Arrr, mateys!

[Mabus]

An interesting article that shows a little of the "other side" of the pirating off the coast of Somalia.

You Are Being Lied to About Pirates (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/you-are-being-lied-to-abo_b_155147.html)
(watch out for pop ups, Huffington Post)

An Excerpt:

In 1991, the government of Somalia - in the Horn of Africa - collapsed. Its nine million people have been teetering on starvation ever since - and many of the ugliest forces in the Western world have seen this as a great opportunity to steal the country's food supply and dump our nuclear waste in their seas.

[Keller]

Uh oh. A cold sore. If only the pc could get an rx for valtrex to surpress the herp-us outbreak.

[Mabus]

This message is hidden because Keller is on your ignore list.

I am sure it was really interesting and on topic, but I missed it.

[diethx]

Whoa, Mabus still posts here?

[thefarmer]

http://jj.am/gallery/d/71408-2/Playground_fatty_jumps.gif

[Keller]

This message is hidden because Keller is on your ignore list.

I am sure it was really interesting and on topic, but I missed it.

Oh man. The guy who joined 30 message boards to spam them with his incessant and annoying-as-fuck political drivel has me on ignore. What will I ever do?!?

PS: I will continue to make fun of you. As some others have come to find over the years, ignore just works one way.

:love:

[CrystalTears]

I love people who have others on ignore and yet respond to them anyway. You guys make me laugh.

[Fallen]

Wow. I could only make it about 4 paragraphs into that article. Bunch of nonsense.

To be less lazy, here is a comment I agree with for the most part.
----

Sorry dude...comparing Somalis to Robert Drake, Morgan, Blackbeard, etc. just doesn't work for me. And there are some contradictions to your story. Why dump nuclear and other wastes off-shore and then go after the fishing stocks in the same region?? Not sure I'm buying that one.

And you know...if these Somali "Robin Hoods" had any character worthy of note...wouldn't they be asking for something other than millions of dollars...of course they would...but they are a far cry from modern day "Robin Hoods". No these pirates whom you seem to want to praise are preying on shipping in order to secure money for the warlords whom they serve.

These are the same men who steal UN Aid Food Stuffs from their own starving people. These are men completely and wholly without honor and they do need to be eradicated for the benefit of the region and they own nation.

So let the Union Jack flap proudly in the wind and bring these curs to justice.

[Mabus]

I love people who have others on ignore and yet respond to them anyway. You guys make me laugh.
Smiles R Us!

[Mabus]

Wow. I could only make it about 4 paragraphs into that article. Bunch of nonsense.

To be less lazy, here is a comment I agree with for the most part.
----

Sorry dude...comparing Somalis to Robert Drake, Morgan, Blackbeard, etc. just doesn't work for me. And there are some contradictions to your story. Why dump nuclear and other wastes off-shore and then go after the fishing stocks in the same region?? Not sure I'm buying that one.

And you know...if these Somali "Robin Hoods" had any character worthy of note...wouldn't they be asking for something other than millions of dollars...of course they would...but they are a far cry from modern day "Robin Hoods". No these pirates whom you seem to want to praise are preying on shipping in order to secure money for the warlords whom they serve.

These are the same men who steal UN Aid Food Stuffs from their own starving people. These are men completely and wholly without honor and they do need to be eradicated for the benefit of the region and they own nation.

So let the Union Jack flap proudly in the wind and bring these curs to justice.
I agree that there are issues with the article.

What struck me about the situation is how no one seems to address the problems of how to handle disputes in territorial waters when there is no functioning government.

The allegations about overfishing in Somali waters has been touched on by a couple major media organizations. This does have a direct impact on the peoples that rely on fishing for their food and living. It does not excuse their actions, by no means, but it does provide a glimpse into why some people might choose other means of sustaing their families.

This is not to say that everyone involved in the piracy around Somalia is a starving fisherman. The tribal/cultural/religious warlords abound in Somali society, and I have no doubt that they are the major players in any criminal activities.

The allegations from the article on toxic dumping in Somali waters I had not heard from any reputable sources. I believe that if any dumping of this nature did take place it was likely random occurrences, as dumping in the open ocean (outside of territorial waters) would be just as easy, and have fewer witnesses or problems to contend with.

[g++]

I agree that there are issues with the article.

What struck me about the situation is how no one seems to address the problems of how to handle disputes in territorial waters when there is no functioning government.

The allegations about overfishing in Somali waters has been touched on by a couple major media organizations. This does have a direct impact on the peoples that rely on fishing for their food and living. It does not excuse their actions, by no means, but it does provide a glimpse into why some people might choose other means of sustaing their families.

This is not to say that everyone involved in the piracy around Somalia is a starving fisherman. The tribal/cultural/religious warlords abound in Somali society, and I have no doubt that they are the major players in any criminal activities.

The allegations from the article on toxic dumping in Somali waters I had not heard from any reputable sources. I believe that if any dumping of this nature did take place it was likely random occurrences, as dumping in the open ocean (outside of territorial waters) would be just as easy, and have fewer witnesses or problems to contend with.

Yah im not buying the article. The only evidence of nuclear waste is one somali UN worker....is it so bad out there they cant afford one geiger counter or is this just bullshit? I say bullshit. You take that out of the story and the whole thing may as well be blah blah blah blah blah......

Also I love how after the psunami the locals got "Nuclear fever" which just happens to have the exact same symptoms of cholera which just happens to follow every Psunami in history

[NocturnalRob]

Also I love how after the psunami the locals got "Nuclear fever" which just happens to have the exact same symptoms of cholera which just happens to follow every Psunami in history
what the fuck are psunamis?

[g++]

what the fuck are psunamis?

ugh thats embarressing. tsunami sorry.

[NocturnalRob]

ugh thats embarressing. tsunami sorry.

what the fuck is embarressing?

[Keller]

what the fuck is embarressing?

Don't you have investors waiting for you to lose their money for them?

:love:

[NocturnalRob]

Don't you have investors waiting for you to lose their money for them?

:love:

NO! MUST CORRECT SPELLING!!

and no, i have clients to whom I sell hedge fund information and advise on marketing said hedge funds. It's far less glamorous/lucrative/fun.

[g++]

what the fuck is embarressing?

:cry:

[Fallen]

I say the fact that these criminals may commit their crimes out of desperation does not excuse their crime. It should certainly be taken into account when they are brought to justice. However, if they choose to resist being arrested/detained/whatever, then they deserve whatever force is put up against them.

[DeV]

These so called pirates are living lucrative lives in the Puntland region. They are living large in a country that hasn't had a functioning government going on 20 years now. The pirates made more in one year than the annual budget of their pirate haven; the coastal region of Puntland. The pirates are amassing wealth at an alarming rate. Eventually they will harness more advanced weaponry and become bolder in their criminal activity. The fact that desperation drives people to sometimes commit criminal acts, which they themselves may consider basic human survival is not lost on me, but the violence is a serious matter which has been misdirected onto innocent people since this piracy began. It will only get worse.

[TheEschaton]

Wait, is the Huffington Post supporting the pirates? I'd click the link, but I stopped reading anything Mabus linked a long time ago.

All I know is an Indian warship motherfucked some of those pirates a few months back.

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

These so called pirates are living lucrative lives in the Puntland region. They are living large in a country that hasn't had a functioning government going on 20 years now. The pirates made more in one year than the annual budget of their pirate haven; the coastal region of Puntland. The pirates are amassing wealth at an alarming rate. Eventually they will harness more advanced weaponry and become bolder in their criminal activity. The fact that desperation drives people to sometimes commit criminal acts, which they themselves may consider basic human survival is not lost on me, but the violence is a serious matter which has been misdirected onto innocent people since this piracy began. It will only get worse.

This.

Also, I agree with the comment that E posted.

These pirates are a far, far cry from desperate poor people trying to feed their families and care for their sick.