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Whale Wars: Piracy or Protection?

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    Whale Wars: Piracy or Protection?

    So...the hubby and I are addicted to the show Whale Wars, the reality documentary of the Sea Shepard Conservation Society .

    Part of the reason is that I am very anti-whaling, and surprisingly, my more conservative hubby is too (I think its because its against his hunter/fisherman sense of fair play)...but part of the reason is also because we like to yell at the TV (some of them are *not* that good of sailors or at strategic thinking on the spot).

    We've had some very interesting discussions about it really.

    I don't think I would do it (I'm more the type that likes to know I'm working within the law)...but I'm williing to buy a t-shirt (once I have money to spare, lol) and support their cause.
    Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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    #2
    Re: Whale Wars: Piracy or Protection?

    I approve of some of their goals and I can tolerate a handful of their methods. That said, they board private vessels without the backing of any national authority. They also going by the wiki, scuttle private vessels. I'm not real forgiving of either act. Since they seem willing to provide video evidence of both crimes, I lean toward rounding them up and delivering to whatever nation requests extradition first. After they've faced criminal prosecution for any ships scuttled in harbor (less difficulty prosecuting than acts on the high seas), they can also defend against civil suits over the damages dealt.

    Reversing the issue, I'd love to see whalers punished for violating international laws. I'm just not willing to support granting these people a "I can do whatever I want and get away with it" card purely because they're more sympathetic than the people they harm.
    life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

    Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

    "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

    John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

    "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

    Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


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      #3
      Re: Whale Wars: Piracy or Protection?

      If you watch the show (which admittedly is pretty sympathetic to their cause--it *is* on Animal Planet), they do actually sail under the aegis of the Dutch flag...and, depending on *how* you read the laws, it can be interpreted either way.

      Their take on it:
      Sea Shepherd campaigns are guided by the United Nations World Charter for Nature. Sections 21-24 of the Charter provides authority to individuals to act on behalf of and enforce international conservation laws.

      Sea Shepherd cooperates fully with all international law enforcement agencies and its enforcement activities complying with standard practices of law and policing enforcement.

      Sea Shepherd adheres to the utilization of non-violent principles in the course of all actions and has taken a standard against violence in the protection of the oceans.

      from their site
      Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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        #4
        Re: Whale Wars: Piracy or Protection?

        I have doubts that the Charter is designed to grant diplomatic immunity in territorial waters and they're mentioned as scuttling vessels in harbor. I'd accept it as an excuse to make a peacable ass of oneself on the high seas but until I get permission to destroy the cars of politicians that annoy me, I'm against letting these people walk on scuttling vessels.

        Regarding, the society's claim of non-violence. No, just no. They board private vessels, that's roughly as non-violent as home invasion and there are states where the home owner can shoot me the moment I cross the threshold.

        Regarding the Dutch Flag, here I'm uncertain. If the Netherlands want to treat them as law enforcement and take responsibility for their actions then most of my issues are lessened. They are then agents of the Dutch people enacting the will of their government and not private actors claiming the right to act outside the law*. If however, the Netherlands chooses to view them as private citizens then they pretty much downgrade to popular criminals. I'd accept that if they didn't board private vessels or destroy ships in port but they do both according to the wiki and I'm not willing to support private actors taking either course in this instance.

        * I know, they claim to be enforcing the law. However, until they demonstrate that they happen to all be Dutch naval officers or explicit legal permission for private citizens to scuttle docked vessels or board private vessels, I disagree vehemently.
        life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

        Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

        "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

        John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

        "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

        Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


        Comment

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