By ROHAN SULLIVAN, Associated Press Writer Rohan Sullivan, Associated Press Writer – Sat Feb 6, 9:35 am ET"SYDNEY – 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."
No, the crime of murder hasn't occurred yet... but give it time. The man pictured on the upper-left (Paul Watson) and his irresponsible behavior is almost certain to cause the death of someone on the high seas sooner or later. It's only a matter of time. I'm talking about the actions of a lunatic whose taunting and confrontational actions with Japanese whalers will almost certainly cause the death of a Whaler, one of his crew, or perhaps even himself. His tactics are, to say the least, extremely dangerous.
I will say this: I am totally AGAINST the hunting of Whales for food. I don't support the killing of Whales of any species including for the fake studies claimed by the Japanese unless it involves research increasing their numbers or preventing them being endangered. Maybe my position is surprising considering I'm a self-described Conservative/Libertarian but I do enjoy (I own three cats) and love and appreciate animals. But... this man Watson is on a collision course to get someone killed and he doesn't seem to give a shit whether it's friend or foe.
I've watched a couple of episodes of Whale Wars and the arrogance of Paul Watson is appalling. His self-righteous attitude reminds me of some of today's politicians. Don't question anything and just do what's good for you and what you're told. I'm sure he believes that the end justifies the means. I wonder if he'll feel the same after his actions cause the death of someone?
Many of the people in the Sea Shepherd/Animal Rights groups want humans to become vegetarians. I've also read stories of the Vegan movement wanting to make pure carnivores such as dogs and cats into vegetarians. That's totally fucking ridiculous. It's also a deluded view of biology and animal behavior. Try feeding a dog or cat salads for a month and see how long they live. As with many on the far-left, their goals are NOT based on reality.
Final Thoughts: We can be good stewards of the world's animals and food supply and still be environmentally aware. As I stated above, I enjoy animals. I also enjoy a nice steak or fish and chips. An occasional serving of bacon is great. My point being that when it comes to the food chain Humans are at the top - something that environmentalists seem to have forgotten. Now it's off to my kitchen for some leftover Chile Verde made with Pork Shoulder. Eat that Paul!
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6 comments:
Commercial fishing is dangerous work, more injuries and deaths are caused by worker negligence and poor equipment than has ever been caused by anti-whaling activist. The Japanese are putting themselves in danger by sailing into the southern ocean, Japan can feed its nation without putting workers in dangerous seas, yet they continue to do so. The Sea Shepherd is a negligible concern for fisherman's safety overall considering they target only a few boats a year.
skepticalvegan: My point is/was Watson most likely will cause the death of one of his own people and not one of the Japanese fishermen.
As far as the Japanese - I'm sure they're well aware of the risks they take when they fish the highly dangerous Southern Ocean. What the fishermen are not baragaining for is the dangerous and cavaliere tactics of Paul Watson.
And as I posted, I am totally against the killing of any Whales, whether it's for phony "research" or for food.
And to use your words skepticalvegan, the Sea Shepherd is "targeting" these boats. That makes it intentional and possibly a crime shoud someone be killed or injured.
Watson has stated clearly on numerous occasions that Sea Shepherds are prepared to die. Its a requirement for joining and isn't taken lightly or in passing. All crew have to sign a waiver of liability clearing the organization of fault if the crew member dies.
I used to know a Sea Shepherd crew member and they are aware of the risks. I just think folks who are anti-whaling shouldn't be as critical of Sea Shepherd, they are aggressive but in the face of 1000 potential cetacean murders a year the risks they take are more than justified and they have actually be successful at reducing the number of whales killed each year.
skepticalvegan, I doubt the paper the members of the Sea Shepard sign taking reponsibility in case of a death is worth anything other than the paper it's written on. A piece of paper won't mean jack to the surviving family members of a dead whaler. And once again I'll state I am totally against whaling for any reasons.
But my point in the post is it may not be necessarily a Sea Shepard crewman who dies. It could very easily be a whaler.
As far as your knowing a member of the Sea Shepard, I live in San Pedro, CA. and it was once a great part of the West Coast fishing industry. Needles to say - I know a lot of fishermen but that doesn't mean shit. It doesn't make me a fisherman through some sort of fantasy osmosis.
Watson is an arrogant fool who may eventually kill someone with his irresponsible actions no matter what side of the whaling issue they're on. His actions are causing just as many people to side with the Japanese as those who side with the anti-whaling community. He's his own worst enemy in my opionion.
The irony here is we're both in agreement that Whaling must end. The only difference is our methods. The international Cetacean community must keep pressure on the Japanese whalers through peaceful means - not by confronting them with dangerous and potentially self-defeating deadly tactics.
I see a third option actually, Australian and other nations need to step up and seen navy ships to prevent the Japanese fleet from whaling. With the provocation and help of Sea Shepherd the South African Navy was able to capture and sink two illegal whaling vessels. The Japanese are breaking the law, they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it when intervention is possible.
"My point is/was Watson most likely will cause the death of one of his own people and not one of the Japanese fishermen."
"my point in the post is it may not be necessarily a Sea Shepard crewman who dies. It could very easily be a whaler. "
Both are only hypothetical and precautions are taken against both. But one thing is for sure, hundreds of whales are being murdered. Risking one more life to save hundreds of lives is worth it, its what cops and soldiers do all the time.
I watch the show and it drives me nuts, but not because I disagree with the Sea Shepherds. It's because they are so inept. IF I didn't have a family, I would join them just to show the world that there are vegans who can throw accurately. I still respect them for trying though. There are many reasons, based on reality, for people to become vegetarians. Or at least drastically reduce their meat and dairy consumption. Animal welfare, the environment, land available for farming, health... I'm not really looking to take away your right to eat what you want, I just think we should take away people's right to torture and kill animals.
Oh,and cats are pure carnivores, dogs are omnivores...same as us.
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