Our May issue featured "The Voice of Free Somaliland [2]," an interview with Dr. Saad Noor, North American representative of the Republic of Somaliland—a stable, secular de facto independent country in what is known in the media (none too accurately) as "Somalia." Our May Exit Poll was: "Did you know before you read it here that one-third of Somalia is a peaceful independent republic, Somaliland? If not, will you please make a small donation to help keep us alive [3]?" We received three responses (which we hope does not indicate that we have only three readers). The results follow:
The most encouraging response came from Ashenafi Robe in Kiev:
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am one of the readers of the Journals of WW4. You bring me in sides the people suffered from disastrous political, ethnical, religious, and the so call war on terrorism. I think that all these excessive use of force to bring peace and stabilities in the world is a thought of blindfolded world leaders and politicians. I believe that by using, force it is impossible to restore of peace, stabilities and democracy. Peace shall be restoring only through dialogue. We have to learn from the history, America did not won the war on Vietnam, Afghanistan and did not bring effective peace and stabilities, in Iraq after toppling of the Sadam Hussein war and violence continue still in Iraq, Israel fail to restore it's leader ship in west bank. Practically the Israeli war with Hisbullah never ease or achieved neither Israel nor [Nasrallah's] dream from the war, but both of them brought catastrophe on their nations and the nations never benefited from, war is bring benefit for politicians who controlled world's armaments, nothing more.
Dear Sir/Madam, Horn of Africa is my home country, I know the traditions and cultures of those nations, I think Dr. Saad Noor's interview would change the opinion of politicians who thinks with arm not by brain.
Dear Sir/ Madam, I am refugee, and living in one of the republic of the former Soviet Union, life is very hard for black individuals, black are the victim of police arrest, harassment, racist and xenophobia. Black refugee never get job and it is very hard to get daily mail. Because this I could not donate you. However, if this horrific situation would change, I would support you with all possible means.
I just beg you that do not stop sending me the Journals.
Best Regards,
Robe
World War 4 Report replies: Thank you, Robe. It is words such as yours that make it all worthwhile for us.
We also heard from Catherine Griffiths, somewhere in Engand:
Hi, I am a UK reader of WW4 report.
I'm afraid I can't help out with sponsorship at the moment because I have been unemployed for 6 months. However, reading your sponsorship requests, I feel compelled to support your campaign and I will as soon as I have a job! But that's why I can't at the moment.
Best, Catherine Griffiths
And finally, we heard from Margery Coffey in Rosalie, Nebraska:
No. I don't know much about Somalia but I do know that most of the pirates from there are teenagers and that they do not kill their hostages.
World War 4 Report responded by e-mail: They don't kill their hostages! What an exoneration! Yes, they are mostly desperate teenagers, but somebody in their operation is getting very very rich (by Somali standards at least), and we see no evidence that the wealth is being shared democratically.
Margery replied by e-mail:
I state two facts. That is not taking a position. That is stating two facts. Please.
And we concluded: Facts are usually stated in advancement of a point. Have the pirates been demonized by the world media? Absolutely, and it would be a miracle if they weren't.
See our last posts Somalia [4] and Somaliland [5], and our April Exit Poll results [6]. Please answer our new Exit Poll [7].
