Somali Pirates - Good Guys or Bad Guys ?

I was watching a TV show the other night and they were talking to an actual Somali pirate. The guy talked about how the Somalians used to make a living mostly from fishing but they can no longer fish the waters off their coast because of a) the hundreds of boats passing daily, b) international fishing trawlers come in and deplete the fish populations and c) international dumping of waste and nuclear waste. The Somali men said they had pretty much no other choice than to become pirates. Because the pirates are just about the only thing keeping the economy and the population alive, they have the support of most of the Somali populace.

As I heard and thought about this, I realized that, once again, the corporate media had demonized another group of people (threatening to jeopardize profits) and we the sheeple of the west have swallowed another hook, line and sinker.

As a well conditioned boy growing up I never thought to question the validity of things we've been told as we grew. As I became, smarter and more rebellious and the free information of the Internet became available I realized that I and many other children growing up had been lied to by our parents, teachers and government leaders. I learned that my "government" only says they care about its citizens and what they really care about is themselves and keeping the corporate donations flowing. I learned that it is now the International corporations which influence and determine government policies, laws and actions. I learned the ugly truths hidden behind the pretty lies.

“In 1991, the government of Somalia collapsed. Its nine million people have been teetering on starvation ever since – and the ugliest forces in the Western world have seen this as a great opportunity to steal the country’s food supply and dump our nuclear waste in their seas.

Yes: nuclear waste. As soon as the government was gone, mysterious European ships started appearing off the coast of Somalia, dumping vast barrels into the ocean. The coastal population began to sicken. At first they suffered strange rashes, nausea and malformed babies. Then, after the 2005 tsunami, hundreds of the dumped and leaking barrels washed up on shore. People began to suffer from radiation sickness, and more than 300 died.”

Did the mainstream media mention any of this? Why not?

The Somali pirates kill innocent people. I have a problem with that. I suppose, as a Somali, if I'd seen most of my innocent family killed because of a beneficial state of anarchy maintained by our corporate rulers in my former country, I'd have less of a problem.

It seems anytime a group of people sound the alarm and stand up for their rights the corporate machine starts up and, after the group has been sufficiently demonized through the media, they are promptly crushed and destroyed. All the name of.... protecting our children.

I hope you the reader now understand a little better that the Somali pirates are just people like you and me trying to survive any way they can.