Outrage over Japan's plan to slaughter humpback whales

You know, Dora, not too long ago msolga political correctness would have made discussing this whaling issue extremely difficult for me. I'd be tied up in knots trying to word my arguments in an acceptable, inoffensive way. I'd be SO worried about appearing racist if I criticized the Japanese, the instigators of the whaling amendment in the IWC ... & then to criticize their arguments after they'd branded Australia & like-minded countries as "imperialist" & insensitive to Japanese cultural traditions! Now, THAT would be very difficult!
But now, happily I can called a spade a spade! The motives of the Japanese (& the Norwegians, the Danes & all the rest of the anti-whaling crew) are suspect & devious. Profit motives really, but argued under the guise of "science"... And Australia, who argued so passionately for the whales, condones some very reprehensible practices toward animals, including some that are our national emblems!
I'm with the animals!!!!
And yes, you're right: we are selective about which animals are chosen to be valued & protected & those which are seen as simply a means to profit or pleasure , therfore their treatment is considered unimportant. We should argue as passionately against cruelty to battery chickens & foxes. Cruelty is cruelty & it's wrong.

I should look at the bright side and be glad when I hear about people showing concern for any animals and just consider it a step in the right direction. It's just that there are so many abuses of animals all around that it's easy for me to get down-hearted and think, "What about all the other animals? They aren't cute enough or beautiful enough for people to care about?" It's a hard cause to get involved in because it can seem so overwhelming and hopeless; there is so little reason for most people to care since there's really nothing in it for us. But bottom line is, Australia is on the right side in this case, whatever other mistakes are being made in other cases. All we can do is be glad for what ever victories we get.

Defeated whalers sense tide turning
Peter Alford, Tokyo correspondent
June 25, 2005 The Australian

THE anti-whalers' victory in Ulsan, South Korea, this week was Dunkirk, not Normandy.

By the time the International Whaling Commission lurches into the Caribbean statelet of St Kitts and Nevis next June, more whales will have been harpooned than in any 12-month period since the international moratorium on commercial hunting of the sea mammals began in 1986.

A second IWC member, Iceland, may have decided to defy the moratorium. Iceland, which now runs a small scientific program, rejoined the IWC with a reservation for commercial whaling that takes effect next year.

Norway, now the only commercial whaling nation, set a quota of 796 animals this year, the largest in a decade.

And Japan's catch of more than 1300 whales, following the doubling of its controversial Antarctic scientific research program, will be the biggest in 20 years. ... <cont>

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15722278%255E2703,00.html

I am an unrepenitant carnivore.

I have eaten meat from many different animals:
Cow, deer, buffalo, moose, reindeer, sheep, pig, rabbit, possum, armadillo, snake, alligator, duck, goose, pheasant, quail, chicken, turkey, pigeon, fish, lobster, clams, oysters, mussels, crab, etc... If it walks, crawls, swims or flies, I have probably cooked and eaten it.

But I have never EVER eaten a whale or dolphin. I don't see how you can eat these creature which are as intelligent as we are and call yourself a human being.

I just don't understand these people.

(P.S. I'm trying to find out where their whaling ships dock at... I have my drill charged up and am just waiting on that ticket to Japan so I can put as many of their boats on the bottam as I can)

..For years Japan has been accused by conservationists of bribing these minnow states for their pro-whaling votes. Rarely, however, have these accusations been backed by solid evidence. Japan has denied the charge.

Now Four Corners can reveal the specific detail of some of the favours handed out to countries to sign up for IWC membership and to support Japan.

In one case, an official letter has surfaced to show that Japan has been making payments to the IWC on one country's behalf.

In another case, a former IWC commissioner confirms that Japan has been paying all his country's IWC costs and associated expenses. In yet another, a disgusted politician tells how his country was bought off.
"I don't think the international legal community has yet come up with a term to describe this blatant purchasing of small country governments by Japan," he tells Four Corners... <exerpt from a promotion of tonight's Four Corners (Australian Broadcasting Commission) program dealing with this issue>

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2005/s1413252.htm

msolga, I'm not who you thought i was, misunderstanding

No?

No.

Well, who ARE you then, Amigo? :wink:

Go on, tell....!

No comment,No clues

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

I shouldn't have watched Four Corners. Now I'm hopping mad! The IWC is a joke. The Japanese do bribe small Pacific countries ... & worst was some rare footage of a whale killing expedition in the Antarctic ... Terrible to watch & so cruel.

The Japanese are hypocrites, but I don't see how hunting whales is any worse than most of the other things humans do for meat. If given the choice I would rather be a minke whale destined to be harpooned than a pig in an industrial pigfarm.

I'll even venture as far as saying that, in terms of misery per pound of meat harvested, I think whaling compares favorably to most western practices.

Ohhh Pleeeez! comparing Whales to pigs? well there wont be much of a concern soon as there wont be any whales left in the oceans before too long!...then what? dolphins?Turtles? everything hunted to extinction just for a nations pallet....the 'scientific purposes' excuse is all sh.t, the whales are for consumption and thats it and they dont target specific breeds its all whales! The Japs even invade our waters here! I saw a doco on TV where you can go to a market over there and buy blimmin Whale Burgers!
Nope its not right, its just down right nasty and I dont agree and our Government does not agree with it either!

I agree with you about the scientific purpouse tripe, but how is overfishing of whale any different than other overfishing? It is silly of course, and should be prevented, but why should whaling not be allowed to the extent that it is sustainable?

I thought they were only hunting minke whales, and soon to hunt humpbacks, where have you read othervice?

Einherjar

My understanding is that the Japanese are about to unleash the largest increase in whale hunting since the IWC declared a moratorium on such activities. This will include areas "protected" by Australia in the Antartic. We could go over & over all the information & media comments that have already been presented in this thread, but frankly, I really don't see the point in doing that.

I'll agree that they may be overfishing, and I am not going to comment about territorial disputes in the antarctic. I was reacting to this



I thought they had specific quotas, and were only catching minke whales untill now. I agree that overfishing if it occors is a problem, but I disagree with the people who think that whales are somehow holy, and should never be killed for human consumption.

And frankly I find the fanaticism of people wanting to go after whalers with subs, cruisemissiles and what not to be a bit creepy.

the link contains a guide to the species of whales that are killed for commercial, scientific and aboriginal subsistence whaling:

http://www.whalewatch.org/whaleSpecies.asp

Frankly I find nations like Japan & Norway who don't respect international agreements on whaling more than a bit creepy. All power to the "fanatics" in these circumstances.