ADY GIL SUNK BY JAPANESE WHALERS! VIDEO PROOF OF RAMMING!
Famed Catamaran is sinking in the Southern Ocean
Six crewmembers Rescued by the Sea Shepherd Ship Bob Barker.
Six crewmembers Rescued by the Sea Shepherd Ship Bob Barker.
In an unprovoked attack captured on film, the Japanese security ship Shonan Maru No. 2 deliberately rammed and caused catastrophic damage to the Sea Shepherd catamaran Ady Gil. Six crew crewmembers, four from New Zealand, one from Australia, and one from the Netherlands were immediately rescued by the crew of the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker. None of the crew Ady Gil crew were injured.
The Ady Gil is believed to be sinking and chances of salvage are very grim.
According to eyewitness Captain Chuck Swift on the Bob Barker, the attack happened while the vessels were dead in the water. The Shonan Maru No. 2 suddenly started up and deliberately rammed the Ady Gil ripping eight feet of the bow of the vessel completely off. According to Captain Swift, the vessel does not look like it will be saved.
“The Japanese whalers have now escalated this conflict very violently,” said Captain Paul Watson. “If they think that our remaining two ships will retreat from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in the face of their extremism, they will be mistaken. We now have a real whale war on our hands now and we have no intention of retreating.”
Captain Paul Watson onboard the Steve Irwin is racing towards the area at 16 knots but still remains some five hundred miles to the north. The Bob Barker has temporarily stopped the pursuit of the Nisshin Maru to rescue the crew of the Ady Gil. The Japanese ships initially refused to acknowledge the May Day distress of the Ady Gil, but ultimately did acknowledge the call. Despite acknowledging the call, they did not offer to assist the Ady Gil or the Bob Barker in any way.
The incident took place at 64 Degrees and 03 Minutes South and 143 Degrees and 09 Minutes East
Until this morning the Japanese were completely unaware of the existence of the Bob Barker. This newest addition to the Sea Shepherd fleet left Mauritius off the coast of Africa on December 18th and was able to advance along the ice edge from the West as the Japanese were busy worrying about the advance of the Steve Irwin from the North.
Until this morning the Japanese were completely unaware of the existence of the Bob Barker. This newest addition to the Sea Shepherd fleet left Mauritius off the coast of Africa on December 18th and was able to advance along the ice edge from the West as the Japanese were busy worrying about the advance of the Steve Irwin from the North.
“This is a substantial loss for our organization,” said Captain Watson. “The Ady Gil, the former Earthrace, represents a loss of almost two million dollars. However the loss of a single whale is of more importance to us and we will not lose the Ady Gil in vain. This blow simply strengthens our resolve, it does not weaken our spirit.”
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is requesting that the Australian government send a naval vessel to restore the peace in the waters of the Australian Antarctic Territory. We have 77 crew from 16 nations on three vessels, six of them were on the Ady Gil. Of these, 21 are Australian citizens: 16 Australians on the Steve Irwin and five on the Bob Barker.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is requesting that the Australian government send a naval vessel to restore the peace in the waters of the Australian Antarctic Territory. We have 77 crew from 16 nations on three vessels, six of them were on the Ady Gil. Of these, 21 are Australian citizens: 16 Australians on the Steve Irwin and five on the Bob Barker.
Sea Shepherd believes that the Australian government has a responsibility to protect the lives of Australian citizens working to defend whales from illegal Japanese whaling activities.
After viewing the video and the news footage just now here in Vancouver, the captain of the Ady Gil put his ship in reverse when he realized they were going to be rammed. If he didn't the whole crew would probably have died. But due to his quick thinking the front of the Ady Gil took the hit. Then these dog bastards tried to finish off a dazed crew with their water cannons. So now the SSCS is left with a fleet that is twice as big as last years and I pity those who get in the way of the Bob Barker.
ReplyDeleteJaps?? Seriously Ed, no matter how you feel about what these people are doing, using flagrantly racist terms to denounce them is wrong.
ReplyDeleteYou really want to use such an offensive term that attacks ALL people of Japanese heritage, including ones who may read your blog, just because you're pissed at the crew of a whaling ship? There are a whole lot of names you could have called them before sinking to racism.
Ahh, a finger pointer of political correctness, which essentially is a name-caller.
ReplyDeleteNo Ed, asking someone to keep blatant racism out of a debate on animal rights is not name-calling.
ReplyDeleteIt's been more than sixty years since the word "Jap" has been considered universally offensive. It is no less offensive than "Nigger." Would you freely use the word "Niggers" to describe an isolated group of black people who hurt animals? Would you even think of writing such a thing?
Morality is part of this debate or we have zero standing to condemn other people's behavior. If you are acting as a racist you have no moral standing to condemn someone else for their cruel acts towards animals. That's not name-calling; that's a moral reality. If animals rights supporters can be seen as racist we can rightfully be dismissed. Immoral people have no basis for condemning other immoral people.
It's also telling people of other colors that your blog is not a place that welcomes them. That's just foolish - animal rights supporters need all the help we can get. The perception that we're a whites-only club has real world consequences for animals.
Plus, for Christ's sake, be a person. How much good is it to you to have a guru and be "spiritual" guy if you still end up a man who calls people "Japs?" That's a whole lot of contemplation and Eastern philosophy right down the toilet.
To me these Japanese whalers are Japs if they act like Japs. They closelined that small boat and tried to kill them with water hoses after that.
ReplyDeleteYou said using that word makes me a racist, which is immoral. This is all in your mind.
My wife read what you said and responded, "Isn't curious what she decided to focus on, your use of the word Jap as opposed to their killing a thousand whales and trying to kill the Ady Gil crew."
There are times you need to go overboard to make a point. Why do you think the media referred to Japanese as Japs? To make a point. To get oppositional emotions aroused.
I have seen the governments of the world doing nothing about this problem of Japanese illegal whaling for 20 years, because rational protesters like you are not effective. Emotion is effective.
You also mistake spirituality for milktoast kindness. This world is a nightmare if you haven't noticed, and good people doing nothing is not changing it for the better.
I agree with my wife who thinks it odd and strange you seem far more upset by my use of a word than what those Japs were doing, namely KILLING.
I don't know where you got your idea of what "spiritual" is, but in my book it is someone who wants to preserve life and ensure justice. These whalers kill whales and tried to kill the crew.
I want people to be mad at them and the Japanese people who allow this to happen. All other nations have quit whaling. The Japanese government censures this kind of news, as well as the killing of 25,000 dolphins each year. This is a tough nut to crack and you complain about one word.
Your wife misses the point. You say the word "Japs" and no one will listen to what you have to say about the whales, because you're no longer talking about whalers but an entire nation (plus all the people in the world of Japanese descent). There are a LOT of online forums discussing this issue and to my knowledge none of them have descended to archaic and racist terms to make their point. The Times' LA Unleashed has covered it extensively and if any reporter there had used that term they'd have been out the door, and rightly.
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't care about the whales I wouldn't read blogs like this. But that doesn't mean that I abdicate my responsibility to people. If we ignore hate speech we become participants in it. There is no neutral position when it comes to racism.
And for a white man to say "I'm just trying to arouse emotions" by using the word "Jap" is ridiculous. You complain that I'm not focused on the whales but by using such a racist term (and there is NO other usage of the term "Jap") you wrest focus FROM the whales.
And frankly, I don't have to prove my animal right bona fides to you or anyone. This isn't a situation where it's either the people or the animals. Not all Japanese people, or people of Japanese heritage, kill whales, I hope you're prepared to admit that.
I don't mistake "spirituality" for milquetoast kindness, but the fact is religion is supposed to mean morality or else you are the sounding brass of the Bible.
You make excuses, but the fact is you used a word that smears ALL Japanese people because you're pissed at a few thugs and killers who happen to be Japanese. You're pissed and you think it entitles you to use whatever broad-stroke racist term you want. Again I ask, if it had been black people would you feel as free to call them "Niggers"? I'm guessing not, but for some reason you believe it's okay to insult all Japanese people. Maybe you thought it'd cause less pushback.
Not to mention the fact that there are Japanese people who fight against the slaughter too, as well as the slaughter of the dolphins. Is it okay to insult them just because they happen to come from the same country as the whalers? Obviously you think it is, and I don't.
It's your forum and you don't take dissent well so I expect to take more abuse for my stance, although I'll pass on reading it, but the fact is racism is inexcusable. It hurts the movement and it destroys your credibility.
It's also wrong. Attack a criminal's actions and you will have support. But use a criminal's actions as a pretext to unleash generalized hate on an entire people (you don't get to use a word like "Japs" and say you only meant what you choose to mean by it) and you get no support. And ultimately it'll just be you, your wife, and Jim Bickhart reading this blog.
I wonder, is it racist to call someone from Czechoslovakia a Czech?
ReplyDeleteBrad Jensen
Cypress,CA
Come on Brad, you're smarter than that.
ReplyDeleteI am against Japanese maniacal attacks on sealife: the single-minded collection of baitfish (including squid) that breaks the food chain and diminishes the game fish population, the obsession with octopus and of course the totally needless slaughter of marine mammals.
ReplyDeleteI would like to be with yhou on this one, but your insistence on using the one word racial slur makes me (and everyone) question your grasp on reality.
More video was released last night taken from the Ady Gil but doesn't show the Maru 2 change course quite as well. Video from the Bob Barker shows it the best.
ReplyDeleteVideo taken from Ady Gil
Brad Jensen
Cypress,CA
PS - Me being "smarter than that" is debatable.