Real Piracy

I make light quite a bit of the world of pirates, admiring them for their refusal to conform, laughing at the rules, and being the first true democracy in the New World. Well, the pirates of today who roam the world's oceans are a totally different breed, one with whom I would never wish to be associated.

In hot spots around the world - Somalia, Indonesia, and the South China Sea, just to name a few - shipping is being attacked at a horrific rate, and the crimes being committed are atrocious in nature. This morning, on NPR's Morning Edition, there was a very interesting story about the continuing attacks, and an upcoming UN resolution to use joint military task forces to patrol the waters. You can find the story here.

The story does mention that most of the pirates started out as fishermen who were forced out of their own waters by international corporate fishing operations. Some of the pirates claim that they resorted to their actions as a way of driving off the foreign fishing fleets. Of course, others are simply criminals and terrorists. But still, it makes you wonder, at what point is piracy a legitimate option to defend ones livelihood?