End Japan's illegal whaling and FREE CAPTAIN PAUL WATSON!

2

Comments

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    edited September 2024
    Watch and see why there is no legal right for Captain Paul Watson being detained.  Injustice going on here, pure and simple.


    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    Hey Brian,

    I thought you’d like to know that Ed came out and spoke to the crowd about the arrest of Paul Watson and urged everyone to speak up and write to the Danish government. 
    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Hey Brian,

    I thought you’d like to know that Ed came out and spoke to the crowd about the arrest of Paul Watson and urged everyone to speak up and write to the Danish government. 

    Oh does that ever make my heart happy!

    :hug:
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni



  • this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
  • Talking about how majestic whales are and how they should not be killed. While at the same time de facto only selling tortured and killed animals at the festival and having next to nothing vegetarian and nothing vegan available. Surprisingly small minded by Eddie. I just rolled my eyes at what a narrow view he obviously has on the subject. 
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    edited October 2024
    Way to go Ed!  Thank you so much for posting this, Rob!
    Talking about how majestic whales are and how they should not be killed. While at the same time de facto only selling tortured and killed animals at the festival and having next to nothing vegetarian and nothing vegan available. Surprisingly small minded by Eddie. I just rolled my eyes at what a narrow view he obviously has on the subject. 

    You're talking about two different subjects.  One is protecting whales and ocean life that are endangered, and the other, your passionate advocacy for people to become vegan/ vegetarian.  Two different topics.  I honor your beliefs for your cause, but do not appreciate you thread crapping here.  Please take it somewhere else.  Thank you.
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    A hopeful message from Captain Watson:


    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    The latest letter from Captain Paul Watson.

    Please consider writing a letter of support.  Many, many people are showing support for Captain Watson including Eddie Vedder and Anthony Kiedis!  THANK YOU!

    "Justice Delayed is Justice Denied"

    Written by Captain Paul Watson inside Nuuk Prison

    October 2, 2024

     

    Today is my 73rd day of incarceration in Nuuk prison and it was my 4th appearance in the Greenland court. It was what I expected, the judge refused documentation and arguments from my defense team and ordered me detained for an additional 28 days. That means 91 days on a bogus accusation on a very minor offense from 14 years ago for something I did not participate in.

     

    It's a classic case of “Justice delayed is Justice denied”.

     

    The court has all the evidence, they have all the information needed to make a decision. It is clearly quite political.

     

    The judge sat the bench like a stone

    Evidence he denied to be shown

    The prosecutor scowled

    With contempt for the crowd

    Her bias reflected in her tone

     

    And so my friends it’s back to my cell with a view, where I can see the icebergs in the fjord and the occasional breach of a humpback whale to remind me why I am here.

     

    I can endure the time for however long it takes. My only concern, my only regret is separation from my wife and our two little boys. I am not here because I am a criminal. I am here for opposing a criminal enterprise with the most deadly of weapons – a camera.

     

    With our cameras we exposed the crimes of the Japanese whaling industry and in so doing, we embarrassed the proud nation of Japan, bringing their unlawful activities into the living rooms of millions of people around the world with our Animal Planet television show “Whale Wars”.

     

    Japanese whaling is not a criminal enterprise because I say so. It is a criminal operation for violating the 1986 International Whaling Commission’s Global Moratorium on Commercial Whaling. Japan’s argument of it being a research effort and non-commercial was shut down in 2014 by the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague. This ruled that slaughtering whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary was not research. It is commercial.

     

    The whalers went to sea you see,

    To see how many whales to kill, you see

    We caught them in the act

    An indisputable fact

    And drove them from the sea, you see

     

    In addition, the Japanese whalers deliberately rammed and destroyed a two million (US) dollar catamaran, broke the rib of an Animal Planet cameraman, pitching 6 crewmembers into the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean, refusing to rescue them. In the face of the documented violence, the whalers suffered no consequences. When the Greenlandic prosecutor claims that a single Japanese whaler suffered a blister on his cheek, from the chemical pepper spray from his own crew, something she describes as a crime of severity, it illustrates the almost comical absurdity of the charges.  

     

    What she claims is trespassing is captured on film showing Pete Bethune politely knocking on the wheelhouse door of the Shonan Maru, the door opens, he hands the Japanese captain a letter of complaint and a request for compensation for the ship they deliberately destroyed. The Japanese response was to kidnap captain Bethune and to transport him to Japan to charge him with trespassing, obstruction of business, and assault. He was interrogated daily until he confessed to the charges although he refused to confess to assault.

     

    It was only after a coerced confession was he brought before a judge where a deal was made. A suspended sentence in exchange for a statement that I ordered him to take these actions. He was then released and allowed to return home and a warrant was issued against me for conspiracy.

     

    After his release, Pete Bethune signed an affidavit stating he lied in exchange for the suspended sentence. His accusation was the sole evidence that Japan used against me, but despite the retraction by captain Bethune, the Japanese prosecutor refused to drop the charges against me.

     

    The whalers sliced his boat in two

    Our cameras have proved this true

    Pete Bethune was kidnapped

    The evidence was scrapped

    By the criminal whaling crew

     

    What makes my incarceration bearable is the tremendous worldwide support I am receiving. Hundreds of thousands of names signing petitions for my release. So many demonstrations in hundreds of places around the globe, thousands of calls to the Danish Embassies and Consulates, the support of world leaders like President Macron of France and President Lula of Brazil, numerous celebrities, concerts held on my behalf. Such an incredible outpouring of love and support all brought together by our collective love and respect for whales and dolphins, diversity and interdependence of all life in the sea and on land.

     

    The enemy has been clearly identified

    Five thousand people from many a state

    Protesting with actions, petitions and art

    All united in opposing cetacide

    It’s compassion we seek to instigate

    Fired by courage born deep in the heart.

     

    I am so very grateful for the 2,300 letters I have received in prison from over 30 countries. I am especially grateful and very much touched by the hundreds of letters from children, many accompanied with drawings of whales or poems.

     

    Every poem, every drawing of a whale

    Sent by children from around the Ocean

    Delivered here behind this prison wall

    Provides a storm of hope to fill my soul

    Unleashing a tsunami of emotion

    From across the blue shroud I hear them call.

     

    I am in this prison cell for another four weeks, so please continue to raise your voices. It means a great deal and it is effective. Please continue to contact Danish Embassies and Consulates. And please continue to send me your letters, drawings and poems. The prison guards tell me they have never seen anyone receive so much mail and your letters very much reflect the level of support. It also keeps me busy because I read every piece of mail. I try to answer as many as I can although it has been difficult because I am still recovering from the handcuff injury to my writing hand (my left hand). However, when I am released, I will answer every letter with a certificate of appreciation for your support. You all give me strength.

     

    A very special thank you to Lamya Essemlali, the President of Sea Shepherd France, to Elodie, and Christelle for making the numerous trips from France to Nuuk, Greenland. They have been with me for every court appearance. Thank you also to Nathalie Gil, the President of Sea Shepherd Brazil, who made the long trip from Brazil to attend one of my appearances. Thank you to Rod Marining, who along with myself was a co-founder of Greenpeace. He journeyed all the way from Vancouver to visit me. Thanks also for the visits from Omar Todd, Kylie Herd, and Rob Read from the Captain Paul Watson Foundation for making the long trip to visit me. Thanks to Locky MacLean and Dior for visiting me and the crew of the John Paul DeJoria for attending my first court appearance. Thanks to Vakita from France, Nat Geo from the USA, and other film crews from Denmark, France, and the UK for visiting and interviewing me in this prison.

     

    My Nordic jail cell has an amazing view,

    Of the wild wide fjord that lies before me

    Studded with jagged bergy bits of ice

    Where great whales breach upon the Ocean blue

    Happy and free in the Greenlandic sea

    A wondrous site worthy of sacrifice.

     

    Captain Paul Watson

    Nuuk Prison, Greenland

    To send letters to Paul in prison, please address them to:

    Anstalten Prison
    c/o Paul Watson
    Nuuk, Greenland 
    DK-3900

    Click here to sign the Peition

    Click here for other ways to help #freepaulwatson

    THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT


    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Hey there, my P.J. friends,
    Please consider sending a quick email to Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard (email in note below) asking for the release of Captain Paul Watson.  Also, please consider writing an encouraging letter to Captain Watson at the address in the note below.  The Captain is almost the same age I am (he is 4 months older than me) and I cannot fathom what it would be like to be imprisoned in a foreign country for efforts to stop illegal whaling.  Watson has never killed or injured any illegal whaling crew. He only fights to safe protected ocean wildlife.

    Thanks, folks.

    Here's the latest memo:

    Once again, Judge Lars-Christian Sinkbæk has extended Paul Watson's detention by an additional three weeks, postponing his next hearing until November 13, 2024. This delay only prolongs the injustice he faces!

    "Today we argued that the case is being expedited too slowly. The time Paul Watson has spent in detention since July is completely disproportionate, even if he had committed the acts he's accused of, which he has not. He has effectively already served the equivalent of a sentence.” - Finn Meinel, Paul Watson Defense.

    Captain Watson has dedicated over 50 years to protecting our oceans and marine life, yet he remains in detention while Denmark and Japan continue to deny him justice.

    YOUR support is essential in preventing Paul's extradition! It is imperative to convey to global leaders that we will not remain passive spectators while Japan and Denmark unjustly incarcerate Ocean Defender, Paul Watson.

    Please continue to email the Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard and ask for the immediate release of Captain Watson
    Phone: +45 7226 8400
    Mail: jm@jm.dk

    Tag Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen on your social posts @mette

    Use the hashtag #FREEPAULWATSON on all social media posts

    Sign the Petition by clicking here

    Coordinate protests, contact celebrities, contact your local governments, and share this message with everyone you know. Thank you for all of your efforts!

    Write to Paul in Prison
    Anstalten Prison
    C/O Paul Watson
    Nuuk, Greenland
    DK-3900

    For the Oceans, For Justice -

    The Captain Paul Watson Foundation



    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Brisk.
    Brisk. Posts: 11,578
    Always funny people advocating for animal welfare when they go home and tuck into a pig, cow or chicken etc.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Show your support (not your trolling):

    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    I find it disappointing that there has been little response to this subject in general.  Granted, there are obviously other majorly important issues going on right now, but I find it  disappointing that this issue has being mostly ignored here.  It matters enough for Eddie Vedder to make a plea to support Captain Watson.  It also matters enough for people including Anthony Kiedis, Moby, Michael Franti, Bryan Adams, Pierce Brosnan, James Cameron, Dr. Jane Goodall, and French President Emmanuel Macron to all have recently been outspoken in the defense of Cpt Paul Watson.  And yet so little support shown here.  
    And on top of that, apparently I'm not going to get a response to my request that this thread not be trolled.  A forum member has the nerve to come on here and disparage people who are supporting this issue, and has been allowed to do that.  I will point out the obvious:  that is a flagrant violation of the forum rule regarding talking about the subject, not the each other.



    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Get_Right
    Get_Right Posts: 14,130
    Since I seem to be the board pariah today, I will chime in on this. Two wrongs do not make a right. It is no secret that Japan tests the limits of what is legal with regard to whaling. But I do not support independant enforcement of such grey areas being imposed upon Japan. I am biased, as many of you know, my wife is Japanese and it is a strong part of my life and household. The bigger question is why would anyone want to eat whale, it is simply not good. @brianlux I think you hit the nail on the head with the tradition discussion. They do it because that is the way it has been.

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    edited October 2024
    Get_Right said:
    Since I seem to be the board pariah today, I will chime in on this. Two wrongs do not make a right. It is no secret that Japan tests the limits of what is legal with regard to whaling. But I do not support independant enforcement of such grey areas being imposed upon Japan. I am biased, as many of you know, my wife is Japanese and it is a strong part of my life and household. The bigger question is why would anyone want to eat whale, it is simply not good. @brianlux I think you hit the nail on the head with the tradition discussion. They do it because that is the way it has been.


    The problem here is that without the independent enforcement of international law against whaling by organizations like the Paul Watson Foundation (and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society previous to their being infiltrated, usurped and rendered ineffectual) , no one else is doing it.  
    And I don't see how this is a "grey area".  There are no "two wrongs" here.  Cpt Watson, and those who work with him, not only protect endangered whale species, they protect ocean life and the health of the oceans in general.  The first line of defense for the health of the planet lies with the oceans. Although this is a somewhat over-simplified statement regarding a complex array of environmental systems, life begins and ends with the oceans.  All major forms of life depend on the oceans.  If life in the oceans degrades to too great a degree, all major forms of life on earth will perish.  True, given several millennium, life would probably return.  But why would we allow some peoples "traditions" to imperil such a great amount of life on this planet?  That is illogical.
    And look, I have no bias against Japanese people. My first "significant other" was Japanese.  I only have a bias against those who engage in practices that endanger the well being of the planet. 
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Spiritual_Chaos
    Spiritual_Chaos Posts: 31,481
    edited October 2024
    brianlux said:
    Way to go Ed!  Thank you so much for posting this, Rob!
    Talking about how majestic whales are and how they should not be killed. While at the same time de facto only selling tortured and killed animals at the festival and having next to nothing vegetarian and nothing vegan available. Surprisingly small minded by Eddie. I just rolled my eyes at what a narrow view he obviously has on the subject. 

    You're talking about two different subjects.  One is protecting whales and ocean life that are endangered, and the other, your passionate advocacy for people to become vegan/ vegetarian.  Two different topics.  I honor your beliefs for your cause, but do not appreciate you thread crapping here.  Please take it somewhere else.  Thank you.
    No. I am talking about the same thing

    Be less small minded. You and Eddie
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • Get_Right
    Get_Right Posts: 14,130
    brianlux said:
    Get_Right said:
    Since I seem to be the board pariah today, I will chime in on this. Two wrongs do not make a right. It is no secret that Japan tests the limits of what is legal with regard to whaling. But I do not support independant enforcement of such grey areas being imposed upon Japan. I am biased, as many of you know, my wife is Japanese and it is a strong part of my life and household. The bigger question is why would anyone want to eat whale, it is simply not good. @brianlux I think you hit the nail on the head with the tradition discussion. They do it because that is the way it has been.


    The problem here is that without the independent enforcement of international law against whaling by organizations like the Paul Watson Foundation (and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society previous to their being infiltrated, usurped and rendered ineffectual) , no one else is doing it.  
    And I don't see how this is a "grey area".  There are no "two wrongs" here.  Cpt Watson, and those who work with him, not only protect endangered whale species, they protect ocean life and the health of the oceans in general.  The first line of defense for the health of the planet lies with the oceans. Although this is a somewhat over-simplified statement regarding a complex array of environmental systems, life begins and ends with the oceans.  All major forms of life depend on the oceans.  If life in the oceans degrades to too great a degree, all major forms of life on earth will perish.  True, given several millennium, life would probably return.  But why would we allow some peoples "traditions" to imperil such a great amount of life on this planet?  That is illogical.
    And look, I have no bias against Japanese people. My first "significant other" was Japanese.  I only have a bias against those who engage in practices that endanger the well being of the planet. 

    I do not need to be sold on the importance of healthier oceans. I am aware and agree. It is grey because it is analogous to vigilante enforcement of rules based on interpretation of one entity vs. the next. It is not up to the Sea Shepard to enforce international maritime rules. I am not even sure who is. 
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Why Save Whales?
    Commentary by Captain Paul Watson
    Saving the whales means saving ourselves.
    We humans breeze through our lives mostly oblivious to the fact that there is a life support system on this spaceship we call Earth.
    And that life support system is maintained by a crew of diverse species ranging from bacteria to phytoplankton to fish to worms to bees to trees and toe whales and millions of other species.
    These are the crew of spaceship Earth. We humans are merely passengers having a wonderful time entertaining ourselves.
    But we are also criminals in that we are murdering the crew and the more we kill, the more fragile the life support system becomes.
    Whales for example nurture phytoplankton and phytoplankton provides over 50% of the oxygen we all breathe. Since 1950 there has been a 40% diminishment in phytoplankton populations because of the massive slaughter of marine life over the last century.
    When the whales are diminished, the phytoplankton are diminished and when the phytoplankton is diminished, life in the Ocean is diminished and when the Ocean is diminished, humanity id diminished.
    And if the Ocean dies, we all die.
    This is the reality - not that most people care.
    It's difficult to have empathy for other species and an understanding of the laws of ecology when we create a fantasy reality to justify our perceived superiority.
    That fantasy is called Anthropocentrism.



    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Get_Right
    Get_Right Posts: 14,130
    brianlux said:
    Why Save Whales?
    Commentary by Captain Paul Watson
    Saving the whales means saving ourselves.
    We humans breeze through our lives mostly oblivious to the fact that there is a life support system on this spaceship we call Earth.
    And that life support system is maintained by a crew of diverse species ranging from bacteria to phytoplankton to fish to worms to bees to trees and toe whales and millions of other species.
    These are the crew of spaceship Earth. We humans are merely passengers having a wonderful time entertaining ourselves.
    But we are also criminals in that we are murdering the crew and the more we kill, the more fragile the life support system becomes.
    Whales for example nurture phytoplankton and phytoplankton provides over 50% of the oxygen we all breathe. Since 1950 there has been a 40% diminishment in phytoplankton populations because of the massive slaughter of marine life over the last century.
    When the whales are diminished, the phytoplankton are diminished and when the phytoplankton is diminished, life in the Ocean is diminished and when the Ocean is diminished, humanity id diminished.
    And if the Ocean dies, we all die.
    This is the reality - not that most people care.
    It's difficult to have empathy for other species and an understanding of the laws of ecology when we create a fantasy reality to justify our perceived superiority.
    That fantasy is called Anthropocentrism.




    I agree with all of that. Just not enforcement by unauthorized civilians.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    edited October 2024
    Another point that should be made here is that traditions change and/or become passe and go away.  We no longer burn heretics at the stake.
    Using tradition today to hunt and kill whales makes no sense:

    In modern times, whale meat is rarely eaten in Japan. A 2005 poll commissioned by Greenpeace and conducted by the Nippon research Centre found that 95% of Japanese people very rarely or never eat whale meat

    I have read (but can't find the link off-hand) that those numbers have grown.  It's just not a thing anymore.
    Post edited by brianlux on
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Get_Right said:
    brianlux said:
    Why Save Whales?
    Commentary by Captain Paul Watson
    Saving the whales means saving ourselves.
    We humans breeze through our lives mostly oblivious to the fact that there is a life support system on this spaceship we call Earth.
    And that life support system is maintained by a crew of diverse species ranging from bacteria to phytoplankton to fish to worms to bees to trees and toe whales and millions of other species.
    These are the crew of spaceship Earth. We humans are merely passengers having a wonderful time entertaining ourselves.
    But we are also criminals in that we are murdering the crew and the more we kill, the more fragile the life support system becomes.
    Whales for example nurture phytoplankton and phytoplankton provides over 50% of the oxygen we all breathe. Since 1950 there has been a 40% diminishment in phytoplankton populations because of the massive slaughter of marine life over the last century.
    When the whales are diminished, the phytoplankton are diminished and when the phytoplankton is diminished, life in the Ocean is diminished and when the Ocean is diminished, humanity id diminished.
    And if the Ocean dies, we all die.
    This is the reality - not that most people care.
    It's difficult to have empathy for other species and an understanding of the laws of ecology when we create a fantasy reality to justify our perceived superiority.
    That fantasy is called Anthropocentrism.




    I agree with all of that. Just not enforcement by unauthorized civilians.

    Somebody has to do the job, Get_Right.  Even Greenpeace with all their supposed good intentions falls short.  Why?  Because to spend huge amounts of donated money on infrastructure and administrations.  Here's the Greenpeace headquarters:
    Germany Hamburg Elbarkaden Greenpeace headquarters Stock Photo - Alamy

    Paul Watson's Neptunes Navy utilizes all their resources for actions that protect wildlife.  Here's the current Paul Watson Foundation headquarters...
    Greenland court extends custody of Canadian anti-whaling campaigner Paul  Watson - The Globe and Mail

    ...and where it should be:
    About Us  Captain Paul Watson Foundation



    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni