Here's a notice about a promising discussion scheduled for your area
soon.

Aside from rec.boats, of course, where else could one hope to find a
discussion about
maritime Islamic terrorism and its danger to navigation on the high
seas? :-)



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The End of the Barbary Terror: America's 1815 War Against the Pirates
of North Africa
Fred Leiner


Baltimore, MD (February 17, 2006) - Join the Maritime Committee of the
MD Historical Society on Thursday, May 11, for a special presentation
of its annual Authors and Artifacts program. Fred Leiner, a lawyer and
historian who has written extensively on American history, will explore
a remarkable and little known episode in America's early history; one
filled with Islamic terrorism, white slavery, the image of the Jews in
America, secret weapons of mass destruction, diplomatic intrigue, and
sea battles.

In the 1790s, when the United States was still a fledging republic, one
of the many challenges it faced was an international one - the Barbary
pirates. The Barbary states of Islamic North Africa, were notorious
for routinely seizing passing ships and selling Christian prisoners
into white slavery. Many countries dealt with this danger by paying
tribute to the pirates, but the newly-formed United States did not have
the money, nor the protection of a naval force to combat this enemy.
As the U.S. grew in power and size, payments were faithfully paid
yearly to the Barbary pirates. The pirates subsided their practices,
and a sense of peace was somewhat maintained. Everything changed,
though, in August 1812 when Algiers, the most powerful Barbary state,
seized a small American merchant brig. This time, the U.S. was not
content to merely pay a tribute and turn a blind eye to these
injustices. Now, for the first time, Leiner reconstructs the dramatic
true story of how the United States fought back against these Barbary
pirates in The End Of Barbary Terror.

Program is $8 in advance and $10 at the door and includes wine and
cheese reception and parking for the evening. Books will be available
for purchase in the Museum Store. The wine & cheese reception will
begin at 5:30 p.m. and the lecture will begin at 6:00 p.m. Call
410.685.3750 ext. 321 for more information.

The MD Historical Society is located in the Mt. Vernon Cultural
District at 601 Park Ave. Parking is available.

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