as they have in one form or another long before the advent of the printing press. After all, book banning is about attempts at limiting or even destroying knowledge, ideas in particular.

Locally--here in Huntsville, Alabama, that is, a center of high technology and home of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center--we recently had a parent object to Ernest Gaines’s A Lesson Before Dying (winner of the 1993 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction), and her objection had the support of a local school board member. The book was on the freshman high school summer reading list, and the first parent who objected (the board member is also a parent of high school students) did so on the grounds of sexual content--she considered the book "pornographic" and "trash"--and of foul language, including "God's name taken in vain." The school board member stated that students should not be required to read the book, and based her objection both on the book's depiction of sex--in her mind it would apparently undermine school abstinence programs--and on its use of foul language. (Obviously, both as parent and board member, she hasn’t spent enough time listening in high school hallways, bathrooms, and cafeterias.) It is not uncommon locally for parents to occasionally object to books, sometimes solely on the basis of lists of “objectionable” titles provided by conservative "family values" groups. Thankfully, such attempts usually fail, at least here, although they often have vocal minority support. Among newspaper staff, readers, and letter writers the issue ignited a minor firestorm of commentary, most of it justifiably critical of what was perceived as an attempt at book banning. Among high school students, or at least among those who had any interest, the issue did little more than cause shrugged shoulders and a joke or two about students being afraid of the word “nipple.” In fact, students whose parents try to protect them from a book’s content are usually well-aware of the content their parents object to. Even if they don’t read the book, they’ll hear about it, or overhear it, from classmates.

But local issues are often national issues as well. The Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been criticized for contemplating book banning when she served as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, and this criticism has incited angry, politicized letters, both here in Huntsville and across the nation. However, the issue is not about Democratic or Republican politics, nor the tactics of distortion in a tight political race, nor irresponsible attempts to elevate a petty issue at the expense of a more vital one. Rather, the issue is nothing less than the protection and preservation of democracy. The control of information--again, of ideas in particular--is one of the principal tools of the tyrant and of the would-be tyrant, and book banning is one of the principal forms of this tool. Whether a candidate would consider banning books, and thus ideas, is a fundamental litmus test of any democracy. No political leader, whether local or national, Democrat or Republican, man or woman, who would consider banning books deserves the public trust.

All commentary Copyright Benerson Little 2008