Barring more determination than this, it seems that Somali pirates can continue to operate with impunity. There is nothing romantic about these criminals. Even they regard their crimes with a certain pragmatism -- they are, they say, exacting "taxes," not extorting ransoms from ship owners. It's a posture as old as piracy, and it leaves shipping nations and naval powers with an equally old choice -- pay the taxes, or sweep the pirates from the Somali seas.