A 'Pirate' is Just an Un-Mentored Somali Who Needs a Hug

Laura  Rosen-Cohen thinks it's time to knock it off with the "pirate" stuff (which makes 'em sound all dashingly Errol Flynn-ish) and start calling them what they are: terrorists.

Update: From the Independent:

Europe's first trial of alleged Somali pirates opened at Rotterdam District Court yesterday with conflicting accounts from the five suspects, a notable lack of physical evidence and a shortage of witnesses.

The men, who face 12 years in prison, deny seeking to hijack a cargo ship registered in the Netherlands Antilles.

Their boat was intercepted by a Danish frigate in the Gulf of Aden last year.

"If our children are hungry, who is responsible?" shouted one defendant, Sayid Ali Garaar, 39. The trial continues.

Ah, yes: the old "I'm depraved on account of I'm deprived" defence.