World 1, Pirates 0

This could be just the beginning of a long bloody war between pirates and the rest of the world. But for now, we’ve won a battle. This article from three days ago shows what an awkward situation the United States (and the rest of the world) was caught up in because of these attacks.

And now, we done got us a war hero! You go Barack!

The real heroes of course are the Navy SEALs who pulled off this incredible operation. But it’s also a big STFU to those rightwing spewbags who’ve been jumping for joy like a bunch of 8-year-olds over the president’s dilemma. “Hee hee hee hee look at him grovel. They’re walking all over that liberal pussy.”

This article describes it perfectly: Obama’s “no drama” handling of the hostage crisis. He did what he needed to do and then he went back to work. He didn’t prance around on the world stage blubbering about “you’re either with us or you’re with the pirates!” Presumably he won’t be airlifted out to an aircraft carrier for a “Mission Accomplished!” photo op.

And we can assume he won’t “solve” the pirate problem — a year and a half from now — by invading a country that has absolutely no connection whatsoever to the pirates.

So now what? The international community is demanding protection against these pirates, and the pirates are vowing revenge for the three deadfucks they lost during the Navy SEAL rescue.

These pirate attacks could make the global economic crisis even worse. You’ve seen the bumper sticker “If You Bought It, A Trucker Brought It.” Think of the global version of this, if the world’s busiest shipping lanes are in jeopardy.

The United States can’t (and shouldn’t) handle this alone. Every country that can, should contribute to an international force to patrol these waters. And there should be orders to shoot to kill if a pirate ship approaches. I don’t think that would violate international law; it’s obvious what the pirates’ intentions are when they approach.

But maybe I’m oversimplifying a complicated situation. What say you?

cross-posted at Bring It On!