10 Responses to “The Real Deal on Somalia Pirates”

1. 1 B. Morrow
   Apr 12th, 2009 at 3:57 pm

   Hang the pirates from the yard arm. They maybe poor that is just an excuse to be a criminal. Why not till, plant, and harvest. Why rape your women, starve your children the anwser is simple it make the war loards money and gives them power. The people must be very very foolish to follwo these thugs.

   the soultion is simple. Starve the people until they revolt against these thugs and turn them over to the rule of law. There is no more effective weapon than hunger. Promise food when the thugs are turned over or dead.

2. 2 joanna beresford
   Apr 12th, 2009 at 4:57 pm

   I was shocked but in hind sight not surprised to learn that illegal dumping of nuclear waste was the catalyst initially sparking the current Somali acts of piracy. I am reminded of a couple of things. First, that one counry’s hero is another’s terrorist. Second, that lack of transparency breeds toxicity. Forget “starve the people”, “feed the people” and they will know who to follow.

   Metaphorically starving has already been tried, what else is dumping nuclear waste? It is breaking the connection to life: the loss of right livelihood, the loss of health — it is starving people who will do desperate things.

3. 3 PermaculturePrana
   Apr 12th, 2009 at 6:18 pm

   B. morrow. are you talking about the pirates here in this country, or in somalia? not sure i can tell. if the US, when do you think the people will have had enough? when do the fools wake up? and how many are willing to, in Catherine’s words, “push the red button”? when are people to take their money collectively out of the pirate banks and stop shopping at the pirate stores, and quit the american pirate economy all-together?

4. 4 Guy
   Apr 12th, 2009 at 7:15 pm

   Did you miss the whole point about dumping nuclear toxic waste in the ocean near the shore? What the f would you do if someone was dumping nuclear waste in your backyard? B. Morrow you exhibit everything wrong with so-called “patriots” - completely ignorant of any history except your own myopic U.S. white narrative. And when presented with any information to the contrary of your myopic view - you get even more belligerent in your ignorant ranting. You don’t have a CLUE as to what it is like to be poor in the world, especially in an area such as Somalia. You don’t think people don’t till, plant and harvest, that they are just fools and follow pirates because, lemme guess they are “backwards”? You think “we” should just starve them until they comply with a rule of law that allows dumping of nuclear waste off the shore?

   Man - if I didn’t know any better and I visited this site - which is filled with crucial information of how to extricate ourselves from an empire world system which disenfranchises a good majority of the world from self-determination - I would completely turned off by your comment and not want to delve any further.

5. 5 catherine
   Apr 12th, 2009 at 8:14 pm

   Actually, the problem appears to be both nuclear waste and violations of fishing rights. See the first video at this link: http://www.askbutwhy.com/2009/04/pirates-of-arabian-real-story-behind.html

   Of course, the problem becomes once the system enforces the experience that piracy is much more profitable than fishing, then the cancer grows…

6. 6 Daniel Sauerborn
   Apr 13th, 2009 at 1:38 am

   Yet another unspoken cost of globalization, externalities squared. I’m curious to know whose nuclear waste this is. Perhaps if the pirates wanted to better expose this, they could answer that question, lift up a large load of this nuclear waste, and return it to the shores of it’s rightful owners.

7. 7 Guy
   Apr 13th, 2009 at 6:12 pm

   “Of course, the problem becomes once the system enforces the experience that piracy is much more profitable than fishing, then the cancer grows…”

   * Self same as your expose on the drug dealing in lower income areas of the United States. Lack of opportunity + the shining potential of riches(or actually just getting by for the most part in areas with limited economic opportunity and lack of resources) enhances the drug trade. Difference here is that these “pirates” are actually giving something back the their community and in some aspects defending it from powers that could care less if they lived or died. The issue of who controls some of the factions in Somalia too is something to consider - given how Al-Queda has been proven to be partly a creation of the CIA and used to justify intervention through coordinated efforts. Warlords can be bought and sold - as they are in Afghanistan, so the potential exists that this same scenario could also play out in other “lawless” areas such as Somalia. Same as the inner cities where areas were flooded with crack cocaine by you know who with certain point men in the community as conduits.

   I’m interested how all the Clinton retreads in the Obama administration factor into this(remember Clinton’s foray into Somalia). Remember how Bush I’s beef with Iraq was revisited with Bush II. Also there is the issue of AFRICOM - the new African wing of the command center for the imperial U.S. military - probably just itching to get into a trial run. Africa is going to factor BIG into the resource wars that are ensuing. Africa has huge oil reserves and is filled with minerals and ores that are fundamental to the creation of wireless technologies, aerospace, computer and military technologies.

8. 8 Carol Ann Fryer
   Apr 15th, 2009 at 1:01 pm

   As to where the nuclear waste comes (re: Daniel Sauerborn’s comment) I have read elsewhere that the Mafia has trash collection contracts with some European factories and hospitals like they also do in some American cities. They are paid to dump toxic waste and find it easy to do so on the shores of a failed state. The Mafia have also dumped toxic waste in some Italian cities and created additional problems there. If you Google “Mafia, Somalia, nuclear waste” you will find more details.

9. 9 henry c
   Apr 16th, 2009 at 4:21 pm

   Piracy is way of live in Somali since Roman times. Piracy is wrong. nNuke dumping is wrong. One does not forgive other. Piracy will continue until it is less profitable than nonviolent ways to make a living. Both sticks and carrots are needed.

10. 10 Kevin Taylor
    Apr 16th, 2009 at 10:25 pm

    Amazing how all of a sudden the media can get people in a frenzey over piracy such that there will be no objection should we decide to help ourselves to whatever military operations we like that will help the democratic cause of Somalia.