Ahoy! We at U.S. Democrazy love pirates, with their eye-patches, parrots and Johnny Depp swagger. But while pirate movies are fun, modern pirates are anything but.
There has been an ongoing problem with Somalian pirates hijacking ships. Yesterday, they were at it again, capturing a ship after chasing it for five hours.
These modern day pirates, armed with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades, have been terrorizing the seas for a long time. Spain is asking the European Union forces to blockade three Somalian ports.
Spain is also asking other countries to keep better track of the ransom money paid by companies and individuals to the pirates in exchange for the release of seized property and personnel.
A few London law firms have helped ship owners figure out how to pay the pirates in exchange for the safety of employees who have been captured.
However, some of these lawyers have been accused of having ties to pirate gangs. It doesn’t help that one of the pirates’ lawyer gave an interview suggesting that he was being paid by the one county’s interior minister.
It’s all a bit muddled, but we’re hoping that the pirates put down their guns and trade it in for a parrot.
Yes, modern day pirates are extremely dangerous. Hopefully they will exchange arms for parrots. But where ever there is money, crime is sure to follow.
There are a lot of economics behind the scenes that are simply being ignored. Many oil companies have polluted the water to the point where it is many degrees warmer, and unsafe to use. This has left Somali people with no ability to do what they formerly did – fish, gather shellfish, etc. Sometimes, situations force people into illegal activities, like stealing bread because you’re starving. I’m not saying that the Somali pirates are justified in their actions, but I think it’s definitely important to look at the issue from their point of view as well.