Breaking news from the whale wars

[DCBC]

... dont feel sorry for the SS crew think they only got a taste of their own medicine?

"A taste of their own medicine" implies that these particular individuals had previously attempted to kill members of the Whaler's crew. Do you honestly believe that this was really the case??

 

[DCBC]

Why can't some people see that both sides have been playing chicken for a long time and eventually crap will happen? Both sides are at fault.

Both sides may well be criminally culpable (which I wouldn't dispute). They are not however responsible for the same offenses:

1. The SS & Whaler crew are no doubt guilty of various breeches of Maritime law.

2. The SS Skipper is likely guilty of multiple counts of Dangerous Operation of a Vessel.

3. The Whaler Skipper is likely guilty of multiple counts of Attempted Murder.

That puts things into perspective...

 

[BTravlin]

Both sides may well be criminally culpable (which I wouldn't dispute). They are not however responsible for the same offenses:

1. The SS & Whaler crew are no doubt guilty of various breeches of Maritime law.

2. The SS Skipper is likely guilty of multiple counts of Dangerous Operation of a Vessel.

3. The Whaler Skipper is likely guilty of multiple counts of Attempted Murder.

4. The SS skipper is likely guilty of attempted mass suicide.

That puts things into perspective...

You left something out so I've helpfully added it for you.

 

[DCBC]

You left something out so I've helpfully added it for you.

I guess it's a good thing that suicide isn't a criminal offense then...

 

[Geoff_H]

I guess it's a good thing that suicide isn't a criminal offense then...

It is in most countries.

You could also argue the Ady Gil skipper was recklessly endangering his crew, or in your parlance "attempting to murder" them.

 

[Katamuki]

DCBC, you DO know what that tube the guy is holding on the back of the Gil, right?

You DO understand what it means to have your boat powerless in heavy seas when your props/rudder are destroyed, right?

You have walked a slick deck in a rolling sea let alone one with harsh chemicals all over it, right?

Have you ever had an object weighing several pounds collide with your head launched several hundred feet?

Which one of these doesn't represent a clear and present danger? If anyone tried to do any of these things on the ships I am around you can be damn sure that ship would be seized or sunk.

There aren't many people on SB who would say they are FOR whaling, but the SS crew and mission is dangerous and criminal in every way. Condemning the acts of dangerous people like Watson and his SS crew is not condoning the whalers, its recognizing when there is a group loose who believe that a human life is subordinate to an animal one.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Actually the SS skipper may very well be guilty of attempted mass murder just as you say the whaler skipper is.

 

[DCBC]

DCBC, you DO know what that tube the guy is holding on the back of the Gil, right?

You DO understand what it means to have your boat powerless in heavy seas when your props/rudder are destroyed, right?

You have walked a slick deck in a rolling sea let alone one with harsh chemicals all over it, right?

Have you ever had an object weighing several pounds collide with your head launched several hundred feet?

Which one of these doesn't represent a clear and present danger? If anyone tried to do any of these things on the ships I am around you can be damn sure that ship would be seized or sunk.

There aren't many people on SB who would say they are FOR whaling, but the SS crew and mission is dangerous and criminal in every way. Condemning the acts of dangerous people like Watson and his SS crew is not condoning the whalers, its recognizing when there is a group loose who believe that a human life is subordinate to an animal one.

Scrambled eggs... That's what I had for breakfast. We can talk about this further, but that's not the topic.

To clarify, we are not talking about what actions the SS crew had taken that morning, the day before, or last year. Nor are we discussing their views on wildlife, politics, or their sexual preference. What we are discussing (unless I'm in some way mistaken), is the collision at sea between the SS Bat-boat and the Japanese Whaler. Where each vessel was, who was the overtaking vessel and the law.

We're not talking about what the crew were holding in their hands, what they may or may not have done or could have done, but what was in-fact was done surrounding the collision between the vessels. A time-frame of a couple of minutes and the intent of the Vessel Masters.

I'm happy to criticize the actions taken by SS during different points in-time. I too do not condone these actions in the manner they were accomplished. That however id a different discussion. Why does this have to be clarified?

 

[DCBC]

It is in most countries.

You could also argue the Ady Gil skipper was recklessly endangering his crew, or in your parlance "attempting to murder" them.

At English common law, suicide was a felony punishable by burial in the public highway with a stake driven through the body and forfeiture of all one's goods to the Crown. In the minority of American jurisdictions that continue to recognize common law crimes, suicide is in theory a criminal offense; but in practice no penalty has ever been applied in the United States for a successful suicide. Penalties may, however, be imposed for attempting suicide or for aiding another to attempt or to commit suicide.

I don't believe it's an offense in the British Commonwealth; certainly not in Canada.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Actually what is missing is the hours and hours, days and days worth of streaming video showing the SS playing chciken with whalers previously, trying to sink whalers, trying to hurt fishermen......if that was being shown I would hope that people would make an effort to remove their heads long enough to accept that the SS/whalers were not in a new situation. What was new was how close they tried to cut it in the name of dramatics. They played chicken and lost.......oh and shocker they had cameras ready all over the place filming it.....coincidence? The only difference from the many times before that they got in front of a vessel was the fact that they lost this time.

I agree that deadly force is never justified however they have a history of this.....and they usually move. I still say it is 100% clear that the AG had plenty of time to figure it out and move......stupidity ran rampant on that boat at that time. They could have moved and chose not to.

Let us just examine the bolded parts above, in order:

When have the Sea Shepherds tried to sink a Japanese Whaler?

Did the Sea Shepherds try to hurt Japanese Whaler crew members, or did they try to cover the Whaling vessel with rancid butter? If the AG is guilty of not getting out of the way are not those Whaler crew similarly guilty?

How exactly did the Ady Gil put itself in front of the Whaler vessel in this instance, an instance where the Whaler vessel made a series of course changes to facilitate an attack run on an at idle vessel?

When have the Sea Shepherds used deadly force against the Japanese Whalers?

While I can not argue that the Ady Gil crew were caught with their pants down, taking into consideration the maritime rules and the nature of maneuvering the Ady Gil, is it not likely that the crew was just following procedure to let the Whalers use the acoustic weapon and the water cannons on them?

If the Japanese Whalers wanted to keep the high ground in this skirmish, why did their Captain commit numerous illegal acts in this obvious ramming and serious endangerment of lives of the Ady Gil and crew?