NationStates Jolt Archive

This issue has come to my attention again just lately.
Theres been a lot of publicity with Greenpeace trying to interfer and stop Japanese whalers. Just recently one Greenpeace activist got tangled in the towing rope of a harpoon shot directly over their inflatable boat. Link. (http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Activist-overboard-in-harpoon-incident/2006/01/15/1137259935469.html)
This just made me think about the whole whaling situation, and what other people think about it.
So what are your views?

http://prodtn.cafepress.com/9/8549029_F_tn.jpg

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=whales_suck

Just send the Whalers back to Hartford so they can concentrate on hockey....

This is my favorite one.
http://www.hardkor-sports.com/hu-106.html

This issue has come to my attention again just lately.
Theres been a lot of publicity with Greenpeace trying to interfer and stop Japanese whalers. Just recently one Greenpeace activist got tangled in the towing rope of a harpoon shot directly over their inflatable boat. Link. (http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Activist-overboard-in-harpoon-incident/2006/01/15/1137259935469.html)
This just made me think about the whole whaling situation, and what other people think about it.
So what are your views?

Wouldn't it be more efficient for green peace to arm the whales with rockets and remote sensors?


... peace right...
I'm vegan/ approaching jainist.. i.e. no roots etc.. ideally..

I think the japanese should invest in NASA fish protein vat growing technology rather then big whaling ships and concentrate on repopulating the fisheries..

personally people can do what they like but
1. the whalers are being criminally negligent (if anything did happen)

and at the same time.
2. Greenpeace captains might be negligent for recklessly putting passengers at risk, etc...

I commend green peace for the notion, but in effect we realistically need to come up with an alternative that appeases both sides.

I'm more the type to sit back and have my intenstines ripped out of me, I also look forward to my chance to die and be removed from this ... grissly world.

I wound't be whaling. And I don't know the reasons the whalers are so I can't offer a fully constructive opinion.

I think 'human rights' (like no torture or murder cause you don't like people) and animal rights (no killing cause we like eating and stuff, and just for kicks) are important fundamentals for myself. I have commited though that if I go insane and am starving if i die I'll consider running down animals.. but I'd have to be insane.

I don't get animal killers. But resource management shows population swings and competition.. there are too many humans for 'primal' living. But killing humans for a better food source is generally shunned upon.

We are all one. Peace and Enligthenment.

Otherwise I'll be mad intent on killing everyone that doesn't worship me, that would just be annoying.

I support Greenpeace on that, but with mixed feelings.
Saving whales sure is a noble cause, but then again, I'd love to see them going to the same extremes to save the North Sea cod. The stock has been reduced enormously due to overfishing, but I don't see any activists thrying to prevent that....

I support Greenpeace on that, but with mixed feelings.
Saving whales sure is a noble cause, but then again, I'd love to see them going to the same extremes to save the North Sea cod. The stock has been reduced enormously due to overfishing, but I don't see any activists thrying to prevent that....


Given the number of vessels involved, and the number of nations, I'd imagine it would be rather difficult to make any effective protest at sea, without overly condemning one country.

I find whaling repungent, myself. One of my many problems with Japan, actually.

Given the number of vessels involved, and the number of nations, I'd imagine it would be rather difficult to make any effective protest at sea, without overly condemning one country.
Like Britain? ;)

=============

I hate whaling. Personally I think that if you wanna kill a whale, you should be eligible for all sorts of punishments. How about having a grenade stuck into your skin and blow you apart, so you go all puffed up and they can more easily pick you up from the surface?

I don't mind the Japanese, but this is ridiculous.

I find whaling repungent, myself. One of my many problems with Japan, actually.
This pretty much sums up my point of view aswell.
Any other points of interest anyone feels compelled to share? Or does no one really care?

Given the number of vessels involved, and the number of nations, I'd imagine it would be rather difficult to make any effective protest at sea, without overly condemning one country.

I haven't come across any other form of protests, either. Like collecting signatures ... Whales just seem to be more marketable, really. And dolphins, of course.

Just send the Whalers back to Hartford so they can concentrate on hockey....
Sound Words.

We should send down our navy *two tug boats and a bath tub) and blow the Japanese up, then the Ruskies then Chang then The Norwegians and then the Swedes(Just for the hell of it).
Canada will devour itself.

For research, sure. For food, eat something better. For fun, fuck you.

We should send down our navy *two tug boats and a bath tub) and blow the Japanese up, then the Ruskies then Chang then The Norwegians and then the Swedes(Just for the hell of it).
Canada will devour itself.
Don't forget that random piece of shit boat from King Kong.

Without forming a position on the issue, i'm curious - does anyone here that opposes whaling have any problems with eating cows or chickens?

Okay, what the hell - i'm not a fan of whaling either, I was just wondering how we can possibly justify that position while keeping a straight face.

Don't forget that random piece of shit boat from King Kong.
Or the Aratere.

Without forming a position on the issue, i'm curious - does anyone here that opposes whaling have any problems with eating cows or chickens?

Okay, what the hell - i'm not a fan of whaling either, I was just wondering how we can possibly justify that position while keeping a straight face.

Or cod, for that matter? :D

Okay, what the hell - i'm not a fan of whaling either, I was just wondering how we can possibly justify that position while keeping a straight face.
A straight face in what sense?

Without forming a position on the issue, i'm curious - does anyone here that opposes whaling have any problems with eating cows or chickens?

Okay, what the hell - i'm not a fan of whaling either, I was just wondering how we can possibly justify that position while keeping a straight face.

Personally, I don't have a problem with eating any animal, really, provided it didn't suffer needlessly and providedthe species is not endangered.
Whales used to be on the endangered list, which is why hunting them was banned. I don't know if their numbers grew significantly in such a short period.

Without forming a position on the issue, i'm curious - does anyone here that opposes whaling have any problems with eating cows or chickens?

Okay, what the hell - i'm not a fan of whaling either, I was just wondering how we can possibly justify that position while keeping a straight face.
Last time i checked Cow numbers hadn't gone from the hight 10's of thousands if not Hundreds of to about one tenth of that.

Whales can live for nearly 100 years and it takes time for them to mature sufficently Chickens and Cows don't have that problem.

Also right now they are being hunted in a Whale sanctuary.

Personally, I don't have a problem with eating any animal, really, provided it didn't suffer needlessly and providedthe species is not endangered.
Whales used to be on the endangered list, which is why hunting them was banned. I don't know if their numbers grew significantly in such a short period.

Same. I thought they were a dwindling species and formed my opinion given that knowledge. I see no reason, given that we raise cattle and grow grains, to possibly need to eat whale. Hunting for fun is just one of the things in life that seems to have no logical point. Hunting a dwindling species is one of the most egotistical bastardous thing humans can do.

Or cod, for that matter? :D
Don't get me started on Cod!

A straight face in what sense?
Well opposing whaling is all well and good, but then, if you think about it, eating beef in which the cows have no purpose at all but to be used by food, and their whole existance is a brief stay at a cattle ranch before being sliced into hundreds of different pieces, that's a bit hypocritical.

Don't get me wrong, I love my steak too, but.... :p

Personally, I don't have a problem with eating any animal, really, provided it didn't suffer needlessly and providedthe species is not endangered.
Whales used to be on the endangered list, which is why hunting them was banned. I don't know if their numbers grew significantly in such a short period.

Okay, that's fair enough.

Last time i checked Cow numbers hadn't gone from the hight 10's of thousands if not Hundreds of to about one tenth of that.

Whales can live for nearly 100 years and it takes time for them to mature sufficently Chickens and Cows don't have that problem.

Also right now they are being hunted in a Whale sanctuary.

Okay, that is too.

Well opposing whaling is all well and good, but then, if you think about it, eating beef in which the cows have no purpose at all but to be used by food, and their whole existance is a brief stay at a cattle ranch before being sliced into hundreds of different pieces, that's a bit hypocritical.

Don't get me wrong, I love my steak too, but.... :p



Okay, that's fair enough.



Okay, that is too.
That is more than a too thank you very much.
-Unrebutable is what it is.http://67.15.181.134/4228/55/emo/shiftyeyes.gif
Bloody ruskies illegally hunted them all through the 60's and 70's.

Well opposing whaling is all well and good, but then, if you think about it, eating beef in which the cows have no purpose at all but to be used by food, and their whole existance is a brief stay at a cattle ranch before being sliced into hundreds of different pieces, that's a bit hypocritical.

Don't get me wrong, I love my steak too, but.... :p



Okay, that's fair enough.



Okay, that is too.
That is more than a too thank you very much.
-Unrebutable is what it is.http://67.15.181.134/4228/55/emo/shiftyeyes.gif
Bloody ruskies illegally hunted them all through the 60's and 70's.

Meh. against whaling.

But also at the moment, against greenpeace. Their anti-nuclear protest are really getting on my nerves...

Meh. against whaling.

But also at the moment, against greenpeace. Their anti-nuclear protest are really getting on my nerves...
What have they done this time?

We, the Serene Czarina of the Serene Republic Of Sarasama Greet you. We wish to have a word. The issue of "Whaling" simply cannot be discussed in an all encompassing manner.
The experienced Hunters of Our little Republic study, if you will, the whales each Season. Our people need the whale, for it's meat, it's oil, it's bones for tools, in fact, not a scrap of the revered animal is wasted.
When the Experienced Hunters of Our Serene Republic note a whale that has grown large but has not reproduced (if female) nor won a mate (if male), this is the One chosen to feed and provide for Our Serene Republic.
We assure you, Our Hunters are expert with the harpoon. The animal dies quickly, with a minimum of pain.
All of the Village Leaders, with their helpers, attend to dividing the animal, according to the needs of each Village. There is no priority as to who gets how much or what parts. The needs of each Village dictate how the animal is divided and shared.
As Our Family of Serene Czarinas has been independently wealthy for generations, we do not demand a portion of the whale as a tax. In fact, the very notion of taking from the people some part of the fruits of their labor, calling it a "tax", is repugnant to Us.
But We digress.
We appreciate this opportunity for dialogue with Our neighboring Nations.
HSC MaryAlice

If the animal doesn't suffer needlessly and is not in danger of extinction or something along those lines I see no problem in hunting them. Whales I believe are still close to the brink I thought, so it is a bit messed up to kill them when you don't have to.

Interesting thought: We try to entirely wipe out certain species of bacteria and viruses (Polio, TB, black plague) without a thought because they hurt us and we know they can't really feel pain. We can't do it too effectively because they are better at evolving than we are at killing them but is that right? We would fight to protect species of animals that did not get along with us (granted they are probably not as detrimental as diseases) why should we try to make smaller organisms extinct?

For the most part, I consider most environmentalists to be clueless morons who think they are more entitled to 'play God' than any other human due to some silly notion tht man is separate from Nature and a threat to it. Truth be told, Mankind is only a threat to itself. Some of the biggest environmental blunders have occurred because of our attempts to preserve nature and these attempts demonstrate to anyone with a grain of wit in their environmentally conscious heads just how little we know. But most environmentalists are too blinded by their smug superiority over their fellow man to see that they are at best, not doing a god damn thing and at worst, making matters worse.

However, the Greenpeace 'Save The Whales' mission is a notable exception. They have my full support and I wish them well. :)

Interesting thought: We try to entirely wipe out certain species of bacteria and viruses (Polio, TB, black plague) without a thought because they hurt us and we know they can't really feel pain. We can't do it too effectively because they are better at evolving than we are at killing them but is that right? We would fight to protect species of animals that did not get along with us (granted they are probably not as detrimental as diseases) why should we try to make smaller organisms extinct?

Do we really? For all I know we are not so much trying to extinguish the species, but rather to immunise ourselves against the infections.

It's evolution baby. It doesn't matter what we do, we are nature. Nature is us. Even if we drive ourselves into extinction, the planet will not really mind much. In fact, it may barely even notice over the next two billion years. When the sun finally super nova's, then it'll notice. Our genetic matter will probably end up everywhere. Hey, I wonder if that's how life started on earth...

Personally, I think animals == food.

It's evolution baby. It doesn't matter what we do, we are nature. Nature is us. Even if we drive ourselves into extinction, the planet will not really mind much. In fact, it may barely even notice over the next two billion years. When the sun finally super nova's, then it'll notice. Our genetic matter will probably end up everywhere. Hey, I wonder if that's how life started on earth...

Personally, I think animals == food.You've been listening to too much Pearl Jam.

You've been listening to too much Pearl Jam.
Hah. This is true.

But also at the moment, against greenpeace. Their anti-nuclear protest are really getting on my nerves...
What have they done? We don't have any anti-nuclear protests here really.

Save the Whales, Motherfucker! [/southpark allusion]

Do we really? For all I know we are not so much trying to extinguish the species, but rather to immunise ourselves against the infections.

H.G. Wells warned us about the dangers of completely eradicating a microbe.

im from alaska where native people have been hunting whales for a long time now they use engines and grenade harpoons, but all of the meat is still consumed plus the residents of alaska only harvest around 10 whales a year. I fully support this kind of whaling.
As for the japanese they can't manage their fisheries at all. They are constantly overfishing different species and something really has to be done.

H.G. Wells warned us about the dangers of completely eradicating a microbe.

He made a pretty good point of it, true. But somehow, I don't think this would be regarded as a sufficient justification by most... ;)

He made a pretty good point of it, true. But somehow, I don't think this would be regarded as a sufficient justification by most... ;)

Of course not. It gets in the way of profit.

As I have heard a few CEOs claim "It's not my problem; it's my successors problem"

Any Japanese people who play NationStates? Would be interested in what they have to say on this issue.

What have they done? We don't have any anti-nuclear protests here really.Basically whenever there is a debate or an announcement to be made on the issue, they disrupt it. A few weeks ago, Blair was to unvela some plans to do with nuclear power (Didn't read the smallprint!) And Greenpeace climed up to the ceiling and hung banners chanting etc. to prevent any debate at all on the issue.

Basically whenever there is a debate or an announcement to be made on the issue, they disrupt it. A few weeks ago, Blair was to unvela some plans to do with nuclear power (Didn't read the smallprint!) And Greenpeace climed up to the ceiling and hung banners chanting etc. to prevent any debate at all on the issue.
Hmm. I see. Not too big a deal though is it?
I have no real problems at all with Greenpeace. Good to see people out and taking a stand for what they believe.. Then again, if everyone did that things would get out of control.. So, I'm glad a few people are out and taking a stand.

Its one of the problems I have with Japan. Destroyed their own fishing stocks and now want to destroy everyone else's

Like killing 1000 Whales per year is going to help you undertand how to sustain them for the future.

They need all the breeding pairs they can get and what do you do?
Kill Minke.
*Thumbs up*

Like killing 1000 Whales per year is going to help you undertand how to sustain them for the future.

They need all the breeding pairs they can get and what do you do?
Kill Minke.
*Thumbs up*

What is it about 'research whaling' anyway? Is there any research elephanting? Scientific tigering?

What is it about 'research whaling' anyway? Is there any research elephanting? Scientific tigering?

It's a loophole that the Japanese use to keep their catch numbers up.

They "discovered" "midget" blue whales. They have never shown one so basically they are probably harpooning young blue whales since the adult blues are hard to find now.

As to the other two. No and no.

I support the Inuit people in their whaling, as they do it responsibly, and not for commercial purposes. That's it. I don't support anyone else doing it.

Harpooning a Greenpeace raft is fun and all, but they'll have to do better if they want to get as much recognition. I suggest blowing up Rainbow Warrior again.

Okay, you all have finally convinced me: I'm going to become a good person. My first act is to promise you, and all other peoples on the Interweb, that I am forever putting my sport whaling days behind me. It was fun, riding out there in my canoe, luring the whales close to me by throwing Lil' Smokies out into the water, and then personally wrestling them into submission, but it is no longer going to be on my roster of Saturday afternoon activities.
With God as my witness, I'll never go whaling again!