I have run a few anti-piracy operations in the Strait of Malacca, and it is harder than looks. I worked for an offshore oil drilling company, and we were towing rigs through the Strait at 5 knots. Some of the complicating factors include:

1. Civilian companies hate guns, and would do anything to avoid them. They often won't let them on board;

2. Any petrochemical-laden vessel will really want to avoid gunfire, as a fire will easily burn out of control and destroy them. Sailors fear fire at sea above all;

3. The presence of fishing vessels can be a problem. (I counted 50 of them around our rig one night. Any one of them could have been a pirate.) At sea, they are all little boats, and you cannot fire on an innocent vessel and still claim the moral high ground; and

4. Armed guards will cost you a fortune, you cannot control them easily, but you are responsible for everything they do.

It is not necessary to arm a ship to deter pirates. If the vessel appears to be prepared and watching, the pirates will pass. Most of the time the first clue that a vessel is under attack comes when the pirates show up on the bridge. Large vessels are sparsely manned and under maritime law cannot use white deck lighting while under way. Therefore, if the pirates can board a moving vessel, (not at all easy) they can usually move around undetected.

Deck watches, radar surveillance,and streaming water from firehoses over the side are all techniques that help deter pirates. Ensure all exterior hatches are closed and locked. Secure all welding equipment and tools, and don't dangle lines or chains over the side. Stay vigilant, especially at night, and be suspicious of all other unidentified vessels. Make a wide berth around any vessel that lies on your path and appears to be disabled. Communicate regularly with other vessels in the area. Google trouble spots through the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur - they are the acknowledged experts on the subject.

If the threat is still considered too high, then put the armed force on a separate armored vessel, and have them escort the main vessel. They can intercept an approaching suspicious vessel and warn them off. If the vessel still approaches, then they physically block them. It probably won't come to that.

Piracy on the high seas has been around for a long time, and is best defeated through close cooperation of governments and industry. We can learn from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Leave the active anti-piracy measures to the navies of the world, and concentrate on making yourself an unattractive target. It works.

I had a conversation with a young Indian woman in Canada the other day. She told me that because the US and Britain were so well protected, terrorists had to strike them elsewhere, and that Indians were dying because of it. She saw the deaths in Mumbai as collateral damage in the terrorists' attempt to kill Americans and Brits. The woman who told me this is bright, well-educated, and has a good job.

I wonder if this view is held by other Indians?

Few things are as poisonous to progress as constant linkage of issues. Everyone is busy disqualifying each other because of their opinions on other issues. Free expression of opinion is discouraged, because your words will come back to haunt you.

Barack Obama has demonstrated a better understanding of politics today than anyone else - especially the professional pundits. I have stopped listening to them - they have little to add to the debate, and Obama does what he thinks is right, and follows up with full and meaningful explanations if asked. I trust his judgement on this and other issues.

Anagram or not, Mister Mambo is a bit much for me. The whole column was a strange one, and not a particularly pleasant read.

I am so sorry for your loss. He sounds like he was quite a decent man.

I'm sorry that people take out their anger with your cousin on you.

I share your suspicion - I think that he is probably a lot more centrist than he lets on. He has an excellent business model.

Thank you for writing your story - it was very interesting.

He isn't particularly good, or creative, or original. He is just another guy making a living slinging manure at conservatives.

Women already have the right of self defense. This law seems unnecessary, but looks like an attempt to grant special status to the fetus.

Just what is needed when the economy is collapsing: politicians arguing about another distracting hot-button issue. It beats tackling real problems and risking failure.

I saw a couple of minutes of CNN today, and Lou Dobbs had a GOP spokesman on who casually mentioned that President Obama 'did not love America', and he went unchallenged by Dobbs. (When a Democrat called him on it, Dobbs found it amusing.) This on the same day the President was visiting the troops in Iraq. Amazing. Also interesting was the way another GOP spokesman referred to the President as 'Obama', instead of by his title. Whatever happened to the Loyal Opposition?

Why does a great nation like the US pay attention to a buffoon like Glenn Beck? Wouldn't it be nice if television punditry were a meritocracy, where the more intelligent and sophisticated got access to the airwaves for the public good? (I'm thinking of Fareed Zakarias here.) What if people started measuring a nation by the faces it puts on the air?

I must admit I was hoping that other poor guy would kick him in the nuts. Welcome to Fox News. Please have a seat and let this raving lunatic dump water all over you while he rants about the President of the United States trying to do his job in a time of almost unprecedented economic emergency. It's how Fox News has been treating its audiences for years - now they are turning on their staff.