Whale Wars

[mikemill]

Anyone know where to go to sign up for the crew











of the Japanese ship? I'll make sure that the next "shot" at Paul is real and without any doubt of its validity.

 

[drdiver1952]

Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd accomplish nothing, they provide a rallying point for the true believers, but that's about it.

He doesn't stop them from harpooning the whales, he couldn't stop them from being brought aboard the processing ship after they were killed.

The only awareness raised for most people , is that there is a madman ramming japanese ships, somewhere far away.

This is not really true. By the Japanese own comments, Sea Shepherd has been a significant source of interference and has reduced the number of days they spend whaling. Certainly their Antarctic catch is down their peak in 2005/2006, even though they are fielding the same vessels. Some of this is caused by the fire on the Nisshin Maru in 2007, but there is no doubt there is an effect from the Sea Shepherd's harassment. Granted, whales are still being killed and it is likely that the Japanese will expand their coastal and North Atlantic harvest. As far as the Democratic Party of Japan, its platform states they will abolish whaling, but I doubt that will happen given the grassroots support for whaling in Japan.

 

[OldNSalty]

He did raise awarness, when I first heard about 'Whale Wars' I thought-no way, people still do this? So I guess he accomplished that much.

 

[elmer fudd]

What would the new govt's conservation stand be?

The Democratic Party is more liberal than the LDP, (Liberal Democratic Party), and as such might be more amenable to limiting Japan's whaling, but they certainly did not win the election based on that. They did partially run on being more independent from the US however and in that regard I think they might be more likely to risk an international incident over whaling.

To be honest, I don't think the Japanese general public really cares that much about the whaling industry or has any great desire to dine on whale meat, but they view Watson and the SS as eco-terrorists and their attacks on the Japanese whaling fleet as racist and cowardly. Most Japanese would probably be willing to cease whaling, but they would feel humiliated if they did so in response to pressure from the SS.

 

[drdiver1952]

To be honest, I don't think the Japanese general public really cares that much about the whaling industry or has any great desire to dine on whale meat, but they view Watson and the SS as eco-terrorists and their attacks on the Japanese whaling fleet as racist and cowardly. Most Japanese would probably be willing to cease whaling, but they would feel humiliated if they did so in response to pressure from the SS.

This is very true. This is the basis of the grassroots support for whaling. It isn't any desire for whale meat--(often regarded as a starvation food eaten after WWII), but the right that the Japanese feel they have to harvest what they want from the ocean and that, as EF very rightly says, they would be humiliated to give in to Sea Shepherd.

 

[alewar]

This is very true. This is the basis of the grassroots support for whaling. It isn't any desire for whale meat--(often regarded as a starvation food eaten after WWII), but the right that the Japanese feel they have to harvest what they want from the ocean and that, as EF very rightly says, they would be humiliated to give in to Sea Shepherd.

There is one company hunting whales for profit. If for some reason it stops being profitable they'll just give up to avoid losing more money and will make an announcement saying how much they care about whales. Public support doesn't matter that much when there is money involved.

 

[TheScubaBOB]

Paul is a terrorist in the sense that he wants to terrorize the whalers. I don't condone ramming into another ship, but other than that, what he does is relatively harmless and comparing him to religious terrorists is plain stupid.

I seem to remember when they were called religious zealot (not terrorists) and were considered relatively harmless because their attention was focused elsewhere.

Condoning one act of terrorism simply because you are not the target is stupid and short sighted.

That so many will accept something simply because they don't think it affects them is stupid and short sighted.

If Paul Watson has the right to terrorize the Japanese because he doesn't share their point of view then why not the Religious Terrorists?

Let me guess because Paul Watson hasn't killed anyone yet? By that way of thinking the the 9/11 hijackers were doing nothing wrong until the first death at their hands at which time it was already too late.

If you disagree with whaling then boycott products of Japan and ask other like-minded consumers to do the same thing.

The right to kill only exists when your like is threatened. Until then other means should be employed or you will be a terrorist!

 

[OldNSalty]

There's the answer. The SS needs to start whaling. Kill as many as possible and sell the flesh for a loss. They will drive everyone out of business and then they will have won. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[drdiver1952]

There's the answer. The SS needs to start whaling. Kill as many as possible and sell the flesh for a loss. They will drive everyone out of business and then they will have won. What could possibly go wrong?

Yeah! Too funny.

Seriously though the problem is the Japanese government subsidizes the whaling industry as it does agriculture (as the U.S. does) as well as aquaculture and fishing.

 

[OldNSalty]

Yeah! Too funny.

Seriously though the problem is the Japanese government subsidizes the whaling industry as it does agriculture (as the U.S. does) as well as aquaculture and fishing.

10,000 environmentalist vs the tax base of Japan...I guess that isn't going to work.