coralnut99
New member
Good Gosh! So well put Steve.
They of all places would know what they are doing....
The shrillness of the anti-aquarium forces seem to be focused on very local, specific, dramatic, token, subjectively perceived impacts and ignorant of the majority areas that off limits or out of bounds due to remoteness.
I think the Sea Shepard should stick to saving whales and focus on ways to better utilize the millions of dollars in donations they receive than throwing stink-bombs at whaling boats (and missing 99% of the time).
I think the Sea Shepard should stick to saving whales and focus on ways to better utilize the millions of dollars in donations they receive than throwing stink-bombs at whaling boats (and missing 99% of the time).
The US will never let that happen.I think that what really needs to happen is that pressure needs to be brought to bear on the IWC so that this "scientific collecting" loophole is finally closed.
Terrorism [ter-uh-riz-uhm]Can we please reserve the terrorist label for people who actually deserve it?
They may be reckless hippies, but they aren't clueless, and they are bringing attention to the whaling industry. Whaling should be stopped, for sure.
Please. Can we please reserve the terrorist label for people who actually deserve it?
As far as the article goes, I agree the industry might need more regulation, but an outright ban is too much. They should focus on conservation so that those fish have more places to breed, and education so people don't buy things like cleaner wrasses.
Depending on how you feel about whales his actions are all there has been that shows how cruel and corrupt the whale killing business is.
When the law breaks the law...or ignores it for its own political purposes,..there is no law.
Then, the " Hes outside the law" charge rings hollow.
I am refreshed by someone who cares beyond the paperwork to do what others are afraid to do.
Steve
Who, aside from Sea Shepard is breaking or ignoring the law?When the law breaks the law...or ignores it for its own political purposes,..there is no law.
Then, the " Hes outside the law" charge rings hollow.
Japan Offers Bribes of Cash, Prostitutes for Whaling Votes
Is there anything Japan won't try in order to keep hunting whales? On the eve of a meeting of the International Whaling Commission, news broke that Japanese officials have offered bribes of cash, prostitutes, and travel perks to delegates of other nations in return for votes on whaling policies.
The revelations come via the The Times in London, which sent two undercover reporters to pose as conservation lobbyists for a fictional billionaire to offer bribes to IWC reps from several small nations"”and videotaped the negotiations.
The result is a raft of embarrassing situations. Representatives of a half-dozen countries say they are open to promising their votes to the bidder with the best offer"”often comparing the offers to those they already get from Japan.
The bribes outlined in The Times' exhaustive report include travel expenses and money for meals, along with trips to Japan, where prostitutes were known to be on offer. Delegates from other nations talked about how Japan's use of aid"”or its threat to withhold or revoke it"”was a major factor in how they voted on whaling ballots.
At issue is a controversial new proposal that the 24-year ban on all commercial whaling be lifted to allow legal hunts for several whaling nations on a descending scale. Under the plan, nations like Japan, Norway, and Iceland would be allowed a small, legal take that would decrease over 10 years and actually be lower than the number currently hunted by the three countries, which continue to whale using loopholes in IWC law, or simply by disregarding it.
The new proposal, being offered at the IWC meeting in Morocco this month, is supported by the U.S. and several other nations"”including Japan, of course.
In fact, as reported by the AP, Japan said Tuesday it would consider withdrawing from the IWC unless progress is made on easement of the ban.
The recent revelations of bribery are essentially confirmations of tactics Japan has been accused of using in the past"”giving development aid to poor countries in exchange for support in the IWC.
St. Kitts, for its part, one of the nations caught up in the scandal, denied the allegation that it has taken bribes, according to a local paper there.
In the end, it's hard to pick a bad guy here: who is more at fault, the Japanese for illicitly bribing poor nations that have no real stake in the fight"”or the representatives of those nations themselves, for blatantly selling out cetaceans for free food and cheap flights?
Or is it the IWC to blame for being impotent in policing its own policies?
With next week's Morocco meeting being heralded as the most important in two decades, the question remains: Can the IWC pull itself together? Or is the system too broken?
Americans ie. Makah Indians in Neah Bay, Olympic Peninsula, Washington kill some grey whales periodically.
Is the US therefore giving sanction to the practice?
Although many of us are against the "harvest" ...are we not a bit of a whaling nation ourselves?
As far as the resource goes, a few here and there is sustainable it appears, but the sticking point is the intelligence level of a fellow sentient being.
[I would like to hear comment on this by our friend from Norway.]
This is the prime motivator that drives the Sea Shepards and earns them the support.
Letting themselves be "used" by Snort'n Bob on the aquarium fish thing makes them look not so wise.
A counter guest editorial would be fair and should be given.
Steve