U.S. Court Rules Anti-Whalers Are Pirates



(San Francisco, California) The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that members of the anti-whaling protest organization, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, are pirates.

In doing so, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals castigated Paul Watson and members of the Friday Harbor-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society he founded for the tactics used in their relentless campaign to disrupt the annual whale hunt off the dangerous waters of Antarctica.

“You don’t need a peg leg or an eye patch,” Chief Judge Alex Kozinski wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel. “When you ram ships; hurl glass containers of acid; drag metal-reinforced ropes in the water to damage propellers and rudders; launch smoke bombs and flares with hooks; and point high-powered lasers at other ships, you are, without a doubt, a pirate, no matter how high-minded you believe your purpose to be.”

Naturally, the ruling will prompt additional legal maneuvering. It's not over, I'm sure.