road protests 2001   |   road protests (current)   |   movement links


Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 21:36:20 +0100
To: rts@gn.apc.org
From: ALLSORTS (allsorts@gn.apc.org)
Subject: -ALLSORTS- ELP News mix catch up Mime-Version: 1.0

Sea Shepherd Appeal - St Vincent Campaign

The following e-mail was posted by Sea Shepherd yesterday - May 22, 2001

Dear Sea Shepherd Supporter,

Do you really want to make a difference?

Are you tired of watching our oceans being raped and plundered, poisoned and disrespected by the ruthless, willful ignorance of pirate whalers, ruthless maritime outlaws, and poachers?

Do you want to protect the unique biological diversity of the Galapagos National Park?

Do you want to stop the killing of gentle whales in the Caribbean?

Are you willing to contribute to a cause of action that is saving the lives of whales and dolphins, seals, turtles, sea birds, and fish?

Do you want to challenge the incredible arrogance of the greedy and illegal Japanese whaling fleet?

This is not a long-winded plea for funds so I'll get straight to the point.

I need you this summer.

I will provide the ships, the crew, the courage, the stubbornness, the required measured aggressiveness, and the needed resourcefulness to make a difference. What I need from you is your valued sponsorship.

You know that we don't harangue you for money. Sea Shepherd solicitations rarely arrive in your mailbox. When they do, it is because we have a genuine need for your help.

Now is one of those rare times when we really, really, need your support.

My flagship, Ocean Warrior, is in Florida. We need to crew, outfit, and refuel her by July 1, 2001.

The Japanese whaling industry has been pumping millions of dollars into the Caribbean nations of St. Vincent, Grenada, Antigua, and St. Lucia to encourage whaling and to buy their votes to sway the International Whaling Commission to overturn the commercial whaling moratorium.

On Easter Sunday, off the island of St. Vincent, four beautiful and intelligent Orcas from a pod of six were cruelly slaughtered in blatant contravention of the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife Protocol of the Cartegena Convention, ratified in July of last year.

The two surviving Orcas barely escaped with grievous wounds.

Under the law, members of the cetacean family (all whales and dolphins) are effectively protected by the laws of the countries that are parties to the Cartagena Convention. Both St. Vincent and St. Lucia are in this category.

Despite this, in March of this year, St. Vincent whalers deliberately wounded a humpback calf. When the mother responded to the painful screams of her baby, she received a harpoon in her back. Both mother and calf were slain, in violation of both the Wildlife Protocol and the rules of the International Whaling Commission. You can bet that whale meat was served within days at Tokyo sushi bars as Japanese businessmen joked over their sake that, despite the laws, they get whatever they want, when they want it.

The St. Lucians want to kill pilot whales in July.

We need to be there to stop them.

In August, the Ocean Warrior must transit the Panama Canal to re-supply our patrol boat Sirenian in the Galapagos. She has been there since December. In addition to helping clean up the oil spill in January that threatened this unique marine reserve, our crew has been purging the area of illegal fishing operations and challenging a system of corruption that has allowed poachers to operate with impunity for years.

In the Galapagos we are making a big difference.

The Ocean Warrior will be bringing much needed supplies to the Galapagos Park Rangers. We will also be consulting with the rangers at Cocos National Park off Costa Rica on how to chase illegal fishing boats away from that treasured island.

If we can complete these tasks, the Ocean Warrior will be in position to strike at the Japanese Antarctic whaling fleet in November.

For the first time, we will be able to tackle our most powerful foe, and the most evil exterminators of whales on this planet: The Japanese whaling industry. And we won't be going there to hang banners or to wave protest signs. We will be going there to shut them down and chase them back to Japan.

That's it in a nutshell. We have our objectives, and we have the volunteer crew and the hardware. We need fuel, maintenance, and provisions.

Specifically we are seeking sponsors for the following needs.

* 120 tons of fuel at $300 per ton, $150 per half-ton, or $75 per quarter ton
* 10 barrels of lubricating and hydraulic oil at $250 per barrel
* 50 charts at $20 per chart
* Contributions towards the Panama Canal fee of $5,000
* Sponsorship of daily operating costs of $200 per day

All contributions are tax-deductible and we will send you an official signed and stamped certificate of sponsorship. You will also receive a postcard from Captain Watson mailed from the Galapagos.

Contributors of $300 or more will receive one of the following choices -

An autographed copy of Captain Paul Watson's book Ocean Warrior A Sea Shepherd crew sweat shirt An officially signed and stamped genuine campaign nautical chart suitable for framing. Contributors of $1000 or more will receive all three.

Let me show you what a few good men and women can accomplish out there on that vast and magnificent ocean if given the support.

Since 1979 we have sunk and disabled pirate whalers, rammed and disabled outlaw drift netters, and we have saved hundreds of thousands of marine life forms. We have boarded, arrested and detained poachers and delivered them to the proper authorities.

And we have never caused a single injury.

We are aggressive, effective, ruthless to machinery, merciless to harpoons, nets, and long-lines, but completely non-violent in our respect for all life, including human life.

There are many conservation and environmental groups in the world. However there is no group that does what we do, the way that we do it.

Yes, we are controversial and yes, there are many critics of our tactics. For this reason we have become the "Ladies of the Night" of the conservation movement. Many agree with us privately but are embarrassed to be associated with us in the daylight.

But hypocrites won't save our oceans, or our planet. Only men and woman of integrity can do that.

For this reason, we don't strive to build an organization of numbers. We don 't measure our success by membership. That's why we spend little on promotion, and concentrate on campaigns.

Our supporters want action and results. That is what we have delivered for over twenty years, and what we will continue to deliver this summer.

Come with me on a courageous and noble quest to intervene against the relentless killers of our seas. If we can count on your support, then the whales, the dolphins and all the other magnificent citizens of the oceans will be able to count on us.

Onward to St. Lucia, the Galapagos, and Antarctica.

For the Oceans,

Captain Paul Watson

********************************************************

(Print, fill out, and mail)

Dear Captain Watson,

Your crew can count on me to be a sponsor of the Sea Shepherd summer 2001 campaigns to protect whales in the Caribbean and to shut down the poachers in the Galapagos. I can help you by sponsoring the following needs -

Fuel Sponsorship - we need 120 tons
$300 per ton, $150 per half ton, $75 per quarter ton
I wish to sponsor ____ ton(s) of fuel. I enclose $________

Lube and Hydraulic Oil - we need 10 barrels
I wish to sponsor ______ barrel(s) of oil for $250 per barrel. I enclose $________

Nautical Charts - we need 50 charts
I wish to sponsor ________ nautical charts for $20 per chart. I enclose $___________

Daily Operating Costs - we need sponsorship for 60 days
$200 per day, $100 per half day, $50 per quarter day
I wish to sponsor _______ day(s) operating costs. I enclose $_______

Panama Canal Fee - we need to raise $5000
I wish to sponsor $________ towards the Panama Canal fee. I enclose $______
In return you will receive a photo of the Ocean Warrior transiting the Canal.

All contributions are tax-deductible and we will send you an official signed and stamped certificate of sponsorship.

I have donated more than $300 so please send me one of the following -
   ____an autographed copy of Captain Paul Watson's book Ocean Warrior
   ____a Sea Shepherd crew sweat shirt
   ____an officially signed and stamped genuine campaign nautical chart suitable for framing
   ____I have donated more than $1000 so please send me all three

***************************************************

Sea Shepherd News

Sea Shepherd Conservation International has relocated back to Southern California. Our new address is 22774 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265. Our new phone number is (310) 456-1141. Our new fax number is (310) 456-2488. Our website remains unchanged at http://www.seashepherd.org

Sea Shepherd International has a new Chief Operating Officer. Pepper Fernandez is now directing our administrative activities from our Malibu office.

The Sea Shepherd movie Ocean Warrior was delayed due to the screen writers and actors strike. The movie is scheduled to resume production in August 2001.

Sea Shepherd Conservation International
22774 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Malibu, CA 90265
Tel - (310) 456-1141
Fax - (310) 456-2488

http://www.seashepherd.org
seashepherd@seashepherd.org


road protests 2001   |   road protests (current)   |   movement links