Where are the Scurvy Rats when you need them?

Posted by Reid:

The Seven Seas are relatively safe, yet a remote area of the world has become a nightmare for ocean traffic, while seeming to destroy the good name of pirating. You see, if one chose pirating as a career years ago, they were choosing a lifestyle full of weirdly dressed individuals that spoke in a language that most of us didn't/don't understand. It required adherence to a code and mostly it was Robin Hood-esque (taking from the rich to keep with the poor- themselves). Now we have roving bands of Somali pirates seemingly running roughshod over this watery area. They do not dress in a manner that allows one to discern that they are pirates, although they do steal , pillage, plunder from their victims. Without this identification (skull and crossbones flag, snazzy outfits, etc.) it becomes increasingly hard to discover intents until it is to late - or does it?

I now am well versed on these incidents. It is inherent on all of the worlds navies to take harsh measures to reinstate peace within this shipping region. Some are recommending a blockade of Somalia. That is absurd. To blockade a starving country doesn't help the situation. Somali folks are used to anarchy and to raw deals - they live with them daily. This serves no useful purpose. What needs to transpire is a full arming of all ships traveling the area. Having a few trained shooters on each ship will be a great deterrent to these looting souls. As ships start firing at the pirates, their inflatable/wooden skiffs will become useless. As soon as a few unknowing pirates are dumped into the shark infested waters in the Indian Ocean life will return to normal.

Oh by the way, this also helps un-fund the terrorism emanating from the area. Just a small by- product of proactive thinking. I feel that we need to start acting like the pirates do and treat them with the same scorn and disdain that they show the rest of the civilized world. Good riddance to this nuisance.