Hey, I found the whalers' excuse:

[Redstone]

"Japan's scientific study has also revealed that whales consume some 500 million tonnes of fish resources per year (up to six times total human consumption). The bulk of this is consumed by non-endangered whale species. This knowledge is useful in helping to plan ways to sustainably feed the world's population. Fishing will become increasingly important in this task (particularly given the environmental problems caused by the massive amounts of land clearing and deforestation going on to produce red meat). With about 35% of the world's fishery resources already over-exploited and another 25% exploited to their fullest extent, the role of whales in the ecosystem should be carefully considered."

Yes, they're right: we have to kill them goddamn whales because they're eating all the fish! Christ, we just can't let them evil whales eat all of our fish!

Kind of the same "logic" that led to wolves and eagles being virtually wiped out in the US, yes?

Hyprocrisy knows NO bounds. I suppose that ought to be another "Redstone's Rule."

Redstone

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear Redstone.......

Sure sounds like that's what they're talking about....

Pretty transparent, if you ask me.....

We can't bear to have other life systems competing with our food sources, now, can we?

[Redstone]

3. Nope. gotta kill them wolves, and coyotes, and whales, and dolphins, dont we?

After all, they're eating our food!

Redstone

[Blue_In_AK]

2. This is really wrong.

I have no problem with the Alaska Natives harvesting their allotted whales every year because they use the whale for subsistence, for feeding the whole village, but killing the whales because they're competitors for the fish is just barbaric. Kind of like the aerial wolf hunts up here which our Board of Game continues to conduct to maximize the moose herds, even though Alaskans have voted at least twice to stop them. :mad:

[Redstone]

6. Christ, they're STILL doing that? I'm astonished...Like the wolves will kill enough moose to

make a difference.

You know, and I know, and we ALL know, that the wolves don't make a discernable dent in the moose population.

The Alieuts want to kill a few whales each year, and eat them? That's one thing. But for the Japanese and the Icelanders (hey, no racism here; I'm including white people) to kill whales for profit is yet another thing. Yes?

Redstone

[zeemike]

4. Well what about all those cows eating all of our corn and grain

And there methane farts polluting the air? Shall we kill them all too?
Elephants eat a lot too we could do without them also. In fact why don't we kill everything that is bigger than a dog and save the planet.

[Redstone]

8. Whaddaya mean, "everything bigger than a dog?" The SMALL animals are no better.

They dig under our gardens and ruin our crops. And the damn rabbits dont't even dig, they just waltz in and eat OUR food.

I say exterminate 'em all!

You have good ideas, but you don't carry them far enough.

Redstone

[SlowDownFast]

5. Still at it, Redstone?

:rofl:

Sorry, I'm on your side, but I just have to laugh at the locked thread (I decided not to get involved in that one, as I have seen him argue this topic before) with you and so-and-so, then his new post and yours...

[Redstone]

10. Yup, still at it. And thanks for the info; I did not know that the apologeticism (is that

a word? If not, it should be) for the Japanese whalers had shown it revolting head here before.

And I'm damn glad I didn't see any of its prior iterations.

Redstone

[SlowDownFast]

15. Well, there were a bunch of threads in LBN a few weeks back

when all this Sea Shepherd/Japanese whaler stuff was going on, and said poster was there (with some others) repeatedly bashing the Shepherds and calling them terrorists.

I'm an old Greenpeacer, myself (Cpt Watson was co-founder then split off reasoning GP wasn't effective enough).

[Redstone]

18. Good on you, then. I salute your for your service to our planet.

People like you make a REAL difference. You may not see the changes you've wrought in your lifetime, but your work WILL be remembered.

Trust me on this.

Redstone

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

7. Thats our fish in their stomachs!

:eyes:

It's not like we're at fault for overfishing the seas in the first place.

[Redstone]

14. Oh, no, we just have to exterminate those critters to justify our gluttony.

Don't we?

Redstone

[frogcycle]

9. last i heard most whales ate krill

the sperm whale eats mostly squid, the baleen whales eat krill

there are two distinct races of killer whales; one eats mostly seals, the other eats fish

after that there's dolphins, who do eat fish.

so exactly what friggin whales are they justifying hunting based on this bs?

[karlrschneider]

11. So those goddamn sperm whales are responsible for my inability to find squid!

KILL EM


oh, wait....

[Redstone]

12. Damn if I know. But I'd BET it's the whales whose meat brings the highest price

in the Tokyo markets...

Some "research."

Redstone

[sammythecat]

13. I don't have much doubt

that sometime in the first half of this century genetic scientists will figure out a way to "grow" meat and fish. It's just a matter of time. Maybe that'll be the answer to feed the billions more to come in this world.

To me, the whaling industry's argument to kill more whales is just as hollow and self-serving as the oil industry's insistence they have to drill in ANWAR. Neither of these endeavors would change, in any substantial way, the fact that the world is running out of both of these finite resources. But, they would change, in a VERY substantial way, the bank accounts and portfolios of a lot of executives and investors.

The Japanese whaling industry isn't worried about the world's food supply, they're worried about how much money they're going to make next year.

[Redstone]

16. They're only worried about that, indeed. "Research," my ass. What I do NOT understand is

the fact that people on DU will mnake excuses for those SOBs.

I just do NOT get that.

Redstone

[SlowDownFast]

17. "scientists will figure out a way to "grow" meat and fish"

They're called fisheries or fish farms.

[Ediacara]

19. Locking

From the DU Rules

Do not start a new topic in order to continue a flame war from another discussion thread.