Wikileaks Reveals U.S. Involvement (with Japan) in Plans to Weaken Sea Shepherd

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/blog/wikileaks-reveals-u-s-involvement-in-plans-to-weaken-sea-shepherd/



On Monday, Wikileaks released documents revealing discussions between U.S. and Japanese officials over plans to weaken Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s anti-whaling efforts.

Sea Shepherd sails the seas every year in an effort to protect whales by interfering with hunts by Japan’s whaling fleets. The documents leaked to Spanish newspaper El Pais reported Monica Medina, the U.S. representative to the International Whaling Commission (IWC), and senior officials from the Fisheries Agencies of Japan last year discussed stripping Sea Shepherd’s tax-exempt status as a political move to come to an international agreement on the number of whales killed each year.

Japan also wants harsher measures to deal with the alleged “eco-terrorists,” about which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed.

At its meeting in June, the International Whaling Commission failed to reach a compromise between the last three whaling nations and those opposed to it. Since the creation of the IWC, increased opposition to whaling led to the moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986, and later the creation of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Now, only three of the 88 nations involved, Japan, Norway and Iceland, continue to hunt whales.

Japan could potentially get a legal kill quota if it cuts the numbers killed in the Southern Ocean. Until then Japan continues to use a loop hole in the moratorium, killing whales under the guise of scientific research…in a sanctuary…for whales….where they’re protected by international law.

FULL story at link.

[abelenkpe]

1. Heartbreaking. nt

[Richard Steele]

3. But not surprising. K&R

[derby378]

2. Ginny was on Sea Shepherd's side

And dammit, so am I. :mad:

[lunatica]

4. Yet there are people here who would prefer to be kept ignorant of this

this is such a fucking eye opener about our government. Hillary Clinton agrees that the Sea Shephard crew are eco-terrorists. Ain't that grand.

[glinda]

5. I have no respect for her anymore.

[RKP5637]

8. DLC n/t

[appal_jack]

6. +1, k&r, n/t

[RKP5637]

7. All the things one thought the US used to represent are being laid bare and

we find we're all getting screwed.

[Dogmudgeon]

14. Hillary says they're "eco-terrorists"? No, not quite.

She agreed that there should be stiffer penalties; right now, there's only nuisance penalties, and maritime piracy. I'd prefer to see some sanction between a small fine and a shoot-to-kill policy. It would make the civil disobedience of the Sea Shepard effective without requiring the lifeless bodies of the crew.

Unless, of course, you just want to hate on Hillary ...

--d!

[lunatica]

16. The article says differently

Where in the article does it say anything about Hillary other than she agreed that they are "eco-terrorists"?

[emilyg]

9. Sad. So sad.

[cbc5g]

10. I expect this from a Bush presidency

But from Obama? And Clinton? Yeah they are DLC but they are THAT heartless and cold?

[EFerrari]

11. We were told by Secretary Clinton that these cables did not reveal wrongdoing

by the government. So, what is this?

[JanMichael]

12. Makes it easy to see how much if at all our 'leaders' actually agree with us.

The answer is zip zero nada nil.

[snagglepuss]

13. All just illusion which is why WL's is so significant. It is remarkable to see

in no uncertain terms pols like Clinton turn on a dime. I'd liked to ask her if she has always viewed precious and magnficient whales simply as commodities? If not, I'd want to know if there is a moment when caring about nature becomes utterly irrelevent to pols.

[Omaha Steve]

15. Kick

[azul]

17. Wikileaks should be rewarded

for each and every corruption and abuse of power and secrecy instance that is thus exposed.

It is cleaning up our corrupt government for us, as well as making us mad as hell, which should be worth at least something.

Let the sun shine in.

[girl gone mad]

18. Our government..

is in the hands of a bunch of corrupt, greedy, spoiled little sociopathic children. And people thought Nixon was bad.

[roody]

19. I finally got around to doing a monthly pledge to Sea Shepherd!

[dreamnightwind]

20. Thanks for the post, K & R