Arr?

At first--and it's terrible to admit--the idea of Somali pirates amused me. "Pirates? In real life? Awesome." Facebook even launched a feature where one's page can be transformed into "Pirate," and similarly, there's even a "talk like a pirate" day.

Sadly, this week's events have put an ugly spin on the phenomena that pop culture packaged into benign amusement. It's both sad and strange to think that new dogs have taken up old tricks.