EU committee on piracy at sea finds that putting armed guards on ships reduces piracy

The committee admits it has “changed” its view on the use of armed guards since its last report on the issue, in 2010, finding that “no ship with an armed guard has been pirated and the use of guards has not escalated violence”.

via BBC News – EU anti-piracy fight with warships ‘must go on’.
That’s really no surprise: pirates are in it for quick money. If guards on a ship fire a couple warning shots at their tiny little boat it indicates that they’re on guard for pirates and it seems likely that the pirates would say “screw this” and hightail it out of there.
It’s also good to see the Europeans recommending that they continue to help police that area of the world: stopping piracy is everyone’s business.

I wonder…

…if anyone at the Mars Curiosity mission control named the rock they recently lasered “Alderaan”?
If I were them, I totally would. I’d also say “Commence primary ignition!” if I were the guy sending the “go” command, or “You may fire when ready!” in Tarkin’s tone if I were one of the directors.
Hey, if you can’t have fun shooting lasers at rocks on another planet, what can you do?