Breaking news from the whale wars

[KOMPRESSOR]

Like Australia's claim to the Antarctic waters the whaling is being carried on in, it's only recognized by the other claimants in Antarctica.

No, no! It's in Wikipedia! Must be true then...

Bouvet Island - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

Vladimir is thinking of the Antarctic Treaty System where Norway Also has a large claim in it. I was referring to the Bouvet Island, which is not part of this treaty and not disputed as far as I know.

 

[DCBC]

I was 24, a Navy Diver and I bought my first Corvette. A guy driving a Mustang wanted to race with me, he cut me off twice, got in-front of me and slammed on his brakes and took-off. I was pissed-off and put the pedal to the metal. He stopped at a red light, but rather than pulling up beside him, I got out of the car, opened his door and punched him in the head.

1. Was he wrong for harassing me, cutting me off, slamming on the brakes almost causing a collision? I think so.

2. Did he get what he deserved? I think so.

3. Did I have a right to be ticked-off? I think so.

4. Could I have been charged with assault? Yes.

In thinking about it, I was lucky. Should I have pulled a shotgun and blown him away because some arse made me angry? No.

Anyway you look at it, we have no reason to use deadly force on another unless we believe that we are in immediate danger and the use of such force is the last solution, in defense.

Regardless of your opinions on piracy, terrorism, or whaling, civilized people don't try to kill another solely because they're ticked-off and harassed. The jails are full of people who have acted in this manner.

As I've said, I'm happy to wait for the investigation, but in this isolated incident, if it's held that the whaling Captain intentionally rammed the smaller vessel, he should be drawn and quartered.

The SS Skipper should be punished similarly, should the evidence support a conviction; without question.

 

[ScubaSteve]

So death penalty for breaking a couple of ribs? Seems reasonable. Hopefully you were joking/exaggerating with your choice of punishment.

 

[OldNSalty]

I was 24, a Navy Diver and I bought my first Corvette. A guy driving a Mustang wanted to race with me, he cut me off twice, got in-front of me and slammed on his brakes and took-off. I was pissed-off and put the pedal to the metal. He stopped at a red light, but rather than pulling up beside him, I got out of the car, opened his door and punched him in the head.

1. Was he wrong for harassing me, cutting me off, slamming on the brakes almost causing a collision? I think so.

2. Did he get what he deserved? I think so.

3. Did I have a right to be ticked-off? I think so.

4. Could I have been charged with assault? Yes.

In thinking about it, I was lucky. Should I have pulled a shotgun and blown him away because some arse made me angry? No.

Anyway you look at it, we have no reason to use deadly force on another unless we believe that we are in immediate danger and the use of such force is the last solution, in defense.

Regardless of your opinions on piracy, terrorism, or whaling, civilized people don't try to kill another solely because they're ticked-off and harassed. The jails are full of people who have acted in this manner.

As I've said, I'm happy to wait for the investigation, but in this isolated incident, if it's held that the whaling Captain intentionally rammed the smaller vessel, he should be drawn and quartered.

The SS Skipper should be punished similarly, should the evidence support a conviction; without question.

I understand your point but you assume to be operating in a civilized society where you have a proffesional law enforcement group at your call. In what? 3 year? No nation has bothered to get involved despite the fact that this has been building for some time. Australia claims the waters might be theirs-So protect the shipping. The whalers are from Japan-hey Japan, send a destroyer. The Britts have built their history on a great sea tradition - little help anyone. WHat of the USA - certainly has a navy large enough to handle it.

I guess what I am saying is that in your example it was one guy that you would have probably never encountered again and you hit him but could have called the cops. Now if the guy had it in for you and every day was chasing you down, you tried hitting him but he just stepped up his efforts as well and the cops said 'hey, it's not int he city limits' At some point someone is going to get hurt.

 

[DCBC]

So death penalty for breaking a couple of ribs? Seems reasonable. Hopefully you were joking/exaggerating with your choice of punishment.

If I was in the smaller vessel and somebody tried to kill me, it wouldn't be a joking matter. Would it be for you?

 

[DCBC]

Now if the guy had it in for you and every day was chasing you down, you tried hitting him but he just stepped up his efforts as well and the cops said 'hey, it's not int he city limits' At some point someone is going to get hurt.

Just because you're not in your own country doesn't mean that the rule of law doesn't apply. Try hijacking an airline in the middle of the Atlantic and see if law exists.

As far as "had it in for you," it would depend upon what you mean by this statement. I haven't heard anyone state that the SS tried to inflict injury or deadly force on the Whaler. Is this the case, or were they just disrupting business (getting between the Whaler and the Whales)? I'm not saying one way or the other, as I don't know. If they were, that would be a different matter, but from what I can understand, SS has been doing what they do for years and no criminal action has been taken.

If Somali pirates went to the U.S., France, Canada, japan or Britain, I don't think you would have to wait long before hearing of criminal charges. I suspect that SS may come close to criminal activity, but not close enough that the authorities choose to prosecute them. This leads me to believe their actions are not piracy or terrorism. Surely they are a thorn in the side of Whaling companies. As I've said, if they do anything criminal, they should pay the consequences. The Japanese are subject to the same rules and should be prosecuted if their actions warrant it.

 

[drbill]

Although I haven't been able to follow this entire thread due to being out of town, I am concerned about several posts I have seen which condemn the Japanese for the actions of the Japanese whalers. This is highly inappropriate as there are Japanese who are working for the end to whaling in their country.

It is also similar to to those who condemn all fishing (when many eat fish themselves). When I talk about fishing activities decimating the oceans, I am very unkind towards those who fish in illegal ways. I try to go easier on those who fish legally even though it is the cumulative effort of all fishers, commercial and recreational, that have caused the problem of overfishing.

Let's condemn the Japanese whalers (if we think we are without guilt ourselves... individually or as a nation), not the entire Japanese populace. Like any group of humans, they have varying opinions on this issue as well.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I would not be stupid enough to put myself in harms way as they did. They knew exactly what was going on and what was happening. If they felt that sitting there while a large whaler came bearing down on them, waiting for the most dramatic time to zoom forward so that it looks like they just escaped with their lives, then that is a choice they made. If they thought that that ship would be able to turn on a dime and avoid them....that was their stupidity. They knew exactly what was happening and they were trying to obtain the most dramatic footage possible to sell their show.

I would call this a success.

 

[cdreamer]

Here are 2 interesting things I found this morning.
Opinion of maritime expert
YouTube - Confirmation Japan's Whaling Vessel Caused The Ady Gil Collision


"Ady Gil" Last Moments
YouTube - Ady Gil: The Last Moments