# Commander Francis X. Castellano **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 11, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739 "2009-04-11T13:54:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/21 "2009-04-12T03:08:24Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > As I said, shooting a moving target from a moving platform is no big deal. So you did, in fact, shoot a clay pigeon mounted on a lifeboat some hundreds of yards away from the deck of a destroyer while both were chopping about in the open sea? Just asking. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/22 "2009-04-12T03:08:25Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Kill the pirates. If the hostage survives, all the better. The pirates have to die. > [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > And to rule out an escape attempt is pure folly. Buy one stupid comment, get one free! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/23 "2009-04-12T03:15:44Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > So you did, in fact, shoot a clay pigeon mounted on a lifeboat some hundreds of yards away from the deck of a destroyer while both were chopping about in the open sea? Just asking. Yes. Just telling. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/24 "2009-04-12T03:22:15Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > Yes. Just telling. I don’t, in fact, believe you. Just sayin’. > [@The Flying Dutchman](#): > > I had very little problem shooting clay pidgeons off the deck of a cruise ship. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/25 "2009-04-12T03:28:39Z")
I meant to quote this: [QUOTE=TFD] As I said, shooting a moving target from a moving platform is no big deal. [/QUOTE] in post #22, not this: > [@](#): > > And to rule out an escape attempt is pure folly. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/26 "2009-04-12T03:34:19Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > I don’t, in fact, believe you. Just sayin’. I never expected you would. Just sayin’ is all. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/27 "2009-04-12T03:36:43Z")
I can hit a stripper in the eye with my spooge at three hundred paces while clinging to a buoy. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/28 "2009-04-12T03:39:07Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > I never expected you would. Just sayin’ is all. Well, good, I’m glad you didn’t expect me to believe that you had shot a lifeboat from a destroyer. After all, your comparison was skeet shooting on a cruise ship. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/29 "2009-04-12T03:57:20Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > Not sailors, seals which have the same or better training that swat teams I just wanted to address this part of your post. SEAL teams have different, though overlapping, training than SWAT or HRT or Delta. SEALs are generally trained in more military things as well as CQB. Things like setting ambushes, sabotage/demolition, infantry combat, and other skills make up the majority of their training. The best “SWAT” team in the world is arguably the FBI HRT. They are incredibly specialized and train almost exclusively for hostage situations. They drill CQB skills daily, and have a far more extensive organizational history of dealing with these types of situation. Anyway, the main point I was making is that spec ops team or no, the logistical difficulty of keeping teams in place ready to stealthily assault this lifeboat is going to be much much more extreme than on a land based situation where there are sniper perches and buildings, and dry land to stand on. I would be more than interested to hear your thoughts on how and where SEAL teams would be deployed (covertly) in order to attack the pirate boat on very short notice. Note that to do this around the clock will require several rotating teams, especially if they are underwater. Remember that sharpshooters in many situations are only allowed about 15-20 minutes of scope time without a rest break as well, due to the fatigue that sets in. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/30 "2009-04-12T08:03:15Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > You can land a helicopter on a destroyer. **How long do you think it would take to fly a SEAL team out?** It isn’t far-fetched at all. I know something about hostage situations, and I know that the first thing you do in a hostage situation is call in a SWAT team - or the military equivalent - to contain the area. Why do you assume the U.S. Navy follows a different protocol? > > The lifeboat is surrounded by snipers and probably frogmen. How effective they are is another question. The only seal team that was flown out , embarked on the alabama to ride shotgun on the way to mombassa, other teams may be in the area , surface or subsurface of course. I would point out to everyone that only team six was designated as HRT, the other teams would cross train on the basics, but they are normally raiders that follow a preprogrammed operation. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/31 "2009-04-12T08:05:13Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > I say we give them food. It’s been four days. > > Then everyone can have a little nap. Excellent idea actually, just add a bit of strychnine or what ever makes someone wish they were dead, then claim it came from china 🙂 Declan ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/32 "2009-04-12T08:42:17Z")
How about sending a cloud of sleeping gas or laughing gas? > [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Though I agree that expectations have been ridiculously raised by Hollywood. So you think that wouldn’t work either? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/33 "2009-04-12T08:49:14Z")
One of the time honored tactics in standoffs is to send in food for the (generally unprepared) hostage takers and the (never prepared) hostages. Said food often has a bit of valium or other “mood enhancer” sprinkled on it to mellow everyone out. But at this point, there’s no real need to do anything other than talk them out – they aren’t going to get away, and people who are in it for the money rarely choose the suicidal shootout method. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/34 "2009-04-12T10:07:52Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > But at this point, there’s no real need to do anything other than talk them out – they aren’t going to get away, and people who are in it for the money rarely choose the suicidal shootout method. Yes, but people watching from their living rooms want to see blood and we wouldn’t want to disappoint them, would we? The longer we talk the higher the probability that the situation will be resolved without violence and we wouldn’t want that. We need to act ASAP. > [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Kill the pirates. If the hostage survives, all the better. The pirates have to die. See what I mean? ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/35 "2009-04-12T10:22:51Z")
I want the Captain to get out alive. After that I have no problem if every would be pirate is hung by their heels and a cock shoved in their mouths. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/36 "2009-04-12T11:01:45Z")
At the risk of being overly political, the piracy thing is sort of ironic. The pirates are trying to make a living in a basically Hobbesean state. They have nothing to lose. Hijacking a ship and getting ransom money at a smallish risk of death is not a bad life choice for them. And to be fair, the pirates are mostly not very vicious – it’s bad for business. So the bloodthirstyness of our reactions to the pirates is sort of disturbing in that I am guessing a lot of the people here probably supported Clinton’s decision to pull out of Somalia (which also pulled the U.N. away) because of a small number of U.S. casualties, and a desire not to meddle in a not-quite-civil-war-but-more-like-plain-anarchy because it “wasn’t our problem/job to be world police”. It would be funny that we are now advocating killing the living shit out of these people with Q-ships and snipers and deck guns and bombers and cocks if it weren’t so sad that our moral outrage is triggered by stolen Hyundais and not by starvation, poverty, murder and various other human rights violations that we turned a blind eye on a decade or so back. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/37 "2009-04-12T11:43:07Z")
The reaction to piracy is perfectly understandable: people are offended by it. It’s one of those things - like slavery - that humanity was supposed to have put behind it. The fact that we’re dealing with it again, 100 years after we though we finally supressed it for good (never mind that it never truly went away), makes people feel that the world is truly going to hell in a handbasket. Hence the willingness to go to extremes. People, particulary Westerners, like to believe in progress - that human civilization is slowly but surely getting better. When shown evidence to the contrary, they flip out. I know I do. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/38 "2009-04-12T12:24:36Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > The reaction to piracy is perfectly understandable: people are offended by it. It’s one of those things - like slavery - that humanity was supposed to have put behind it. The fact that we’re dealing with it again, 100 years after we though we finally supressed it for good (never mind that it never truly went away), makes people feel that the world is truly going to hell in a handbasket. Hence the willingness to go to extremes. > > People, particulary Westerners, like to believe in progress - that human civilization is slowly but surely getting better. When shown evidence to the contrary, they flip out. I know I do. Let’s see. Let me compare taking a ship for ramson, without even hurting anyone, and torturing people. Give me a minute to think which is worse. No, I don’t need a minute or a second. I know which one is worse. Much worse. And yet the American people condone it. Because it was done by them. It has nothing to do with what humanity is supposed to have put behind. It has to do that they are doing it to us and not the other way around. What we do is good, what they do is bad and no punishment is enough. America is sometimes right and sometimes wrong but never in doubt. It is 100% certain of its righteousness. The American people are totally certain, with no room for the slightest doubt, about the righteousness of their cause and the right and even obligation to use all means necessary. The end, being so noble (and so vague that it is like God) justifies any and all means. Anyone who gets in the way deserves the worst punishment. It is ironic how much this resembles the position of Muslim extremists who America considers enemies. The problem is not that piracy was supposed to be in the past. The problem is that America cannot abide to think some Somalian asshole stole as much as a dollar from them and got away with it. That’s the real problem. If it were America doing it then we would hear why it was right and just. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/39 "2009-04-12T12:45:22Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > It would be funny that we are now advocating killing the living shit out of these people with Q-ships and snipers and deck guns and bombers and cocks if it weren’t so sad that our moral outrage is triggered by stolen Hyundais and not by starvation, poverty, murder and various other human rights violations that we turned a blind eye on a decade or so back. So please, give us your plan for making Somalia a functioning state again. Because you apparently have one. Nobody else does, though, so feel free to enlighten us. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/40 "2009-04-12T12:48:28Z")
> [@furt](#): > > So please, give us your plan for making Somalia a functioning state again. Because you apparently have one. Nobody else does, though, so feel free to enlighten us. I do not see where he said that or even where his post was about that. I read the post exactly as what it says at face value: that we are outraged because they stole a loaf of bread from us but we could not care less at all the human rights violations which have happened over there all along (and which are a cause that they resort to stealing). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739.md?page=3)