Greenpeace: Japanese Navy jams radar to cover whaling fleet's departure

[Barrett808]

Source: Greenpeace

...We had sources to alert us when the mother ship threw off her dock lines. We got the word they had left the dock and we calculated their speed and came up with an eta for them to reach the sea. The time came and they still had not arrived, a few hours passed and still nothing. then finally our radar detected a ship approximately the same size as the processing ship and moving at around the same speed. with no other means to confirm its identity we were forced to assume that this was the ship we were looking for. Then just as the ship came out of the channel our radar lit up like a christmas tree.

The japanese government had strategically positioned a fleet of coast guard and navy vessels at the entrance to the ocean and all at once they turned off their AIS (Automated Identification Systems) and saturated our radar screen with a barrage of similar sized vessels all traveling at the same speed in every direction of the compass.

The japanese military knew our exact location the entire time as they had used both coast guard air planes and helicopters conduct regular low level fly-overs of the esperanza everyday for several days proceeding the fleets departure, not to mention our campaign had gone public and we were as always transparent and clear in our position and mission.

the captain was forced to use his best judgment and deductive reasoning to try and pick a needle from the haystack of japanese decoys. at around midnight we made our choice and set a course to track down what we hoped was the mother ship of the fleet. we closed in just around day break and much much much to our dismay we could just make out the vessel on the horizon and confirmed that it was not our ship but one of the military decoys.

we immediately set our course for due south and began steaming full speed ahead to try and make up for time lost on the decoy. the esperanza can sail faster than the mother ship and over the course of several days we hoped to close the gap between us.

If ever there was one iota of doubt about the illegitimacy and deception that is this so called "Research Project" it is gone now. This was a large-scale military operation carried out at the expense of the japanese tax payers. As americanś we are well aware of the operating costs of planes and ships and the japanese government just served up a pretty hefty bill to its taxpayers all in the name of disguising a whaling program that 69% of the citizens adamantly oppose.

Read more: http://members.greenpeace.org/blog/staff_oceans/2007/11/22/i_asked_for_turkey_and_got_a_typhoon

[xchrom]

1. it's the japanese GOVERNMENT committing this crime -- and

the japanes people are letting them.

this is an illegal operation -- period.

don't buy japanese and let the japanese embassy know that's what you are doing.

[Bonobo]

3. Japanese people are not "letting" them.

The vast majority of the Japanese know nothing of this media-driven hysteria.

But I suppose they are "letting them" in the same sense that we are "letting" our government commit genocide against Iraq.

[xchrom]

7. so i guess you weren't out there at the beginning of the anti-war protests -- to make such

a stupid comment re: media driven hysteria and ''us' letting our government committ genocide?
this is a slaughter -- and no media driven hysteria -- and any moral high ground you might want to claim re: the war is prety much hollow -- if you can't hold two humanitarian thoughts in your brain at the same time.

civilized people seem to have the ability to line up and to focus on several important topical issues and be involved in stopping them at the same time.
since you seem to looking for the other line -- it's over there -- way over there.
don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[psychopomp]

56. Civilized people do not begin a retort by calling people's ideas "stupid"

I think the comparison between the governments' actions and their citizens' culpability is a good one.

Also, I think that far less than 67 percent of the Japanese public is "adamantly" against this action. Most, in my experience, do not care.

[saigon68]

69. I hope the Australian's give the "research" bunch a good drubbing

LOL

It was a hoot last year to see the "death star" go up in flames

[Android3.14]

8. Actually, we are letting our govt. commit genocide in Iraq

We are responsible for Iraq/Afghanistan/Guantanimo/Abu Ghraib, despite any individual's voice that said no, despite the majority of voices that said no, despite all the marches and oh-so effective letters to the editor; our lack of significant action is tacit acceptance.

We should be angry at the Japanese people, just as the world should be angry at Americans for the screwed up mess we're in today.

In much the same way the worldwide scorn on the whites in SA helped end the outrage that was apartheid, the finger of shame at us and the Japanese is wholly appropriate and may help us raise ourselves out of this ethical and political cesspool.

I doubt a boycott will work, but I'm going to try.

[annabanana]

16. Welcome to DU

The dismay and outrage at what's being done "in our name" is what drives me to continue. And YES, I feel responsible for the horror that's been unleashed by the dogs who are supposed to be our "leaders".

[boricua79]

9. good point! ZING! nt

[Nihil]

15. "this media-driven hysteria" ?

:wtf:

> But I suppose they are "letting them" in the same sense that
> we are "letting" our government commit genocide against Iraq.

Correct. There is more than one party in the world that has a
spineless approach to solutions "on or off the table".

(I sympathise: We got rid of Blair only to find a similar jellyfish
in his place ...)

[lynnertic]

25. I think your logic is off.

But I suppose they are "letting them" in the same sense that we are "letting" our government commit genocide against Iraq.

We ARE "letting" our government commit genocide in Iraq.

Whether Japanese citizens know about media-driven hysteria or not, I bet they know that they have a whaling fleet.

[ohio2007]

41. Thats because the Japanese people are under the influence of a symptom of "peak population"

nt

[crikkett]

77. what's the symptom?

[flvegan]

63. Un fucking true.

To suggest that "the vast majority of the Japanese know nothing" is insulting.

Back up your post.

[Bonobo]

65. You have no knowledge of what you speak.

I do and you don't. There is no proof of what I said that I could provide. It is a knowledge I have from having lived in Japan for years and being involved in the culture for over 20 years.

The only think "insulting" is the ignorant blanket opinion you, and others on this thread who chime in once every year on this subject, have about Japan.

Furthermore, if you were as interested in saving whales as you were in finding a boogeyman in another culture other than our own, you would be moaning equally loudly about the US Navy and Sonar. But you do not. Because no one is posting 5 articles a day about it. When I say media-driven, I mean it. You all rise, zombie-like, in your outrage as soon as some sensationalistic articles are posted. You undermine the seriousness of the issue with your cartoon-like responses saying "the only solution is to sink the whaler ships!!"

Further, if you were interested in solving Japan's whale hunt, you would try to understand the complexities of how it is a political issue over there and work diplomatically to get rid of it. Whaling in Japan is a withered out husk that is ready to fall. It is propped up, in fact, by the heavy-handed tactics of people like your "Captain Watson" which play right into the hand of the right wing faction that uses Nationalism as a clarion call.

As for it not being on the radar of the Japanese, take a look at Japanese language news and you will see for yourself.

[flvegan]

66. Bring it.

You don't know shit. Proven before and again.

"I lived in Japan." And?

I do moan "equally loud" about navy sonar, thank you poster.

Defend the killing of endangered species all you want, Bonobo. We expect it here.

[Bonobo]

67. I didn't defend it anywhere, my cartoon pirate friend.

In fact, I suggested more effective avenues of protest. But it wouldn't be as interesting as pretending to be a pirate. It would involve diplomace and people skills. Oh, and respect given and received.

[Judi Lynn]

6. It's taking on a whole new look with this maneuver, isn't it? Dirty, dirty business, with the

government's blessing, and active participation.

Unforgiveable. Profit isn't everything, despite what the right-wing whores in our country would insist.

[Richard D]

2. I don't understand . . .

. . . why a consumer boycott of Japanese goods isn't underway to pressure them to stop this slaughter.

[jeff30997]

4. I agree with you but...

I doubt that people are ready to stop buying Japanese products.No more Playstation,Nintendo,Digital Camera,Car,DVD player...the list goes on and on.:(

[Barrett808]

5. Plea to boycott Japanese goods by Ireland's National Sea Life Centre

Plea to boycott Japanese goods by Ireland's National Sea Life Centre
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3074949

[John Kerry VonErich]

10. They violated treaty

Shuting down the AIS and jamming the radar of a non hostile vessel is, in my guess, an act of war and turned their back on the treaty they signed post WWII.

[DissedByBush]

20. No violation

Turning off ID isn't illegal AFAIK, and they didn't jam radar. In any case, if they had, it appears they did it in their own sovereign waters.

Even these whale hunts are allowed by treaty -- a treaty that needs to be revised to stop the unnecessary killing of these whales.

[John Kerry VonErich]

24. That was just a guess from what I read

And you're right, the treaty needs to be revised. But that is a very long shot and almost imposible to get.

[Briar]

11. So it's a sort of military exercise

Rather apt, really. The Japanese are trying to throw off their pacifism and restore their national virility by taking aggressive military postures again. There have even been suggestions that they might develop their own nukes. The ultimate in patriotic viagra! In the mean time, since they can't invade another country and slaughter its people at the moment, they'll go out and slaughter the whales instead. Shedding blood is so good for national morale...

[east texas lib]

21. Indeed...

Indeed! Governments that are denied an external enemy simply create an internal one.
Then comes the propaganda cloaking their actions in the glorious glow of patriotism,
national security, economic necessity, obeying religious doctrines, tribal or national
differences in ideology, and so on. Funny how they all seem to operate similarly.

[fenriswolf]

12. i think the attitude of

screw it we're all gonna die might as well make the best of it that america has been showing is infecting other countries. great reasoning (well the species is dying out might as well help it).

[Kolesar]

13. If Japan had a democracy, they should hold investigations in parliament

about why public money is being used to fund a naval operation that 69% of the public oppose.

Does anybody have the email for the Japanese embassy in Washington?

[ExPatLeftist]

27. Similarly, If the US had a democracy...

Bush would have been impeached by now.

It is strange to me to see such harsh criticism of other nations (that have generally better records than the US in most areas) by those that rightfully possess the ability to criticize their own nation as well.

IMO we should clean up our own mess before we point fingers at others.

[Kolesar]

35. That's lame

Sorry, I cannot couch my language.

Some do-ings and miscues in America have absolutely no bearing on the fact that the Japanese are allowing an immoral, barbarian horror to occur.

BTW, how many letters to the editor have you written this month?

[ExPatLeftist]

45. Miscues vs. Barbarian Horrors

Strange word choice - the total global impact of the US (which kills far more whales and all other creatures including humans than Japan) is a "miscue" while the Japanese hunting a few whales is a "barbarian horror"...

[Kolesar]

55. Your grand agenda to change the topic from Japan to the US is a failure...eom

[ExPatLeftist]

57. No grand agenda whatsoever, just looking at the big picture.

Peace.

[MasonJar]

14. Call the embassies and boycott their products and tell stores that

you are and why.

[ExPatLeftist]

28. Boycott US products while you're at it!

After all, the US kills far more whales than Japan does.

So where are you going to live, then?

You could move here to Iceland, which has about the best environmental record on the planet, but then we do not share your arbitrary species preference either...

EVERY nation is doing something that you would not like, I am sure. But they are sovereign. You have the power to significantly influence the acts of ONE nation - lucky for you that nation happens to be the most blatant rapist of the environment of our planet as well. Let's fix that and then we can talk Japan...

[Kolesar]

36. wrong-o

[ExPatLeftist]

46. Great post

OK, we disagree. No problem.

[ExPatLeftist]

17. A different perspective....?

Just a thought, but for those of you that want to boycott Japan, I am wondering: Japan is killing a few whales, which many of you obviously find horrible, and I can understand that to a degree. But how many whales per year do you think die due to pollution and other environmental factors caused by the USA? No, they are not as obvious, but they are surely as painful and the end result is the same. Therefore, when will your boycott of the US then begin? For those of you that live in the US, that may pose a problem... Will you be moving?

This is not meant to be a smartass comment, just perhaps another perspective from someone that has lived abroad for many years and is more than weary of the US trying to run the world - in all areas - especially considering the horrific impact that the US has on the planet. I would suggest that cleaning up your own backyard before pointing at the (significantly smaller) mess in your neighbor's backyard would be a better use of energy. And to be honest, it would piss off a lot less people around the world. Already, we tell countries who may or may not lead them, we tell them what form of government they should have, we tell them who they may and may not trade with. Yes, these things are mostly lead by the right, which is why I think it is a shame that the left needs to also chime in and try to control other nations - especially in an area where the US is definitely in no position to even claim the slightly higher ground. IMO if you want to save whales, or any other particular species of animal, the place to start is at home. There are plenty of ways within the US in which you can save whales before turning the focus outward.

Just a thought.

[EvilAL]

18. I was thinking more like

why whales? I don't care what happens to whales. I don't know any whales, I enjoyed watching the killer whale show at Marineland.
I wonder if it would be the same if some Japanese activists came and started ramming "the deadliest catch" boats. If so would be considered an act of war? or terrorism?
They are killing a lot of crab.

[Bonobo]

23. Killing more tuna than whale or crab. That's the problem. US Navy kills more whales.

US Navy kills more whales I bet.

Also, Japanese are not hunting to extinction by any means. They are taking the Minke whales almost exclusively.

It was the US that drove whales right whales and humpbacks nearly to extinction.

[lynnertic]

31. This fleet is targeting humpbacks and other whales

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=3069121
the news article i point to is dated nov.16 2007

The ships, led by the 8,030-ton Nisshin Maru, will embark on their largest scientific whale hunt in the South Pacific. Besides humpbacks, they will take up to 935 Antarctic minke whales and up to 50 fin whales.

But it is Tokyo's plan to hunt the humpback - a favorite among whale-watchers for its distinctive knobby head, intelligence and out-of-the-water acrobatics - that has triggered condemnation from environmentalists.

``These whales don't have to die,'' said Junichi Sato, a Greenpeace spokesman. ``Humpbacks are very sensitive and live in close-knit pods. So even one death can be extremely damaging.''

[SyntaxError]

43. Really, the US is responsible for that?

Curious, how did the US manage to fuck that up too?

[ExPatLeftist]

26. True...

Personally I do not understand species preference either. Except in the case of endangered species, of course. But the majority of whales hunted in the word are not endangered. We do not see Hindus in India threatening action against the US for the wholesale slaughter of their preferred creature, and I honestly do not understand why we feel the need to push our preferential values on others either. I have often asked for those that fight against whaling to give an objective reason why whales are to be treated differently, and I have yet to get one - it all seems to be quite subjective, and therefore should be up to the values of the nation carrying it out, of course as long as it is done in a responsible manner that has little impact on the ecosystem as a whole...

[EvilAL]

72. Not preference necessarily.

They all want whaling to stop, but they all also want it all to stop. The cash they spend on their anti-whaling stuff must be staggering. Then the guys that work for the fleets are out of a job. People cheer. Another victory for the whales. Then the unemployed whalers get a Canadian or American outsourced job at a Japanese plant making LCD TVs.
:)

[Barrett808]

32. Except that the Aussies and Kiwis are getting pretty upset about this, too

After all, the Japanese slaughter is happening in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. This is hardly a matter of US imperialism.

[LeftyMom]

37. Does it occur to you that some of us already do a great deal to reduce our own impact?

This "don't expect anybody else to do anything until you're perfect" idea is crazy, because none of us are perfect. Even if we lived in mud huts, grew our own food and relied on solar heat for warmth, we'd still have an impact. But we do what we can, within reason, and we expect others to do the same.

And in any case whaling isn't only immoral, it's also illegal.

In summation, cultural relativism went out of style back in philosophy 300. Most of us grew up.

[ExPatLeftist]

47. I implied nothing of the sort.

Wow, I had hoped for civil discussion, not a personal attack.

As far as what you consider "in style", I really don't care about style, and my opposing viewpoint does not mean that I need to "grow up" - just that we disagree.

This simply is an issue that directly involves cultural relativism because it is about forcing a subjective "sacred cow" on the entire planet.

I am sure that you and many here are doing your part on a daily basis, and I definitely respect that. And that is a bit of a disconnect that I am seeing here - some people want to punish everyone in Japan, I even saw one comparing this to World War 2. Of course we know there are individuals there just like everywhere else, many doing a great deal as well. Yet people want to punish the entire nation of Japan while at the same time making everyone aware that they are not to blame for the decisions of the US government...

I believe that this is an example of trying to enforce subjective views on others, and that cultural relevance must be included in the discussion. And I believe that it appears quite hypocritical, from the outside, for people from outside the US to see the immense anger created by this one issue in the name of the environment when the US itself destroys the environment to a degree not touched by other nations. You disagree. I can live with that.

[Bonobo]

48. That post was WAAAAY to intelligent and nuanced for this thread.

They whales have the souls of angels and to destroy 50 humpback whales is far more obscene than the willful deaths of 10 million Iraqi HUMAN BEINGS.

The Japanese are foolish, hateful, people. They are barbarians. They should die, etc, etc.

[flvegan]

49. Hmm...Iceland.

Makes sense.

[LeftyMom]

52. We get one or two every year

Odd how they always show up right at the start of whaling season, and never are heard from again after that. ;)

[ExPatLeftist]

59. Your conspiracy theories are without merit.

And I honestly do not appreciate the implication. I have been reading these pages for many years and have started posting recently because I thought I might get some civil discourse. As is probably common to many people, I find it more interesting to discuss subjects with varying viewpoints rather than those that seem pretty cut and dried. I do not share your view on this issue. That does not mean that I am some sort of "plant" representing the whaling industry. That is just ridiculous.

[LeftyMom]

60. Your apologism for the slaughter of sentient beings is without merit.

Noticing that we get a new poster from Scandinavia with an interest in whaling at this time every year isn't a conspiracy theory, anybody with observational skills and a good memory can do so.

I didn't assign any meaning to that observation, you did.

[ExPatLeftist]

62. OK

Yes, no meaning was implied, obviously.

BTW Many would argue that pigs are sentient beings as they are incredibly intelligent. I am not an apologist for their slaughter, either.

[MisterP]

68. Serdar Argic!

[ExPatLeftist]

58. Ah, yes...

All people in Iceland think alike - just like all people in the US, right?

[flvegan]

61. No, that's not what I said, is it?

Don't knee jerk so hard, k? Makes you look the part.

[DissedByBush]

19. What jamming?

The Japanese Navy did not jam their radar. The navy simply turned off their identifiers and sent out decoy boats.

[flvegan]

22. The Esperanza is much faster than the Nisshin Maru. The Robert Hunter leaves AU today.

And she's got a fresh coat of paint, looking good.

[donsu]

29. may the whaling boat sink before it kills any whales

I've lost all hope in saving the planet

are the present leaders of Japan the sons and grandsons of the men who did WWII? like father, like son, like grandson. does it never change in Japan?

[ExPatLeftist]

30. Yeah, exactly the same...

Killing whales for food and products as they have done for centuries is exactly the same as invading other nations by force... Your message seems to support the notion that "these people" will never change. I guess the internment camps were a good thing, huh?

I cannot believe this harsh rhetoric toward Japan from people that live in the most Earth-raping nation on the planet...

It's always easier to point the finger than look in the mirror.

[go west young man]

33. Brain size may have something to do with the reasons

Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd attempt to stop the killing of whales. Your reasoning that all Americans should "only" deal with the political madness that is taking place in the US is silly at best. The world is a big place. There are plenty of people here who do not support US policy abroad. We are the one's hoping to change it. Some of us give plenty to Greenpeace in it's attempt to stop the use of sonar by all military's around the world. The post doesn't mention it but this whale hunt is significant because it's the first time in 40 years the Japanese have gone after sperm whales who have been endangered. recently the Chinese River Dolphin has been declared extinct in China. Who knows what we may have learned about ourselves form these beautiful animals. We'll never know. Maybe if the governments of the world had acted sooner China wouldn't have let one of their best assets fade into oblivion. As an lefty ex pat myself I say to you it's not about borders or nationalism when dealing with these issues. It's about the fate of the world of which we are all universal occupants.

[ExPatLeftist]

44. I agree that the world belongs to all of us

...and I think that we all bear a responsibility to it. The difficult part for me is that this is an issue of forcing a viewpoint. Those that support a global and absolute ban on whaling do so because it is their conviction that the whale is somehow unique from other creatures and must therefore be protected. But that idea is not shared or even comprehended by many people in the world. To many here it is simply and absolutely "wrong", and does not even deserve debate. But that is not the case in much of the world. Perhaps for you it relates to brain size, and I can understand that. But there are no specific criteria outlining this special category of animals, and others may be included as well, but the focus is on whales. It may be useful to classify this in some way, and to explain it to others, because otherwise it just sounds to much of the world like "Bambi syndrome" (Not my view, but one I have heard often.)

I used to be a member of Greenpeace. My years in Iceland have perhaps influenced me greatly, but I believe that the world is best served by balance, not outright bans on some creatures in the food chain combined with overfishing of others. That, to me, is a bigger risk to the planet.

I appreciate your views and your respectful post.

[LeftyMom]

51. Whales reproduve very slowly, and only one calf at a time, usually several years apart.

They lose many to starvation, sharks and other whales.

Their reproduction is insufficient to both increase their dramatically depleted numbers and feed human beings.

Whether or not you believe that whales are in some way "special" (I'd argue that they're especially critical to ocean health, along with sharks) there's really no good argument that their numbers be maintained in even very limited whaling.

[Barrett808]

81. The majority of whales slaughtered by Japan last year were pregnant females

Which is why the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is located where it is. ExPat, surely you can't condone this as "balanced".

[flvegan]

64. How many humpbacks should they kill?

Answer the question.

Your "years in Iceland" (a whaling nation) aside...

[alarimer]

50. Except they don't actually want the meat

It is sitting in warehouses. They cannot give it away.

Whales are slow-growing, long-lived species. As such they are unable to recover from the level of harvest proposed. But you should read the real scientific evidence for this and ignore what Japanese "scientists" have to say about this. There are plenty of whale biologist who do research without resorting to such tactics.

[LeftyMom]

53. Even with it being used for pet food and school lunches, they can't give it away fast enough.

Even people who couldn't care less about animals or conservation see it as fatty and old-fashioned. The thing that ultimately kills whaling may not be international condemnation, but the disinterest of the fickle Japanese consumer hoarde.

[donsu]

75. hey, many times I'm holding the mirror you are looking into

nt

[LanternWaste]

82. I think that for the most part,

I think that for the most part, DU'ers can hold both rage and anger at more than one entity at a time.

I can, do, and will criticize the U.S. for it's weak environmental policies; however, that does not preclude me from criticizing any other government for the same fundamental reason.

[nankerphelge]

34. Take Action via HSUS's website:

Write the Japanese prime minister:

https://community.hsus.org/campaign/hsi_whaling_JapanesePM

Write to U.S. Secretary of Commerce:

https://community.hsus.org/campaign/hsi_pelly_japan_whales

[Gonnuts]

38. The people ...

For the most part "the people" couldn't care less about the whales, the Iraqi people, genocide, war or a thousand and one other insane things being carried out by their governments in the name of the people. And don't ask me why. I don't have an answer for this mass insanity. Does it have an answer? Does insanity have a reason? And if it does what do you do to stop it? Or does it stop itself?

All I know is that the killing of the whales will continue, the killing of everything will continue until "the people" stop counting on someone else to stop it before it's too late. If it isn't already.

[Dukkha]

39. The radar appears to be...jammed!

Raspberry!
There's only one man who would dare give me the raspberry: Lone Star!

[ohio2007]

40. these whaling ships are not the same floating fish factory ships are they?

where everything in the nets is devoured,cooked,canned packaged,palletted and put in a freezer before the nets are fully redeployed ?


Those factory ships are vacuuming the oceans clear of everything but what the whales themselves eat.

Who's flag do those ships sail under?

[Barrett808]

42. These aren't factory trawlers, they're purpose-built for whaling

Especially the whale "Death Star", the Nisshin Maru, which is a floating factory for slaughter, flensing, and freezing.

And you are correct to say that humans are strip-mining the oceans of biomass. This is being done with longlines, bottom trawlers, and factory trawlers:

Sequential collapse of marine mammals in the North Pacific Ocean and southern Bering Sea
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/100/21/12223

N. Carolina great shark population collapse
http://as01.ucis.dal.ca/ramweb/papers-total/Myers_etal_2007_Science.pdf

Community Changes on the Southern Grand Bank
http://ram.biology.dal.ca/~myers/depletion

[Nihil]

76. Thanks for those graphs ...

... depressing though they are.
:-(

[Barrett808]

78. Indeed. If you're interested, I have a slide deck on the state of the oceans:

The State of the World's Oceans
http://www.leftopia.com/presentations/State_of_the_Oceans_01.pptx

I try to collect and present the most recent peer-reviewed science. This is a 12MB PowerPoint 2007 file -- please let me know if you find it useful.

[Nihil]

79. Have downloaded it ...

I'll check properly later but it looks good at first glance!
Well done.

:toast:

[Barrett808]

80. Thanks very much. Feel free to contact me with suggestions, etc.

:thumbsup:

[judaspriestess]

54. wow, I am just dumbfounded by people

who always have to throw the why aren't you pissed off about what YOUR country is doing blah, blah, blah or why aren't you pissed off about this or that. I AM PISSED OFF ABOUT MANY THINGS. Why does anyone have to be pigeonholed into only giving a shit about ONE thing at a time? I can multi-task and get angry about several things at once, its not that hard actually. There is so so much fucked up shit to be pissed off about and this is just one of them. This particular thread is about the slaughter of whales by the Japanese and thats what I'm pissed off about here!!!!

[gulliver]

70. Guess I'll get my electronics from Korea.

Is it a Sony or a dead whale?

Dumb move by the Japanese.

[EvilAL]

71. They have all the brand names

Homer: Pfft. I know a genuine Panaphonics when I see it. And look,
there's Magnetbox and Sorny.

hahah

[gulliver]

73. My next phone is a Nokia (Finland) not a Hitachi.

My next HDTV is a Samsung or an LG, not a Sony.

Computer--HP or Dell.

Playstation 3--delayed indefinitely. The kids will understand.

You don't have to buy nothing from Japan to make a difference. If everyone who cares about whales just bought less Japanese, my guess is they would feel like they were hit with a ton of bricks. I don't know any whales personally. I don't want to go watch them or pet them. But I know I like the world better with them on it.

[LeftyMom]

74. Samsung makes a damn fine TV.

My Dad got a 42" Samsung on sale a few months back, and the picture on that thing is be-yoo-ti-ful!

They also made the best cell phone I ever had.