International Skeptics Forum

International Skeptics Forum (https://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/forumindex.php)
-   Social Issues & Current Events (https://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=82)
-   -   Founder of Sea Shepherd Arrested in Germany (https://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236107)

Stacko 15th May 2012 05:17 AM

Founder of Sea Shepherd Arrested in Germany
 
Quote:

FRANKFURT, Germany — The Canadian founder of an environmental activist group known for its confrontations with whalers and fishermen has been arrested in Germany for extradition to Costa Rica, where he is wanted for allegedly endangering a fishing boat in 2002, German prosecutors said Monday.

Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was arrested Sunday at Frankfurt Airport on an international arrest warrant issued by Costa Rica, a spokesman for the local prosecutors’ office said.

“He is alleged to have used a ship to intimidate another vessel and put its crew at risk in 2002,” said the spokesman, Guenter Wittig.

[...]
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05...ed-in-germany/

lionking 15th May 2012 05:24 AM

I was going to start a thread about this. I hope the idiot gets serious time.

Stacko 15th May 2012 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lionking (Post 8287067)
I was going to start a thread about this. I hope the idiot gets serious time.

I wonder if they can use footage from Whale Wars as evidence against him? That'd be funny to see in court.

Cleon 15th May 2012 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stacko (Post 8287095)
I wonder if they can use footage from Whale Wars as evidence against him? That'd be funny to see in court.

I would hope that German courts have rules against torturing jurors.

Primus 15th May 2012 05:44 AM

He is an interesting case. I am strongly against whale hunting, I think it's abhorrant and serves no useful purpose.

However I always root for the whalers against this guy. I found it hilarious when they sunk his ship.
It just goes to show if you're loony enough, having a good cause in principal isn't enough if you're going to behave like a complete helmet all the time.

Reminds me of PETA a bit as they're another group people despise despite fundamentally being against animal cruelty.

Eddie Dane 15th May 2012 05:44 AM

Enlighten me.
What is causing people to have such a low opinion of this man?

I've only seen one of those Whale Wars episodes.
His ship stalking a Japanese whaler and trying to get between them and the whale.

I don't like fanatical enviro weenies.
But I'm on the fence about protecting whales from the Japanese consumer.
Can't they just get their fish from a frigging fish farm and make their kick-ass cameras and bondage porn in peace?

Careyp74 15th May 2012 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eddie Dane (Post 8287107)
Enlighten me.
What is causing people to have such a low opinion of this man?

I've only seen one of those Whale Wars episodes.
His ship stalking a Japanese whaler and trying to get between them and the whale.

I don't like fanatical enviro weenies.
But I'm on the fence about protecting whales from the Japanese consumer.
Can't they just get their fish from a frigging fish farm and make their kick-ass cameras and bondage porn in peace?

I think the news article pretty much explains it. He was using his boat to cut off and harass other boats, putting the other crews in danger. This is very dangerous. There are more peaceful ways of protesting, which wasn't his obvious intent.

Kevin_Lowe 15th May 2012 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Careyp74 (Post 8287115)
I think the news article pretty much explains it. He was using his boat to cut off and harass other boats, putting the other crews in danger. This is very dangerous. There are more peaceful ways of protesting, which wasn't his obvious intent.

If they don't want to be in danger they could always not kill whales. It's not like it serves any useful scientific or economic purpose.

Locknar 15th May 2012 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Primus (Post 8287106)
He is an interesting case. I am strongly against whale hunting, I think it's abhorrant and serves no useful purpose.

However I always root for the whalers against this guy. I found it hilarious when they sunk his ship.

That pretty much sums up how I feel re this.

DC 15th May 2012 06:11 AM

im proud to have donated money to them. I hope they get bigger ships that can sink whale hunter boats.

DC 15th May 2012 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Careyp74 (Post 8287115)
I think the news article pretty much explains it. He was using his boat to cut off and harass other boats, putting the other crews in danger. This is very dangerous. There are more peaceful ways of protesting, which wasn't his obvious intent.

those other crews were endangering and harassing whales. there are less violent and less bloody ways to do whale research.

Psiload 15th May 2012 06:13 AM

They lost me when they started going after tuna fishermen.

Tuna? Really?

NoahFence 15th May 2012 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Careyp74 (Post 8287115)
I think the news article pretty much explains it. He was using his boat to cut off and harass other boats, putting the other crews in danger. This is very dangerous. There are more peaceful ways of protesting, which wasn't his obvious intent.

And those peaceful ways are working soooo well.

:boggled:

I support Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd 100%.

DC 15th May 2012 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psiload (Post 8287157)
They lost me when they started going after tuna fishermen.

Tuna? Really?

Bluefin tuna?

Seismosaurus 15th May 2012 07:40 AM

Heh, this guy singlehanded turned me into a supporter of the whaling business with his TV show.

casebro 15th May 2012 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin_Lowe (Post 8287120)
If they don't want to be in danger they could always not kill whales. It's not like it serves any useful scientific or economic purpose.

It's a multi million dollar slice of the Japanese economy.

And the whale harvest is well within the sustainable yield, so it isn't harmful to the ecology. Tuna, I'm not so sure.

WildCat 15th May 2012 08:35 AM

I can't believe it took this long. Don't you need to be licensed to be a ship captain? If so, how the hell does this assclown keep his?

Chris_Halkides 15th May 2012 08:46 AM

shorn bow
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Careyp74 (Post 8287115)
I think the news article pretty much explains it. He was using his boat to cut off and harass other boats, putting the other crews in danger. This is very dangerous. There are more peaceful ways of protesting, which wasn't his obvious intent.

It sounds as if this canal runs both ways. Link. "Bethune was at the helm of the Sea Shepherd boat when its bow was shorn off by Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru 2 in waters off the frozen continent in January." I am not sure what transpired before this.

Primus 15th May 2012 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by halides1 (Post 8287578)
It sounds as if this canal runs both ways. Link. "Bethune was at the helm of the Sea Shepherd boat when its bow was shorn off by Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru 2 in waters off the frozen continent in January." I am not sure what transpired before this.

You can watch the video here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/9069635.stm

Those big boats don't brake very quickly if you dart a much smaller craft in it's way.

Macgyver1968 15th May 2012 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eddie Dane (Post 8287107)
Enlighten me.
What is causing people to have such a low opinion of this man?

I've only seen one of those Whale Wars episodes.
His ship stalking a Japanese whaler and trying to get between them and the whale.

I don't like fanatical enviro weenies.
But I'm on the fence about protecting whales from the Japanese consumer.
Can't they just get their fish from a frigging fish farm and make their kick-ass cameras and bondage porn in peace?

I'll be happy to enlighten you on why I personally hate Sea Shepard and Paul Watson. For one thing...they are vigilantes...they take the law into their own hands..rather than letting the appropriate authorities deal with it. They also engage in extremely dangerous behavior that puts not only their own crew, but the crew of other ships at risk. Here's a video of them ramming another ship:

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.
I AGREE

This was not an accident...it was an intentional act. They could have easily knocked a hole in the other ship's hull, causing it's sinking...and possibly causing the death of some or all of it's crew.


Here's another one where they ram a tuna cage, and injure two fisherman:

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.
I AGREE


They are quite proud of destruction they cause... Here's a photo of the side of their ship where they brag about the number of vessels they have sunk, in the same way fighter pilots display their kills on the sides of their aircraft :

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/46946106/seashepherd.jpg

They are a dangerously reckless group of Eco-terrorists...and it's miracle they haven't killed someone yet.

Weak Kitten 15th May 2012 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Primus (Post 8287106)
Reminds me of PETA a bit as they're another group people despise despite fundamentally being against animal cruelty.

I've always found it telling that representatives of the American Humane Society have been quoted speaking out against PETA. When the organization that actually DOES protect animals thinks you are a bunch of useless freaks you have a problem.

When was the last time you heard of PETA working together with law enforcement to shut down a dog-fighting ring? Or rescue all the dogs from a puppy mill? No, sorry, that's the Humane Society. They know how to actually get things done.

NoahFence 15th May 2012 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by casebro (Post 8287492)
It's a multi million dollar slice of the Japanese economy.

And the whale harvest is well within the sustainable yield, so it isn't harmful to the ecology. Tuna, I'm not so sure.

They're doing it in a protected wildlife sanctuary.

It's illegal.

NoahFence 15th May 2012 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by halides1 (Post 8287578)
It sounds as if this canal runs both ways. Link. "Bethune was at the helm of the Sea Shepherd boat when its bow was shorn off by Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru 2 in waters off the frozen continent in January." I am not sure what transpired before this.

Bethune and the Ady Gil weren't even moving. The Shonan Maru 2 changed course to deliberately attempt murder. That can't even be debated for crying out loud.

NoahFence 15th May 2012 10:03 AM

Quote:

...they are vigilantes...they take the law into their own hands..rather than letting the appropriate authorities deal with it
That's the problem. The "appropriate authorities" DO NOTHING.

Careyp74 15th May 2012 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by halides1 (Post 8287578)
It sounds as if this canal runs both ways. Link. "Bethune was at the helm of the Sea Shepherd boat when its bow was shorn off by Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru 2 in waters off the frozen continent in January." I am not sure what transpired before this.

Rules of navigation apply here. Smaller vessels with easier maneuverability need to yield to bigger vessels when both are under power (using engines, not wind).

Careyp74 15th May 2012 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoahFence (Post 8287866)
Bethune and the Ady Gil weren't even moving. The Shonan Maru 2 changed course to deliberately attempt murder. That can't even be debated for crying out loud.

That is a pretty nice wake for not being moving.

Macgyver1968 15th May 2012 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoahFence (Post 8287866)
Bethune and the Ady Gil weren't even moving. The Shonan Maru 2 changed course to deliberately attempt murder. That can't even be debated for crying out loud.

Really? Let's look at the video:

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.
I AGREE


Look at the back of the Ady Gill from the beginning of the video to around 07 second mark. Virtually no prop wash, and the Japanese boat is well to the left of their vessel. Then look what happens around the 14-15 second mark. The prop wash dramatically increases, and the boat begins to move forward...right into the path of the Japanese vessel.

NoahFence 15th May 2012 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Careyp74 (Post 8287903)
That is a pretty nice wake for not being moving.

What wake are you referring to? They're idling - then the Japanese whaling vessel turns right into them. Only then do you see the Ady Gil try to get out of the way. This can't be interpreted any other way!

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.
I AGREE



I guess we need another view....

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.
I AGREE


It's pretty clear that whaling ship turned right into the Ady Gil.

TimCallahan 15th May 2012 10:30 AM

Whatever happened to jojoba oil? It was supposed to be a superior alternative to whale oil? I also wonder that bioengineering can't be sued to create a plant-based oil superior to whale oil. Destroy the market for whale oil, and whaling should be greatly reduced.

Macgyver1968 15th May 2012 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoahFence (Post 8287957)
It's pretty clear that whaling ship turned right into the Ady Gil.

It's also pretty clear that the Ady Gil was moving forward.

This is what an intentional ramming looks like:

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.
I AGREE

NoahFence 15th May 2012 10:44 AM

For some reason I can't open that last video you posted.

And yes, the Ady Gil was moving, about as fast as my cat can walk. There is NO DOUBT that the whaling vessel rammed the Ady Gil on purpose. None. For crying out loud, they turned so sharply the damn thing almost went horizontal!

Noztradamus 15th May 2012 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoahFence (Post 8287957)
What wake are you referring to? They're idling - then the Japanese whaling vessel turns right into them. Only then do you see the Ady Gil try to get out of the way. This can't be interpreted any other way!

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.
I AGREE



I guess we need another view....

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.
I AGREE


It's pretty clear that whaling ship turned right into the Ady Gil.

That's not how ships turn. When large ship changes course, the bow stays right where it is and the rudder forces the stern in the opposite direction of the intended turn.

For Ady Gil to go under the bow, it had to move forward. Suicide by whaling ship.

Careyp74 15th May 2012 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoahFence (Post 8287957)
What wake are you referring to? They're idling - then the Japanese whaling vessel turns right into them. Only then do you see the Ady Gil try to get out of the way. This can't be interpreted any other way!

You are correct, the video I saw started too late and the boat moving was from being dragged.

I do know that the accepted maneuver for two boats under power avoiding head on collision, or against another boat you are on the port side of, is a starboard turn, the former situation resulting in a port to port passage, the latter opening up your closest point of which is what was performed. If the small boat wants to confuse a large vessel and stop directly in it's way, it should expect to get rammed. Had they been of the same class of ship or boat, the whaler would have had to yield.

NoahFence 15th May 2012 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noztradamus (Post 8288028)
That's not how ships turn. When large ship changes course, the bow stays right where it is and the rudder forces the stern in the opposite direction of the intended turn.

For Ady Gil to go under the bow, it had to move forward. Suicide by whaling ship.

OK, so you're saying that the Harpoon ship (Built for speed and maneuverability BTW) didn't turn into the Ady Gil at all?

NoahFence 15th May 2012 11:02 AM

Lets see the look of evil on the face of the dastardly Pete Bethune, as he steers his own ship into the gaping maw of the unsuspecting Japanese whalers:



That is the face of a man intent on doing something deadly to himself and his crew, eh?

OR

It could have been the look of a guy relaxing after taking on fuel from the Bob Barker, about 10 seconds before the biggest WTF moment of his life.

Chris_Halkides 15th May 2012 11:05 AM

both to blame
 
Link here:

The director of Maritime New Zealand, Catherine Taylor, said the Japanese skipper initially had responsibility for keeping his vessel clear of the Ady Gil as the overtaking vessel.

"He had ample opportunity to avoid the close quarters situation that subsequently developed, but failed to do so," she said. He also "failed to take positive and ample action to avoid colliding with Ady Gil".

But once the vessels were at close quarters, the captain of the Ady Gil "failed to respond by taking appropriate evasive action – choosing instead to maintain his course and speed, which allowed the close quarters situation to develop into a collision risk", Taylor said.

NoahFence 15th May 2012 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by halides1 (Post 8288075)
Link here:

The director of Maritime New Zealand, Catherine Taylor, said the Japanese skipper initially had responsibility for keeping his vessel clear of the Ady Gil as the overtaking vessel.

"He had ample opportunity to avoid the close quarters situation that subsequently developed, but failed to do so," she said. He also "failed to take positive and ample action to avoid colliding with Ady Gil".

But once the vessels were at close quarters, the captain of the Ady Gil "failed to respond by taking appropriate evasive action – choosing instead to maintain his course and speed, which allowed the close quarters situation to develop into a collision risk", Taylor said.

And that's the evidence of "authorities" not doing a damn thing. They're afraid of Japan. The crew of the Ady Gil was resting on the outside of the ship - it wasn't a matter of maintaing their course and speed. They were just sitting there. The video doesn't lie. The video taken from the Ady Gil shows this quite clearly.

Checkmite 15th May 2012 11:14 AM

I'll be happy if this loser gets thrown in jail - the longer the happier.

I'm glad he's at least apparently decided to shift his fleet to these smaller boats; his using that bigger ship to ram whalers and tuna fishermen was a serious threat to life and limb and the maniac clearly doesn't belong behind the wheel of any vessel.

Marduk 15th May 2012 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eddie Dane (Post 8287107)
Enlighten me.
What is causing people to have such a low opinion of this man?

despite wether you're pro whaling or against it, Paul Watson is apparently a horrible person, thats why people have a low opinion of him, people didn't have such a low opinion before his antics were televised. He's a media whore who faked being shot to boost ratings for a season finale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Wa...leged_shooting

Macgyver1968 15th May 2012 11:19 AM

So..Noah...how does Sea Shepherd justify acts like this?

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.
I AGREE


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:44 PM.

Powered by vBulletin. Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
© 2015-24, TribeTech AB. All Rights Reserved.