There is only ONE way to respond!

This being an increasingly politically correct world, we've had some strange back and forth online between people about Somali pirates. Many of us, for example, want to be correct as all blazes and say the pirates are 'just trying to survive because they're suffering from poverty' or something oh so cute and compassionate. We're talking about pirates, all right? Johnny Depp with mascara is one thing...this is reality, where hijacking ships and taking prisoners isn't romantic OR entertaining.

And people have been responding appropriately, with deadly seriousness. Our forces of law and order aren't looking at pirates any differently than they do terrorists when hostages are taken. To hell with negotiation. If the good guys get the chance and have a clear shot with a sniper rifle, the bad guy will go down before an innocent hostage does.

And this just in, something new has entered the mix. The Italian cruise ship Melody was about to get boarded by attacking pirates today, but an Israeli private security force posted on the ship to protect it fired back and drove the attackers away. And there's a controversy about it. Some are saying it's a good thing for ships to fight back and defend their passengers. Duh! But some say that the fact that the crews of law-abiding ships are arming to defend themselves will make things worse and make the pirates more violent.

Here's my message to all of you who think that...you've got a yellow stripe going up your back.

The situation is simple. Pirates are hijacking ships. Pirating is criminal. The pirates like to take hostages for ransom. Whether things get more violent or not isn't exactly something in our control. It was in the pirates' control to be law-abiding or criminals in the first place, and they made the wrong choice.

We need to make the right choices and not worry about what MIGHT happen or any damned MOTIVATION on the part of the pirates. The forces of law and order aren't supposed to be kind and gentle with pirates. The forces of law and order have only one response to hostage-taking criminals, and that's to respond appropriately and decisively, and when necessary with deadly force. In other words, FIGHT BACK! And when a ship is attacked by pirates, again, fighting back and not letting the pirates get what they want is the best thing and the smart thing!

Savvy?