Whale war declared

Yesterday's update from the sea-going rancid butter-throwing vigilantes:

Sea Shepherd Goes On the Offensive in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has escalated the battle to save the whales in the Southern Ocean, has out maneuvered the Japanese security vessels, and is now in full pursuit of the Japanese whaling fleet.

The hippies were perhaps just a tad too aggressive for the Japanese who also apparently decided to be more aggressive:

Anti-whaling activists accused a Japanese vessel of ramming and sinking a high-tech protest boat in the frigid Southern Ocean on Wednesday.

The hardline Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said its protest powerboat Ady Gil was sliced in half by the Japanese security ship Shonan Maru as it loitered near the whaling fleet. Whalers said the boat was launching projectiles. All six crew were rescued, it said.

Stand by for a big sad from Sea Shepherd supremo Paul Watson who earlier today complained about private aircraft "spying" on Sea Shepherd vessel movements. This prompting Green Senator Bob Brown to demand that the government stop any future such flights.

Update: It looks like the gloves are coming off:

According to eyewitness Captain Chuck Swift on the Bob Barker, the attack happened while the vessels were dead in the water. The Shonan Maru No. 2 suddenly started up and deliberately rammed the Ady Gil ripping eight feet of the bow of the vessel completely off. According to Captain Swift, the vessel does not look like it will be saved.

“The Japanese whalers have now escalated this conflict very violently,” said Captain Paul Watson. “If they think that our remaining two ships will retreat from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in the face of their extremism, they will be mistaken.  We now have a real whale war on our hands now and we have no intention of retreating.

All of this because the Japanese enjoy harpooning whales. Insane, ain't it?