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A Japanese government is claiming that activists aboard the anti-whaling vessel Steve Irwin threw acid on Japanese whalers about the ship Nisshin Maru during the recent two-day standoff between the ships in Australian-controlled Antarctic water:

Members of the campaign group Sea Shepherd threw brown envelopes containing butyric acid from their vessel the Steve Irwin onto the Japanese ship Nisshin Maru, Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Itsunori Onodera said. “The butyric acid powder hit two crew members and two Japanese coast guard officers, who complained of pain,” Mr Onodera said.

However, the activists aboard the Steve Irwin, members of the conservation group, Sea Shepherd, are claiming that they merely through packets containing non-toxic, organic substances intended used to make the deck of the whaling boat slippery and foul smelling in order to make the processing of the whale meat more difficult:

“I guess we can call this non-violent chemical warfare,” Steve Irwin captain Paul Watson said. “We only use organic, non-toxic materials designed to harass and obstruct illegal whaling operations.”

Either way, the Japanese whalers definitely got off easy. In the US, groups like A.L.F. and E.L.F., despite their silly ass names, don’t fuck around with slippery substances or even acid. They just blow shit up.

And it’s not like it’s gonna do any good anyway. Even though most anyone with a tiny bit of compassion, common sense, or ecological conscience knows that whaling has no place in the 21st Century, the Japanese people do like themselves some whale meat. They even feed it to school children. Oh yeah and they also love to herd dolphins together and slaughter them, slitting their throats and watching them writhe in agony:

But good luck trying to convince them that this is somehow inhumane. They are known to be stubborn folks. Remember that one time we had to fight a war with them? That didn’t really go too well. But hey! Before we go hating on the Japanese folks for killing whales with harpoons, maybe we ought to take a look in the mirror and realize that we all have a little whale blood on our own hands, courtesy of the pollution and environmental damage we each cause, every day. Feel bad yet?? I know I DO! However, you can do your best to save the whales by following these 10 Tips courtesy of Savethewhales.org:

1. Volunteer with local community groups to stencil storm drains, Adopt A Beach, or monitor the water quality of local watersheds. Organize your classroom, school club, or organization to clean litter from rivers, creeks, estuaries, and beaches.Did you know? Storm water pollution (urban runoff) is the leading cause of water pollution nationwide.Pollutants such as motor oil, antifreeze, detergents, litter, paint, pesticides, pet waste, and copper (from brake pads) are flushed off streets and into storm drains which lead straight to rivers, creeks, and the oceans.

2. Participate in Save The Whales’ letter writing campaigns with your classroom, club, or church group. Invite friends over for a “letter writing” party. Print letters from Save The Whales “Action Alert” section under the Take Action. One letter from an individual to a government official represents the opinion of hundreds of people. Letters are powerful tools of influence.

3. Cut up plastic six-pac rings before recycling or disposing them in the garbage. Thousands of birds, fish, and other marine creatures die needlessly from entanglement.

4.Pick up trash while walking in your neighborhoods. Participate in National Coastal Clean Up Day (September) www.coastforyou.org to prevent pollution in watersheds and storm drains. Did you know that? One of the most common sources of beach pollution is cigarette butts. They can take up to seven years to breakdown. Last year, over one million cigarette butts were removed by volunteers during National Coastal Clean Up Day.

5. Never release balloons outside as they can travel hundreds of miles and land in rivers, creeks, and oceans. Whales, dolphins and turtles can be killed by ingesting balloons mistaken for jellyfish. See Save The Whales “Balloon Alert” flyer in English and Spanish. Educate your schools or community businesses not to participate in balloon releases. A 60 foot sperm whale washed up dead from ingesting a balloon which blocked its stomach and caused it to starve.

6. Keep your car well maintained to prevent leaks onto roadways and driveways which cause water pollution. Carpool when possible, or ride a bike. Recycle used motor oil for free. Take hazardous waste such as paint, pesticides, and antifreeze to a hazardous waste site. Call 1-800- CLEAN-UP or visit www.cleanup.org for the free drop off location near you.

7. Never discard used fishing line and hooks in the water. This can entangle birds, fish, turtles, seals, and otters and cause the death of these animals.

8.Never dump anything in the street as it goes into the storm drains which travel straight to rivers, creeks, and ultimately the oceans without being cleaned. Did you know that? One quart of motor oil can pollute 250,000 gallons of water. A drop of oil the size of a dime stuck on a sea otter can kill them. They die from hypothermia (freezing to death).

9.Recycle, Reuse and Reduce. Landfills across the nation are filling up with discarded items and refuse. Hazardous waste thrown in the garbage, ends up in landfills where it leeches into the soil and ground water causing contamination. Reduce your refuse by recycling, reusing and composting. Plant an organic garden free of pesticides.

10.Buy products that are environmentally friendly and support organic farming.

Tags: A.L.F. | acid | australia | Dolphins | E.l.F. | Japan | Nisshin Mary | saves the whales | Sea Shepherd | Steve Irwin | whaling

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