Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Land Ho! Oops the Tubbataha Reefs

Haven't paid much attention to the environment radicals lately but I was away at Halloween when this all happened. The BBC reports on an incident that was quickly buried by the Left-leaning press and their sympathizers. No hysterical rallies or demonstrations calling for Greenpeace to get out and go back to Brussels or Berlin. No calls to scrap International Environmental Agreements because environmentalist forces might rape the reefs in the course of their work. (Get it?) And what were they doing in that beautiful pristine area? A lil R&R scuba diving maybe while sharing plans for the assault on Masinloc?
BBC: Greenpeace Fined for Reef Damage
Environmental group Greenpeace has been fined almost $7,000 (£4,000) for damaging a coral reef at a World Heritage site in the Philippines. Their flagship Rainbow Warrior II ran aground at Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, in the Sulu Sea, 650km (400 miles) south-east of Manila. Park officials said almost 100 sq m (1,076 sq ft) of reef had been damaged.
I am dredging this up for the Sassy Lawyer's benefit, because I really want to call her out on a couple of things she's been saying of late that confuse the heck out of me. Basically, I would like to request a non-lawyerly statement from her about where she actually stands on the issue of ecoterrorism, or in less provocative language that won't get me accused of being cocky, "radical environmental politics."

She's been making dark threats involving infinities because of a statement I made in Visiting Forces Aggrievement:
Paradoxically, in her next post, the Sassy Lawyer defends the rights of Greenpeace activists to criminally trespass on the Masinloc Power Plant to protest "climate change."
which was a reaction to this:
SASSY: The injuries suffered by the contingent of Greenpeace can only be “justified” if there was provocation on the side of the Greenpeace when it held a protest rally at the Masinloc coal power plant in Zambales.
I ask, now most respectfully, what she means by characterizing the Greenpeace action at Masinloc as a protest rally? See my post Attack of the Rainbow Warrior. Is Zambales Mendiola? And why does there seem to be a bending over backwards to coddle these spoiled-brat interlopers by putting the onus of justifying injuries that they want to be inflicted on them, upon the sleepy and normally peaceful guards of the Masinloc Power Plant? It's not a tourist spot, and if you followed my post yesterday to the Greenpeace "embedded weblogger" site, it would seem they planned and schemed and were ready to get hurt in order to get publicity. They used five motorized launches in an early morning "raid", backed up by the enviro-warship, Rainbow Warrior whose role in their modus operandi is well known. Maybe the guy they called "fat little man in a gray t-shirt" actually thought they were being assaulted by a terrorist band. That after all is how the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped Gracia and Martin Burnham along with several dozen other hostages from Dos Palmas in Palawan: on fast-moving boats at the break of dawn!

I can just imagine what the reef story would have been like if that was a US warship hunting down Dulmatin or the Abu Sayyaf, that ran aground on some precious coral. Isn't there a double standard at work here?

I mean, c'mon Sassy. You can't just pore over news reports and sagely summarize them without taking a stand. You indulged the Leftists on the American servicemen issue, but somehow these guyz who listen to a lot of classical music from Deutsche Welle have to have their injuries justified whenever they commit criminal trespass.

I'm a nobody. Don't make a Federal Case out of one sarcastic statement. You're a somebody in the Blogosphere. So we need your strong voice in important issues, not hurt feelings or imagined transgressions from tiny, ugly worms like me. Say something we can believe in. Not clever recipes for equivocal, irresolute stands.

By the way, I've been reading a lot more of your stuff, so I may have further questions for you, Counsellor, if you will indulge me.

3 comments:

Deany Bocobo said...

Eaten by a bear! Hohoho...Heather thanks. I needed that.. And your thoughtful comments. Indeed I will be examining some of the ground you indicate, in which perhaps you in Canada may be able to help us cover with good humor and good will. Thanks again

Deany Bocobo said...

Kumusta po kayo ngayon Tito Boy? Mukhang mas galit po kayo kay Gloria kaysa sa munti ninyong pamangkin. Paumanhim na lang niyo ang aking mga kakulangan sapagkat tao lang tayo. Ngunit kung mayroon po kayong nais sabihin, upang malunasan ang inyong poot at hinagpis, malaya pong narito ang inyong mapagpalayang kalis....

Deany Bocobo said...

Hi Heather! Looks like you're having fun bloghopping. Say listen, I'm always on the lookout for "interesting" tidbits on the misadventures of the good folks at Greenpeace, the anti-GMO crowd and the various cults of pseudoscientific radicalism, having at one time been attracted to their good intentions, or declarations of such. Idealism can be a cruel master when we move into the sandcastles we build in the air, instead of using them as models to improve our world on the ground. I have found that holding up a humorous mirror to the ridiculosity of some of these antics, actually de-programs some of them. As small a victory as that may seem, it is enough for me, more than enough.