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That’s kinda my whole point. These people are NOT anything like Eco terrorists that slam spikes in trees where an innocent person could get injured.

I can’t believe the good folks that are most of the FR would return us to the days where elephants were slaughtered for a pair of ivory tusks.

Those poachers are now shot and killed. The elephants may not make it anyway.

The supreme law in effect at this time is that there is a COMPLETE BAN on commercial whaling by the IWC, of which Japan is a member.

I didn’t make the ban, ask me what my opinion would be if there were no
ban. The phoniest crap of all is these rusting whale slaughtering factories posing as research vessels. What a hoot. Right in there with Dr. Mengele doing research at Auscwitz, although, yes, humans including the unborn are far more important.

Maybe I wouldn’t be as in awe of these creatures had one not surfaced next to my sailboat as she was moored in Monterey Bay. I also think elephants are a pretty awesome species.

To say what the Japanese are doing is legal is to buy into their phony research sham. If they’re not legal, then they’re poachers as Captain Watson has said.

Ronald Reagan saw throught the whalers and threatened retaliation if the Japanese did not abide by the ruled of the IWC of which they are members. They caved and stopped whaling for years.

Is President Reagan to be praised for his action? After all, he shut down the livelihood of all those fine Japanese whale hunters.

Why can’t I order a piano with real ivory or buy elephant ivory?
Because the vision of a herd of elephants slaughtered for their tusks is a sickening vision to most of the world.

And the vision of these poachers slaughtering these magnificent mammals in the name of “research” is also sickening to a lot of the world.

I remember seeing Keiko (willy) in Newport Oregon. What a beautiful intelligent mammal he clearly was. I was sad to hear of his passing.

I know what violence and terror is, so when you call these often times admittedly hapless activists terrorists, you dilute the strength and meaning of the word.

All the comments about the Gil in motion and not a single comment from the other video that shows the thug whalers making hard to starboard at the very last moment.

And then cannon hosing the survivors? What am I missing here? Will somebody please defend the righteous indignation the elephant poachers in Africa are entitled to as they are only trying to make a living?

God bless you Ronald Reagan. You used the power of your office to save thousands of these magnificent creatures. Were you still in office I doubt these activist would have to be the court of last resort as these majestic creatures are spared their lives only by a small group of humans risking theirs.

Dennis Miller is a pretty funny guy and a great conservative in many ways, but I feel sorry that he professes no awe for what nature gives us.

He talked about Caribou like, you seen one you seen’em all. Miller, I wish you and every poster herein could stand next to a thundering herd of thousands of Caribou as they stampede by.

I wish people would develop a reverance for these whales as well.

Yeah. The whalers decks might get smelly. Big wow.

“Yeah. The whalers decks might get smelly. Big wow.”

Really smelly decks, that’s all?!

You are lying eco terrorist scumbag supporter.

Sea Shepherd’s Record of Violence

1977: Paul Watson, one of the founder members of Greenpeace, was expelled from the organisation after a campaign against sealing during which he threw the sealers’ clubs and skins into the sea. His actions temporarily cost Greenpeace their tax-exemption status in the US.

1977: Paul Watson establishes the “Sea Shepherd” organisation.

1979: A Sea Shepherd vessel rams the whaler “Sierra”.

1980: The “Sierra” is sunk in Lisbon harbour with the help of limpet mines. Sea Shepherd claims responsibility.

1981: Sea Shepherd sinks the two whaling vessels, Ibsa I and Ibsa II, in the Spanish harbour of Viga (Sole source Sea Shepherd. This has not been confirmed by any other source)
.

1986: Sea Shepherd activists shoot at Faroese police with a line rifle and try to sink their rubber dinghies.
The vessel “Sea Shepherd” was ordered to leave Faroese territorial waters after attempting to obstruct the Faroese pilot whale harvest. The vessel ignored the order, and Faroese police tried unsuccessfully to board the ship. In the police report of Oct. 7,1986, it says: “One of the rubber dinghies was attacked directly by a so called “Speed Line” line rifle. The attack is considered to have endangered the lives of the police crew members seriously ... also, signal flares containing phosphorous (a substance which both burns and cauterizes) was thrown at the police. At a later stage the Sea Shepherd used so called “toads” (i.e. rotating iron spikes, pointed and sharp at both ends), against the rubber dinghies .. petrol was poured over the side of the ship ... whereupon signal flares were thrown from the “Sea Shepherd” in a miscarried attempt to set the petrol on fire.” Sea Shepherd accused the Faroese police of having shot at them with rifles. The police emphasize in their report that they only used tear gas and gas cartridges from shotguns.

1986: Sea Shepherd claims responsibility for the sinking of two whaling vessels in Reykjavik, Iceland, and for malicious damage to the whaling station not far from the town. The act was carried out by two US citizens, one of them, Rodney Corronado, is now wanted in the US for several incidents of serious animal rights terrorism.

1988: Paul Watson arrives in Iceland demanding to be held responsible for the sinking of the whaling vessels in Reykjavik in 1986. He is arrested and held for questioning. He realizes that he can risk facing several years imprisonment. In a press release from the Icelandic Ministry of Justice it says: “At questioning Paul Watson has admitted that he has given some remarks that connect him with the sabotage, but in spite of this he now claims that he neither took part in the planning nor the execution of the sabotage.” There was no evidence incriminating Watson. He was ordered to leave the country and declared persona non grata in Iceland

1991: Mr A. Ferreira, A US crew member on a Mexican fishing vessel, reports to his senator that Sea Shepherd rammed his vessel causing considerable damage. Some of Sea Shepherd’s crew were armed with rifles. Senator John Seymour replies: “Your situation does not fall under my jurisdiction. I have therefore forwarded your letter to the American Tunaboat Association.”

1991: Scott Trimmingham, president of Sea Shepherd quits in protest. “We had rules about not hurting anyone, about not using weapons. I left because those rules and that philosophy seems to be changing,” he said to “Outside” magazine (Sept. 1991).
Paul Watson admits that there are arms on board “Sea Shepherd”. “We confront dangerous people. As the captain, it is my responsibility to protect the lives of my crew ... Therefore, I have prepared myself for the possibility of defending my crew in a situation that could go never occur, but if it does I will use firearms to first intimidate and then to defend,” said Watson to the Los Angeles Free Weekly (April 24, 1992).

Seattle Times columnist Alston Chase comments thus on Sea Shepherds relationship to weapons: “The business of Sea Shepherd is confrontation, whereby these sailor activists try to provoke others to attack. Crying self-defence in these circumstances is like the gunfighter who starts a quarrel to justify duelling his enemy.” (The Seattle Times, July 1, 1991).

1992: Sea Shepherd makes unsuccessful attempts at ramming three Costa Rican fishing vessels. In a written complaint to the local authorities the fishermen report that the Sea Shepherd crew shot at them with bullets containing a red substance, hitting two of them and causing them great pain.

1992: Sea Shepherd makes unsuccessful attempt at scuttling the combined minke whaling and fishing vessel “Nybræna” at her moorings in the Lofoten Islands. The vessel was salvaged, but the water had caused considerable damage.

1993: Paul Watson orders the crew on board the Sea Shepherd vessel “Edward Abbey” (formerly US Navy) to open cannon fire at a Japanese fishing vessel.
The following transcript stems from the 1993 Yorkshire Television documentary “Defenders of the Wild - Ocean Rider”

Paul Watson (over the radio): We are going to ram you!
Stand clear!

A Taiwanese drift-netter (over the radio): “Why are you
crushing our ship?”

Paul Watson: “You are killing too many dolphins ..
and you insulted us by calling us creeps.”
From another confrontation with a Japanese fishing vessel:
Narrator: Sea Shepherd is ready to ram again.
Now Paul Watson wants the Edward Abbey to fire directly
at the drift-netters.

Watson: “Fire a couple in the stern right at the water line.
Nobody’s there.”

Narrator: “To the relief of many of the crew members the
order is not carried out. The Edward Abbey fires a cannon
shot across its bow. Still the Japanese ship does not stop.”
1993: Sea Shepherd makes an unsuccesful attempt at scuttling the combined minke whaling and fishing vessel “Senet” at her moorings in Gressvik. The vessel was salvaged, but the water had caused some damage.

1993: Sea Shepherd concludes that the organisation has sunk 8 ships and rammed and damaged a further 6.
Dismissed from the IWC
After the sinking of the Icelandic whaling vessels in 1986, Sea Shepherd lost its status as observer at the IWC. The organisation claims that it is merely enforcing IWC rules. In February 1994, IWC Secretary, Ray Gambell, declared to NTB (the Norwegian Telegram Agency) that the IWC and all its member states ardently condemn Sea Shepherd’s acts of terrorism.