Japan outraged by clash with anti-whalers

[Barrett808]

TOKYO: Japan expressed outrage after anti-whaling activists poured acid on the decks of a whaling ship in the Southern Ocean and slightly injured two crew members, terming their activities "piratical, terrorist acts".

After the clash, two protesters from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an environmental group chasing the Japanese whalers, tied their boat to an iceberg for protection from icy winds as they drifted in fog after the inflatable was damaged.

The Japanese whaling boat, the Nisshin Maru, joined the search for the men, who were rescued safely eight hours later.

The group then resumed its pursuit of Japan's whaling fleet, a senior official at Japan's Fisheries Agency said.

"These are completely piratical, dangerous acts," said the official, Hideki Moronuki. "They are also very dangerous, and we want them to stop this immediately."

Sea Shepherd said on its website that it had "successfully delivered" six litres of butyric acid to the ship's flensing deck, where whales are cut up, halting the crew's work.

(more)

http://www.stuff.co.nz/3956908a12.html

[ellie]

1. Really?

Well I'm outraged that Japan still kills whales.

[LeftyMom]

2. Well, they could always stop killing whales.

Until then, they're going to have Sea Shepherd on their asses like white on rice on a paper plate in a snowstorm.

I'm chipping in a few dollars today. Anybody care to join me? http://www.seashepherd.org/donate.html

[The Backlash Cometh]

32. Hey, Sea Sheperd is probably the only thing between us and an

alien annihilation of the human race.

Okay, maybe I watch too much t.v.

[barb162]

43. Yeah, but they like killing these intelligent endangered creatures

SICK, SICK, SICK

[Little Wing]

3. Suck it, Japan

[Solo_in_MD]

4. Dangerous thing for an unflagged vessel to do.

They are now wide open for any law enforcement/naval vessel to stop/search/arrest/take under tow. Lets just see if the JN does...

[Nihil]

9. As .5 says below ...

... if there were any law enforcement/naval vessel in the vicinity
then it would have been the Nissan Maru who would be stopped for
illegal actions ... but (oh so conveniently) there weren't ...
I think even the honourable Japanese Navy (if that's what your "JN"
meant) would be embarrassed to be seen to be nothing more than
rent-a-cops for illegal whalers ...

[apnu]

5. um, wasn't the Nisshin Maru in violation of International Law when this happened?

They can cry about damage to their ship and crew... but who is going to nail them on whaling in a sanctuary?

[Kagemusha]

8. For the last time...

However much Sea Shepherd and other groups don't like it, the UN gave the international whaling commission the power to allow whaling in a sanctuary for "research" purposes. That people consider the research to be flat out BS does not make the permission any less legal. As in, not illegal, not criminal.

So no, the Nisshin Maru was not in violation of international law when this happened. Not one tiny bit.

I'm glad the two crew members were found safely but, their radio not working, well.. let me put it this way. Unless the malfunction was somehow directly related to the crash, that radio should have been functioning perfectly and should have been tested according to safety regulations. Except that when you sail without a flag, safety regulations - of any country - don't apply to you anymore. That's a small part of why nations take a dim view of sailing without a flag.

[Nihil]

11. Shove that.

> Except that when you sail without a flag, safety regulations - of any
> country - don't apply to you anymore. That's a small part of why nations
> take a dim view of sailing without a flag.

Such bullshit.

The ONLY reason they are sailing without a flag is that the corrupt
Japanese government are constantly putting pressure on host nations
to withdraw their flag from the Sea Shepherd boats.

Or did you think that the previous flag nations were unhappy about
the standard of maintenance of their radios?
:eyes:

[Hawkowl]

12. Legal doesn't make it right

Fuck the legality of immoral laws. As long as the Sea Shepherd is using non-violent means (i.e; not killing anyone) they can disrupt whaling in any way they can. Research my ass. GREED is the reason they are killing these beautiful, highly intelligent creatures.

[TX-RAT]

16. Sea Shepherd is using non-violent means ?

Pouring acid on the decks, ramming ships. These are not no-violent actions. These type action will eventually end up in a tragedy.

[SemperEadem]

93. I have problems with them dumping litres of acid on a ship deck

for it to then run down the side of the ship and into the ocean. It's a foreign substance in ocean water and it does not belong there.

[atreides1]

13. By your standards the Iraq War is legal too!!!

Then why do we speak against the war in Iraq, Bush got permission, that makes it "legal", right?

And what exactly is the Japanese definition of "research", or does it lose soemthing in the translation?

[Kagemusha]

14. To repliers to the above post

I answered a narrow, specific question re: the Nisshin Maru being in violation of international law or not.

End of story.

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bonobo]

40. Adocating the deaths of all Japanese again, Saigon?

They're not Vietnamese you know, or is it because their eyes are too slanty?

I remember when you used the "J" over and over but got deleted.

Now you just couch your "race-related" feelings a little better.

[karlrschneider]

6. Butyric acid isn't particularly dangerous, it just smells REALLY bad

like the odor of vomit multiplied several thousand times.
:puke:

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[hertopos]

86. Your remark sounds very racist to me.

I am originally from Japan. Since when it is ok to curse an entire nation!! A very small number of Japanese killed whales while American kills so many people and caused extra many to die by American supported government.

What is your priority.

Hertopos

[devilgrrl]

10. Boo hoo

eom

[xchrom]

15. since the japanese government has to underwrite these whaling adventures

i imagine they are pissed.

my heart bleeds.

um -- no it doesn't -- i hope the sea shepherd hounds these barbarians back to japan.

[flvegan]

17. And it's only going to get better.

Greenpeace's Esperanza is headed out there, as well.

A recap:
2 Sea Shepherd boats, a chopper and several zodiacs manned by folks without much fear (plugging the blood purge holes on the ship...brilliant!). That covers the offense.
1 Greenpeace boat, with several Zodiacs in front with folks fucking up aiming that harpoon. There's our defense.

The final "fuck you" is that the majority of folks think you're assholes and full of shit, and you've blown a ton of money to get there. It's almost like GWB is running your whaling program.

[Massacure]

38. What exactly is a Zodiac?

[flvegan]

39. Check this out

http://www.defender.com/inflatables/inflatable_project/zodiac/zodiac.htm

[FujiZ1]

18. This is awesome

They should get cannons and shit, and wear eyepatches. I'd friggen volunteer then. Then eventually we could storm the deck and make people walk the plank. We'd steal their ship and retrofit it to hold cannon. Pretty soon we'd have a fleet. Man that would just rule.

[zonkers]

20. So let me get this straight. If the sea shepherd guys opt for pirate attire, you're in?

[FujiZ1]

24. Don't forget the eye patches

Oh and if the capt'n don't give us nuff' rum then we get to toss him overboard and elect a new one. I think I'll start packing!

[NYC]

26. No parrot?

Would your pirate ensemble be complete without a parrot? An eye patch isn't everything.

[scarletwoman]

52. He needs to have a pegleg, too. What kind of self-respecting pirate with an eyepatch & parrot would

go without the pegleg?

sw

[NYC]

61. You see how complicated things become?

He was eager to join. Everything seemed fine. Oops. Need an eyepatch. Okay. Oops. Need a parrot. Now it's okay. No. Need a pegleg.

One thing leads to another. Fashion is just too demanding, and pirate fashion turns out to be no exception.

I wonder if he'll ever join the pirate team?

[scarletwoman]

63. LOL

Ah yes, the demands of pirate fashion. I hope he at least has his bandana and gold ear hoop. ;-)

sw

[zonkers]

19. Fuck these whalers. Remember this wonderful story about an entangled whale saved off S.F....

excerpt...

"....By almost 4pm, an hour after the team found the whale, “Lucky the Humpback” as she was named, was safely and successfully disentangled. She circled in the water for about 15 minutes, then swam away free of the debris. One of the divers, James Moskito, told local media of the freed whale’s reaction: “It felt to me like it was thanking us, knowing that it was free and that we had helped it." Moskito says the whale stopped about a foot away from him and playfully nudged him before swimming away."

full story: http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/learning/comm/whalerescue.asp

[mainegreen]

21. I wonder how those 'scientific' tests of whale meat flavor in restaurants are going.

Don't eat endangered food and don't eat things that might be as smart as you.

[depakid]

22. "successfully delivered" six litres of butyric acid

OMG.

LOL.

Do you all know what butyric acid smells like?

That's going to be fun voyage for the crew.

Well done Sea Shepard. Keep at it....

[karlrschneider]

27. We spilled about a ml of it in Organic Chem lab accidentally in college

the building was uninhabitable for 3 days. Ewww...
:D
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2724211&mesg_id=2724254

[depakid]

48. You can't get that stuff off, either

If you get some of it on your sleeve, you better just your lab coat out....

[manic expression]

23. Cry me a f*cking river

The Japanese government is racist as hell anyway.

[hughee99]

25. How did they "deliver" the acid? n/t

[Barrett808]

28. Sea Shepherd replies: Japanese Claims of Injuries are Bogus

Japanese claims that two whalers were injured on Friday, February 9 (Auckland, NZ time), during a confrontation with Sea Shepherd activists is bogus, claims Sea Shepherd campaign leader and the organization’s President and Founder Captain Paul Watson.

"My crew did not injure anyone," said Captain Watson. "This is just a spin designed to get public sympathy for men who are themselves vicious and ruthless killers of whales."

The Japanese claim that two whalers were injured when six liters of butyric acid were tossed onto the flensing deck of the Nisshin Maru.

According to Japan's Fisheries Agency spokesman, Hideki Moronuki, the two Japanese crewmen sustained injuries from the attack after one was hit by an empty container of acid and the other had acid squirted in his eye.

"Nice try, but a total fabrication," said Captain Watson. "The butyric acid is contained in one-liter glass bottles, all of which broke upon contact with the flensing deck of the Nisshin Maru. These bottles are sealed and the acid released after being broke, so it is impossible to be hit by an empty bottle. Secondly, no one squirted butyric acid into anyone's eye, and even if they did, this is a simple non-toxic butter acid, basically rancid butter. It will not cause eye injury. If we had tossed marshmallows on the deck of the Nisshin Maru, I'm sure the whalers would try to claim they were injured by them"

On this same day, two Sea Shepherd crew were lost in dense fog for 8 hours after their Zodiac inflatable was damaged in a collision with the hull of the Nisshin Maru. Captain Watson organized a search grid and issued a Maritime distress alert in response to the missing crew. The Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru responded to the distress alert and participated in the search. Captain Watson thanked the Japanese captain after the men were found and then politely informed him that Sea Shepherd would return to the business of upholding international conservation law against illegal Japanese whaling operations.

The Sea Shepherd ships had been searching for the Japanese whaling fleet for five weeks. The Japanese fleet was finally tracked down and located at 0500 Hours on February 9 (Auckland, NZ time) .

Both Sea Shepherd ships, the Farley Mowat and the Robert Hunter, are pursuing the Nisshin Maru in foul weather conditions.

"We will continue to intercept illegal Japanese whaling operations," said Captain Watson.

http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_070209_1.html

[pinniped]

29. Cry me a fn river.

.

[eppur_se_muova]

30. Butyric acid -- a very clever choice. Natural product, relatively harmless.

Butyric acid, (from Greek βουτυρος = butter) IUPAC name n-Butanoic acid, or normal butyric acid, is a carboxylic acid with structural formula CH3CH2CH2-COOH. It is notably found in rancid butter, parmesan cheese, and vomit, and has an unpleasant odor and acrid taste, with a sweetish aftertaste (similar to ether). Butyric acid can be detected by mammals with good scent detection abilities (e.g., dogs) at 10 ppb, while humans can detect it in concentrations above 10 ppm.

Butyric acid is a fatty acid occurring in the form of esters in animal fats and plant oils. The glyceride of butyric acid makes up 3% to 4% of butter. When butter goes rancid, butyric acid is liberated from the glyceride by hydrolysis leading to the unpleasant odor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyric_acid

Butanethiol (skunk juice), in contrast, is considerably more hazardous.

Butanethiol, also known as butyl mercaptan is a highly volatile, clear to yellowish liquid with a foetid (extremely fowl-smelling) odor, commonly described as "skunk" odor. In fact, butanethiol is one of the major constituents of a skunk's defensive spray. The scent of butanethiol is so strong that the human nose can easily detect it in the air at concentrations as low as 10 parts per billion. Butanethiol is chemically classified among the thiols, which are organic compounds with molecular formulas and structural formulas similar to alcohols, except that sulfur-containing sulfhydryl group (-SH) replaces the oxygen-containing hydroxyl group in the molecule. Butanethiol's basic molecular formula is C4H9SH, and its structural formula is similar to that of the alcohol butanol. Butanethiol is a thiol of low molecular weight, and it is highly flammable. Butanethiol is used as an industrial solvent, as an odorant for natural gas (which is odorless), and as an intermediate for insecticides and herbicides. It is sometimes placed in the "stink bombs" and "stink perfumes" that pranksters love to use.

Butanethiol is a very noxious and caustic chemical compound, and at sufficiently high concentrations, it produces serious health effects in both humans and animals, especially as a result of prolonged exposure. Sufficiently high concentrations of the foetid, volatile substance causes eye irritation, headaches, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, and irritation of the respiratory tract. Even higher concentrations can lead to unconsciousness and coma after prolonged exposure. Contact with the skin and mucous membranes causes burns, and contact with the eyes can lead to blurred vision or complete blindness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butanethiol

[judaspriestess]

31. woohoo!!

FUCK YOU, Japanese government. Just as you are "outraged" so are we!!

[Ediacara]

33. Piratical? And here I thought they were calling the whalers pirates...

[Bonobo]

34. Killing whales is wrong whoever does it. But who kills more? Japan or US?

I don't have the answer, but it's probably us. Maybe some "experts" could weigh in here.

I do not want to excuse any killing of whales, but... Well, we should spend a little time examining our own country's guilt. After all, this is OUR TAX MONEY that is killing whales. WE ARE PAYING FOR IT, so we are culpable as well.

By the way, it is not "Japan" doing this. It is Whalers. Yes, they are Japanese whalers, but Norway and Iceland are doing this as well and I don't hear people say "Fuck Norwegians!" because most people can make a distinction between what SOME Norwegians do and what most do NOT do.

It is not typical Japanese, so please don't think that average Japanese people are any less caring about these creatures than others.
To make that mistake would be as short-sighted as saying "Americans are arab-killers", "Americans are gun-crazy". It overlooks the vast majority of the population which does not want to see whales killed any more than the average American. It is buying into a subtle type of racism to fall into the trap of blanketing the entire culture with that.

"The Bahamas, it turned out, was only the tip of an iceberg. Additional mass strandings and deaths associated with military activities and active sonar have occurred in Madeira (2000), Greece (1996), the U.S. Virgin Islands (1998, 1999), the Canary Islands (1985, 1988, 1989, 2002, 2004), the northwest coast of the United States (2003) and coastal waters off North Carolina (2005). And in July 2004 researchers uncovered an extraordinary concentration of whale strandings near Yokosuka, a major U.S. Navy base off the Pacific coast of Japan. The Navy's active sonar program appears to be responsible for many more whale strandings than had previously been imagined."

"Endangered northern right whales, like the two seen here, would be at risk from a proposed U.S. Navy sonar training range, animal welfare groups say. The Navy says it needs the new range on the U.S. East Coast to train its Atlantic fleet and would take precautions to protect marine animals."

"U.S. Navy Asks to be Exempted from Federal Law Forbidding Harassment or Killing of Whales"

Anyway, here are some links I grabbed.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0426-03.htm

"US Navy Gets 2-Year Whale Protection Law Exemption"
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/39968/story.htm

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/11/1103_051103_whale_sonar.html

http://nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/sonar.asp

[Coventina]

56. I've said "Fuck Norway" several times on this board.

I make no distinctions between how I refer to the whaling nations.

I'll say "Fuck Iceland" too if it makes you happy.

[Barrett808]

35. Videos of the action posted by Sea Shepherd:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.favorites&friendid=94163754

[saigon68]

37. Check out the Thug getting the (Full Whale experience)

http://www.whalesafebeer.com/

[Zachstar]

41. Piracy, War at Sea ARE YOU ALL INSANE?!

Protecting whales and reporting unlawful fishing is one thing.

INTERCEPTING AND ATTACKING ANOTHER SHIP IS NOT!

Gas canister, Bottles of chemical or whatever chemical attack and Attempts to disable the ship through some kind of thing to foul the propeller.

I'm sorry but these are pirates, they give good people such horrid names and they need to be hunted down, arrested under charges of attacking the ship, and their ship destroyed for participating in piracy of attacking for whatever reason.

Did the whale ship load cannons and anti ship missiles and blow the pirate vessel out of the water? No Yet some are talking about capturing and arming a violent pirate fleet!

Do you realize how much power this gives the freepers? Y'all saying how wonderful this is gives them ammo to use on people to convince others that freedom lovers and greens are nothing but a bunch of violent thugs.

Y'all need to not support such piracy attacks (including the ones greenpeace launches) and call for these people to find other means through the law. Because all they are doing is empowering whalers and empowering tyrannical gov policy.

[saigon68]

42. I don't give a flying fuck what the freepers think

They are scum and bottom feeders who support War Criminals

YOUR QUOTE "" Do you realize how much power this gives the freepers?"" Advises me I need to take a crap

Enjoy your stay it will be brief

[Zachstar]

58. Do you care that they use this stuff to recruit hate?

Then again I guess there is plenty to go around here. Grow up!

[LeftyMom]

44. Attacks by Greenpeace?

:rofl:

Pull the other one!

The whole reason Sea Shepherd was started is that all Greenpeace will do is get out there and wave banners and take video. There's a place for that, but however many years of it and it hasn't stopped anybody from whaling. Sea Shepherd has. :D

[Bonobo]

45. Some on this thread said the Japanese should die like the rest did in WW2

Now if THAT isn't HATE SPEECH. If THAT isn't worthy of FR, I do not know what is.

I will not be responding to that particular post because that person is now on my extremely tiny (2 people) ignore list.

The Japanese are humans. It is not all of Japan that did this. The whalers are working there not because they love killing whales, but probably to feed their families.

Furthermore, the US probably kills many more whales even today than the Japanese do. This is done by US Navy Sonar which is probably even crueler cause it blows out the poort thing's eardrums.

Also, since we are US citizens, we could and should be telling our representatives to stop this, but I guess it is much easier to sling around semi-racist rhetoric.

One more thing: the only reason the US ever STOPPED killing the whales is because whale oil is not worth anything anymore. It was US who killed them in horrific numbers for 200 years, resulting in the state we are in.

[depakid]

47. Most of us could care less what nationlity they are

If people or corporations do things like this, then they deserve what they get.

I'm grateful that there are still some citizens left in this world who have the courage to stand up to those who'll kill off endangered wildlife.

If there were more people like Captain Watson, maybe America wouldn't be in the sorry shape its in.

[Jonathan50]

49. At one time slavery was legal in the USA

Should those who opposed slavery have used only entirely legal means in order to free slaves?

Do you think of Harriet Tubman as a heroic figure or as a criminal who deserved prosecution?

[CBGLuthier]

54. Wrong example

John Brown is the example you should use.

[spoony]

59. Did you honestly

just compare slaves to whales?

[hertopos]

51. I officially protest such a hate speech.

I am originally from Japan.

Make it very clear. I don't support Whaling but I ate whale meat when I was a little kid. Then, that was one of cheapest animal protein available. Beef was too expensive to eat. ( It was 1960's)

I don't support whaling because most of whales are now endangered species.
There were so many Whales in 19 century. Guess what, the reason the number of whale decreased so quickly was because Europeans and Americans killed so many whales for just their oil. I also point out this. If Japan is actually the only whaling country, UN could have banned it right away. Japan do not have unilateral power against UN like U.S. It is quite disturbing that anti-Japanese sentiment can be so readily justified like this thread.

I also said clearly I am against nuclear bombs and bombing in general.
However, I don't see any value discussing the strategic value of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing. Let me make it clear, many Japanese believe( including myself ) alternative to Hiroshima bombing could have been worse. However, I met a Chemistry professor when I was in college, who participated Manhattan project. According to him, Nagasaki bombing was strategically unnecessary and was mainly for experimental purpose. Everyone knows that those two bombs are very different, right. I don't like to think about what if. But the important thing is to ban nuclear weapon and other extreme weapons all together. Todays conventional weapon can do worth damage than original 'fat boy'. U.S. has been a single most 'bombing country' in the world. Remember 9-11. If 9-11 can make us hate terrorist so much, what other bombed countires feel?

Quite honestly, U.S. not signing Kyoto accord is way more harmful to the Earth on the whole. Majority of Japanese no longer eat whale meat. In fact, my real fish related concern is about Tuna. Now a days, everyone eat Tuna and the number of natural Tuna population is decreasing rapidly.

Hertopos

[Coventina]

57. Yes, the US whaling industry did almost wipe out whales in the 19th century

But here's the thing, that was before society as a whole realized the wrongness of what was going on.

Now, we know. Now there is no excuse for it.

Japan enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the world, they don't "need" to hunt whales to support their economy.

And as far as cruelty goes, which do you think is worse, having your eardrums blown or having your hide stripped off while alive?

Give me a break THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR WHALING!!!!!

[SemperEadem]

94. I agree

to follow some people's analogies, Japan supports whaling, so all Japanese deserve death because of one industry.

The US Navy detonates explosives and sonar which stun, confuse and kill far more whales, so do all Americans deserve death? Who's going to be the first to offer up their life here because of what our Navy does?

[MadHound]

46. The "law" is part of the problem in this case

Japanese "law" allows for whale hunting. U.S. "law" doesn't apply here and international laws, what little there are, amount to tsk-tsking and other such approbation. Meanwhile Japan continues to kill hundreds of whales a year under the auspices of "scientific research". Are we to simply stand by and watch another species go to feed the maw of man?

Hell no! There comes a time where "laws" have to be put aside. When it comes down to it, I put the lives of whales and other living beings before the profits of corporations any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Killing an entire species all for the profit of a few, is that the "law" you wish to live under?

[LostinVA]

50. oh brother

[Name removed]

53. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[spoony]

60. Are you all daft?

Yes, whaling is an antiquated and unnecessary thing. Whales should be protected. But calling for ships to be sunk? People attacked? Equating whales with enslaved Africans? What the hell?

[Name removed]

65. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Barrett808]

55. Sea Shepherd: The London Times Gets It Wrong

Maybe they just wanted to have an ironic headline. Maybe they have plenty of Japanese clients buying ads. Maybe they just don't have competent journalists working for them anymore.

One thing for sure is the London Times cannot be relied upon to get the story right.

They went 180 Degrees off course on their latest report about the Sea Shepherd activities in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary

The Times ran the following headline; WHALERS RESCUE ENVIRONMENTALISTS IN ANTARCTIC DRAMA

The story has no basis in fact or truth. The missing Sea Shepherd crewmembers were rescued by their own ship the Farley Mowat.

When the men went missing, the Farley Mowat was obligated to issue a distress alert and the Japanese whaling vessels were obligated to participate in the search. They did participate. Sea Shepherd crew would have done the same if the Japanese ships had lost a crewmember. However, to report that the Japanese had actually rescued the Sea Shepherd crew is blatantly false.

One would expect higher standards from a newspaper with the reputation of the London Times. We hope to see a correction.

http://seashepherd.org/news/media_070209_2.html

The headline has been changed to: "Whalers aid in Antarctic rescue of environmentalists".

[Barrett808]

62. Sea Shepherd: Walk the Walk, Mr. Carter, Don't just Talk the Talk

"It's time for New Zealand's Environment Minister Chris Carter to walk the walk and not just to continue to talk the talk," said Captain Paul Watson, the Founder and President of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society from the Sea Shepherd flagship Farley Mowat.

The Honorable Mr. Carter, Environment Minister for New Zealand, said that confrontations between whale defenders and Japanese whalers were extreme and asked Sea Shepherd to desist from continued confrontations with the whalers.

"What they are doing is putting their lives at risk and ... I feel, compromising a very strong conservation message, because I think most fair-minded people would see it as extreme overreacting to put your life at risk," he told National Radio.

Captain Watson replied that, "Our actions are hardly extreme. We have been rather restrained so far. Illegal Japanese whaling is extreme. Killing whales in an international whale sanctuary is extreme. Slaughtering endangered species is extreme. I believe that Mr. Carter thinks that anything not done from behind a desk is extreme."

Captain Watson agrees with Mr. Carter that the confrontations are dangerous and that lives are being put at risk. "Of course, it's dangerous. But, if New Zealand and the other nations that purport to defend the whales were upholding their conservation responsibilities, we would not be forced to intervene."

(more)

http://seashepherd.org/news/media_070210_2.html

[goforit]

64. No respect for Earth's treasures!

[outofbounds]

66. So what did the whaling boat do

with the acid? My guess is they washed it overboard as quickly as possible. I hope the acid doesn't effect the sea life in the area. There has to be better ways than this to get the point across. I imagine there are a lot of marine life wishing this didn't happen. Acid in the water that fish, sharks, whales and others essentially have to breathe.

[LeftyMom]

67. Whale biology 101

They don't breathe water.

No offense, but it really worries me that anybody who doesn't know that is posting here on this thread. Actually, it just worries me that somebody doesn't know that, full stop.

BTW, did you ever hear the phrase "a drop in the ocean?" It stinks, but even up close and personal it's not really harmful. Diluted in deep, choppy water as far as the eye can see? At most, some fish in the very immediate area spent a few moments wondering what died.

[outofbounds]

70. Technically fish and sharks don't breath water either.

sorry. I was thinking about the way whales eat, or some whales that filter plankton. My apologies

[LeftyMom]

71. Yeah, I know that.

Please, do not get me started on the biology of elasmobranchii, this is already a very long thread.

[Bonobo]

68. You are all oversimplifying and acting hysterical.

Estimate population of Minke whales-1,000,000
Japanese whalers will kill 850 Minke whales or so.
Realistically, it is not the hunting of Minke whales that is a problem that wll lead to extiction. Minke whales are not endnagered. Overfishing of tuna by Japanese, however is a big problem.


Now here is some real stuff to cry about:

"Hunting Reduces Bonobo Population to 5,000"

Mountain gorilla: Critically Endangered (650)

"Effects of Bushmeat Hunting on Populations of African Great Apes"
http://www.bushmeat.org/html/apesbushmeat.htm

"Congo Bonobo chimp population falls 95% since 1984"

http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0306-ap.html

West develops taste for primates
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=228&topic_id=21801

Now, as to the issue of racism, a search of DU will not show a similar reaction to Canada, Norway or Iceland on similar threads. Trust me, I looked.
DU threads on Baby Seal Huntining do not lead people to say "Fuck Canada" or "Canadians should be clubbed". I have not found similar comments like "Fuck Africans" or "Fuck Africa" as a result of the Bushmeat trade. So, draw your own conclusions.

Now while yu're all busy preparing your arguments to scream at me, also reflect on the fact that you are spending your time saying Fuck Japan, but they are not the ones who's tax dollars are being spent in obscene amounts to kill humans around the globe in the MILLIONS. I'm not saying the whaling is good, but for god's sake look at the numbers. Look at the number of Minke whales, look at the numbes of Bonobos, Mountain Gorilla that are life. Look at the destruction of Oranguatan's forests in Indonesia. Just get a little perspective. You all sound really nuts. Hysterical in fact.

[LeftyMom]

69. Maybe we hang out on different seal threads

:shrug:

[Coventina]

72. Well, I found several threads slamming Norway's whaling

Here are the links:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2258662

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2243091

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2051155

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1775572


In fact, some of the threads were not even about whaling, but posters upset about Norway's barbaric practice brought it up.

This isn't about "racism" it's about cruelty.

[Bonobo]

75. I saw nothing like the virulent hatred on this thread. Read them again.

Sorry to disagree, but I looked at all 4 threads.

ANALYSIS RESULTS
The first (81 posts) was pro-Norway because their PM snubbed Bush. It turned into a gushy love fest over how hot the Norwgeian PM is. There was 1 post that mentioned Japan ad Norway's whaling. One short post. One sentence.

The second one, entitled "Norway slams Waling critics" (4 posts) was only 4 pathetic posts (a testimony to the lack of true hatred?) and had one polit little "F*** Norway (eom)" -the poster even went to the trouble of removing the offensive "UCK" from the word. If the title had been "Japan Slams Whaling Critics" (much like this thread title), I am fairly certain it would have had more than 4 posts. So to what do you attribute this imbalance if not racism. I know it's tough to look in the mirror vis a vis racism, but it is winking right a you, folks.

The third thread (84 posts) was about Japanese embassy getting a dead whale dumped outside of it. It had, predictably, one poster saying if Japanese died in the freezing waters after being rammed, they would deserve it. Lovely. Nothing about Norway or Iceland.

The fourth thread (38 posts) was about Norway's welfare state and had people gushing about how wonderful Norway was! The only mention of whales was that "Norway shouldn't do it" but that was in the same post whose title began with "Ah yes! Norway, my love!"

Did you think I would not follow the links, or did you not follow them yourself?

[Coventina]

76. I posted them to show that Norway does get called on its shit

If you don't feel that it's virulent enough then that's YOUR problem.

Feel free to make up the difference.

I'll continue to be as virulent as I want against any and all of the whaling nations. I don't care what color of skin someone has or what their country of origin is, if they are hunting whales, they are scum.

[Bonobo]

77. Calling it MY problem is really not the issue, is it?

And if denying racism made it untrue, well... there wouldn't be any racism.

You can be as virulent as you want and I can call you on it.

BTW, YOU were the one who advocated that their deaths would be fitting because it was "karma". (A misuse of the term, but nevertheless ironic considering the karmic forces your own statement puts into action).

TO REPEAT: If you read the threads you posted, and my analysis. You will see that, in fact, they do NOT get called on their shit.

[Coventina]

78. You are the one all worked up about "racism" - not me.

If you think that the posts criticising Japan's stance on whaling are such an abomination, then hit alert. That's what it's there for. If the mods / admins. agree then the posts will be deleted. End of story.

As far as karma goes, I'll go on living my fabulous life, living as compassionately as I know how. If someone else's cruelty causes them harm, that's hardly MY responsibility.

And in response to your complaints about my links...in every single one of those threads I brought up NORWAY's whaling. So yes, I do call them on their shit.

[Bonobo]

79. Doesn't rise to the level of deserving a reply. eom

[Coventina]

80. Cheers, then!

:-)

[Bonobo]

81. Bye to you too!

Karma is the process by which one's negative thoughts and actions create their own reality. Good luck with that.

[Coventina]

82. Thanks for your concern. n/t

[hertopos]

74. Thank you for posting again to straight the truth.

Majority of Japanese does not support Whaling. However, we do smell serious racism' when we face the reaction to 'whaling'. That makes are really angry to the point that some people feel obliged to support whaling.

I repeat. This is very blunt racism or more precisely 'anti-Japanese hate'. Since when DU support such a hate speech. I joined DU 2002. My number of post is very low for that matter since I don't post unless I have something very serious to say.

Don't ever forget that U.S. put Japanese-Americans in U.S. version of concentration camp. Those 'Japan-haters' are now one step close to such mentality. And those were American citizens.

I am really sick and tired of such luck of civility.

Hertopos

[Matilda]

83. If the majority of Japanese do not support whaling,

I hope they are writing letters to the newspapers, and getting out on the street in protest against
it. I haven't seen any of this reported, but perhaps I'm just missing it because I don't listen
to Japanese news or read their papers.

As for anger about criticisms of Japan making people support whaling - sorry, but that's a totally
illogical and unreasonable response. It would be similar to me giving my support to John Howard
when people of other countries criticise him, or American Democrats supporting George Bush because
other countries criticise his actions in Iraq.

Sorry, but wrong is wrong wherever it is, and should be opposed whether it's your country or another
committing the wrong.

And whaling is inhumane, unnecessary, and wrong.

[IndianaGreen]

73. The only terrorists here are the whalers

Japan's role has been despicable!

[MasonJar]

84. Thank you, Sea Shepherd. F___ you, Japan.

[hertopos]

87. Again your racism is worse than killing whales.

BTW, no matter what you may frame, UN has not put total ban on whaling. If Japanese ship did illegal whaling, they should be punished. If not, they have done nothing wrong as far as international law is concerned. I don't support whaling and so are many Japanese. However, western hysteria with racial undertone really made Japanese upset about anti-whaling force.

I am not vegan. I eat lots of fish. For a long time, whale was a huge fish and we made use out of each dead whale very well while westerners killed whale for just oil and dump the rest.

I am sick and tired of elitism at DU.

Hertopos

[brentspeak]

89. Can you point out where the "racism" is?

There were similar posts blasting Norway in earlier DU threads.

[Bonobo]

85. Link to a well-written student's paper on the subject.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Styx/9189/whaligcon.html

[Raine]

88. Fucking whalers

are the real pirates, I hate em! :grr:

[MonkeyFunk]

90. Just another case

of terrorism used as a weapon in a "virtuous" cause.

The problem, of course, is everybody's idea of a virtuous cause is different. Saving babies? Blow up an abortion clinic! Saving whales? Ram a ship!

I don't like vigilantes on either side of the political divide.

[fujiyama]

91. I would hope that no one gets killed or hurt in this process

I don't understand the justification in whaling. They're endangered and there is not one good reason to kill them.

But at the same time, I really don't like the idea of injuring the people on the ship.

It's time for Japan and other countries like Norway and Iceland to stop this idiotic practice.

[Bonobo]

92. By the way, Japan is not "outraged". That's BS to stir up the issue.

It is nowhere in the Japanese press. I have been looking. A tuna boat that collided with another boat and left some fisherman in the ocean for 3 days is getting coverage but not this.

So, charges of "outrage" are media BS designed to whip up a firestorm. That"s all and you all buy it.