Hello,
This goes out to all supporter s of the “Sea Shepherd” and its attempt to stop the Japanese-sanctioned whaling in the Pacific. I’m not sure that is in our best interest to support an extremist organization such as the one headed by Paul Watson who resorts to violence in order to stop, what is granted – a brutal and unnecessary hunt. I really don’t think that his approach is very intelligent, nor very effective. For instance, throwing acid on the deck of the whaling vessel seems quite over the top to me. His approach of bottom-up fundamentalism, is not the way this situation should be approached. Does permanently disfiguring a deck hand or shooting a water cannon at a peasant shark fisherman constructively solve a very serious worldwide crisis? One would not go into a sweatshop and approach each individual worker with hopes of overthrowing the whole organization. The problem must be stopped at its root; through governmental and world wide agreements – stop demand and institute laws: this is how change brought about. Perhaps we can find another cause to donate our money to. The International Fund for Animal Welfare works with governments to stop whaling; also, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society focuses more on scientific research towards helping cetaceans.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/17/whaling.australia
http://www.stopwhaling.org/site/c.foJNIZOyEnH/b.2643173/k.D114/Stop_Whaling__5_Ways_You_Can_Help_Protect_Whales__IFAW_US.htm
http://www.wdcs.org/dan/publishing.nsf/allweb/1226C6FCEE998C7280256A030060083C
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2008.
People have been peacefully trying to get Japan to stop it’s “Scientific Research Whaling” for decades now and governments and international organizations have allowed the loophole to continue even in the face of the planned 1000 Minke whales taken for scientific research this year alone. I do not agree with the acid attack whatsoever, that was a deplorable act; but the ship ramming and interference that Sea Sheppard does appears to be the only active and effective defense against Japan’s disgusting and selfish actions.What is so scientific with selling the whale meat to restaurants and rich-ass fancy-pants Japanese self-indulgers anyway? What kind of research does that get chalked up to; how many rich people are selfish in Japan? I think it is time that we send one or two of our frigates there and show them how we treated the Spanish when they tried to ignore the quotas in the Grand Banks…a little whiff of grapeshot over the bow.