Yes, in the current atmosphere of apologies and undue reverence, the correct course of action would be to bring the pirates to the table. Talk to them. Negotiate with them. Lend them undeserved respect by treating them as an entity of equal status.
Perhaps we should ask them if we've offended them in some way. All those skull and crossbones tattoos on non-pirate people, maybe? Could it have been those awful "of the Caribbean" movies that droned on and on without advancing any resemblance of a plot. Have we, in our 200+ history, somehow asked for this attack? Maybe we deserve this. We probably do. So, an apology is of the essence. Nothing short of a national declaration of apology, signed by the commander in chief will do.
Give in to their demands. Concede the whole shipping route to them as reparations. Throw several billion dollars at them and call it a stimulus. As for reverence, yes, if we ever meet the main pirate man, we should ALL definitely bow to him. He represents hundreds of years of a tradition that has not died. Bowing is definitely in order.
*groan*