Outrage over Japan's plan to slaughter humpback whales

Thank you for continuing to prove my point. If you can find a court sympathetic to your point of view, then you truly have found a kangaroo court.

Is harrassment of an illegal act (set by international treaty of whom Japan is merely a nonsignator), a crime?. We have a history in this nation of sit-downs, cop-outs, boycotts, active demonstartions and otherwise breaking laws that were really against humanity.

Yeh, I guess Im equating the illegal killing of whales with civil rights.

100% with you on that, farmerman. Sadly, what's now occurring is not at all surprising. None of this would be happening at all if Japan hadn't chosen to violate the laws of the IWC & (hypocritically) called the annual cull "research". It's all about $$$$$, nothing more, nothing less ....

Harpoon fired over protest boat
January 15, 2006 - 5:45PM/the AGE

A Greenpeace activist was thrown overboard when a Japanese whale harpoon was launched across an inflatable boat in the Antarctic seas yesterday.

The incident has forced Greenpeace to rethink their human shield style protest against Japanese scientific whaling in the Southern Ocean.

The Japanese says Greenpeace is taking the risks for the sake of public relations.

A harpoon from Japanese whaling vessel Yushin Maru No.2 was fired directly over the Zodiac inflatable boat, which was shadowing a minke whale in Antarctic seas.

Greenpeace chief executive Steve Shallhorn said the harpoon had flown within a metre of the inflatable.

"Greenpeace had been doing what it has been doing for three weeks - putting out inflatables between whales and harpoons," he said.

"The harpoon impacted on the whale but the towing rope got caught on our boat.

"And as the whale began to sink it put our boat in jeopardy.

"The rope got taut and threw one of our people into the ocean."

Canadian activist Texas Joe Constantine, the second mate on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, struggled in the water for a short time before getting back into the boat.

"He may have swallowed some seawater and whale blubber but he is all right," Mr Shallhorn said.

He said the whalers were becoming frustrated with the success of the protest and were starting to take more chances.

But he said the new tactics would not deter Greenpeace.

"They have killed far fewer whales then they would have without us being around," he said.

Greenpeace spokesman Shane Rattenbury said the protesters had prevented the ship from harpooning the minke whale for over an hour, but the harpoon operator decided to fire when he believed he had a clear shot.

The Greenpeace spokesman said he feared the whalers were taking the confrontation to a new level. ... <cont>

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/harpoon-fired-over-protest-boat/2006/01/15/1137259936292.html

Whales are animals. Animals have no rights. Except to be cooked in a little butter and garlic.

Im not saying the animals have rights in the political sense. However,We have responsibilities to be good stewards, otherwise were just a bunch of Victorians blasting away at everthing until its extinct. Whales live in a portion of the planet that should be a guarantee of their safety. We, in order to satisfy some ritual bound dietary craving, are , without any regard are heading to cause their extinction. I just cant understand the mentality.
American black bears are declining because poachers, rushing to send off gall bladders , are cashing in on another cultures folk medicine. (Its a medicine that blind studies have shown , doesnt even work)

I still say that most hunters are conservation minded, its just that many have this whole issue interlaced with the second amendment and their rotection of gun ownership under the law.

Cj , try to separate the 2. Im with ya on the gun ownership, I have a small arsenal but Im dead set against the bullshit justification for the gradual extinction of one species and the certain drive to extinction of another (humpbacks).

Population ecology is not just the study of habitATS AND NUMBERS. iTS an attempt to understand what numbers of animals are necessary in a species to assure a viable and diverse species. As we see the right whales and humpbacks have probably already declined below a 'critical mass" population to insure against inbreeding and slow extinction.

Farmerman,

I've been through all that with CJ. He in one breath will tell you he is all against hunting endangered species, while in the second breath he'll tell you that whatever he wants to kill at the moment really isn't endangered.

I think it comes down to the fact that a rightwinger just ain't happy unless they're killing something!!

Anon

You couldn't be more wrong.

I just know when I'm looking at people who are acting in an irrational way, much like the U.N. does whenever the issues of guns and hunting arises.

I don't want to live in Canada. Anybody here notice where the pirate ships are registered?

Oh god, don't start him on guns again, PLEASE! <yawn>







Just letting you all know that over the past couple of days Greenpeace, especially, has received really good media coverage here (Melbourne, Oz), in newspapers, radio & television. I heard some of the most informative discussions yet in the local media about the issues of endangered species, the ethics of animal cruelty, Japanese commercial whaling & the marketing of whale meat in Japan on ABC radio this morning. Very good to see that talkback responses were overwhelming positive.

Ms. Olga,

It's just too damn bad we can't get an old U-Boat (they can't be that expensive), and just take out a few of those Japanese ships. That would probably discourage the bastards.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more ironic it gets. They want to feed their children with this high level, horribly toxic, mercury laden whale meat. When I think of what mercury does to developing children, it seems like a just revenge of sorts. Maybe we should just let them go ahead a gorge themselves!!



Anon

Yet another who values animal life over human...consequences be damned.

Like I said, let the kids gorge themselves on it. Have at it!!

Anon

Just curious AV, but have you ever tried whale meat or blubber? I can't say that I have, but I do know that some native american cultures subsisted on this along with whatever else they could catch from the sea, when the caribou weren't in town.

Me, I'd like to take one of the fully grown whales (of the most endangered variety) which has been killed so violently & cruelly by the Japanese whalers ..... & drop it on one of those "research" ships from a great height!

CJ- I think that your overdramatizing what everyone is saying inorder to mount a moral high ground. You havent sorted out the moral issue in the killing of thee whales. Its to support a dietary choice cause whalemeat is considered a delicacy. (Sounds a bit like the Caspian Sturgeon ban) Except in this case the "poachers" are an entire government.

If you dont "get it" please dont try to moralize, the halo doesnt fit you.

Just wait until those Greenpees have a parade under your tree stand during deer season f-man. T'is coming to a field near you.

FM- I think that you're failing to read the post directly above your own.

That was long befroe we muddied up the oceans with excessive mercury deposits. I'm not making this up. The larger fish cintain huge amounts of mercury. Dangerous amounts.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/mehgadvisory1208.html

Anon

I like tuna, and swordfish. I'm a human thermometer.

CJ:

You'll probably start glowing soon as well!! :wink:

Anon