Does anyone else watch this show which appears on the Animal Planet Network on Firday nights?
The so called Sea Shepherds operating a ship financed and named after the late Steve Irwin stalk and harrass Japenese Whaling vessels in the Antarctic with what they term as Non-Violent methods.
I dont necessarily agree with the whaling industries practices but the actions of the Captain and Crew of the Steve Irwin are nothing short of Pirates/Terrorists.
If that was American ships they were attacking in such a manner the U.S. Navy would have already put some rather large holes in the side of their boat.
And I don’t see how deliberatley ramming another ship with your own can be seen as Non-Violent…especially in the Antarctic Ocean where help is days or weeks away and survival in those waters is measured in seconds and not minutes or hours.
So then why do I watch it…? I want to see the episode when the Japenese fleet finally gets tired enough of the actions of the Ship Steve Irwin , painted black and flying a psuedo Pirate flag. And send it to the bottom of Seas.
I pretty much agree with this. I believe whaling as a whole should be banned and coutries who still conduct whaling should be admonished for their actions and encouraged to stop. I’m not some hippie environmentalist, but I think marine mammals should be protected and encouraged to thrive.
Still I think the people on the show are a bunch of granola eating little eco-terrorist scum. I am very sure every one of them is probably a BHO fanatic, and their little progressive eco-terrorist playbook makes me sick.
Their actions are borderline terrorist, and ramming another vessel is by most accounts an act of war.
Like you said I am waiting for the Japanese (or US) Navy to get fed up with their shit and really give them something to cry about.
I guess just I don’t understand how these people are held up as heros and idolized by many when we still have US troops in various 3rd world shitholes around the world sacrificing everything for the American people. Why not make a discovery show about a group of soldiers? You want reality TV? Well guess what it doesn’t get anymore real than a patrol in Kandahar or Mahmudiyah.
I have seen ads for the show, but do not have a subscription to the channel.
However, just on the basis of the deliberate ramming sequence (in Antarctic Waters!) shown in the commercial, I would not question any action taken by the Japanese vessel’s master to defend his ship and the lives of his crew. (As a former captain of a commercial fishing vessel, I do not make that statement lightly.)
BTW I am very fond of whales and have enjoyed every sighting that I was lucky enough to make (in the North Atlantic and Norwegian sea). And, I personally would prefer that they were not hunted. But, put in the position of the Japanese vessel’s captain, I would do anything in my power to defend my ship and my crew. Even if it required sinking the Pirate vessel (with its crew of malignant, self indulgent, publicity hungry creatures).
In one episode the Captain of the Steve Irwin is out on deck while pulling very closely up alongside one of the Japanese fleets vessels.
He calmly walks back inside the Wheel house and after a few seconds announces to the rest of those present…“I have been shot.” He pulls his jacket aside and shows a hole which looks more like it was cut with scissors and pulls out a chunk of lead…(Didn’t look jacketed to me.)
It seemed like the whole event was staged…Of course the Captain just happened to be wearing a bullet proof vest and while on deck showed no indication that he had been struck with a projectile. He pulled the vest aside and had a very, very slight bruise mark. I couldn’t tell what vest he had on but it did not contain any type of Ceramic strike plates…it was soft and flexible.
He marched off to his cabin and called in the incident to the Australian News Media.
I have no experience with body armour myself, but wouldn’t the strike of a pistol round on soft armour create a substantial bruise on the ribcage?
And then some. I personally got tagged in the “soft armor” above my kidney by an RPG fragment during my first tour. It left a hell of a bruise and I was pissing blood for some time afterwords.
A buddy was shot with a 9mm round at contact distance by an Iraqi in a crowd that was around him. He got the wind knocked out of him, dropped to the ground, but was still able to return fire with his M4 and neutralize the threat. Afterwords he discovered he had broken ribs and it has actually torn a hole in his skin from the transfer of momentum from the bullet.
Getting a direct hit in a vest is not a pretty thing, and after watching that video I think this guy is full of shit and then some.
I love this show! These are the dumbest and most incompetent people (sheeple)on television. The captain is a complete egomaniac, and the 1st mate is a retard who can’t even navigate by compase headings!!! I watch it every chance I get just to see them screw up. Everything they do is totally half-assed: they can’t launch the zodiacs, they go the wrong way, they get lost, they get stuck in the ice, they fight amongst themselves…these retards need a keeper (and a bath)!
I guess I’ll be the odd man out in this thread. I like the show but generally watch it on my Zune on the airplane so I might be an episode or so behind the rest of you.
I agree with and support the Sea Shepards. I might not agree with some of their methods but they are the only ones doing anything about commercial whaling. Everyone else stands around and talks about it. So while their methods are questionable and the people are a bit freakish they at least have the balls to go out and do something beyond petitions, standing on street corners and holding up signs or trying to enact rediculous legislation.
I too watch the show. The first mate is an imcompetent moron. I loved when they swamped their Zodiac along side the Steve Irwin. I am surprised they were lucky enough to survive. I am waiting for when the next accident occurs. They won’t be so lucky the next time. It appears that there are no laws, or law enforcement where the whaling takes place.
Their RHIB had twin 200 HP engines and due to the incompetence of the boat crew, they could not even catch the whaling vessel making 20 knots. hahaha:eek:
Peter Brown is an idiot and he’s going to get someone killed. However, all of those people are there because they want to be so if getting killed is in the cards it should have been something they’ve accepted at this point.
At least they have some people returning from last season and they now have a former US Navy Officer on board so they’re skill level might be slightly better than it was last season
Peter Brown is regularly the Helmsman. He may get everyone killed on the vessel, in any number of ways.
As for the female Naval Officer, she made a RHIB launching check list for them and when Peter Brown and the rest of the crew ignored her list, she went back to her cabin crying. I wonder where she learned to do that, not in the Navy.
I think the Naval Officer had an emotional breakdown on the Steve Irwin. The hormones were raging. I thought that she would have kicked Peter Brown’s ass, that would have been easy enough to do.
I will be watching it later tonight. There is plenty of banging going on below the frozen deck of the Steve Irwin. A large Mammal told me so.
Does something need to be done to protect what whales we have still in our Oceans…? Yes
As for the people being a bit freakish…well I spent 8 years of my life running around the country running Lighting Equipment and Sound Equipment for a 80’S Heavy Metal Band…so I can handle the freakish aspect.
I used to be considered one of the freakiest.
But the fact of this matter is that while questionable and unpopular as it may be…The Japanese are operating within International Law under the guise of Scientific Research.
Lets remember that the Japanese Culinary culture is based around the Ocean in as much as the United States is based around Beef. If we were suddenly told by the International community that we had to change our way of life and give up eating Beef, Pork and Chicken. We wouldn’t react very favorably to such demands either.
And here is where my real issues with the Sea Shepherds come in and that is in their use of “Questionable Tactics” to attempt to force their will and beliefs upon an entire culture of peoples.
Isn’t that the definition of Terroristic Activities?
Paul Watson himself…the larger than life egomaniac is little more than a Coward. He is very willing to send others to do his dirty work, to be detained and arrested. But you notice that he never volunters to climb his ass over the rail and onboard a Japenese Vessel himself. If he really wanted to just get his message across think of how much publicity he would have if did this.
Here is a man known to fill the bow of a ship with concrete with the sole Intention of using it to ram another ship. The purpose of the concrete to create more damage and sink not just disable the ships hits.
He has admitted to driving steel spikes into trees so Loggers will damage or injure themselves while cutting down trees.
That is a far cry from Non-Violent methods of pushing a petition or chaining oneself to a tree.
As much as I like watching hippies clusterf*** each other into near fatal scenarios, I refuse to aid their ratings and thus will not watch the show. My own little stand.
i tried watching an episode and couldnt handle it. i think i made it through like ten minutes, i walked away angry.
if these guys were doing this with my ship, id shoot them, all. actually, to be honest, i hope they all do get shot. i hope they go to ram/throw stink bombs, or board a whaling ship, and they get killed.
the shit the pull out at sea is absolutely incredible. these guys are nothing short of eco terrorists/pirates. i understand the whales need to be saved but, theres other ways to do this. this is even more outragous if what the japanese are doing is within international law.
