Protesters in contempt of court for anti-whaling campaign

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By PAUL ELIAS

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Radical environmentalists who threw acid and smoke bombs at Japanese whalers were found in contempt of court Friday for continuing their relentless campaign to disrupt the annual whale hunt off the waters of Antarctica.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a commissioner to determine how much Paul Watson and members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society he founded owe Japanese whalers for lawyer fees, damage to their ships and for violating the court order to stop their dangerous protests.

The Japanese whalers are demanding $2 million in addition to their attorney fees and damage and cost to their ships for warding off the protests.

The environmentalists' exploits have been documented on the long-running Animal Planet reality TV series "Whale Wars." Calls and emails to the Sea Shepherd U.S. office and its lawyer were not returned Friday.

FULL story at link.



File - This Nov. 6, 2013 file photo shows anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, center, founder of the Oregon-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, as he listens during a contempt of court hearing in federal court in Seattle. Radical environmentalists have been found in contempt of court for failing to heed an order to halt their relentless campaign to disrupt the annual whale hunt off the waters of Antarctica. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday, Dec. 19, 2014 ordered a lower court to determine how much Watson and members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society owe Japanese whalers. (AP Photo/Karen Ducey, Pool, file)

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141220/us--whaling_protest-lawsuit-d38507e002.html

[groundloop]

1. And why are the whalers not in contempt for violating international law????

[MrMickeysMom]

4. Yes, I wonder that, too...

By the descriptions here, you'd think we were dealing with yellow journalism. Going for the sensationalism and not the real story.

These brave warriors have gone after the whaling industry, which has lied continuously about the "science" they are conducting. The only science going on is the art of international corporations hunting whales from profit. What a load of crap.

[MrMickeysMom]

3. +E9

[hack89]

12. The EPA regulates butyric acid as a toxic substance

They mandate protective equipment like gloves and goggles when handling it.

It is dangerous if concentrated.

[cheapdate]

5. Just donated to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Godspeed Shepherds.

[PatrynXX]

6. ie Bush and Cheney violated International Law

and it 's yellow journalism calling them radical because most of the ships that were damaged are Sea Shepherds. certainly not the Japanese ships. Paul is just enforcing the law.

[flvegan]

7. Money well spent, despite the kangaroo court. Tune in January 2!!

It's not deserved, but not unexpected considering.

New series of Whale Wars debuts on January 2 on Animal Planet, 8pm EST.

[cpwm17]

8. That's a travesty

They are heroes. All the Japanese whalers deserve is a torpedo to send their ship, with all on deck, to the bottom of the sea.

[turbinetree]

9. Laws

They are in International waters, the Japanese have violated every decorum of decency since they think they are above the International laws.
They represent the poachers in Africa killing elephants and rhino's for horns for whatever the shaman can think of for healing power.
The humans on this planet are just plain stupid, everything is done for greed, and I mean everything.

[Jack Rabbit]

10. Who speaks for the whales?

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday, Dec. 19, 2014 ordered a lower court to determine how much Watson and members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society owe Japanese whalers.

Fuck the whalers, especially the ones in business suits who don't go on voyages.

The courts should determine how much the whalers owe the whales. Perhaps honoring a cease and desist order and an apology would be a start. The bastards in business suits will like this part: they don't have to give the whales any money, because whales are too far advanced over corporatist scumbags to use and worship money. Rather, whales have always lived in a way that respects the balance of nature, without making a fetish of a mere symbol of wealth.

Blessed are the whales. They toil not, nor do they spin, nor do their PR men spin. Nor do they have any use for that which is the root of all evil.

[McCamy Taylor]

11. These are the abolitionists of the 21st cent. We will look back one day in horror at our ancestors

who ate cetaceans. Whales and dolphins are our equals. We need to treat them that way.