Reuters reports that the Japanese government is outraged after anti-whaling “activists” from something called the “Sea Shepherd Conservation Society” poured what the “activists” identified as Butyric Acid on the decks of a Japanese whaler in the South Pacific.
Butyric Acid, according to the Reuters story “. . .is a corrosive chemical, and contact can cause severe irritation and burns of the eyes and skin, leading to permanent damage.” More information can be found at an Oxford University website, which tells us that Butyric Acid is “. . .[h]armful if swallowed or inhaled. . . Readily absorbed through the skin. Severe skin, eye and respiratory irritant.” Additionally, it’s flammable. Just the thing to have loose on board a ship.
Two crewmen aboard the whaler were injured, and one is having difficulty opening his eyes. As Eagle 1 has observed, over at the Eagle Speak blog, these people have an interesting set of priorities – hurt the humans to save the whales. Extreme environmentalism is almost a religion to some of these “activists.”
A spokesman for the Japanese Fisheries Agency correctly characterized the acid attack as “completely piratical” and “dangerous” and warned the group (still pursuing Japanese whaling fleets) to “stop immediately.”
Whatever one thinks of whaling (and El Jefe disapproves), this sort of self-help is completely unwarranted, illegal and should not be tolerated. The Japanese would be perfectly justified in using their Navy (oops, “Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force”) to see that such attacks do not happen again. These so-called activists deserve a long spell in jail.
Butyric Acid, according to the Reuters story “. . .is a corrosive chemical, and contact can cause severe irritation and burns of the eyes and skin, leading to permanent damage.” More information can be found at an Oxford University website, which tells us that Butyric Acid is “. . .[h]armful if swallowed or inhaled. . . Readily absorbed through the skin. Severe skin, eye and respiratory irritant.” Additionally, it’s flammable. Just the thing to have loose on board a ship.
Two crewmen aboard the whaler were injured, and one is having difficulty opening his eyes. As Eagle 1 has observed, over at the Eagle Speak blog, these people have an interesting set of priorities – hurt the humans to save the whales. Extreme environmentalism is almost a religion to some of these “activists.”
A spokesman for the Japanese Fisheries Agency correctly characterized the acid attack as “completely piratical” and “dangerous” and warned the group (still pursuing Japanese whaling fleets) to “stop immediately.”
Whatever one thinks of whaling (and El Jefe disapproves), this sort of self-help is completely unwarranted, illegal and should not be tolerated. The Japanese would be perfectly justified in using their Navy (oops, “Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force”) to see that such attacks do not happen again. These so-called activists deserve a long spell in jail.
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