The beginning of the show recapped the Sea Shepherds’ incredulity at having seen the Japanese whalers actually whaling while they are still in the area. Get ready folks. These people are going to be sad when they are faced with the obvious reality of their own ineptitude. Once that’s over, they are going to really be dangerous.
Their first answer was to throw more stinky acid bombs at the Japan factory ship. This has not worked one single time in ten episodes from the small boats. So, they are going to throw them from the deck of the Steve Irwin which will be a direct violation of the edict given to them earlier in the season by the Dutch under whose flag the Steve Irwin flies. For all of you guys who can’t seem to come to grips with the fact that eco-terrorism is still terrorism, and because of this the Sea Shepherds are breaking innumerable international laws, here we have a direct example of them violating the rules of the very nation that is allowing them to sail under its flag. This is known as piracy. For a good example, see how the British dealt with Captain Kidd, a man who was sailing under their flag, until he went against their wishes. I still pray that the Dutch refuse to allow them to fly their flag after this.
Of course, all of this may be moot because, the Japanese, once again, showed their effectiveness by using their water canons to keep the Sea Shepherds from launching even one bottle, and the Sea Shepherds only further exhibited their ineptitude.
Then, they see another whale being dragged up to the ship. Paul Watson’s next move is to put his ship in the Japanese harpoon ship’s way. In the end, the Steve Irwin could not go fast enough to get there, and the whale was hauled up to be processed.
“Anyway, like I was sayin’, whale is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, whale-kabobs, whale creole, whale gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple whale, lemon whale, coconut whale, pepper whale, whale soup, whale stew, whale salad, whale and potatoes, whale burger, whale sandwich. That- that’s about it.” Just kidding….
Once again, I’m going to criticize Animal Planet. The morose piano music was a bit much. The scene did not need it, and it was distracting.
Then the Sea Shepherds saw another harpoon ship with a dead whale. It seems that the Japanese have also accepted the reality of the Sea shepherds’ ineffectiveness. After they failed to keep the third Japanese harpoon ship from transferring a whale, the Sea Shepherds went back to the ineffective acid bottles for the umpteenth time. The Boson, Dan Bebawi, who is obviously one of the less intelligent people on the ship, justified this action by saying, “It was the only thing left for us to do, was to stand our ground and show them that we wouldn’t back down no matter what, and that they weren’t just going to whale in front of us.” But, you see Dan, that’s exactly what they are doing. Come back to reality.
It looked as if a couple of the bottles actually hit the ship on the next run, but the helicopter confirmed the ineffectual nature of the attack as the sailors on the Japanese began to process the whale. One of the Sea Shepherds’ crew referred to the Japanese casting the whale offal overboard as a slap in the face. The people have an over-inflated sense of themselves. The Japanese sailors are just doing their jobs. They simply do not care about the Sea Shepherds, and only wish that they would go away. They whale. It’s their job. There is no intent toward the Sea Shepherds in it.
The helicopter pilot then actually sees one of the harpoon ships kill a whale. Let me stop here to say, once again, that I like whales, and I root for the whales. However, I do not have a moral problem with the whalers are doing. I am a carnivore, and I eat meat- chicken, beef, pork, and fish. I am not hypocritical enough to judge the Japanese on what foods they like to eat. I do have a big problem with almost everything the Sea Shepherds do.
The whale was shot, and it died. It made me a little sad, but of course, I probably would not like to see cows killed for beef. I have cleaned fish, and even then, it bothers me a little because I like animals in general, but I also eat meat. I think that I can live in both worlds. At least I am self-actualized.
All of the Sea Shepherds were very sad, and as the episode ended, Paul Watson needed some alone-time, except for the cameras. Kind of silly.
Then Paul returned to the bridge.
Filed under: Bat Sh-- Crazy, Genius: Sometimes Serious Sometimes Sarcastic, Hot Opinions, PETA Stuff, Television, Whale Wars | Tagged: Antarctic, August 14, Blue, Compass, Dangerous, Entertainment, Minke, Navigation, Sea, Sea Shepherd, Season 2, Season II, self-important, Slippery Bombs, Steve Irwin, Stink Bombs, Television, Whale Wars, Whales
I do not choose to eat meat but understand why others do. My problem with whaling isn’t the killing of the animal. It is the torturous way in which the whale is killed and it is the killing of endangered species. Chickens, cows and pigs are not endangered or threatened species.
The Minke Whale is not, nor has ever been listed as an endangered species. In fact, they were never really hunted because they were considered too small to mess with until now.
As far as the way in which they are killed, perhaps there is a better way to do it, but that is not the argument that they and the Sea Sheherds are having, and it is no justification for any of their actions. I’m not a fan of Greenpeace in general, but I respect the fact that they know there is a line that cannot be crossed between activism and terrorism. Passion is never an excuse for illlegal, irrational and dangerous activities.
the Japanese are whaling in a protected whale sanctuary, which is against the rules of the IWC. The Sea Shepherds are the only ones out there with the courage to put a stop to the wrong that the Japanese are doing. Whether the whales are endangered or not, the Japanese are conducting their whaling practices in an area deemed a whale sanctuary . Red tape and beurocratic b.s. is the only thing stopping other countries like Australia from handling the situation themselves. If what the Sea Shepherds are doing is so wrong, then why have they not been charged for their ‘illegal’ actions? Curious…..