Theres so much wrong with this post I may need to construct a pie-chart or something:
1) "What's not so wrong is boosting the economy of the area or improving living standards for local Somalis."
Do you envision these pirates as a benevolent charity that goes from mud hut to mud hut passing out money? The only locals making money are the ones that contributed to the effort (IE: an RPG), everyone else is still having dirt for dinner.
2) "You can bet the pirates have killed or hurt less innocent people in the kidnappings than famine would have if these pirates hadn't gone out and fended for themselves."
Er, okay. The following things have also killed more people then pirates: malaria, years of warfare, dysentary, lions and halitosis. Also, I wasnt aware that aquiring ransom money made food spring forth from the ground. Oh, you must mean all the bustling food trade that started when the pirates contracted with outside agencies to bring food in.
3) "what's important is that their kind of enterprise, "nice" or not, will do a lot more to get third world countries out of the pit of famine, strife and disease they're in, than any relief aid or UN supported drives for democracy."
Please tell me you're kidding. The total sum of whatever these pirates have earned in ransom money is a drop in the pissbucket compared to the billions in relief aid they have received and what they "contribute" back to society is even less. Or maybe you meant the medical program the pirates instituted?