Maybe Obama should give Somali pirates a job

"It is widely recognized that ultimately, the solution to the challenge of piracy as it emanates from the shore is to address the challenges ashore that lead to these young men being inclined to take up pirate activities as opposed to having something else productive to do," Moeller says.

Like dodging Hellfire missiles from Predator drones? That would be my first option for gainfully employing pirates; that is, of course, if using the drones doesn't take away from operations else ware.

I do understand the point that Vice-Admiral Bob Moeller, deputy to the commander for military operations at the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), is trying to make. We're spread thin enough as it is to take on killing another group of people.

I still don't see how we can avoid talking about giving merchant vessels the option to up arm. And spare me the line about how other countries don't want merchant ships that arm crews with rifles to port when they could give two shits about US warships that carry missiles cruising around in their waters.

The US government could sponsor the training and provide the arms, or at the very least allow contractors or the like to protect these vessels. Last time I checked, Congress is specifically chartered with "To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas,."

What the hell else are they doing?