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The whole world supports piracy on the high seas, potc is one the most profitable franchises out there. Its whimsical and enjoyable now, how you think peoplefelt back when it was prevalent?
*** Update: Pirates vow revenge; "In the Future, America Will Be the One Mourning"****
- Thread in 'General' Thread starter Started by pr0phecy718,
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at first i thought this was a joke.. sounded like a movie to me lol.
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I'm not too sure I can consider someone armed with Ak47's, RPK's, and RPG-7'sharmless my dude. Regardless of the circumstances that may have led to them to this, these dudes a FAR from harmless. Have you seen Black Hawk Down, or readanything about the Battle of Mogadishu?
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When will foreigners realize that we are not the ones to be testin.
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USA! USA!
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I'm pretty well informed on the situation in Somalia.
Its more complex than the way its portrayed in the media. Its like the drug situation here in America.
Somalia has the biggest open weapons market in the world, just because someone has an AK-47 or RPG launcher in that nation doesn't mean that they areheartless killers.
Its more complex than the way its portrayed in the media. Its like the drug situation here in America.
Somalia has the biggest open weapons market in the world, just because someone has an AK-47 or RPG launcher in that nation doesn't mean that they areheartless killers.
49ers650
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I've read some of the pirates are fighting illegal dumping in Somalia. These pirates obviously weren't.
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I can't buy this argument. There is no justification for trying to hijack boats for ransom money, especially with deadly force. It'sessentially the same argument used for people living in poverty here in the USA. To me, financial or social volatility are not adequate enough a justificationfor causing harm to anyone else. Just because you don't have something doesn't mean you go and take it from someone else. Just because no one on theAmerican boat was killed this time doesn't mean these pirates were harmless. They were armed with rifles and rocket launchers.
Also, you mention that they're local kids who are trying to feed their kids or if they had other avenues to make money, they'd take it... how do youknow this? or is that just the optimism in you typing?
sirius lee handsome
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LOL. Ridiculous.
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You have obviously never sniffed the reality of poverty.
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Good riddance to those somali thugs; Mr. Rogers is smiling down on our Seals
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You're right. I'm not so oblivious as to think it doesn't happen but I definitely don't think it's right and even if you dounderstand why it happens, you can't possibly think it's right either. My view on this matter is of course shaped by my upbringing.
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Steal bread form a billionaire or watch your mother and daughter starve to death?
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That's a great example and all and I'd understand if someone were to do that. I don't think one has to steal to get by in life but ifthey were to just steal bread or whatever like you said, it's not that serious really.
These pirates in Somalia though... let's be completely real here. They're not doing something small like that. They're hijacking boats and takinghostages, demanding millions in ransom money. This isn't a loaf of bread we're talking about here. Let's not pretend like Somalia doesn'treceive aid from the UN or other outside organizations either. This isn't a matter of survival, these people are trying to come up and, obviously, seelittle to lose. It's not right and I see no justification for it.
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Hey, you have any idea what these "harmless" poor souls would do if you resisted theirtakeover of a ship?
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You think UN aid is enough to sustain Somalia?
People are starving to death by the hundreds of thousands fam.
And yes pirates are responsible for stealing some of the UN aide shipments off of the coast but the situation on that nation is pretty much steal or starve formillions at this point.
You are using an Americans lens to analyze a foreign situation.
Its a complex issue....Everyone is gonna keep screaming USA, USA, USA..kill the worthless thugs...until we engage in serious and prolonged military operation.Then and only then will the American public take the proper time to analyze and learn about the real situation in Somalia.
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My dude now you are starting to sound like a pirate apologist. You are acknowledging thepirates are stealing food from their own people, but justifying it by saying it's a steal or starve situation. You are really showing ignorance ot theSomali situation and here is how.Originally Posted by abeautifulhaze
You think UN aid is enough to sustain Somalia?
People are starving to death by the hundreds of thousands fam.
And yes pirates are responsible for stealing some of the UN aide shipments off of the coast but the situation on that nation is pretty much steal or starve for millions at this point.
You are using an Americans lens to analyze a foreign situation.
Its a complex issue....Everyone is gonna keep screaming USA, USA, USA..kill the worthless thugs...until we engage in serious and prolonged military operation. Then and only then will the American public take the proper time to analyze and learn about the real situation in Somalia.
It's not as simple as steal or starve...it's about the WARLORDS and their minions who have all the guns andintimidate the GOOD people of Somalia. The GOOD people of Somalia aren't the ones stealing and robbing, it's the Warlords and their thugs. The piratesare merely seagoing versions of the gangs that rule SOmalia. Get it right homeboy, and stop apologizing for these goons.
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You do know that "the warlords" are also at the head of the peace and stability movements in Somalia right?
Its not about the good people vs the bad people, this nation is fractured on a hundred different fronts.
You have Islamic Warlords considered terrorists by America...who are actually actively pursuing, apprehending and punishing the pirates.
"Get it right homeboy"..lulz
Do some real research on the situation instead of reactionary Google searches and cable news surfing before you tell me to get it right.
Its not about the good people vs the bad people, this nation is fractured on a hundred different fronts.
You have Islamic Warlords considered terrorists by America...who are actually actively pursuing, apprehending and punishing the pirates.
"Get it right homeboy"..lulz
Do some real research on the situation instead of reactionary Google searches and cable news surfing before you tell me to get it right.
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I don't know what world you live in, in which these pirates are playing some sort of Robin Hood role. You really think these millions takenfrom ransom are somehow finding their way to the poor and downtrodden of the country?Originally Posted by abeautifulhaze
You think UN aid is enough to sustain Somalia?
People are starving to death by the hundreds of thousands fam.
And yes pirates are responsible for stealing some of the UN aide shipments off of the coast but the situation on that nation is pretty much steal or starve for millions at this point.
You are using an Americans lens to analyze a foreign situation.
Its a complex issue....Everyone is gonna keep screaming USA, USA, USA..kill the worthless thugs...until we engage in serious and prolonged military operation. Then and only then will the American public take the proper time to analyze and learn about the real situation in Somalia.
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Like I said...do a little research on the situation before you talk.Originally Posted by DL2352
I don't know what world you live in, in which these pirates are playing some sort of Robin Hood role. You really think these millions taken from ransom are somehow finding their way to the poor and downtrodden of the country?Originally Posted by abeautifulhaze
You think UN aid is enough to sustain Somalia?
People are starving to death by the hundreds of thousands fam.
And yes pirates are responsible for stealing some of the UN aide shipments off of the coast but the situation on that nation is pretty much steal or starve for millions at this point.
You are using an Americans lens to analyze a foreign situation.
Its a complex issue....Everyone is gonna keep screaming USA, USA, USA..kill the worthless thugs...until we engage in serious and prolonged military operation. Then and only then will the American public take the proper time to analyze and learn about the real situation in Somalia.
It doesn't even make sense responding to you because you have no idea what you're talking about on this subject.
Fashionable
"They have money; they have power and they are getting stronger by the day," says Abdi Farah Juha who lives in the regional capital, Garowe.
[table][tr][td]
The crew on MV Faina are reportedly being well-looked after
[/td] [/tr][/table]
"They wed the most beautiful girls; they are building big houses; they have new cars; new guns," he says.
"Piracy in many ways is socially acceptable. They have become fashionable."
Most of them are aged between 20 and 35 years - in it for the money.
And the rewards they receive are rich in a country where almost half the population need food aid after 17 years of non-stop conflict.
Most vessels captured in the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden fetch on average a ransom of $2m.
This is why their hostages are well looked after.
The BBC's reporter in Puntland, Ahmed Mohamed Ali, says it also explains the tight operation the pirates run.
They are never seen fighting because the promise of money keeps them together.
Wounded pirates are seldom seen and our reporter says he has never heard of residents along Puntland's coast finding a body washed ashore.
Given Somalia's history of clan warfare, this is quite a feat.
It probably explains why a report of a deadly shoot-out amongst the pirates onboard the MV Faina was denied by the vessel's hijackers.
Pirate spokesman Sugule Ali told the BBC Somali Service at the time: "Everybody is happy. We were firing guns to celebrate Eid."
Brains, muscle and geeks
The MV Faina was initially attacked by a gang of 62 men.
BBC Somalia analyst Mohamed Mohamed says such pirate gangs are usually made up of three different types:
[table][tr][td]
[/td] [/tr][/table]The three groups share the ever-increasing illicit profits - ransoms paid in cash by the shipping companies.
- Ex-fishermen, who are considered the brains of the operation because they know the sea
- Ex-militiamen, who are considered the muscle - having fought for various Somali clan warlords
- The technical experts, who are the computer geeks and know how to operate the hi-tech equipment needed to operate as a pirate - satellite phones, GPS and military hardware.
A report by UK think-tank Chatham House says piracy off the coast of Somalia has cost up to $30m (£17m) in ransoms so far this year.
The study also notes that the pirates are becoming more aggressive and assertive - something the initial $22m ransom demanded for MV Faina proves. The asking price has apparently since fallen to $8m.
sirius lee handsome
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What you're doing is telling people they should understand the situation in Somalia before they condemn these thugs who go out and take over ships andtheir crew by violent force. Are you serious? What everyone else is saying is that those "pirates" should be condemned because they took theinitiative of harming innocent people's lives. No one wants to hear about what broken homes these thugs came from or sob stories these people have becausein the end it is about innocent people who are being held hostage by these criminals not to mention extortion from the property being stolen. In your worldeverything may have a reason, excuse or justification where the lowest common denominator is blaming the "socio-economic political structure caused by theimperialist powers of the world," but in most normal people's eyes,what is occurring in that part of the world is an extension of a failed, lawlessstate that has no way of administering proper political power withing or outside of its borders. Continuing to tell people to do their research or telling themyou know about the situation just because you think you do isn't a very convincing argument.
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You just denounced and upheld my viewpoint in the same sentence.
What you stated to be the problem is "socio-economic political structure caused by the imperialist powers of the world"
Theres no escaping reality.
No matter how much people like cute packaged, good guy vs. bad guy stories.
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glad the captain is free
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Originally Posted by abeautifulhaze
Like I said...do a little research on the situation before you talk.
It doesn't even make sense responding to you because you have no idea what you're talking about on this subject.
Fashionable
"They have money; they have power and they are getting stronger by the day," says Abdi Farah Juha who lives in the regional capital, Garowe.
[table][tr][td]
The crew on MV Faina are reportedly being well-looked after
[/td] [/tr][/table]
"They wed the most beautiful girls; they are building big houses; they have new cars; new guns," he says.
"Piracy in many ways is socially acceptable. They have become fashionable."
Most of them are aged between 20 and 35 years - in it for the money.
And the rewards they receive are rich in a country where almost half the population need food aid after 17 years of non-stop conflict.
Most vessels captured in the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden fetch on average a ransom of $2m.
This is why their hostages are well looked after.
The BBC's reporter in Puntland, Ahmed Mohamed Ali, says it also explains the tight operation the pirates run.
They are never seen fighting because the promise of money keeps them together.
Wounded pirates are seldom seen and our reporter says he has never heard of residents along Puntland's coast finding a body washed ashore.
Given Somalia's history of clan warfare, this is quite a feat.
It probably explains why a report of a deadly shoot-out amongst the pirates onboard the MV Faina was denied by the vessel's hijackers.
Pirate spokesman Sugule Ali told the BBC Somali Service at the time: "Everybody is happy. We were firing guns to celebrate Eid."
Brains, muscle and geeks
The MV Faina was initially attacked by a gang of 62 men.
BBC Somalia analyst Mohamed Mohamed says such pirate gangs are usually made up of three different types:
[table][tr][td]
[/td] [/tr][/table]The three groups share the ever-increasing illicit profits - ransoms paid in cash by the shipping companies.
- Ex-fishermen, who are considered the brains of the operation because they know the sea
- Ex-militiamen, who are considered the muscle - having fought for various Somali clan warlords
- The technical experts, who are the computer geeks and know how to operate the hi-tech equipment needed to operate as a pirate - satellite phones, GPS and military hardware.
A report by UK think-tank Chatham House says piracy off the coast of Somalia has cost up to $30m (£17m) in ransoms so far this year.
The study also notes that the pirates are becoming more aggressive and assertive - something the initial $22m ransom demanded for MV Faina proves. The asking price has apparently since fallen to $8m.
Such success is a great attraction for Puntland's youngsters, who have little hope of alternative careers in the war-torn country.
So they were ex-fisherman and "computer geeks".And? Like this is some big revelation or something. What is your point? At the end of the day these pirates are just thugs trying to get rich by any means.They're not trying to help their fellow countrymen and they're not these harmless, despondent working men just trying to get by. Normal people do notgo out and hijack boats and take hostages in the hopes of making millions in ransom.
None of what you posted is new or eye opening. You're trying your hardest to justify their actions and I'm telling you there is no justification. Justbecause their country is war-torn or in poverty is not enough reason to cause harm or take from others. There is no gray area here. If you believe it'sokay to take from others when you yourself have none then there's no arguing with that. You believe what you believe.
sirius lee handsome
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Not really dude. I'm kinda making fun of you for taking on an angle of apology for these people as well as demanding that others provide anounce of empathy/sympathy because of whatever social condition the country they're from might be in. That's not the fault of the people being heldhostage by these criminals and neither is it the fault of actual good & innocent Somalians who are kept under oppression by their own people such as these.Originally Posted by abeautifulhaze
You just denounced and upheld my viewpoint in the same sentence.