If we are supposed to be mortified about the casual-U.S.-marijuana-user-fueled violence in Mexico should we really be celebrating the extraterritorial triple killing of the Somali pirates by Navy Seals? Even if the killing was cinematically cool?

My students were all excited about it today until I pointed out that the pirates were teenagers. (Of course, here in Norfolk we leave the killing of teenagers to other teenagers).

Writer Lindsay Beyerstein said it plainly enough: "Enough dead teen pirate porn already"

The banner headline in the Virginian-Pilot this morning said, boastfully and with more than its fair share of posturing: "THREE SHOTS. THREE KILLS". The Washington Post featured the same phrase, in fact.

Obama, deftly avoiding early, administration staining debacles like Desert One or Black Hawk Down incident had at least the good sense to parade a dog around today instead of landing on an aircraft carrier and declaring the mission accomplished.

One thing that I think is deserving mention that has surprised me quite a bit is that there are any U.S. flag ships at all. I thought they had all gone offshore like the manufacturing base.

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