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Johann Hari: You Are Being Lied to About Pirates


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Clarification: ... how to be helpful to the people of the region, some of whom may be/know/love pirates, others not. There seems to be a vast information gap about the people and cultures of Africa and we have a lot to learn.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:51 PM on 02/02/2009

Thank you for covering this story, and thanks to the HP for bringing some depth reporting to this issue. I've been following it through a Google News feed for awhile, but the stream of information has been thin and fairly shallow. We have a new administration, one we can trust to make an effort to undo some of the stupidity of recent years. This seems a good moment to get the pirates story out of the backwaters, so to speak, and try to get a better sense of what's going on, why, how to be helpful.....

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:40 PM on 02/02/2009

The pirates are totally justified in their actions, no questions asked. I don't care who they pillage or plunder, it's only for their own benefit provided that we don't start killing them like the Israeli's did with the Palestinians.

The more crewmen they hold hostage, the more ransom they collect, the happier I feel seeing that the common peasant still wields a weapon over even the most powerful of governments and corporations.

You can't argue that they do nothing but paint a bad image for themselves. Only your impossible moral standards and brainwashing from the media tells you that.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:04 PM on 01/21/2009

"The more crewmen they hold hostage, the more ransom they collect, the happier I feel seeing that the common peasant still wields a weapon over even the most powerful of governments and corporations."

I am an American merchant mariner. I've sailed through the Gulf of Aden, and I've stayed up all night watching for them in order to protect my shipmates. The people being taken hostage are primarily mariners like me, who have no objective in Yemeni or Somali waters except to pass through to our destination. We haven't taken their fish or dumped toxic waste in their water. My employers are cargo ship owners and cargo ship operators with no affairs in Somalia except maybe delivering aid for the United Nations. You have just declared that you would like me, my shipmates, and my brothers around the world to be held hostage. You want us to be deprived of our freedom and wages, threatened with death, and kept from our friends and families for days, weeks, and months. All this, so that our captors can take money from companies that have nothing to do with the suffering in Somalia.

This isn't the solution to the problems in Somalia. Attacking innocent ships is no more noble or productive than hijacking random trucks because some deliver goods for Walmart. What Somalia needs is stability, local government, and economy. They need a lawful coast guard to protect their shores, and police to keep peace in their cities.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:03 PM on 01/21/2009
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Excellent article. Thank you Johann.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:08 PM on 01/16/2009

Yet another reason to stop supporting the MSM. Thanks Johann Hari for enlightening us.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:39 AM on 01/11/2009
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