SpyTalk

Let's not linger on it. Suffice it to say that not even Lloyds would insure such gun-happy ships. 

Pirates aren't attacking with knives clenched in their teeth these days, you know: Flush with cash and a queue of arms merchants at their tent, they can always escalate their weapons of choice.

Which leads to the only solution that ever worked against pirates in about 800 years of trying: Destroying, and possibly occupying, their lairs.

Pirates operating from North Africa began shredding European shipping at the time of the Crusades, in the 12th century.  At one point they were so emboldened they raided the continent's seaside villages and took away hostages to be sold into slavery.

I don't think we're at risk of that. But for 500 years or so, the West's retaliation with a combination of bribes and very occasional punitive blows only temporarily quelled the pirates' lust.

One of the great American myths is that the pirates were wiped out by the U.S. Marines, who famously landed on the shores of Tripoli in 1805.

It was temporary. In a short while the pirates, operating mostly from the territory of Algeria, were back at it again.

In 1830, they were finally snuffed out. How? A French armada of 600 ships landed 34,000 troops, who, according to most estimates, slaughtered about a third of the native population.

The pirates weren't heard from much for the next 175 years.

Now, they're back.

Arming the few U.S.-flagged or owned vessels passing by Somalia is, at best, a temporary solution.

And maybe not even that. Two more ships were taken, and another besieged, on Tuesday.

O'Reilly also suggested a U.N.-blockage of the pirates' ports. That's closer to sanity than the idea of arming all the crews.

But not much. Eventually, the West is probably going to have to go in, again.