Whale Wars
A new reality based television show is on the fall line up. Named Whale Wars, it is a controversial show presenting a one sided perspective against the whaling industry. Makers of "Whale Wars" made no attempt to get the Japanese side of the
story at all. Charlie Foley, Animal Planet's vice president of development said they didn't have time. "I'm not sure we wanted to be telling the story of the Japanese
whalers," he said. "We wanted to go down there and tell the story of
what motivates these people who are trying to stop the whaling."
Animal Planet is teaming up with Cpt Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an activist group that claim to be trying to save the whales. To do this they take to the seas flying the Jolly Roger flag. On one trip for the TV show the group tossed rancid butter on Japanese ships to make
the decks slippery and spoil the whale meat, and diplomatic
intervention was needed after two society members climbed aboard a
Japanese ship. The International Whaling Commission, devoted to protecting whales,
criticized the society for jeopardizing safety at sea with the
Antarctic mission.
This latest reality show is nothing more than glorification of eco-terrorism or in their own words, "eco-pirates". (Most common definitions of terrorism include only those acts which are
intended to create fear (terror), are perpetrated for an ideological
goal (as opposed to a lone attack), and deliberately target or
disregard the safety of non-combatants. Sea Shephard Conservation Society has been guilty of terrorist style attacks in the past. On one voyage when they tried to physically stop Japan's whaling in the Antarctic, throwing ground Methocel, which absorbs water and becomes very slippery, and stink bombs filled with Butyric acid onto the decks of whaling ships. Japan said the acid in the bombs stings the eyes. When the crew members of this boat tossed objects on the whaler, the whaler crew would have no way of knowing what was coming their way. Grenades?
In 1972, Watson skippered the tiny Greenpeace boat Astral, and placed it on a collision course with the French helicopter carrier, the Jeanne D'Arc, in Vancouver harbor. This was a protest against French nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific. The Jeanne D'Arc was forced to change course. The Astral changed course and kept on target - bow to bow with the warship, forcing the Jeanne D'Arc to stop.
The harvesting of whales is still illegal, but killing the for scientific research is not. Allegedly, Japan is doing that. Anyone with half a brain realizes Japan is harvesting whales under the guise of "research". This is for an international organization such as the UN to handle, not a bunch of vegans willing to act out their pirate fantasies. Strangely enough, many of the same organizations that decry violence and always cry for us to go through the UN instead of direct action are applauding direct action taken by Cpt Watson.
"I have been honored to serve the whales, dolphins, seals - and all the other creatures on this Earth. Their beauty, intelligence, strength, and spirit have inspired me. These beings have spoken to me, touched me, and I have been rewarded by friendship with many members of different species.
If the whales survive and flourish, if the seals continue to live and give birth, and if I can contribute to ensuring their future prosperity, I will be forever happy."
- Paul Watson
At issue here is a TV reality show sponsoring this eco-terrorism.... excuse me... eco-piracy. Glorifying if you will, a boatload of vegans putting themselves and others in harms way, conducting acts of terror and piracy (eco-pirates is their term, not mine) at sea. I would call it vigilantism and personally find no difference between this group and the group that will bomb abortion clinics to achieve their goals.
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