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| Fifth Column |
| Protestors delay frigate deployment |
| 2003-04-08 |
| Edited for brevity. Greenpeace protestors have managed to stall the departure of an Australian navy frigate which was heading to join troops in the Persian Gulf. Two protestors attached themselves to the bow and stern of the HMAS Sydney as it was leaving Sydney Harbor Tuesday morning. Other protestors in boats cast a mooring rope across the path of the frigate, forcing it to first stop, then begin returning to its base at Garden Island in the middle of Sydney Harbor. Both protestors attached themselves with ropes to the ship as it was moving after pulling up alongside the vessel in motorboats. The protestors both carried Greenpeace signs and one was able to unfurl a "No War" banner while hanging precariously from near the bow of the naval vessel. Sydney Water Police removed and arrested both protestors after about 15 minutes. Another protestor on a surfboard also attempted to disrupt the ship's departure, before being picked up by police. It is not yet known whether the mooring line caused any damage to the ship and the vessel has now resumed its journey to the Gulf, steaming out of the heads of Sydney Harbor just before noon Tuesday. HMAS Sydney is destined to replace two other Australian frigates operating in the Persian Gulf as part of the coalition forces attempting to remove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from power. The frigate is expected to take three weeks to reach the Persian Gulf, where it will join another navy vessel operating there, HMAS Kanimbla. Australian Prime Minister John Howard early Tuesday farewelled the HMAS Sydney, saying the troops had the support of all Australians. He later criticized the actions of the protestors saying they had no regard for the feelings of the sailors or their families. "These clowns ought to understand that and if they think that's winning support to their cause, they're very badly mistaken," Howard told radio listeners. "I'm sure they'll be dealt with by the law and they should be." Tell it like it is! |
| Posted by:Dar Steckelberg |
| #12 Seems like everyone has their breaking point with Peagrease sooner or later. Like the American approach - must've been fun for (almost) all concerned, but the French way - blow up their flagship whilst the crew are asleep - had a certain finalite. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-04-08 14:00:45 |
| #11 Actually, that's a superb way to deal with all these idiots. I recommended to the State of Colorado that they begin targeting "environmental organizations" that try to stop the clearing of dead timber in State forests. Most of the time, these groups file nuisance lawsuits that stop the process until the State answers them. I suggested that every time there's a forest fire in Colorado that requires the State to respond, the people who have sued to stop logging and thinning be held accountable as "accessories after the fact". I haven't seen any OFFICIAL response, but supposedly one enviro group settled out of court for some big bucks. There are consequences to behavior. More and more often, these "Environmental groups" cause more problems than they solve. They should be held accountable, in a court of law, for any expenses they force upon local, state, or federal government. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-08 13:57:25 |
| #10 Patrick---Enjoyed the post. All we need is a little institutional memory to realize that the best way to deal with Greenpeace chaps is to use SEALS, so we don't need the orcas yet. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-08 13:30:02 |
| #9 Heh, heh, heh. That's good enough! Thanks for the memories! :-) |
| Posted by: Dar Steckelberg 2003-04-08 11:23:12 |
| #8 Greenpeacers eaten by whales? Is that one of those irony things? Dar Steckelberg, sorry, but I'm going on memory. Back in '89 Greenpeace was blocking Trident missile tests by running their ship and several rubber rafts through the launch zone. They got away with that ONCE. The next time there was a destroyer in the area that shouldered (that's a polite way of saying "not a direct ram") the Greenpeace ship out of the way while using firehouses to pour water into the ship's stack -- flooding the Greenpeace ship's boilers. Meanwhile, in the launch zone, waiting for the rubber rafts, were SEALS with knives. It was a short joyride for the rubber-raft drivers. I don't know if there were any other consequences for Greenpeace. But ever since, you don't read too much about Greenpeace hassling the USN. |
| Posted by: Patrick Phillips 2003-04-08 11:03:43 |
| #7 Patrick--Got any links for goodies on that theme? I'd love to read a few! |
| Posted by: Dar Steckelberg 2003-04-08 10:54:51 |
| #6 Maybe we should train orcas instead of dolphins. "Mmmmm....Greenpeace Protesters......taste like chicken" ---Ollie the Orca |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-08 10:50:39 |
| #5 After putting up with Greenpeace's antics for a while, the U.S. Navy started giving them some rough (and embarrassing) handling in the late 80s and early 90s. As a consequence, Greenpeace seems to be steering clear of the U.S. Navy and looking for more tolerant targets. |
| Posted by: Patrick Phillips 2003-04-08 10:45:43 |
| #4 If it's possible to train dolphins to sweep mines and deal with frogmen, why not train orcas to consume Greenpeaceniks? Maybe it's because their anaemic vegan flesh tastes too much like tofu. Sadly it's the French who've shown the way when it comes to dealing with these ecopirates. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-04-08 10:40:07 |
| #3 Start a fashion - dongle-protestors! Every navy'll want some... |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-04-08 10:09:50 |
| #2 They shoulda just left them attached. |
| Posted by: Rawsnacks 2003-04-08 09:54:47 |
| #1 One of the Greenappeasement protestors was also previously arrested for trespassing on US military property, hindering the launch of the Star Wars missile defence shield thingie a couple of years back. Saw him clearly on the news, taking it again for Greenpeace-at-any-price. Professional protestors all. Time to give them professional jail sentences, though I feel sorry for that guy he is being used as a pawn (again). Can't the government sue Greenpeace the corporate organisation for the expense of sending out the police rescue teams? public endangerment? Surely there are civil damages to be awarded, money to be recouped? And we could add the Greens on the list of defendants to be prosecuted, their MP Ian Cohen was also arrested to his great joy and pride. |
| Posted by: anon1 2003-04-08 09:52:29 |