TOKYO (Kyodo)
Prosecutors argued in their opening remarks that Bethune trespassed aboard the vessel to have a cameraman film him for a documentary. They played to the court a video recorded by the Japanese fleet that shows the defendant throwing a glass bottle and roaring with delight.
Noting that there is powerful opposition within the international community to the Japanese whaling program, the defense countered in its remarks that Bethune did not intend to harm the crew member and that he was not aware of the dangers posed by the liquid contained in the glass bottle.
He was indicted last month for firing a glass bottle containing butyric acid onto the Shonan Maru No. 2 on Feb. 11, causing injuries to a 24-year-old male crew when the bottle shattered and some of the contents splashed him in the face.
The crew member suffered burns that required a week of medical treatment, according to the indictment.
http://adoreanimals.com/home/captain-paul-watson-saving-our-seas/‘People call us violent; we’re not violent, we’re completely non-violent. We’ve got an unblemished history of non-violence. We’ve never caused a single injury to a single person anywhere in 30 years of operations. But there’s a perception of violence because we attack property even though that property is used for illegal purposes, because we live in a culture where property takes precedence over life.’
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081221083803AA3EutVDo you think the captain on Whale Wars really got shot?Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
Absolutely not! There is a very simple experiment you can do to prove him wrong. If you watched the program you’ll notice he fits the unjacketed bullet into a huge dent in the badge and says, “perfect fit” keep this in mind. For the experiment you’ll need the following articles.
1)a large hammer (22oz.+)
2)a ¾ “ long 3/8” dia. bolt
3)metal epoxy
4)Same metal badge Watson had
5)A strong friend
Now epoxy the bolt to the end of the hammer put on a nice fluffy sweater like Watson had clip the badge to your chest. Let a strong friend hit the badge hard enough to bend the badge as deep as shown on the program in question. Now inspect the injuy to your chest how does your injury compare to Watson’s? (Now would be a good time to call 911). While you’re waiting for the ambulance I have a few questions. Did you notice being hit? Did you say, “I think I’ve been hit” or did you say*!*#(@!?!*&%!!!! And fall down in pain? I’m sorry but bullet resistant appeal doesn’t stop the energy transfer that’s why manufactures specifically tell you not to wear anything hard under your vest because it will increase the energy transfer, They also claim there were trauma plates in his vest if that were the case the bullet wouldn’t look like a bullet it would have deformed or shattered and the badge wouldn’t have a perfect bullet shaped dent in it either. Not to mention the bullet missed the upper right corner of the trauma plate pocket. Another problem with their bullet was that it wasn’t jacketed and snipers don’t use soft lead rounds they deform too easily to achieve the desired accuracy. If the bullet shed its copper jacket in the vest it wouldn’t look like a bullet any more.
After watching them board a ship without permission and then claim hostage status I see this as just another deceptive tactic used by Watson and his crew. What I find most suspicious is there are no close up photos of the alleged bullet, trauma plate or badge nor were they submitted to independent forensic testing. While forensic tests wouldn’t prove the Japanese did it. It would prove if it was or wasn’t a propaganda based hoax.