"Whale wars" continued......

[storm petrel]

I've been doing more reading on the whaling subject; the more I read about it, the more convinced I am that whaling sucks. I do apologize for hijacking the "NBC" thread. And I commend those who disagree with me for doing so civilly. Here is a letter Watson wrote. I'm interested to hear what people say after reading it.

The Australian

In Response to the Editorial, “Whaling protesters are behaving like pirates”, by Natalie Klein

Academics love to pontificate on events as if their opinions come down from Mount Zion carved on stone tablets.

The latest editorial verbiage in The Australian has Associate Professor of Law Natalie Klein putting herself in the position of a Judge to condemn Sea Shepherd activists as pirates.

“Duh” Professor Klein, why don’t you tell us something we did not know? Perhaps you may have noticed our flag? I think our black and white color scheme with the skull and crossed trident and shepherd’s staff pretty much defines our pirate status.

So yes we’re pirates. So was Captain John Paul Jones, the founder of the U.S. Navy. So were Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh. Did you notice the “Sir” bit Natalie?

Perhaps you are unaware that it was not the British Navy that brought piracy to an end on the Spanish Main. The credit for that goes to Captain Henry Morgan - a pirate!

So I have no problem with the headline of your article that “Whaling protesters are behaving like pirates”, except with the word “protesters.” We may be pirates, but we are not protesters. I hate that name actually, it sounds so submissive, “please, please don’t kill the whales.” I’ve never seen a banner, petition, or a hunger strike that has saved a whale - not a one. We on the other hand have cut Japan’s kill quota by a quarter to a half each year for the last five seasons.

No Natalie, we don’t protest. We intervene against illegal whaling. Japan’s whaling operation in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is a violation of numerous international conservation laws. By the way, did you notice the word “sanctuary?”

What is it about the word “sanctuary” that some people just don’t seem to understand?

There are many kinds of pirates, Professor Klein. Henry Morgan never became a true pirate until he was knighted and given the governorship of Jamaica and the resources therein to plunder.

Professor Klein also states that it is clear that Sea Shepherd has no policing powers. She is wrong. We act in accordance with the principles of the United Nations World Charter for Nature that allows for intervention to uphold international conservation law by non-governmental organizations and individuals. The Charter specifically specifies that this is especially valid in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

It is because Sea Shepherd targets illegal activities that we have never had a single criminal felony conviction in our 33-year history nor have we ever been sued. In addition, we have also never caused a single injury to any person in our history of intervention.

Captain Bethune did not commit an “act of violence”, and Captain Bethune did not board just any ship. Captain Bethune boarded the ship that destroyed his vessel, the Ady Gil, and nearly killed six Sea Shepherd crewmembers including him. He had a case to press, and with his own government missing in action to defend his New Zealand registered vessel and himself, he acted in accordance with New Zealand law to attempt a citizen’s arrest of the real pirate - the Captain of the Shonan Maru #2.

It is easy to be critical especially for an armchair academic. She can call Captain Bethune, my crew, and I anything she likes but at least we’re not sitting on our posteriors watching biodiversity diminish before our eyes and doing absolutely nothing like so many of those who are quick to judge.

The Japanese whalers are targeting endangered (Fin and Humpback) whales and protected (Antarctic Minke) whales in a legally established international whale sanctuary in violation of a global moratorium on commercial whaling and in violation of the Antarctic Treaty. They are also in contempt of an Australian Federal Court order prohibiting whaling in the Australian Antarctic Territorial Economic Exclusion Zone. They are poachers, no different than East African elephant poachers except in Africa the poachers are Black, poor, and are shot for their crimes.

Australia recognizes that the Japanese whaling fleet is committing crimes. Why else would Australian ports be closed to the Japanese whalers? These ports are not closed to Sea Shepherd. So who are the real pirates? It’s not that there is a different law for the Japanese than the elephant poachers, it is simply that trade interests between nations factor into discrimination on the application and enforcement of the law.

We don’t like coming down here year after year. But we come because the signatories to the treaties and laws are doing nothing, just as the British did very little to stop piracy in the Caribbean in the 17th Century. Governments are doing even less today to stop the pirates diminishing life in the sea. Thus we have no choice than to be pirates of compassion in opposing the pirates of greed.

Professor Klein, talk is cheap, if you believe what we are doing is criminal than explain why we have not been arrested and charged with any offense. Explain why we have never been sued. Explain why there are millions of people around the world applauding our actions against these poachers. Perhaps you might enlighten us to why you see fit to condemn us and give comfort to the most cruel and remorseless poachers of wildlife on this planet - the whalers of Japan.

I think the world needs a few more courageous pirates to defend this planet. After all we can’t be any less effective than the politicians, bureaucrats, and the lawyers have been.

For the Oceans,

Captain Paul Watson

[hotreels]

Sorry but I think he's a fool. With all the money they waste and the risk they take, I'm not convinced they have saved one whale.

Putting himself in the same class as Captain John Paul Jones, Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh? Not even close. This clown would be fired from any captain position in the real world. IMO he puts his crew at constant risk and blames others for his mistakes.

[clt_capt]

Henry Morgan was a privateer - May not seem like a big difference, but some government chose to sponsor him - even though his activities were pirate like...

To the best of my knowledge, Mr Watson has not received the official endorsement of any recognized government...

While I think cutting the penned tuna loose in the Med is pretty cool, what is to stop him from showing up off the coast of NC or Mass and deciding that hook & line fishermen or harpooners are a threat to Tuna?

He has no check and Balance...

[Big Jay]

What they're doing is considered piracy and technically terrorism. There is much better ways to go about their "Crusade".

Someone is going to get killed.

And you want to talk about decimation of the whales? Go back to the 1800's.

Whaling now is on 1/100th the scale of what it was back then. They eat whales, its in their culture, if they're doing it legally...so be it.

[scattered_grass]

is overrated. Now clubbing baby seals on the other hand, that's fun!

[HeavyDuty]

i believe that whales are a resouce....and should harvested on a scientifically based sustainable level.

[clt_capt]

i believe that whales are a resouce....and should harvested on a scientifically based sustainable level.

So Lowtide - Now that you're taking 6 lb bones, you are calling yourself Heavy Duty?

[tunatamer73]

i believe that whales are a resouce....and should harvested on a scientifically based sustainable level.

+1. If they are not endangered then fire the grill up.

[storm petrel]

CLTCapt.:

"While I think cutting the penned tuna loose in the Med is pretty cool, what is to stop him from showing up off the coast of NC or Mass and deciding that hook & line fishermen or harpooners are a threat to Tuna?"

Uhhh, the Coast Guard? We who fish are following all laws and regs. Unlike the Japanese.


BJ:
"What they're doing is considered piracy and technically terrorism. There is much better ways to go about their "Crusade".

Someone is going to get killed.

And you want to talk about decimation of the whales? Go back to the 1800's.

Whaling now is on 1/100th the scale of what it was back then. They eat whales, its in their culture, if they're doing it legally...so be it."

Yeah, you're right about someone getting killed. Those six guys in that boat, out of fuel, just sitting in the water, almost died when the harpoon ship cut the vessel in half!!!!

Whaling is illegal internationally; the 1800s are long gone. 1/100th is WAY too much. They are not doing it legally. Even if they were, a whale preserve is not the legal place.

Tell me, what better way? I want to hear this, I mean it. The system is broken; the IWC is sorta like the U.N., a couple of countries can gridlock everything. It's a bunch of bureaucrats who don't care about the oceans.

[Big Jay]

Yeah, you're right about someone getting killed. Those six guys in that boat, out of fuel, just sitting in the water, almost died when the harpoon ship cut the vessel in half!!!!

Whaling is illegal internationally; the 1800s are long gone. 1/100th is WAY too much. They are not doing it legally. Even if they were, a whale preserve is not the legal place.

Tell me, what better way? I want to hear this, I mean it. The system is broken; the IWC is sorta like the U.N., a couple of countries can gridlock everything. It's a bunch of bureaucrats who don't care about the oceans.

They're boarding a vessel without permission with the intent of placing the vessel's Capt. under arrest.

That is equivalent of someone walking into your home and placing you under arrest under some self-defined right to enforce a law.

"Piracy: a robbery or forcible depredation on the high seas, without lawful authority, done animus furandi, in the spirit and intention of universal hostility.

"It is not necessary that the motive be plunder or that the depredations be directed against the vessels of all nations indiscriminately. As in robbery upon land, it is only necessary that the spoilation or intended spoilation be felonious, that is with intent to injure and without legal authority or lawful excuse."

Have they been appointed to uphold the laws of the IWC? If so...do let me know.

Since they aren't, if it was my vessel they were boarding, they'd find themselves looking down the barrel of a Mossberg 12ga. the second they lay a foot over my gunnel