'Pirates' Strike a U.S. Ship Owned by a Pentagon Contractor, But Is the Media Telling the Whole St

'Pirates' Strike a U.S. Ship Owned by a Pentagon Contractor, But Is the Media Telling the Whole Story?

www.alternet.org

Consider what one pirate told The New York Times after he and his men seized a Ukrainian freighter "loaded with tanks, artillery, grenade launchers and ammunition" last year. "We don't consider ourselves sea bandits," said Sugule Ali:. "We consider sea bandits those who illegally fish in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas. We are simply patrolling our seas. Think of us like a coast guard." Now, that "coast guard" analogy is a stretch, but his point is an important and widely omitted part of this story. Indeed the Times article was titled, "Somali Pirates Tell Their Side: They Want Only Money." Yet, The New York Times acknowledged, "the piracy industry started about 10 to 15 years ago… as a response to illegal fishing."

Take this fact: Over $300 million worth of tuna, shrimp, and lobster are "being stolen every year by illegal trawlers" off Somalia's coast, forcing the fishing industry there into a state of virtual non-existence.

But it isn't just the theft of seafood. Nuclear dumping has polluted the environment.

(visit the link for the full news article)

According to the article, the piracy by Somalia is in response to illegal fishing and the dumping of nuclear waste in their waters.

Unreported, for the most part, is that these "pirates" call themselves "Volunteer Coastguard of Somalia" and "ordinary Somalis agree. The independent Somalian news site WardheerNews found 70 per cent "strongly supported the piracy as a form of national defence."

If a country is as poor as Somalia, what choices do they have when it comes to protecting their waters?

The fishing industry in Somalia has allegedly been "pirated" by other countries, and their coastlines made toxic by nuclear waste, so in their eyes, they are protecting their country, and levying a "tax" on international vessels as a form of reparation.

Of course there is also little doubt that some of the "pirates" are acting purely out of self interest.

But a great many are acting to protect their country and their people - of course this doesn't make for good news, so isn't reported by the MSM.

As usual.

www.alternet.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

Oh, come on. Protecting their water, right. Why all the ships that they board are not traulers but cargo vessels? There is government ,it should be dealing with illegal fishing in its waters, not pirates.
According to this article's spirit pirates should be given medals for defending the homeland against evil foreign ships. Wonder why Kenya, Erythrea,Sudan,Egypt, Yemen,Saudi Arabia manage without those noble guys. Their sea borders are not protected!!!

first they stole from one another, now reaching out to international waters they pirate. I say start shelling the entire coastal region for about six hours with 100 pounders.

just a thought.

Originally posted by backyard guru
I say start shelling the entire coastal region for about six hours with 100 pounders.

I assume you are American yea?

When in doubt.. bomb a load of downtrodden innocents

This is as paranoid as you can get about something everyday like this, but perhaps it is staged to play out with the "make guns look bad" agenda Uncle Sam has adopted. They might have been paid off by the USA to do it.

Originally posted by lastxdance
This is as paranoid as you can get about something everyday like this

Its doubtful.. this kind of stuff has been happening since before Uncle Sam was born. They are probably trying to justify what they are doing by relating it to injustices that have been done to them.

If people would like to read the entire article, they would see that this "piracy" problem began 10 to 15 years ago in Somali waters.

This was the exact same time as the plundering of their waters, and the dumping of toxic waste began.

They do have the right to defend their waters. If the government cant do it then who? Only the civillians can then intervene.

Originally posted by budski

If a country is as poor as Somalia, what choices do they have when it comes to protecting their waters?

The fishing industry in Somalia has allegedly been "pirated" by other countries, and their coastlines made toxic by nuclear waste, so in their eyes, they are protecting their country, and levying a "tax" on international vessels as a form of reparation.

Of course there is also little doubt that some of the "pirates" are acting purely out of self interest.

I've touched on similar points in other threads relating to the Somali pirates.* In one sense, you can't really blame them. Much of their waters has been buggered by foreign fishing, and I remember a documentary last year when this started really hitting the news which showed the state of the Somali coast-line regarding pollution and the shanty communities that have sprung up along the coasts.



*why does that sound like a basketball team?

When the Cubans and Haitians come in contact with U.S water ways then they are escorted back to their countries. so Somalia should be allowed to patrol the waters off the African Coast and send all U.S vessels back here. Unless we're the only country that can legally own the Ocean Highway. ?

Besides who doesn't like an action packed Pirate story. ?

Note: The U.S does not neccesarilly board these Carribean Vessels and hold their Captain Hostage.

My problem is with the MSM, who as usual, ignore the REAL story of how a whole country is being robbed and exploited to concentrate on the "danger" of the "pirates"

Given the full story, I think that people may be liable to kick up a bit of a stink about this.

Then again, it's Africa, and most people seem completely unconcerned about what happens there, including many ATSers.

The country has been raped by the west for hundreds of years - is it collective guilt that makes us ignore an entire continent?

Or do people only care when it happens in their own back yard.

A provincial attitude is not conducive to understanding what goes on in the world.

[edit on 9/4/2009 by budski]

Originally posted by Dermo
I assume you are American yea?

When in doubt.. bomb a load of downtrodden innocents

Someone from Ireland lecturing people about "blowing up innocents".

You'd have to be Irish to not see the irony in that

Please could we stick to the topic at hand?

If there has been exploitation of Somalia, and its resources and coastline by other countries, I think that they are within their rites to protect themselves.

It would of course be helpfull if we knew where the extorted money went - if it was to help people affected by the plundering of resources.

I don't condone what the Somalians are doing, but I certainly understand it - how many of us would act in a similar manner if our governments were unable to protect us?

Removed by poster.

[edit on 9-4-2009 by Seekerof]

This argument might work if the pirates were operating in Somali waters. They are not. They are in international waters.

Removed by poster.

[edit on 9-4-2009 by Seekerof]

Originally posted by PsykoOps
They do have the right to defend their waters. If the government cant do it then who? Only the civillians can then intervene.

That's true, but why don't they attack fishing vessels instead of cargo vessels? They may have started out against illegal fishing, but imo they seem to have lose their way.

reply to post by Seekerof


And what about when there is no government?

read up about Somalia a bit - it's just not as simple as saying "the government should do it"

Originally posted by Retseh
Someone from Ireland lecturing people about "blowing up innocents".

You'd have to be Irish to not see the irony in that

Touche

Now that iv been served, ill just go back to making my fertilizer and nail bombs.