Stakes raised in whaling clash(Greenpeace whoops!)

news.com.au ^ | 1/15/06 | Paul Osborne

[Talking_Mouse]

I thought human shields were supposed to be willing to die for what they shielded.

[AmericanMade1776]

Greenpeace activists sit in their inflatable boat after a harpoon fired from a Japanese whaling ship narrowly missed them in the Southern Ocean January 14, 2006. Greenpeace said the harpoon had been fired directly over their boat into a Minke whale, but their boat got caught up in the rope coming from the harpoon back to the whaling vessel. One of the activists fell overboard and grabbed the rope to climb back aboard. REUTERS/Greenpeace

[AmericanMade1776]

In this photo released by Greenpeace, a Greenpeace activist holds onto a harpoon line that was fired from the Japanese whaling ship Yushin Maru No2, right, in Antarctic seas in the Southern Ocean, Saturday, Jan. 14 2006. Japanese whalers fired a harpoon over a Greenpeace boat, throwing one of the environmental group's activists into Antarctic waters, the group said Sunday. The incident was the latest escalation in increasingly acrimonious clashes between whalers and environmentalists intent on halting Japan's annual hunt of the marine mammals. (AP Photo/Greenpeace, Kate Davison, HO)

[Jaxter]

Never bring a rubber boat to a harpoon fight.

[starfish923]

Greenpeacers think more of nature than of people.
Their priorities are wrong. People are first.

[AmericanMade1776]

This is nothing New for Greenpeace, in Ancient Times they were seen trying to save Sharks from the Harpoon.

[paltz]

Greenpeacers think more of nature than of people. Their priorities are wrong. People are first.

No. I disagree. People like Greenpeace and their ilk like PETA, ELF, ALF,...etc don't even put nature before people. The dirty little "open secret", so to speak is that they are using their organizations as vessels to forward a socialist/communist agenda. They use their organization's "front" causes to lure in unknowing bleeding hearts with $ and time on their hands.

[vimto]

"I thought human shields were supposed to be willing to die for what they shielded."

That sir,is a common misapprehension.
The phrase 'human shields' comes from the Latin 'Humanus Sheldorum", roughly translated "men protecting Shelduck". You see the shelduck was a symbol of Greek masculinity, thus "My Shelduck is bigger than yours" a witty rebuke by Plato to jibe by Aristotle in the Roman senate (Poopledeckers "Compendium of ancient ripostes 1784). these Shelducks live near or with or alongside whales in a kind of symbiotic relationship, which is the real reason for the protest. Interestingly 'Greenpeace comes from the Greek "Greenpiessingorumex" which roughly translated means 'Get out of the ruddy way". Why won't the MSM report properly? Kind regards,

[Talking_Mouse]

LOL

[DoughtyOne]

Too bad they can't catch these Greenflease activists in fishing nets instead of dolphins.

[vimto]

True, but note they have airbrushed the Shelducks out of the picture.

[Dutch Boy]

They should replace the fire hose with several huge tubs of chum. That should make them think twice.

[CyberSpartacus]

As I understand it when Greenpeace interferes with or tries to board ships engaged in activities with which they disagree, they are engaging in piracy. The Japanese therefore have the right to use force against them. Or even hang them as pirates.

[FunkyZero]

Couldn't this whole problem be solved with a pellet gun (noting the inflatable boats) ?

[Lurker]

Theses GP thugs are interfering with a ship on the high seas. Just sink them.

L

[lafroste]

Couldn't this whole problem be solved with a pellet gun (noting the inflatable boats) ?

That was my thought too. Maybe someone sitting on the whaler with a 22 cal long rifle plinking the bow of the zodiac. I wouldn't think it would take too many shots before Greenpeace would be forced to retreat for repairs.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

A harpoon from Japanese whaling vessel Yushin Maru No.2 was fired directly over the Zodiac inflatable boat, which was shadowing a minke whale in Antarctic seas.

This may be something for concern.

The Minke whale is not a very large whale...they only grow to be about 25-30 feet long...and is not normally hunted as other species are by those nations who still hunt whales.
Could it be that the Japanese are turning to other species due to the inability to now find the species they normally prey on?
Or has the Japanese predilection for odd meat products expanded to include the Minke whale? The are definitely too small to be of any interest for their oil.

[lafroste]

OTOH, I would prefer that whaling would go the way of the buggy whip. I can't imagine that you could harvest anything from a whale that could not be synthetically produced for a lot less cost.

In this case, its their tactics and arrogance I despise, but I will stop short of cheering for the whalers.