To the shores of Tripoli.

Marines have been singing that refrain for well over 100 years, as a part of their The Marines Hymn.

It refers to the Battle of Derne in the First Barbary War in 1805. Not unlike the activities off the coast of the African Horn today, pirates had been ravaging shipping in the Mediterranean. Unlike today's Somali pirates, the Barbary pirates were state sponsored, and nations could make a deal with the pirates to pay a mafia-like "protection" sum to avoid the pirate attacks.

In 1800, the United States was in financial straits from the recent war, and paying a ransom seemed the least expensive way to avoid pirate disruptions to U. S. shipping. The pirates, however demanded unreasonably high payments from our new nation, so the U.S. president said no. The U.S. Marines settled the dispute, as they continue to remind us in their Hymn, ending the piracy. British Admiral Nelson called the Marines action the most bold and daring act of the age.

Why then, I wonder, can we not do the same in Somalia today? I hear that unlike 1805, the U.S. Military today is involved all over the world; and that we just cannot afford another engagement.

Maybe that is true, but in 1805, the U.S. Population was about 5,300,000, less than 2% of today's population. And, the U.S. Military was very small, whereas it is now the most powerful in the history of the world. But, in 1805, Thomas Jefferson was president of the United States, and Americans were on fire with the concept of liberty! When faced with an unjust affront to that liberty, America took action.

Has that fire gone out in the belly of the American government? Does America no longer engage in bold and daring acts in the name of liberty?