Environmentalists pursue Japan's whalers

[TennoChinko]

[Mike Oxlong]

Fair enough, but your first post on this subject said he'd never been the captain of a boat. He's clearly the captain of the Steve Irwin. Now that you've reworded to say he's never been a licensed captain, it makes more sense...

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Japan plays hardball....

[Samurai_Jerk]

Terrorists? WTF?.. Have we already forgotten what terrorism looks like? The very idea these pests are terrorists diminishes the meaning of the word while at the same time raises their status

Sabotage has always been a big part of eco-terrorism. That's what I'm talking about. Trying a damage a ship is like tree spiking. Something that may not have been done with the intention of hurting anyone but could lead to injury or death.

[GuyJean]

Sabotage has always been a big part of eco-terrorism. That's what I'm talking about. Trying a damage a ship is like tree spiking. Something that may not have been done with the intention of hurting anyone but could lead to injury or death.

I see what you mean, honestly. But to me, terrorism isn't something that can lead to death. It is death..

My terror rating is determined by the 'nightmare quotient'.. If the act brings death, along with nightmares, it's terrorism.

GJ

[Greji]

I see what you mean, honestly. But to me, terrorism isn't something that can lead to death. It is death..

My terror rating is determined by the 'nightmare quotient'.. If the act brings death, along with nightmares, it's terrorism.

GJ

I see where you're coming from GJ, but go back to some of the earlier videos of the SS clowns in the north Atlantic, where they were ramming ships with one of their other larger ships (probably been sunk it by now). I mean their aite are fishermen. Guys signed on to cut up whales. They're not pirates or in a naval man-of-war. Those crewmen gotta be worried (if not terrified) when some clown in a ship as big, or bigger than their's, tries to ram them. I mean that's a long swim home.

Nowadays, they're more prepared and the SS wackos have gone to the smaller plywood speed boats. But like in Take's post, they may have bows and arrows and other weapons. They fact that they are dingy enough to try to injure or kill humans to protect the blubber can't really be disregarded.

They every bit as nuts as the clown who shoots an abortion doctor because he "kills" embryos.

[GuyJean]

.. But like in Take's post, they may have bows and arrows and other weapons..

Ooooh. I know Take's having nightmares now!

No, again I totally understand. And as mentioned, I have witnessed the SS bumping (not ramming) in the past. But they didn't in this confrontation. They were rammed by the Japanese.

I still think 'terrorist' has become a convenient word used by some to categorize anyone who doesn't agree with their policies..

GJ

[Yokohammer]

Trivia and a slight diversion for photo enthusiasts:

That photo of Watson flaunting all the gold braid in front of his rust bucket was taken by James Natchwey. (Ooooh ...)

And now back to regular programming ...

[Greji]

I have witnessed the SS bumping (not ramming) in the past.

You say "bumping?" When you are in a ship that has nothing but not-so-thick metal walls protecting from dropping a mere mile or two to the ocean floor, and/or having to swim several hundred miles to shore, a "bump" at 20-30 knots might be a thing of concern to most people.

[Greji]

They were rammed by the Japanese.
GJ

BS GJ! They drove right in front of the J-ship. They were not rammed. They were simply run over. If you look at your first video of the "last moments" of the cardboard raft, you can see them moving up to cut off the J-ship. Sorry about that GJ, but they got their ass handed to them. It's as simple as that.

[waruta]

Ady Gil - FRP/Carbon with foam and some Kevlar "strengthening armor"

Shonan Maru - Strengthened steel plate.

Did those SS idiots really think they would just bump a steel boat and bounce away? The whole thing sank apparently leaking fuel, and now someone is again proposing an Ady Gil 2 and has already put up some money. I am so tempted to join the J-whalers side only for the entertainment of putting my engineering skills to some deviant use.

Why don't the J-whalers attach a sea anchor or something similar with an electromagnet/magnet to the hull of whatever boat is chasing them? That would definitely slow things down....Broadcasting a shitty robotic english message and water guns is not enough. I don't agree with the whaling situation, but then again, if those SS Pirates are going to such extremes, then let the games begin....

[GuyJean]

BS GJ! They drove right in front of the J-ship. They were not rammed. They were simply run over...

They didn't. How did they drive in front of them when they were kicking back, taking photos, congratulating each other on their 'mission'?
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The Japanese came around and purposely rammed them, with water cannons flowing.. Maybe they deserved it and should've gotten out of the way, but the evidence speaks for itself:
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GJ

[GuyJean]

You say "bumping?" When you are in a ship that has nothing but not-so-thick metal walls protecting from dropping a mere mile or two to the ocean floor, and/or having to swim several hundred miles to shore, a "bump" at 20-30 knots might be a thing of concern to most people.

Sorry, I should've said 'act of Muslim Jihadist terrorism, plus alpha'..

GJ

[Greji]

They didn't. How did they drive in front of them when they were kicking back, taking photos, congratulating each other on their 'mission'?
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At 219, one them is saying "see if you can get a close up..." of one of the J-crew. It is obvious by their direction and mobility that they screwed up and got further in front of the J-boat than they wanted, trying to get in close for harassment and pics. The J-guys should have hit them midships and sent the whole bunch to the bottom.

Hell, just look at the size and tell me who is maneuverable and who isn't..

The Japanese came around and purposely rammed them, with water cannons flowing.. Maybe they deserved it and should've gotten out of the way, but the evidence speaks for itself:

GJ

You answered your own question. The evidence speaks for itself...

[GuyJean]

..You answered your own question. The evidence speaks for itself...

It sure does.

Ok, next time you're sitting on your parked Harley smoking a fag on the roadside, I expect you avoid the right-wing bus swerving to hit you]are[/I] the more maneuverable vehicle.

GJ

[Number11]

You can't be serious. You must be provoking here just to get a reaction, just like the irrational Sea Shepherd dicks.

[GuyJean]

You can't be serious. You must be provoking here just to get a reaction, just like the irrational Sea Shepherd dicks.

Yes. Is my terrorism giving you nightmares?

GJ

[Greji]

It sure does.

Ok, next time you're sitting on your parked Harley smoking a fag on the roadside, I expect you avoid the right-wing bus swerving to hit you]are[/I] the more maneuverable vehicle.

GJ

First of all I never do a fag outside of a love motel and never on a Harley, although I have given some serious thought to a Honda Gold Wing.

If you re-look your damning evidence-you will see that when the guy is telling the dud(e) with the camera to try to get a close up, they are off the port beam, moving in on the J-guys, they end up half colliding and half being run over, coming in from the portside with a faster and more maneuverable boat. What is so hard for you to understand about that? They fucked up while fucking around after fucking with the J-guys and got wet for it. It was obviously their own fault!

[nottu]

[Greji]

He's quite serious, but terminally stupid.

No, actually he's not. But he works in an extremely depressed enviornment, which leads to feelings of inadequacy and ED sydrome. That's why I moved out of the neighborhood.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

So Captain Paul can bluster all he wants, but the more he blows and bombasts about the plight of the whales, the evil Japanese and his noble cause, the less sympathetic I am to Sea Shepherd's ultimately worthy goal of protecting our marine wildlife.

From an interesting Aussie editorial telling Sea Shepherd to "stop blubbering about whales."

[GuyJean]

He's quite serious, but terminally stupid.

Don't forget I'm a terrorist too.. Both terms commonly used by the terminally wrong.

.. which leads to feelings of inadequacy and ED sydrome. That's why I moved out of the neighborhood.

Moved on the greener pastures.. Where the wild goats are..

GJ

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

[Blah Pete]

The Andy Gil skipper has requested the New Zealand police arrest the captain of the J-ship.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/police-asked-arrest-whaling-ship-captain-3326803

[Greji]

Moved on the greener pastures.. Where the wild goats are..

GJ

Hey, they got some real nannies in Asakusa. Lot more class then the R-Hills crowd....

[Bucky]

Yum!

Levels of mercury in hair samples of residents of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, which is known for customarily eating small whales caught by coastal whaling, are about 10 times the average in Japan, possibly due to consumption of whale meat with high concentration of mercury, one of researchers who conducted the survey said Thursday.

[FG Lurker]

Stanford DNA study: Hunting minke whales on grounds of overabundance not justified
Stanford University News, January 21, 2010

Claiming the population of Antarctic minke whales boomed after World War II, Japan's scientific whaling program has been "sampling" increasing numbers of them each year on the grounds that reducing the number of minkes actually benefits the Antarctic ecosystem.

Meat from these "sampled" whales ends up for sale on the shelves of Japanese grocery stores.

The Japanese position is rooted in the belief that the minke population is booming. But a new analysis of the whales' DNA by a team headed by Stanford researchers concludes otherwise. There is no evidence of a significant increase in the population of minke whales, the researchers said. Their research demonstrates that the current population of Antarctic minke whales is within the historical norm of the species over the last 100,000 years.

"Based on our genetic analysis, average Antarctic minke whale populations over the past 100,000 years have been around 670,000," said Stephen Palumbi, professor of biology, director of Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station and senior fellow at the university's Woods Institute for the Environment. "That number easily falls within the range of current population estimates for the whales, as determined in studies by the International Whaling Commission," he said. Palumbi is the senior author of a paper describing the work, published in the journal Molecular Ecology.

[...]

Palumbi's team has been going to Japan to obtain minke meat for the last 15 years, collaborating with Oregon State University scientist Scott Baker, and has developed a network of buyers who visit fish markets throughout central Japan for them.

"They bring the meat to us and we set up a little molecular lab in our hotel room in Tokyo and extract and copy the DNA there in the hotel," he said. The team then brings back a "gazillion" copies for analysis.

(Full Story)

[Samurai_Jerk]

Stanford DNA study: Hunting minke whales on grounds of overabundance not justified
Stanford University News, January 21, 2010

The question is can the population be sustained at a health level if whaling continues. If not, the Japanese should be told to stop and if they refuse, send in the navy seals. Otherwise, though this throws into question Japan's already shaky reasoning for harvesting whales for research, it doesn't make whaling a top environmental issue.

[Greji]

If not, the Japanese should be told to stop and if they refuse, send in the navy seals.

That would help. I know several J-gals that eat Navy seals on a regular basis...

[Samurai_Jerk]

The anti-whaling ship the Bob Barker and a Japanese harpoon boat collided Saturday in the icy waters off Antarctica — the second major clash this year in the increasingly aggressive confrontations between conservationists and the whaling fleet.

No one was injured in the latest smash-up, for which each side blamed the other.

The U.S.-based activist group Sea Shepherd, which sends vessels to confront the Japanese fleet each year, said the Japanese ship deliberately rammed the Bob Barker — named after the U.S. game show host who donated millions to buy it for the anti-whaling group.

However, Japan's Fisheries Agency said the activist boat caused the collision by suddenly approaching the harpoon vessel No. 3 Yushin Maru to throw bottles containing butyric acid in an attempted attack on the Japanese ship.

The Japanese agency accused Sea Shepherd of "committing an act of sabotage" on the Japanese expedition, noting that it is allowed under world whaling restrictions as a scientific expedition. Conservationists call the annual hunt a cover for commercial whaling.

"We will not tolerate the dangerous activity that threatens Japanese whaling ships and endangers the lives of their crew members," it said in a statement late Saturday. ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100206/ap_on_re_as/as_antarctica_whaling