nytimes.com:
MADRID Pirates on Friday threatened to kill three crew members of a Spanish fishing ship they seized over a month ago if two suspected pirates being held in Spain were not freed, according to news agencies who quoted the captain of the vessel.
BBC NEWS | Africa | Spain resists deal with pirates
AFP: Spain 'negotiating with Somalia' over pirates
Spain refuses demand to free Somali pirates - Yahoo! News
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Is it me or does the average person not see that these pirates do not have a political agenda. What makes them do this is the MONEY. Pure and simple. If it works one time and they get millions, don't you think that they'll do it again. Talk about the dumping, over-fishing and any other justification that you think fits this situation, but it still revolves around money. Always follow the money. Thats the reason for most of the things that we humans do, the money. Sometimes its the Power. But, with the Power, comes the Money.
Amusing how one of the tankers intercepted by the fishermen (i refuse to call them 'pirates') there was a shipment of tanks destined for Ethipia which isengaged in a greater degree of etnic cleansing than Sudan actually is.
Stats requested on numbers:
http://exchristian.net/exchristian/2002/10/how-many-people-have-been-killed-by.php
This same Headline appeared in The Madrid Times.....In 1609!
Repost:
For too long, we (the West for the most part) have been operating under the false belief that we can do whatever we want to others, be it colonization, slavery, land grabs, settlement building, warmongering, or natural resource plundering, because we're the stronger and the more 'civilized'. These things have a way of coming back around to bite us in the collective behind.
Here's an idea. Use the current pirates they have in custody to betray the hostage takers. Make a plea bargain for the currently incarcerated pirate's freedom if they'll snitch on the hostage takers. They can carry a beacon that they swallow, if they're willing to take the plea bargain. Have someone tail them as they go back to where they feel private and safe. That's leading the authorities back to their hideout.
It's a dirty trick when the narcs do it to drug traffickers, but these are hostage-takers who are threatening innocent people with death. First protect the hostages, secondly, no mercy for the hostage-takers. Make an example that threatening innocent people with death will be met with no tolerance.
The Somali government can cooperate with the Spanish to protect the lives of these hostages, or they'll be on the bad side of an American President who has connections in their own back yard. Political accountability for non-cooperation should be very easy to accomplish.
The story did not include the relgion of these 'pirates.' Anyone want to venture a guess?
They're Christian right wingers. Everyone knows that the Christian right is full of pirates. It says so in my Book of Political Correctness, published in San Francisco, so it must be true.
Maybe because their religion has nothing to do with this. I notice it did not mention the religion of the hostages, is that a conspiracy to?
It does if their 'relgion' tells them there's nothing wrong with attacking nonmuslims.
Anyone care to venture a guess at yours? :)
you should not defend pirates just cause you like getting bent over the railing...
The Spanish fishing fleet has overfished Somali waters. When they fight back we call them 'pirates'.
Somali pirates generally operate in international waters, it's unlikely that you're right.
Every sovereign country controls their fishing and all other resources including oil up to 200 miles or the edge of their continental shelf. The narrow definition of international waters (6-12 miles) is to allow shipping to pass through, that's all.
The International navies are there to protect their own pirates, er fishermen and toxic waste dumpers. You do know about the the radioactive waste, don't you?
This is exactly right. And wrong. The collective West plundered native coastlines and continues to do so today. Don't believe the old chestnut that they're all well in international waters. If Somalia weren't lawless, they'd have a coast guard who would protect its territorial waters like every other country, and arrest / fine / repulse foreign trawlers. Having none, the villagers started out as freedom fighters of a sort, but unfortunately have devolved into money-hungry pirates.
When will we learn that for too long, we (the West for the most part) have been operating under the false belief that we can do whatever we want to others, be it colonization, slavery, land grabs, settlement building, warmongering, or natural resource plundering, because we're the stronger and the more 'civilized'. These things have a way of coming back around to bite us in the collective behind.
The 'west' (north?) traded with west Africa due to ( wait for it) Muslim pirates were controlling the southern medditerean. This taking of hostages by Muslim pirates lead to Jefferson sending American Marines into North Africa to rescue them.. Remember the Marine Corp song ' From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli.'
How rude!
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First Posted: 11- 6-09 04:03 PM | Updated: 11- 6-09 04:27 PM