Pirating is Not Cool, Dickwad.

When we think of pirates, we think of those quaint folks talking about scurvy, rum, and whether or not eyeliner is appropriate for pirates. We also think that piracy of that sort died out when they did. Surprisingly enough, this isn't the case. Pirates were a serious enough problem in 1930s China that foreigners (British and Americans) were recruited to help fight the menace.

And now we have the modern day piracy problem that exists on the East African coast. The area has historically been a major area of nautical trade, and where there's trade of any sort you have people looking to nab it. The problem has grown increasingly rampant as Somalia has yet again devolved into a state more chaotic than parties hosted by these guys. Now the US and France are pushing for a UN resolution that would allow nations to chase after pirates into national waters.

Hold on. So you have to ask to take something of yours back from people that stole it from you by force. What the hell? Is this really necessary?

What should happen? What happened in 1801-1805 and in 1815: the Barbary Wars. Sure, there really wasn't a structure of international mediation in place, but why should that be necessary when punk-ass rogues and thieves start messing around with your merchant ships and disrupting your commerce? The US should replicate the basic lambasting of the Barbary pirates in the early nineteenth century today with respect to these Somali warlords who sponsor this type of thing: seek out who they are and destroy them with the mercy shown to an ant stepped on by a five year old.