3 Japanese whalers injured in protest action (butyric acid lobbed at crew members)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 2/11/10 | Owen Pye - ap

[NormsRevenge]

SYDNEY – Three crew members of a Japanese whaling vessel suffered face and eye injuries from acid fired by anti-whaling protesters during their latest clash in the Antarctic Ocean, their Japanese employers said Friday.

The Sea Shepherd protesters said they lobbed butyric acid, produced from stinking rancid butter, which they often aim at the whalers to try to disrupt the annual Japanese hunt. The activists maintain that butyric acid is nontoxic.

...

Glenn Inwood, spokesman for Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research, said the injuries were not serious, but he cautioned that butyric acid can cause temporary blindness.

[NormsRevenge]

I like whales as much as the next guy for breakfast (just kidding) but someone will die at this rate .. and what then?

[CodeToad]

This is assault on the seas and can be met with deadly force. The freaks have suffered one major sinking already. Japan should declare war on the pirates.

[jazusamo]

These flunkie followers of Paul Watson should be treated as the pirates they are.

[jmcenanly]

There are many ‘non-toxic’ substances that will cause damage if they get into the eyes .Capsaicin or acetic acid will burn the eyes. What these guys are doing is aggravated assault on the high seas.

[originalbuckeye]

The Environmentalists must be prosecuted. Just as in the incident with our surveillance plane and the little jet near China, the whaling ship doesn’t have the mobility that the little boat has. The little boat could perform evasive maneuvers if they wanted. These nuts must be held accountable for their actions.

[driftdiver]

Don’t forget the people helping the terrorists. People like Bob Barker

[GeronL]

They need to start arming themselves

[The Anti-One]

Good thing I'm not a captain of one of those whaling boats. I'd harpoon the snot out of those mealy mouthed little pot headed twerps and send them and their boats to the bottom of the ocean. Maybe all the whales they save will come to their rescue and carry them back to dry land. If not too bad. So sad!

Jerks!

[HiTech RedNeck]

Japan should keep cages of skunks ready to throw on the next environut vessel that tries a trick like this.

[Irenic]

This is out of hand. Something needs to be done.

[paul51]

time for the whalers to start lobbing lead in return

[Robe]

Japan needs to deploy a destroyer for escort , attack a Japanese flagged vessel, go to the bottom, period !!!

[null and void]

I believe the technical term is “chemical warfare”...

[dadgum]

I’d toss back hot lead.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Japan MUST arm these whaling vessels and give the captains a complete freedom to use the weapons.

Once a few dozen raving lunatic ecoterrorists are killed and their ships are scuttled or captured as prizes, this will end.

[Danae]

Oh good grief Lemon juice is more acidic. Seriously, Butyric acid isn’t thrown because it’s so caustic. IT STINKS to high heaven, like BO and vomit and rancid butter! If they wanted to HURT the whalers, they would throw Lemon juice, thats a LOT more acidic!

[dalereed]

Past time for the Japs to mount some heavy armament and take out those eco freeks!!!

[NVDave]

That, and it is really difficult to get rid of the stench of butyric acid. That festering stench gets into your skin and hangs around for a good, long time.

[MarMema]

Japan has a six-vessel whaling fleet in Antarctic waters as part of its scientific whaling program, an allowed exception to the International Whaling Commission's 1986 ban on commercial whaling. It hunts hundreds of mostly minke whales, which are not an endangered species.

I am still voting for the whales and anyone who is out there trying to protect them. Japan is a lying sack of crap on this one, supposedly the only country allowed to do this and they say it is for research. But then it used for meat.

[Charlespg]

I am still voting for the whales and anyone who is out there trying to protect them. Japan is a lying sack of crap on this one, supposedly the only country allowed to do this and they say it is for research. But then it used for meat.

So Hindus should start firebombing McDonalds and blowing up meat shops in the west because they think cows are sacred.

Bravo Sierra

the only reason most people are against whaling is because whales have been over romanticized and given sacred status by the ecopunks