Scare for anti-whaler's skipper (white powder, Steve Irwin quarantined)

[Barrett808]

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Scare for anti-whaler's skipper
Cathy Alexander
January 18, 2009

AN ANTI-WHALING ship has been placed in quarantine in Hobart after it received a letter containing suspicious white powder.

The Sea Shepherd vessel, the Steve Irwin, sailed up the Derwent River yesterday to be met by hundreds of supporters.

But the welcome turned sour when Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson was handed the anonymous letter and discovered the white powder.

Police seized the envelope for analysis and placed the ship under quarantine in case the powder was dangerous.

...

The Greens' leader and Tasmanian Senator Bob Brown said there was an outpouring of support from local people when the vessel arrived.

"Here in Hobart, it's Sea Shepherd city today," Senator Brown said. "The support is just phenomenal - it seems like everybody's supporting them except the Government."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/scare-for-antiwhalers-skipper/2009/01/17/1231609053541.html

[glitch]

1. Shit. It better be a hoax, and the culprit better be arrested and made an example. nt

[leftchick]

2. Stay safe captain

K&R

[xchrom]

3. 'everybody's supporting them except the Government." nt

[depakid]

12. Brown and other seantors are annoyed because the Rudd government hasn't taken the Japanese

to the International Court of Justice yet.

[The Traveler]

4. Watson is used to it

He has navigated more treacherous waters than these. He has received more than his share of death threats over these past decades. This is probably just a hoax, designed to harass and delay. It has zero chance of scaring him off.

Trav

[flvegan]

5. 10-1 odds the govt keeps the ship quarantined for an extended period of time.

The officials should just head out whaling themselves.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. Anything come of the claim that he was shot last season?

[formercia]

7. I like Hobart.

We had a great time there when our ship docked there.

[ro1942]

9. Great man

heard him talk in Miami in 1999, it was a honor to be in the same room with him. he talked about over population and how badly we are abusing the planet. Sure hope he stays safe.

[IndianaGreen]

8. Japan using anthrax? It isn't the first time. Bomb Tokyo!

No WMDs! That's the Iraq precedent for those not in the know. :eyes:

[MrModerate]

10. Very clever response, quite likely by pro-whaling interests . . .

Tie the ship up for days or weeks while the Japanese whaling fleet gets the run of the ocean. Low cost, high effectiveness.

I guess "asymmetric warfare" goes both ways: even the big boys can employ it.

[Judi Lynn]

11. Apparently people who attempt to save the environment get a lot of US wingnuts hot under the collar,

as you may have noticed from the troll dumping done here on various Sea Shepherd threads. It seems to drive some of them right to the edge of foaming-at-the-mouth madness to imagine anyone would dare to challenge their right to destroy every living creature not powerful enough to keep them from doing it.

It's a mental/spiritual/character disease. I'd look for a hate-spewing right-winger to be behind it.

[IndianaGreen]

13. Fundies hate the Earth, they think it should be destroyed by their male vengeful god

They also reject science, so they think that climate change is a liberal lie.

[Robb]

14. I'm going to be very impressed with the Japanese sense of humor

...if it turns out to be methyl cellulose.