Of course! By breaking the ship into two pieces by doing a Talladega-tailgate worthy "hold my beer and watch this" move he created another union job to captain the other half of the ship!

That or he's a got-damn coward.

i thought abandoning sinking ships is what CEOs do bestest

I don't even... oh, it's Fox, yeah ok that explains it.

Ah Fox, putting the F in WTF.

Italian cruise captain committed 'mortal sin' by disembarking early, American Maritime Officers Union official says

Link (new window)

I_Am_Weasel: Ah Fox, putting the F in WTF.

Italian cruise captain committed 'mortal sin' by disembarking early, American Maritime Officers Union official says

Link (new window)

I'm pretty sure captain Sully of the ill-fated airliner that had to ditch in the Hudson river was in an airline pilot's union as well. He was the very last one off of that plane, taking one final walk down the aisle to make absolutely certain everyone was out before leaving it.

Union or not, this cruise ship captain and it appears the entire crew were simply incompetent. Blaming this on `union mentality', they might as well just say Taxb0ng0 is responsible.

Fox News -- when your crotchety old know it all blowhard uncle just won't do.

UNIONS RAN BY SOROS AND FARTBONGO ARE CAUSING CANCEROUS AIDS!!!

GWLush: UNIONS RAN BY SOROS AND FARTBONGO ARE CAUSING CANCEROUS AIDS!!!

The only thing that can save us now are tax cuts and deregulation.

bongmiester: i thought abandoning sinking ships is what CEOs do bestest

AWESOME comment!!!

nekom: GWLush: UNIONS RAN BY SOROS AND FARTBONGO ARE CAUSING CANCEROUS AIDS!!!

The only thing that can save us now are tax cuts and deregulation.

And lots and lots of Jesusy Jesus.

Abandoning ship is the epitome of free market. If these passengers didn't like having their captain abandon them to uncertain doom then maybe next time they should research their ship's captains a little more, find a good trustworthy one! Why is government even involved in the rescue effort? My brother-in-law owns a search-and-rescue business and he had to lay off 5 people this year because he can't find any clients. Because these government leeches steal it all from him! And the government drones all get 20 weeks vacation and get to retire at age 30 with fat pensions, all on taxpayer dime. This is what happens when you vote in socialistic hope and change, people.

I heard that Francesco Schettino was a Muslim too.

wyltoknow: Abandoning ship is the epitome of free market. If these passengers didn't like having their captain abandon them to uncertain doom then maybe next time they should research their ship's captains a little more, find a good trustworthy one! Why is government even involved in the rescue effort? My brother-in-law owns a search-and-rescue business and he had to lay off 5 people this year because he can't find any clients. Because these government leeches steal it all from him! And the government drones all get 20 weeks vacation and get to retire at age 30 with fat pensions, all on taxpayer dime. This is what happens when you vote in socialistic hope and change, people.


I blame environmental regulation. If the government hadn't been protecting that damn reef, it wouldn't have been there when the company employee, decided to veer off course and crash into it.

Environmental laws prevented the company from dynamiting the reef and eliminating underwater obstructions that could damage their ships when corporate employees recklessly navigate those waters.

wyltoknow: Abandoning ship is the epitome of free market. If these passengers didn't like having their captain abandon them to uncertain doom then maybe next time they should research their ship's captains a little more, find a good trustworthy one! Why is government even involved in the rescue effort? My brother-in-law owns a search-and-rescue business and he had to lay off 5 people this year because he can't find any clients. Because these government leeches steal it all from him! And the government drones all get 20 weeks vacation and get to retire at age 30 with fat pensions, all on taxpayer dime. This is what happens when you vote in socialistic hope and change, people.

Yeah! They bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash!

I thought it was because of Italian work ethic.

He didn't "abandon" his ship, he tripped into a lifeboat.

Nah, he's just a coward. Loved the clips of the assisting vessels telling the Captain to get back aboard and help with the evacuation and he's too scared to do it.

His actions remind me of an old Carlin bit - Things You Never Hear: "Do what you want to the girl, but leave me alone!"

BurnShrike: That sounds amusing. Got any links?
Link (new window) This one has a longer translation. Another site was saying that the Captain was arrested for refusing to reboard.

Unions came to my party, cashed the bowl, repacked with schwag, ate all the Funyons, tried to finger-bang my roommate's girlfriend, then upper-decked the commode and drove off in my car.

Fark unions.

WTF Indeed: Union mentality? This was creative destruction in it's best form. Think of all the jobs he created to fix the ship, rescue the people from the ship, divers to go in, salvage the boat, government paper pushers, he list is endless. That man deserves a significantly lower tax rate because he's so damned smart.

What WTF Indeed may look like:

NFA: I blame environmental regulation. If the government hadn't been protecting that damn reef, it wouldn't have been there when the company employee, decided to veer off course and crash into it.

Environmental laws prevented the company from dynamiting the reef and eliminating underwater obstructions that could damage their ships when corporate employees recklessly navigate those waters.

You're close, but the REAL problem is the minimum wage is too high. When navigators are allowed to bank seven dollars and twenty five cents an hour (enough to afford a TELEVISION AND A REFRIGERATOR), he stops caring about his job and just steers willy-nilly into any reef he sees fit. We need to put some motivation behind our Job Creator's subordinates and offer a little competition into the market. Why, my nephew with an MBA and no nautical experience at all is looking for a job and he'd be a fine navigator!

bongmiester: i thought abandoning sinking ships is what CEOs do bestest

I'm assuming Captain Schettino is waiting around in gleeful anticipation for his $150 million golden parachute, which includes complementary office, secretary and driver.

Didn't Ayn Rand teach that selfishness is the greatest virtue? This man gallantly saved his own life because he knew he was more important than the loser passengers. Was he supposed to help people who couldn't save themselves? The fact that they needed help indicates that they are useless to society.

gadian: BurnShrike: That sounds amusing. Got any links?
Link (new window) This one has a longer translation. Another site was saying that the Captain was arrested for refusing to reboard.

Hole.E.Shiat.

wingnut396: The one I heard had the Coast Guard telling to get back on the farking or damn boat and later that people were farking dieing. The Coast Guard captian was not exactly pleased with his actions.

I don't understand Italian but if the tones in that language are similar to those in English, the Coast Guard guy was absolutely IRATE. The man ran away like a scared child and they seemed to not even believe the situation. A tone of "WTF you're the CAPTAIN, your ship is in distress, and you RUN AWAY?", almost total disbelief and completely chewing him out.

nekom: I don't understand Italian but if the tones in that language are similar to those in English, the Coast Guard guy was absolutely IRATE. The man ran away like a scared child and they seemed to not even believe the situation. A tone of "WTF you're the CAPTAIN, your ship is in distress, and you RUN AWAY?", almost total disbelief and completely chewing him out.

Everything I've seen posted online with any kind of commentary from anyone who makes their living at sea has basically been "EABOD FOAD DIAF 'Captain' Schettino."

wingnut396: jimmyjackfunk: heard the tapes this morning and the port authority asking about fatalities and he is saying, "i don't know one maybe" and the authority says, "you are supposed to know how many passengers were on the boat it is YOUR job. Christ"

/was hoping for some expletives maybe some are forthcoming

The one I heard had the Coast Guard telling to get back on the farking or damn boat and later that people were farking dieing. The Coast Guard captian was not exactly pleased with his actions.

CNN played the actual tapes last night and you could tell the CG Cmdr was nearly apoplectic with fury. CNN was was bleeping out stuff, too, even though it was in Italian. HuffPo seems to have an even longer transcript that sounds like what I heard last night, like this line from the CG to the captain:

"I'm going to make sure you get in trouble. ...I am going to make you pay for this. Go on board, (expletive)!"

Link including audio (new window)

theorellior: Everything I've seen posted online with any kind of commentary from anyone who makes their living at sea has basically been "EABOD FOAD DIAF 'Captain' Schettino."

Yeah, my coworker was formerly in the U.S. Coast Guard, that's his take on it as well. I think he's going to have a hard time getting any sympathy from anyone. I think the lesson here is that if you can't handle the tremendous responsibility of being in charge of an entire cruise ship, don't sign up for the job.

nekom: wingnut396: The one I heard had the Coast Guard telling to get back on the farking or damn boat and later that people were farking dieing. The Coast Guard captian was not exactly pleased with his actions.

I don't understand Italian but if the tones in that language are similar to those in English, the Coast Guard guy was absolutely IRATE. The man ran away like a scared child and they seemed to not even believe the situation. A tone of "WTF you're the CAPTAIN, your ship is in distress, and you RUN AWAY?", almost total disbelief and completely chewing him out.

I love when he ridicules the captain: "So what, it's dark and you want to go home? Get back on that boat!" The Coast Guard commander was absolutely incredulous that the captain had abandoned ship.

purdeyisa10: These ships are registered in some small nation, which allows the company to hire crews who will work the cheapest.
If disaster strikes, these crews are not going to worry about you.

That's very true. The two Caribbean cruises I've been on flew the flag of Liberia. I would imagine there are tax reasons as well.