NEWS: Sea Shepherd attacks the whalers "Death Star"

There was another incident on Saturday where the whalers shot a harpoon over the dinghy the Greenpeace people were using to shield a whale.

Institute chief Hiroshi Hatanaka said in a statement Greenpeace put its inflatable boat dangerously close to the bow of the whaling vessel when the harpooner fired.

"Our harpooner had a clear shot and took it. The strike was perfect and the whale was killed instantly," he said.

"The fact that the rope fell onto their inflatable and one of the activists fell into the water is entirely their fault. We are also concerned that they tried to cut the line because it makes it more dangerous for them."

reuters

I wonder which side will be the first to seriously injure someone. :shk:

Finally the governments are starting to take a stand....

weblog.greenpeace.org...

Seventeen nations, led by Brazil and the UK have issued a formal diplomatic statement known as a demarche to the Japanese government. The demarche was delivered to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 16th, and to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry yesterday. It calls on Japan to, "cease all its lethal scientific research on whales".

Along with Brazil and the UK, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and Sweden also signed the demarche. See any glaring omissions?

Slowly but surely Greenpeace is changing world opinion. Don't think that the French stopped Nucleur testing in the pacific because they wanted to. World opinion marshalled by greenpeace and similar organizations led the pressure.

However while the fight goes on, I have to admire the guys on the small boats who end up in the freezing antarctic waters.


[edit on 18-1-2006 by Netchicken]

This is great, it's about time governments are doing something, although I didn't see Canada there on the list and I coudn't find any info anywhere if they endorsed it.

I would like to see Canada and the USA both become involved in this.

And once again for those who feel the Japanese are doing their job, think again. These waters and ocean life that inhibit them ARE PROTECTED UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION. THE JAPANESE FISHERMAN ARE BREAKING THE LAW!
WHAT IS IT, THAT SOME OF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

Anyways Net Chicken, heard this earlier and glad you posted it

It reminds me of the old joke about the English Bobby's before they had guns, where they call out to the fleeing perp. "Stop, or I'll say stop again." It is already prohibited, and they continue whaling in defiance of the agreement. What good at all does it do for these governments to tell them to stop. What will make them obey now? If it wasn't for groups like the Sea Shepherd Society and Greenpeace, the ban on whaling would be totally worthless. Unless it is enforced, only the law-abiding nations will obey it. Imagine if all laws were like that, and if you murdered someone no one would come after you, even if they knew it was you?
I apologize if the following joke is too risque. It is the only whale joke I know.
A male whale and a female whale were off the coast of Japan when they noticed a whaling ship. The male whale recognized it as the same ship that had harpooned his father many years earlier. He said to the female whale, 'Lets both swim under the ship and blow out of our air hole at the same time and it should cause the ship to turn over and sink.' They tried it and sure enough, the ship turned over and quickly sank. Soon however, the whales realized the sailors had jumped overboard and were swimming to the safety of shore. The male was enraged that they were going to get away and told the female, 'Let's swim after them and gobble them up before they reach the shore.' At this point, he realized the female was becoming reluctant to follow him.
'Look', she said, 'I went along with the blow job, but I absolutely refuse to swallow the seamen!’

Originally posted by alphacenturiARE PROTECTED UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION. THE JAPANESE FISHERMAN ARE BREAKING THE LAW!
WHAT IS IT, THAT SOME OF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

What document grants Green Peace and Sea Shepard the authority to be judge jury and excutioner of law on the high seas?

Originally posted by JasperJames
What document grants Green Peace and Sea Shepard the authority to be judge jury and excutioner of law on the high seas?

This document Jasper...

stuff.co.nz...
Watson said he was acting under the United Nations World Charter for Nature, which he said stated non-government organisations could use powers to uphold international conservation law

He proved it in law.

eelink.net...

23. All persons, in accordance with their national legislation, shall have the opportunity to participate, individually or with others, in the formulation of decisions of direct concern to their environment, and shall have access to means of redress when their environment has suffered damage or degradation.

24. Each person has a duty to act in accordance with the provisions of the present Charter, acting individually, in association with others or through participation in the political process, each person shall strive to ensure that the objectives and requirements of the present Charter are met.

Hence he can stop illegal fishing of whales in a whale sancturary.




[edit on 18-1-2006 by Netchicken]

Originally posted by JasperJames

Originally posted by alphacenturiARE PROTECTED UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION. THE JAPANESE FISHERMAN ARE BREAKING THE LAW!
WHAT IS IT, THAT SOME OF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

What document grants Green Peace and Sea Shepard the authority to be judge jury and excutioner of law on the high seas?

I had to chuckle at the irony of your use of the term 'executioner', because, of course the only executions are being done to the whales, and in one case, a Greenpeace photographer. Judge, jury, and executionee might have been more accurate.
As to the question regarding their authority to do this, first off, someone ought to, or the laws are toothless.
Secondly, I look at it as a variation of 'citizens arrest'. Many people, when they see a crime being committed, get involved. Some don't of course, likely because that is the far safer option. But those who do foil the criminals, by interfering, are heroes.

It is important that there are people in the world willing to sacrifice not only their lives, but also their beliefs and principals of concept to ensure and preserve those species, that are sometimes unable to defend themselves from the cheap-shots delivered, of a certain type of mankind.

to Greenpeace and Paul Watson for causing enough ruckas to implement action while 'sticking to their guns' while not using any.

Originally posted by Netchicken
stuff.co.nz...
Watson said he was acting under the United Nations World Charter for Nature, which he said stated non-government organisations could use powers to uphold international conservation law

He proved it in law.

ROFL!!! He "proved" nothing. He was acquitted. The burden of proof against him was insufficient.

eelink.net...

23. All persons, in accordance with their national legislation, shall have the opportunity to participate, individually or with others, in the formulation of decisions of direct concern to their environment, and shall have access to means of redress when their environment has suffered damage or degradation.

24. Each person has a duty to act in accordance with the provisions of the present Charter, acting individually, in association with others or through participation in the political process, each person shall strive to ensure that the objectives and requirements of the present Charter are met.

Hence he can stop illegal fishing of whales in a whale sancturary.

This is comical... why do you imagine things and fit them into this vague blithering piece of UN idiocy. If this document is what you claim, it would grant anyone the right to slaughter the offenders, declaring open season on whalers.

[edit on 20-1-2006 by JasperJames]

Originally posted by BlackGuardXIII

Originally posted by JasperJames

Originally posted by alphacenturiARE PROTECTED UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION. THE JAPANESE FISHERMAN ARE BREAKING THE LAW!
WHAT IS IT, THAT SOME OF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

What document grants Green Peace and Sea Shepard the authority to be judge jury and excutioner of law on the high seas?

I had to chuckle at the irony of your use of the term 'executioner', because, of course the only executions are being done to the whales, and in one case, a Greenpeace photographer. Judge, jury, and executionee might have been more accurate.
As to the question regarding their authority to do this, first off, someone ought to, or the laws are toothless.
Secondly, I look at it as a variation of 'citizens arrest'. Many people, when they see a crime being committed, get involved. Some don't of course, likely because that is the far safer option. But those who do foil the criminals, by interfering, are heroes.

"Executioner of law" is not limited to a the 'hangman'. look up the root word... execute.

Originally posted by alphacenturi
It is important that there are people in the world willing to sacrifice not only their lives, but also their beliefs and principals of concept to ensure and preserve those species, that are sometimes unable to defend themselves from the cheap-shots delivered, of a certain type of mankind.

to Greenpeace and Paul Watson for causing enough ruckas to implement action while 'sticking to their guns' while not using any.

LOL they are chumps. they even admitted to being scared to get soaked by the Japanese hosing them with high pressure water while they pestered them from their little rubber boats.

Sometimes when you are risking your life for your cause, you lose.

Originally posted by JasperJames
LOL they are chumps. they even admitted to being scared to get soaked by the Japanese hosing them with high pressure water while they pestered them from their little rubber boats.
Sometimes when you are risking your life for your cause, you lose.

That is a pretty harsh assessment. I agree with a WWI fighter pilot who said for you to be brave, you have to be scared. If you aren't scared, thats not bravery, thats stupidity. The thing is they overcame that fear, which is what courage is, not the absence of fear. So then the 'losers' who risked and lost their lives for their cause trying to defend the Alamo? and Diane Fossey, Victor Hara, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Steven Biko, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, hey, how about Jesus? Are they chumps too?
Not in my view, not any of them.

The dance of decadance and the folly of fools, so join us now in our suicidal path to self destruction...maybe we can nuke each other off before the famines start.

Originally posted by JasperJames
LOL they are chumps. they even admitted to being scared to get soaked by the Japanese hosing them with high pressure water while they pestered them from their little rubber boats.

They were in the Southern Ocean, off Antarctica. Do you know how cold that warter is? Do you know how quickly you will suffer Hypothermia and die if you go overboard? That watercannon isn't spraying warm shower water.

The Farley Mowat has been detained in South Africa for not being seaworthy.

The ship's captain said Saturday that it would be impossible to meet conditions set for the release of the vessel, held since Wednesday, because South Africa has classed it as a commercial vessel and Canada had registered it as a pleasure craft.

"The certificates required for a commercial vessel cannot be issued by Canada to a yacht," Paul Watson said in a commentary posted on the website of the Sea Shepherd environmentalist organization.

The South African Maritime Authority contends the vessel, the Farley Mowat, does not have the necessary safety certificates and so cannot be classed as fit for the high seas.

cnews.canoe.ca...

How friendly are the Japanese and South Africans?

Tell me again that it's a cultural thing for the Japanese to eat whalemeat...

man's best friend?

Link not working, but is that the article where the japanese have so much whale meat in storage that they are selling it as pet food? Turns out humans don't like the taste.

Why am I not suprised....

Not so long ago the British media was full of whale in the thames stories.Thousands turned out to see the whale ,why not more coverage on this?

Try this, things move (dammit)

Bloody Aunty

or Whale, eggs, whale and whale,
or spam, whale, bacon and whale...
Or eggs, bacon. whale and whale...

Do ya ever wonder if the Japenese are doing this just to piss off the animal rights activists?
they cetainly aren't doing it for the money or the need of food...