A Punitive Expedition

The murder of four Americans on a US-flagged vessel who were abducted on the high seas is now being widely reported. This atrocity was not committed by some nebulous group or a murky and unknown source from a location that can not be pinpointed. This horrendous crime must be laid at the feet of the Somali pirates and the civilized world must send forces into Somalia to root them out. Every effort must be made to secure the safe rescue of the captives that the pirates hold, but the overall objective of a concerted military action must be to assure that lawless Somalis are never in a position to threaten free passage at sea again. Their boats and weapons must be destroyed and all those who have offended should be brought to justice. Sadly, blood must be spilled now to prevent ever greater extortion by these atavists back to a time before the world had the ability to deal with them. Now, all the lawful nations lack is the will to thwart the lawless.