Anti-Whaling movement's cool new ship

[Keepitclean]

Something as damaging as whaling cannot be justified by claimed cultural significance. I'm against it but the point in my first sentence doesn't just apply to whaling.

Just whilst we are talking about the new ship. It looks cool but the reason the old one got fucked up was because they were being duckheads with it. I have been around boats my entire life and there is no way that the Japanese whaling vessel could have possibly charged them as they claim. They got in the way on purpose, their relatively nimble boat could have avoided it and they chose not to to try and further tarnish the image of the Japanese whaling fleet.

The leader of the Sea Shepard project is a dangerous person to be on the same ship with in freezing Antarctic waters.

 

[Tekkawarrior]

I like watching the show for the action, but I think their ways suck hard.
Also the getting shot in the chest is such a hoax, what a load of crap.

I thought these whalers are whaling legally, nothing illegal about it.

 

[MagicMouse]

An evil villain fortress?


Fitting.

I honestly would be delighted to hear if they get sunk.

 

[sosolidshoe]

...and what gives you the right to tell them how to live? Explain that baffling mystery to me. Thoughts like this are part of the reason America, and indeed most of the western world to a somewhat lesser extent, is seen as a big bully these days. If Japan wants to hunt whales, we have no right to tell them not to. It's their culture, it's their business, what we think of it has no bearing on the matter.

Stomping on their culture and telling them to forget it, it's wrong, is just as wrong as what the eco-terrorists are doing in the first place.

While I don't agree with doing violence to the fishermen themselves, and I'm a bit shaky over the morality of destroying the engines of the vessels themselves, the statement you make above is horseshit.

If Japan were actively engaged in kidnapping Africans and enslaving them, and this had been a tradition for thousands of years, ingrained in their culture as absolutely as whaling is, would you leap to their defence so? I doubt it very much. What about in Afghanistan, where it is "traditional" to blind a young girl with acid if she dares to attend a school and learn? Would you defend that kind of tradition? Now, you can argue whether or not the act of whaling itself is immoral, but "cultural reasons" are not reasons at all, to say otherwise is to say that morality is so subjective as to be meaningless.

Regardless even of that, what Japan does is not limited to Japan. They go whaling in International and even foreign waters, and the species they are hunting to extinction will be lost to the whole world, not merely their own nation. So, even in the event you DID decide to make the ridiculous argument that primitive cultural practices trump rational morality, the argument is invalid because those cultural practices have an effect on other nations and individuals who do not follow them, and do not wish to follow them.

 

[Lord Doomhammer]

I can't wait for them to get sunk this time too. What they do amounts to terrorism.


there's nothing wrong with protesting whaling, but the line is quite firmly crossed when you start attacking whalers.

Too true. That boat is largely carbon fiber, not the best material for sustaining impacts or fire. I cant wait for these eco-terrorists to find this out.

If the Japanese were really doing something evil/despicable the UN would probably have sent the US NAVY after them.

 

[Enkidu88]

What you're saying is that you support terrorism. That's all these types amount to. They show up unannounced, break in, scare the living hell out of some poor innocent worker, break a bunch of stuff, sometimes steal things, and get the hell out before anyone can find an assault rifle with which to rid the world of some pests.

I'm for protecting the environment, but I draw the line at terrorism. I don't care why they're doing it.

I wouldn't call it terrorism, all they do is go around blasting loud music at the whalers hardly anything traumatic. Now if the boat had attached torpedo launchers, then we could call it terrorism.

We could also call it awesome.

Come on, torpedoing whaling ships would be much more entertaining television.

(The above is sarcastic, I don't actually endorse torpedoing whalers).

 

[jumjalalabash]

I feel dirty. That boat has the Godzilla 2000 version on it. The horror, the horror...

 

[fix-the-spade]

Awesome, another boat for the Japanese to ram in half.

 

[Megalodon]

...and what gives you the right to tell them how to live? Explain that baffling mystery to me. Thoughts like this are part of the reason America, and indeed most of the western world to a somewhat lesser extent, is seen as a big bully these days. If Japan wants to hunt whales, we have no right to tell them not to. It's their culture, it's their business, what we think of it has no bearing on the matter.

Stomping on their culture and telling them to forget it, it's wrong, is just as wrong as what the eco-terrorists are doing in the first place.

While I don't agree with doing violence to the fishermen themselves, and I'm a bit shaky over the morality of destroying the engines of the vessels themselves, the statement you make above is horseshit.

If Japan were actively engaged in kidnapping Africans and enslaving them, and this had been a tradition for thousands of years, ingrained in their culture as absolutely as whaling is, would you leap to their defence so? I doubt it very much. What about in Afghanistan, where it is "traditional" to blind a young girl with acid if she dares to attend a school and learn? Would you defend that kind of tradition? Now, you can argue whether or not the act of whaling itself is immoral, but "cultural reasons" are not reasons at all, to say otherwise is to say that morality is so subjective as to be meaningless.

Regardless even of that, what Japan does is not limited to Japan. They go whaling in International and even foreign waters, and the species they are hunting to extinction will be lost to the whole world, not merely their own nation. So, even in the event you DID decide to make the ridiculous argument that primitive cultural practices trump rational morality, the argument is invalid because those cultural practices have an effect on other nations and individuals who do not follow them, and do not wish to follow them.

Damn well put.
The thing I don't get is why the Japanese do it in the first place. When the government is serving whalemeat to in school lunches in an attempt to reduce stockpiles, you have to wonder if hunting endangered animals (it's basically poaching, but with a better legalese loophole), is worth it.
Or do they do it just to piss people off?

 

[Neonbob]

Hmm... I didn't stop to consider that you may of wanted it as a personal yacht. I care not about the crew but can I have their money when you take over the ship?

[sub]Also goodnight. I'm drunk and tired and totally have stuff to do tomorrow.[/sub]

...it's an awesome boat...why would I not want it?
And I see no reason not to allow that.

Come on, torpedoing whaling ships would be much more entertaining television.

...I can't decide if I love you or not for proposing that. Seeing whale chunks flying through the air is one of my favorite things, but I rather like what the whalers are doing.
You know...keeping the attention off of me a bit.

 

[amucha98]

.

 

[Lilani]

I never quite understood how what those people are doing that is supposed to help whales. Wouldn't it be much more effective to appeal to the Japanese lawmakers and try to get more members of the law on their side? I think they'd get much more done if it were them AND the Japanese equivilant of the coast guard out there.

But then I guess that wouldn't make for as interesting a reality show.

 

[Nubrain]

While I've never really watch Whale wars I do agree that something needs to be be done about the japan's whaling industry. There is a documentry called "The Cove" that I think explains it very well. It's about a group of people that go to japan to tape the yearly dolphin fishery in this one town. they are followed around and actaully fear for thier lives and all they are planing to do is tape it not stop it. Well they do offer the fishermen the same amount of money they'd make from killing the dolphins if they just don't do it and they all refuse. Not because it's a clultural thing, not for the money, but just because they see dolphins as pests. The documentry explains a lot of the political things behind this and what Japan does to be able to legally whale (basicaly they buy votes on the internatal whaling comission) I'd recomend it to anyone to watch but just be carful the end is quite disturbing.

 

[ryai458]

I'm waiting for godzilla to eat them. *patiently waits*

 

[Silent observer]

If I remember the tv show correctly, the sea shepherds had a really out of date old ship which was constantly failing, so my question is how the devil did they afford this? oh wait...

 

[Keppler]

It's piracy, basically. They're actively being a nuisance at sea, no matter how bad-ass their boat looks.

I think they're pretty moronic, but as far as I'm concerned they're welcome to be as much of a nuisance as they please. Though I won't be surprised or cry foul when somebody sinks their ship

 

[geier]

@Terminalchaos "responsable for our whale shortage" ? What do you mean with that ? You needed a whale this morning, but there was none in your swimming pool ?

The americans are responible. They hunted the whales down for the oil (try reading books, like moby dick) and the rest (meat, bones) was throuwn into the ocean.

Of course, a lot countrys where involved in this, but (as always when something on earth goes downhill) americans where the worst.

 

[RobCoxxy]

But these pussies don't actually do anything.
Sure they think they're tough and dangerous and performing "sabotage missions" but I won't be satisfied until I see them actually scuttle a whaling vessel.

 

[brodie21]

all they need is a salvaged destroyer from WW2 with the six inch naval cannons.

that'll end the whaling pretty quick

 

[Xaryn Mar]

What you're saying is that you support terrorism. That's all these types amount to. They show up unannounced, break in, scare the living hell out of some poor innocent worker, break a bunch of stuff, sometimes steal things, and get the hell out before anyone can find an assault rifle with which to rid the world of some pests.

I'm for protecting the environment, but I draw the line at terrorism. I don't care why they're doing it.

I wouldn't call it terrorism, all they do is go around blasting loud music at the whalers hardly anything traumatic. Now if the boat had attached torpedo launchers, then we could call it terrorism.

Actually then we would call it a declaration of war on Japan from the country their boat is registered in. What they are doing now is already an act of aggression/piracy against the Japanese according to the international rules of the sea.

A ship is considered as being part of the country it is registered in (as in flying the flag of) and any ship has the right to defend itself from attack (which means the Japanese would be in their right to kill the Sea Shepards if the SS ever boards them).

If the Sea Shepards don't fly a country's flag then they are to be considered pirates and the same rules as above goes.

I just hope the Japanese do what they must against these pirates/eco-terrorists.

P.S. It is the same laws that make the attack/boarding of the Turkish ship by the Israeli a breach of international law and in principle a declaration/act of war.