RFK Jr and Sea Shepherd take cause to Supreme Court against Japanese whalers Environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., together with the conservation group Sea Shepherd, has asked the US Supreme Court to rescind an order that forces the group to stay away from Japan?s whalers. RFK Jr., the son and namesake of the slain political icon, has urged the United States to support the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The Sea Shepherd group and its fugitive founder Paul Watson have annually interfered with Japan?s controversial whale hunting in the Southern Ocean. A US court on December 17 issued an order for the activists to stay at least 500m away from the whaling vessels. The Southern Ocean has been designated as a whale sanctuary by The International Whaling Commission, but Japan has still continued hunting whales in the area through a loophole in a 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling that allows lethal research. RFK Jr. has called Japan?s government-supported Institute for Cetacean Research, the group that runs the whaling program, ?a pirate organization masquerading as a scientific research group.? RFK Jr. stressed the importance of supporting Sea Shepherd, stating that their environmental cause is ?a mission that only they are capable of accomplishing and that is absolutely vital to the enforcement of international agreements on the high seas which otherwise go unenforced.? Japan, which has remained unapologetic that the whale meat ends up on dinner plates, accuses other Western nations that have cried foul of disrespecting its cultural traditions. February 7, 2013 Sea Shepherd Severs Fuel Supply to the Whaling Fleet MELBOURNE, Australia ? This morning at 0630 AEDT Sea Shepherd Australia?s ship, the SSS Sam Simon, found the refuelling tanker for the Japanese whaling fleet, the Panamanian registered and Korean-owned vessel Sun Laurel, 1,250 miles South of Albany, Australia (at 55 Degrees 41 Minutes South and 119 Degrees and 08 Minutes East). The Sea Shepherd ship SSS Steve Irwin has changed course to meet up with the Sam Simon and plans to block access to the tanker by any illegal whaling ships attempting to refuel. The Sun Laurel refuels the Nisshin Maru several times during the whaling season. By intercepting the Sun Laurel, the Sam Simon has literally cut off the fuel supply to the whaling fleet with the potential of forcing the whalers to cut their season short. Director of Sea Shepherd Australia, Jeff Hansen, has made the following comment: "A massive blow has been dealt today to these illegal whale poachers from Japan. To have an Australian registered vessel, the country whose federal laws these poachers are in contempt of, shut down their fuel supply is a crippling result. What?s more, the Sam Simon was once part of Japans? research program, so to have one of their own vessels turned against them must be a psychological blow. It?s time to rein in your fleet Japan and head back to Tokyo." The SSS Bob Barker continues to pursue the factory ship, the Nisshin Maru. "The whale butchering ship Nisshin Maru can run, but it cannot hide. With an aerial fleet of drones and a helicopter assisting our fleet, we can continue to track, chase and disrupt these poachers," said Captain Peter Hammarstedt, aboard the Bob Barker. Since Sea Shepherd intercepted the whaling fleet on January 29th, the whalers have scattered and fled westward. Based on the course of the Sun Laurel when it was located, it is believed that the Nisshin Maru has run for approximately 1,500 miles. This works out to an average of 200 miles per day, giving the whalers very little time to stop and kill whales. The harpoon vessel Yushin Maru No. 3 continues to be unable to kill whales, as it tails the Steve Irwin and reports the ship's position to a fleeing Nisshin Maru. ?This entire affair down here is like a giant game of battleship over hundreds of thousands of square nautical miles,? said Sam Simon Captain Luis Manuel Pinho, of Ocean Reef, Western Australia. ?There's blocking, intercepting, bluffing, manoeuvring for positions and advantages, cutting and maintaining supply lines, avoidances and precautions. The objective of the Japanese whalers is to kill the whales and our objective is to make sure they don?t.? Operation Zero Tolerance Co-Campaign Leader Bob Brown said, "The Sun Laurel was located just over 1,000 miles South of Albany. One must not forget that just over 30 years ago, Australia was a whaling nation and the last whale, a female sperm whale, was taken on 20th November 1978, off Albany. Now days, Australia is one of the most passionate defenders of whales in the world and I hope that one day soon, Japan can be seen as the same." Despite informing the Australian Government that their operations would be in the Ross Sea this season, the whaling fleet has spent the entire time in Australian Antarctic Territorial waters and in waters near Macquarie Island.
Posts made by year40
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Kennedy backs Sea Shepherd at US Supreme Court
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Military confrontation between Australia and Japan coming?
January 31, 2013 Armed Japanese Ship Ignores Australian Order to Leave Australian Waters The Japanese security ship Shonan Maru No. 2, with armed Japanese Coast Guard on board, has entered the Australian Economic Exclusion Zone around Macquarie Island at 1500 Hours AEST on January 31st, chasing Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's long-range ship, the SSS Bob Barker.The Australian government has officially notified the Japanese government to order the Shonan Maru No. 2 to remain outside of Australian waters. "Sea Shepherd Australia applauds the Federal Environment Minister, the Honourable Tony Burke, on his quick response to this matter. However the poachers have completely disregarded Australia?s request as an armed vessel of the Government of Japan continues to steam deeper into Australia?s waters in violation of the Australian Federal Court order,? said Sea Shepherd Australia Director Jeff Hansen. The Japanese whaling fleet has been in contempt of an Australian Federal Court order since 2008 that prohibits them from killing whales in Australian territorial waters. In spite of the ruling, the Institute for Cetacean Research announced that it intends to illegally kill nearly one thousand minke and fifty endangered fin whales during its 2012/2013 whale-hunting season. The Bob Barker set a course to Macquarie Island to lose the Shonan Maru No. 2, which is presently tailing them. Captain of the Bob Barker, Peter Hammarstedt, says: "The Shonan Maru No. 2 is an integral part of the Japanese whaling programme. On board are armed storm troopers from the Japan Coast Guard whose sole mission is to violently prevent my crew of whale defenders, many of whom are Australian citizens, from upholding Australian domestic law and international law protecting whales.? The SSS Steve Irwin is being tailed by the Yushin Maru No. 1. The SSS Brigitte Bardot has chased the Yushin Maru No. 3 some 300 miles to the South. Only the Yushin Maru No. 2 remains with the Nisshin Maru and both vessels are far north of the whaling area and running from the conservationist vessels. This now marks the first January on record that not a single whale was killed in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. January has always been the peak month for the whale killers. The Bob Barker found the Nisshin Maru on Tuesday, January 29th. Unfortunately heavy fog and rough seas allowed the Nisshin Maru to escape. With a Sea Shepherd ship in pursuit, the Nisshin Maru and the Yushin Maru No. 2 will not be able to stop to hunt whales. The Sea Shepherd ship, SSS Sam Simon, continues to pursue the Nisshin Maru, free of a tail and assisted by aerial drones performing search grids. Once the Bob Barker loses the tail of the Shonan Maru No. 2 they will return to the pursuit of the factory ship, Nisshin Maru. The objective is for all four Sea Shepherd ships to keep the whalers separated and on the run. This Sea Shepherd's ninth Antarctic Whale Defence Campaign, Operation Zero Tolerance, is currently on the mark for its goal of having this be a no kill year for the Japanese poachers.
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RE: Sea Shepherd visits London
Of course, the court ruling is being ignored. Full speed ahead. Japanese Whalers Fire Their First Shot of the Season ? at Sea Shepherd Commentary by Captain Paul Watson It looks like the Japanese whaling fleet is ready to rumble. They fired their opening shot today by having the United States 9th District Court issue an injunction against Sea Shepherd and Captain Paul Watson, specifically. The court order was a single page e-mail granting the injunction despite the fact that the preliminary injunction was denied in February 2012 by Judge Richard Jones in Seattle. In a completely unprecedented move, the preliminary injunction was granted by three judges on the 9th Circuit before a hearing has taken place and before the trial on this matter slated for September 2013. It is a complex situation whereby a United States Court is issuing an injunction against Dutch and Australian vessels carrying an international crew, operating out of Australia and New Zealand in international waters and the waters of the Australian Antarctic Economic Zone. In addition the Court has ignored the fact that the Japanese whalers are in contempt of a court order by the Australian Federal Court and the whaling takes place in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. What is the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society going to do? Sea Shepherd?s position is clear: Our ships, officers and crew are 100% committed to achieving a zero-kill quota on whales. This is Operation Zero Tolerance and 120 crewmembers from 26 different nations are prepared to risk their lives to defend endangered and protected whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Sea Shepherd is committed to defending the integrity of this internationally established sanctuary. What is the purpose of a whale sanctuary codified into international law if Japan can kill whales within its territorial waters while in contempt of the Australian Federal Court? We expect that the Japanese whaling fleet was waiting for this ruling before departing from Japan. They will find when they arrive that we will still be there guarding the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary with our ships and our lives. ?We will defend these whales as we have for the last eight years ? non-violently and legally,? said Captain Paul Watson.
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RE: Sea Shepherd visits London
Full speed ahead Capt. Watson! Agence-France Presse ? Wed, Dec 5, 2012 4:49 PM NZDT Militant conservationist Paul Watson, who is wanted by Interpol, has confirmed he is back onboard a Sea Shepherd vessel and ready to confront Japanese whalers. The Canadian's whereabouts had been a mystery since July when he jumped bail in Germany, where he was arrested on charges stemming from a high-seas confrontation over shark finning in 2002. Sea Shepherd had said the white-bearded captain would be involved in this season's campaign against Japan's whaling operations and he confirmed in a statement that he was back in charge. "The deck of the Steve Irwin is again under my feet," Watson said late Tuesday. "I have an awesome crew and our ship is on course for Antarctica." Sea Shepherd, whose vessels harass the Japanese whaling fleet to prevent them slaughtering whales, had previously said its ships would journey north to head off the harpoonists before they reached Antarctica. "Apparently they believed it," Watson said. "Their coastguard mobilised and they went to a great deal of expense and effort to sneak quietly out of port. "Of course we had no intention of heading north at all. We are waiting for them in the south, but before they reach the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary." The Steve Irwin, Sea Shepherd's flagship, left its Melbourne dock on November 5. It is not known where Watson boarded the vessel. Takaaki Sakamoto, an official at Japan's fisheries agency, said: "We will discuss with relevant ministries how Japan will react to Watson's being on board." He declined to disclose information on the whereabouts of Japan's whaling ships, citing fears of attacks by Sea Shepherd. Watson, who for years has harassed Japan's whale hunt, was arrested in Germany in May for extradition to Costa Rica over the shark finning incident in 2002. He says the charges are politically motivated, driven by Tokyo. He said it had been a long, four-month journey from Germany. "Across two oceans and countless rivers, over three mountain ranges, across a desert, over lakes, and through dozens of cities and towns," he said. "A trifle inconvenient without a passport or any form of identification and all the more difficult without credit cards or access to ATM machines, without access to the Internet or even a cellphone." Sea Shepherd's ninth campaign, named Operation Zero Tolerance, is its largest against Japan's whale hunt and involves four ships, a helicopter, three drones and more than 100 crew members. Three of the vessels, the Steve Irwin, Bob Barker and Brigitte Bardot, are all at sea while the Sam Simon is at an undisclosed location. Confrontations between the whalers and activists have escalated in recent years and the Japanese cut their hunt short in early 2011 due to Sea Shepherd harassment. Japan hunts whales using a loophole in a global moratorium that allows killing the sea mammals for what it calls "scientific research", although the meat is later sold openly in shops and restaurants. Watson said he believed that Japan would one day move to protecting whales and he hoped this would be the last year Sea Shepherd makes the "long, expensive and dangerous voyage" to the Southern Ocean. "But we will return again next year and the year after that, and every year thereafter until the whale killing is ended," he said. Paul Watson, Canadian founder and president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, attends a demonstration in Berlin in May 2012. Watson, who is wanted by Interpol, has confirmed he is back onboard a Sea Shepherd vessel and ready to confront Japanese whalers. File photo of the Sea Shepherd ship 'Steve Irwin' is shown in Melbourne. The ship left Melbourne on November 5 to join Sea Shepherd's ninth campaign, named Operation Zero Tolerance. The new operation is its largest against Japan's whale hunt. The Interpol website shows a computer-generated image of fugitive eco-warrior Paul Watson, the founder of marine conservation group Sea Shepherd. Watson, who for years has harassed Japan's whale hunt, was arrested in Germany in May for extradition to Costa Rica over the shark finning incident in 2002. He says the charges are politically motivated, driven by Tokyo.
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RE: Paul, BC Place, Vancouver, November 25th - ARCHIVE
<Just realized... Will this be the first time he has done 2 back to back nights of Mull of Kintyre, let alone 3 times on one leg? McCartney history for ya, folks...> I don't get it? Back to back nights?
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RE: Paul, BC Place, Vancouver, November 25th - ARCHIVE
nanorama:
The tour guide I had yesterday said the city population is only about 90,000, my small town @ home is 300,000..
Hardly. Metro Vancouver is 2.3 million people. It is an amazing city. Everybody thinks they want to move there. But Canada won't let you move in unless you're bringing at least C$350,ooo.
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RE: NYC, NY - MSG - 12.12.12 Sandy Relief Benefit - ARCHIVE
Also, dump the iHeartRadio app, which is owned by Clear Channel.
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RE: NYC, NY - MSG - 12.12.12 Sandy Relief Benefit - ARCHIVE
Clear Channel is a right-wing Republican corporation owned by Mitt Romney's Bain Capital. They are currently shutting down progressive radio programming on their stations across the US in retaliation for Romney's drubbing. I will have nothing to do with anything affiliated with Clear Channel.
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RE: The 2012 and beyond Political Thread - Part 2
Clear Channel is a right-wing Republican corporation owned by Mitt Romney's Bain Capital. They are currently shutting down progressive radio programming on their stations across the US in retaliation for Romney's drubbing. I will have nothing to do with anything affiliated with Clear Channel.
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RE: Paul, Rexall Place, EDMONTON, AB, November 29th - ARCHIVE
Whew. Gonna be 3F (-16C) this Saturday night. That's cold.
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RE: Paul Supports Obama
Interesting to read all the reactions on your Facebook.
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RE: Paul, BC Place, Vancouver, November 25th - ARCHIVE
Vancouver Sun listed it as sold out last weekend. Maccareport.com doesn't. They might open some of those limited view sections next to the stage later.
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RE: Paul, BC Place, Vancouver, November 25th - ARCHIVE
This show is sold out. Don't know why some aren't calling it that.
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RE: Paul, Scottrade Center, St. Louis, November 11th - ARCHIVE
bmusicl2:
San Diego really? Are you just speculating?
Isn't everything speculation? I speculate a horseshoe loop from Houston to St Louis to Minneapolis west across Canada then maybe finishing in SoCal. He only did 2 Hollywood Bowl shows in 2010, nowhere near the # of seats sold in New York the past few years. SoCal is warm in December, ideal for a stadium concert.
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RE: Paul, BC Place, Vancouver, November 25th - ARCHIVE
Assuming no concerts are added for Seattle/Portland, anyone wanting to go to Vancouver, remember you need a US passport card for ground travel in and out of Canada, and a full passport for air travel.
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RE: Paul, Scottrade Center, St. Louis, November 11th - ARCHIVE
Everyone making travel plans, keep in mind a few more cities will likely be added. It would be nice if that happened before already-announced tickets go on sale. I still think Minneapolis will be added. Even LA/San Diego, which have been way under-served in the past few years....