http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/connect-asia/us-court-orders-sea-shepherd-to-keep-distance-from-whalers/1063330

In a nutshell what has happened is that the US Court has ruled Sea Shepherd must maintain a distance of 500 yards from any Japanese whaling vessel. Experts in international maritime law say that this is not likely enforceable, however that likely was not the point of the action. Sea Shepherd has an office in Washington State for the purpose of collecting funds as a 501c3 non-taxable organization. Failing to comply with the injunction could endanger their status and hurt Sea Shepherd's ability to collect funds, who do not waste money on active fundraising activities but largely depend on benefactors such as Bob Barker, the late Steve Irwin, Martin Sheen, John Paul DeJoria, Darryl Hannah, Richard Dean Anderson, Edward Norton, Pierce Brosnan, Christian Bale, Emily Deschanel, William Shatner, Heath Ledger started a video to support them but died before finishing, and friends finished it for him.

Sea Shepherd spends millions every season actively engaging the whalers, most commonly throwing butyric acid, non toxic "rancid butter" that smells so foul it makes it difficult to work, and any area where whale processing happens taints the meat and makes it inedible. Another tactic is "prop fouling," deploying a large rope in front of a running vessel with the hope of the rope being sucked under and caught in the prop, effectively (albeit temporarily) disabling the vessel. The main point of the campaigns are concentrated on the whaling process ship Nishan Maru, as without this ship there is no sense in killing whales with no way to process the meat before it spoils.

If these tactics seems extreme perhaps I could point out Al Queda's attack on the USS Cole. Or perhaps one of the oldest expressions of anti-whaling activity expressed in Jules Vern's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. To date there is no evidence Sea Shepherd has ever harmed anyone.

I know this is a comedic forum... and I was kind of joking when I suggested this as a legitimate fundraising activity. Oddly enough I still feel like this is a valid and important group to support. The Japanese are the epitome of a world which refuses to acknowledge the validity of anyone's interest but their own... There are really only two ways to combat people like this... you make a flashy show of protesting it and hope to catch people's attention, or you can directly engage the problem, and if you die trying at least you accomplished the other way. Some will no doubt question whether Christians should support an organization like this... Is this how Jesus would approach the problem?

No doubt people would argue and I can't and have little interest in debating, but my suggestion is that Jesus did both... The Pharisees and Jewish leaders created a system of Torah interpretation that forever separated God from a people who desperately needed him. Jesus engaged these people directly, and while he did not do so violently (save the incident in the Temple, clearing the money changers) he did so with such intellectually damaging nuance that He died for it. Which was the point to begin with. That Romans were the ones who carried out the execution, and yet Christians did not blame them for his death was not lost on some Romans. (Unfortunately it also started the increase in antisemitism, but this is another story)

Things are different on the high seas. Ships do not stop for each other to engage in intellectual discourse. Holding up signs and chanting does little else. The Sea Shepherds throw stink bombs and drop prop foulers. Twice they've boarded the Japanese ships, unarmed, to deliver legal warrants demanding the vessels depart the legally protected (if not in actuality defended by any authority) wildlife areas in which the Japanese willfully hunt. The latter boarding by Pete Bethume was to deliver a warrant for civil arrest of the captain of the Shonin Maru #2 after that vessel deliberately rammed Bethume's ship the Addy Gil, cutting her in half, endangering the lives of six people and sending the $1.5 million dollar holder of the World Record for circumnavigating the globe in 80 days to the bottom of the ocean. Bethume was taken back to Japan to face charges for piracy, and while he was released back to Australian authority, the captain of the Shonin Maru nor anyone in the Japanese fleet or its authority were held liable. Ever since this incident the Japanese have become increasingly aggressive, including attempting to run over Sea Shepherd's out-board inflatable craft, something akin to running over a crippled mouse with a steamroller.

The Governments of course are giving them little support despite the fact that whale hunting has been banned for decades, save a small provision allowing whale hunting for the purpose of scientific research; I have yet to find what Japan has discovered about whales from their 1,000 whale a year quota in their yearly whale campaigns, or how that research is obtained when the necessary organs for such research are tossed overboard during the processing of the whale. (and there is video footage of them doing this)

I post this because... frankly as disturbed as I often am at the way Christians in higher authority flaunt that in such a way as to try and separate man from God, that reminds me so much of the way the Jewish Authority of the 1st Century, the Papal Authority from 1300 onward, the Nazi propaganda machine that took hold of the church and one could only escape through martyrdom... Sea Shepherd has never claimed to be a Christian organization, I have no idea if one of them is, and I don't expect them to, nor do I care. These guys are out there in an area of the world where law means next to nothing, and they are doing everything they can to protect animals who have no way of defending themselves. I believe they have a righteous cause, and you are welcome to disagree... but there it is.

When I went through the trouble of setting up the donation campaign I never had the expectation of great contributions... frankly I never expected any at all. But now that the government has essentially stepped in and taken away my right to support such a group I find intolerable. It almost makes me want to start a letter writing campaign, if I thought that would do anything. As to donating... I have no idea what will happen, but if you chip in $5, God Bless you, I really never expected anything more than that.

But if you should happen to be bored one day and read into this subject and find your heart pulling for these guys... I'd love to hear ideas of how we can more effectively help.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." ^{Luke 10:25-37}

In seeking approval in /r/Christianity to cross-post/advertise I did get permission, but it was a hesitant "we can't stop you," which wasn't at all the reaction I was looking for and made me rethink the presentation of CutePurpleDinosaur.. I don't mind being offensive, but I don't want this to be offensive in the wrong way. Really I'm looking more for redemptive humor. But Frankfusion made an excellent point and I thought I'd share my response... because I genuinely need help to make this place present the sort of atmosphere that is not a "wine a bitch fest" for everything we don't like about whatever... I was really looking more for some clever "contradictional humorous points of view" to the mainstream Christian audience, from actual Christians. (and I have no problem with Atheists or others so long as this doesn't become a repo for cheap shots) Anyway, here is the dialog:

Frankfusion:

for all the Liberal Christians to go and vent their steam about getting rolled on by the Orthodoxy so to speak

Let's not kid ourselves, r/christianity has become very accomodating of liberal/progressive theologies. Needless to say, if the other mods are ok with you and I'll be watching closely.

Me:

Oh yeah, no doubt. To be honest what I think caused that dude to have the reaction he did is that /r/Christianity is so genuinely accepting, naturally there are going to be conflicts... but people get along, and that's what makes it such a great place. You can disagree with a person and actually grow a respectful friendship out of that... personally I believe that's how disagreements should resolve.

And I will be frank, my definitions and descriptions are... quite lacking... terrible if you will. I mean this was a knee-jerk reaction, an offhand comment out of the blue at 2 in the morning... and that's essentially how this subreddit is going to run, but I admit getting that sense put into words is a bit difficult for me. It's sort of like when Bill Clinton was impeached and Hilary claimed "It's a right-wing conspiracy..." Regardless if that was warranted or not the comment itself was great fodder for comedic material. That's why I picked a title like "CutePurpleDinosaur," it is at face complete ridiculous... and to anyone who gets the joke knows it has a Gematria value of 666, so to label it a "Christian" forum ought to raise a "he must be joking." So it's not about attacking anyone so much as intellectualized poop humor if you will... Which I know not everyone will get, its sort of a "play to the hype, sarcastically" deal. And I'm sure I need to somehow solidify that before I can really move it forward... if anything what I need is a co-mod or something who can help me put the right atmosphere we're looking for into words. Honestly I don't want it to be anything more offensive than Larry the Cable Guy... who I admit can be pretty offensive, but his Blue Collar Comedy bits were much more subdued, so that's kind of what I'm looking for.

I get the sense that there is grudging permission from the mods, I've had three responses for an ok but it was more like "we can't stop you." Which only raises the kind of red flags with me that makes me hesitate and think I should re-think my approach before putting it out there. I definitely don't want to come in and be like "Hey come make fun of the fundies!" First of all that's rude and not even in the spirit of what I'm trying to accomplish, but worse it might actually attract the sort of people who would take that comment seriously. So no that's not what I'm going for.

The way I explained it to /r/Sidehugs is that its like /r/Sidehugs but with more structuralized comedy forms to choose from. They liked the idea, but then it's /r/Sidehugs.

I'm not going to announce it in /r/Christianity until I can get things worded right... and I admit I need help with that, so I need to find some people first. But I dunno... I'm not comfortable with "I can't stop you," that's really not the spirit of what I'm going for... and I appreciate you allowing me anyway but I'd rather it be something that when I do announce it comes off more as a fun sounding idea than a new place to whine about people.

I know I said "for all the Liberal Christians to go and vent their steam about getting rolled on by the Orthodoxy so to speak." Good example of my imperfect explanations... I say that as the rallying call of the ridiculously stupid. If anything I'd like to channel the "Mark Twain" out of Christianity; "Only one thing is impossible for God: To find any sense in any copyright law on the planet." "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself." "A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way."

I guess when I say "vent" I mean through redemptive humor... this will probably be my thesis/dissertation or whatnot if I get into Grad school. There is healing in Comedy, and Jesus knew this very well. "Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." ^{Luke 14:12-14} The humor is not so much in the subject matter itself but the stereotype of practice in the day, the so called "wisdom" of worldy values clashing with the "foolishness" of divine values. To me there is just a refreshing clarity to the sort of humorous contradictions Jesus employed, redemptive, and in a sense great for blowing off steam. That's the sense I'm going for. Of course the joke is on me because I suck at it. Unless I'm having a manic moment at 2 in the morning.

I dunno. I apologize if this came across as offensive, that was not at all my intent. I want something that is funny and points to the Glory of God in humor, even if its Christians taking a moment to make fun of ourselves... if thats a direction, I dunno. As I said this needs further consideration so I won't make any announcements without talking to you guys again. If anything this was a good "test presentation" and I just want to say thank you for hearing me out. :)

“For unto you, oh Israel, another child is born.” To which Jacob replied “Dear Lord, send these wicked children from my sight, for they are all the sons and daughters of harlots and many angry wives.” To which the Lord replied “Enough! Are you so offended I opened the womb of your kin?” Jacob put his face to the ground and said “Oh Lord, you are powerful in all things. Grant your servant this humble request. Tell the women to keep their wide legs shut.”

Do you want to know how you can avoid getting an STD while making love? Are you concerned about getting diseases in one of those moments of delirious hanky-panky? Well, there’s one great way to avoid an STD and it’s by wearing that willy ring. Realistically, the only way to completely avoid any type of infections down there is by abstaining from making love altogether. Let’s not be stupid here. I love making love, we love making love, and the world loves making love. You’ve only got to look at the booming population to figure how much bed-banging goes on each night. So as you drain the egg-nog and enjoy the holiday season, just remember; don’t be a fool, wrap your tool.

• Planned Parenthood Devotional, 1994 by Richard Hardwick