Chasing pirates

The Columbus Dispatch, April 28

... The U.S. and France are drawing up a United Nations resolution that would authorize foreign militaries to chase pirate ships into the territorial waters of other nations to arrest and prosecute pirates. The U.N. must have the agreement of the governments whose waters would be involved. The weak and ineffective government of Somalia, whose coast is a hot spot for piracy, has indicated it welcomes international help to thwart pirates. ...

Pirate attacks have increased 20 percent in early 2008 from the same period in 2007. The world's three most piracy-prone areas are in the waters off Nigeria on the west coast of Africa, Somalia to the east and India. ...

A strong naval presence is the only deterrent to these criminals. If countries can't provide safe passage to ships carrying essential goods and humanitarian aid, the international community has a duty to provide security.

Ultimate fighting

The (Toledo) Blade, April 28

The fastest growing sport in the United States is not soccer, arena football, or even NASCAR racing. Instead, it is a contest where two supposedly rational human beings punch, kick, knee, elbow, twist limbs, choke, and otherwise attempt to beat the stuffing out of each other for the entertainment of hundreds, sometimes, thousands of "fans."

The competition is called mixed martial arts and it joins boxing, wrestling, toughman contests and, sometimes, even hockey games among the ranks of spectacle sports that pander to the lust for violence that seems to reside just beneath the surface of many otherwise civilized people. ...

Far from elitists pooh-poohing the skills of a new breed of athlete, we do not fault the combatants who are trying to make something of their lives using the skills at their disposal. But there is something sad nonetheless about believing the path to fame and fortune has to be lined with your own teeth. And it is positively unseemly for other people to rake in huge profits on the blood, sweat, and tears of these fighters. ...