In case you haven’t heard: Sea Captain Richard Phillips of Underhill, Vermont, is flying home from Africa tomorrow. Phillips was freed by the US Navy on Sunday after being taken hostage the previous Wednesday by pirates in the Indian Ocean. For details, see the Burlington Free Press or the New York Times.
Predictably, the micro-blogging site Twitter has been buzzing with pirate chatter. Here are a few recent highlights:
Jericho_Vermont: “Family and Town of Jericho Vermont wait very cautiously on word of local resident Richard Phillips being held hostage by Somalian Pirates.”
1967mustangman: “I think the #pirates biggest mistake was messing with the Maersk Alabama…next time hijeck the Maersk Vermont…don’t mess with ‘bama boys!”
mollymcdevitt: “Underhill, VT : 1. Pirates: 0. Don’t mess with my hometown, bitches.”
missheidi: “whoa! the captain that was held hostage by the pirates was from two towns over from my mom in Vermont!”
And this, from former Seven Days music editor Casey Rae-Hunter (Twittering as CaseyContrarian): “Weird. Why did I not know that Capt. Richard Phillips was from Underhill, VT? (Lived in Burlington for many years.)“
This article appears in Apr 15-21, 2009.
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