Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Our hawk left unceremoniously a month ago..... looking like a common pidgeon.... good riddance I say..... now to repair the damage done.

And we bear as much responsibilty for Iraq as anyone GF.

All we hope in France is that our president, that has been dreaming of your hawks for a while, doesn't go to war in Iran but he seems pretty keen on it.

Actually he is showing off with his new girlfriend, his millionaire friends that pay him nice holydays, so maybe he will forget about it.
And it seems that wherever you are in the world, the one's who are awake about the informations just have to search for it, the media mafia has got us all!!!

Another thing about your new president you aussies, I haven't seen much proper info on him, what is he like? All I've read is that he wants to change and go fast.

It must be the time for this message: our's got elected on the same, it seems that yours aswell and the US candidates say the same...
Let's see...
cheers
amacafish

Amcatfish

The Prime Minister, Rudd, smiles a lot and seems very reasonable. Had a nickname of 'Dr Death' when he was with the Qld Gov't so all isn't quite as it seems rumoured he is a micro manager. Hope he shafts the bureacracy though.

illegally boarded

I think it important to clarify that for anyone who hasn't been following the story closely.

Perhaps they were trying to make a citizens arrest after the Fed Court judgement Scottie

Yeah, they were probably thinking something like that ... it's still illegal for non-authorities to forcibly board another vessel though. That's called vigilantism.

More likely they were thinking about the publicity it would generate.

and hasn't it done that

I don't see anything wrong with what our Greenpeace guys are doing (as long as lives are not taken) .... it is more than our government or any other government is doing on the anti-whaling front.

Footage doesn't suggest any "forcible" boarding of the Japanese whaling ship Scottie.... they certainly seemed to be tresspassing.... unless they Sea Shepaherd had radioed an intend to board and their intentions.

Anyway the result .... an allegation of "piracy" .....

Although the tradional law of the seas relating to piracy is defined as ...

"any illegal act of violence or detention or any act of depredation"

It would hardly seem applicable in this case.... the didn't seem to be any act of violence, detention or depradation by the "boarders".... now the whaling ships crew.... hummmm

But the definitions have been "modifed" "re-interpreted" by many nations in light of "the war on terror"..... (mainly to allow for carte blanche actions without legal recourse.... don't ya love it ) ... and never tested in International Law Courts

And lets not foget, the whaling ships are operating (illegally) in a legally defined "whaling sanctuary"....

A point reinforced by the High Court injunction..... and no doubt a point that was being, or was about to be, made to the captain of the whaling ship.....

Myself... sorry I think it's the Japanese whalers who are the bloody pirates.

Hehe! Sure has.

But, in trying to look at the situation objectively, I have to wonder if that is what is required to make a difference? The Japanese government has been under intense international pressure to stop whaling for a long time. It has not swayed them so far - why will more publicity (ie. more of the same tactic) sway them in the future?

On a slight tangent: Australia taking a moral stance on environmental issues is just soooo hypocritical! If I were the Japanese government & wanted to allow whaling ... I'd tell Oz/US/etc. to stop living in glass houses.



Sorry, poor choice of words on my part. I just meant that they didn't have permission. They certainly weren't invited!

For the record, I am against whaling & wish it were stopped.

Whaling crews Rupert? Don't you mean the Scientific crew? .

Nah... traditional whalers, hunting traditional food in their traditonal waters Scottie.

Being the nice conservation minded sort of people they are, they are conducting "scientific" research into the sustainability of their methods

I don't know enough details to be able to comment on the legality of that (do Japan recognise those laws?) however I will say that, philosophically, I am opposed to vigilantism. Using one crime as an excuse to commit another only leads to terrible things.



I don't like the killing of whales either.

I don't think the Japanese recognise our claim over those waters.. Plus the [s]whaling[/s] research boat did have "REASEARCH" in big letters down the side of it.