Alice in Wonderland - Again

Every so often I see something in the news that seems to be out of Alice in Wonderland - so far out that one wonders if it is real. Today I see that international experts are all upset because private guards on a cargo ship fired on and killed one of the pirates attempting to take the ship. As the news story reported

Several organisations, including the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), have expressed concern that the use of armed security contractors could encourage pirates to be more violent when taking a ship.

Excuse me??? Pirates used to be hung on the spot when they were caught. Even bank robbers get disarmed and jailed, and no one complains if they are shot dead by the police in an exchange of gunfire. But Somali pirates are regularly disarmed and turned loose again when they are caught by international forces patrolling the area, because the international community can't figure out the correct way to try them, or figure out whose jurisdiction they should be under. And shipowners regularly pay multimillion dollar ransoms to get their ships back, thus keeping piracy terribly lucrative and attractive.

This really does have an Alice in Wonderland character about it.