The Solution to Somali Piracy

The recent rise in Somali piracy confuses me. It confuses me because I cannot imagine entering waters near the coast of Africa without enough firepower to arm a small third-world nation. It confuses me as much as that home security commercial that features a burglar breaking into the home of a married couple. You know the one where the wife gets a call from another man at security headquarters who promises to send someone to help. Meanwhile the husband locks himself in a closet and hopes for the best.

The Somali pirates make very entertaining headlines. They seem to be indiscriminate privateers. Oil tankers, luxury liners and tugboats are all potential targets for the high seas rogues. Crew and passengers armed with only champagne bottles and lobster claws seem to be no match for the gun-totin' swashbucklers. Arrgh! Maybe we should reconsider our policy of disarmament on board ships and arm the passengers and crew with a few Uzis.