The Sea Shepherd crew is doing what governments should be doing, but refuse to do themselves, because of the threats of trade retaliation from Japan.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Costa Rica and Germany have simply been pawns in the Japanese quest to silence Sea Shepherd in an attempt to stop our annual opposition of their illegal whaling activities.
As long as there is a Southern Ocean whale sanctuary, Sea Shepherd crew will continue to patrol and defend it.
It is true that many of the Sea Shepherd crewmembers are inexperienced, but the fact is that these volunteers bring a passion to the project that cannot be found in a hired crew.
The fact is, Japan's whaling is illegal, so just because there is a natural disaster in Japan is no reason for us to stop opposing their illegal activities in the Southern Ocean.
Sea Shepherd is to terrorism what Groucho was to Marxism.
Governments need to have both shepherds and butchers.
An American citizen is not going to be extradited to Japan for saving whales.
Every government has as much of a duty to avoid war as a ship's captain has to avoid a shipwreck.
Just as we have the power to harm the ocean, we have the power to put in place policies and modify our own behavior in ways that would be an insurance policy for the future of the sea, for the creatures there, and for us, protecting special critical areas in the ocean.
Sea Shepherd does not condone, nor do we practise, violence.