Bronwyn,

Are you proposing that the media simply cut and paste the press releases of "supposedly" reputable organizations without scrutiny. You seem to have missed the point of Young's piece. Such blind faith is, to me, infinitely more threatening to our wellbeing than any of the trumped up threats GP campaigns against.

I think Graham Young should be commended.

“I commend you Mr Young! For your conduct in giving space to the words of your critics.”

Here Graham has allowed Dan Cass, the Greenpeace Australia Communications Director, free web space to criticise Graham Young, which he does with the self-righteous air of a self-appointed know-all.

Dan Cass, will you be giving space to Graham Young in your publications and websites to enable your audience/readers to hear or read his contrary opinion and view of your organisations actions?

Dan Cass, why are there Japanese Whaling Ships in the Southern Ocean?

1 to tackle whales?
2 to tackle Greenpeace and Shepherd of the Sea?

Why is Greenpeace in the Southern Ocean?

1 to tackle whales?
2 to tackle Japanese whaling ships?

We all know the answer to both questions and we all know who is the “agent provocateur”.

kenny noted “Greenpeace” and “PETA” give the green movement a bad name.

Too right Kenny, PETA have convinced me never ever to buy a suit from Abercrombie & Fitch, having heard some of the deluded idiots from NE USA who sound as if they inherited their wealth and who twitter on about the cruelty of fishing and animal management etc.
It is blatantly apparent, they have not a clue as to the history of mankind, the role fishing and farming has played in supporting life and supplying protein, nor the imperatives which drive fishermen into their dangerous trade of survival.

Everything which is "produced" is the result of either cultivation, animal management, fishing, mining or manufacture. All those activities involve the management of resources. That PETA and Greenpeace hold expectations for our common conduct regarding that management does not matter an iota since – no one ever “Voted” Greenpeace or PETA into any position of any authority.
Like anarchists, terrorists and bullies throughout history, they have simply grabbed it.

Graham Young in his posting, and editorial leadership has “set the bar” for conduct but somehow, I suspect Greenpeace will melt away, ignoring the voice of reason to go back to do their “own radical thing”.

Two issues - Spin and whaling. Australia's claim on Antarctic water is not recognised by some nations. A generation ago, Libs banned it in Australian Water. Does the IPA has a problem with this?

Who nudged whom is an irrelivence - was an odds on probability & given the damage, the vessel was almost stationary.

This is about spin.

The Australia Institutes Sept 2005 newsletter carries a relevant article - http://www.tai.org.au/ (see “news letters”)

"Activists: How to beat them at their own game”

“This was the title of a half-day workshop sponsored by the Institute of Public Affairs and the Public Relations Institute of Australia held in Melbourne in April. Leading the workshop was Canadian PR consultant Ross Irvine, well known for his hostility to community groups and NGOs. Katherine Wilson went along to hear what he had to say.”

Some quotes -:

“Public Relations is war”, announces Irvine. He seems to suggest that the words ‘activist’ ‘terrorist’, ‘criminal’,‘guerilla’ and ‘security threat’ can be used interchangeably.

“My (the author’s) group is charged with ‘empowering others’ to support our cause. Our cause is the Port of Melbourne channel deepening.

(David) “Hawkins (supplier, Vic Gov, PR and other services, event organiser & supremo of the PRIA’s Vic Division – my insertion) suggests marginalising the environmental argument. This could be done with what Bush flacks call ‘the fire hose method’ — bombarding the media with issues, information and press conferences so they don’t have the resources to interview alternative sources.”

“To my (the author’s)suggestion that the case for channel-deepening should be the voice of reason, Hawkins says, “No, no, let’s be the voice of unreason. Let’s call them fruitcakes. Let’s call them nut—nutters.”

You know, let’s say they’re…” “Environmental radicals”, suggests the Darebin PR.

“Exactly. You know… say they represent 0.1 per cent but they dominate, you know, let’s absolutely go for them.”

The IPA co-sponsored the Ross Irvine event. This is Irvine’s war. Enough of the sanctimonious clap trap. GP didn’t make the rules; someone selling tobacco, Agent Orange or some other profitable catastrophy to government generations ago invented them.

Mr Fruitcake

Col Rouge, "providing protein"? I am a vegetarian and since becoming one, have lost no muscle mass but have lost several kilos in fat. I know I'm probably not going to get bowel cancer, mad cow disease, bird flu, salmonella or the numerous other things you can get with eating meat. I live very well.

My body works well, my diet is sufficiently interesting and adequate and... my sex life is better than ever. I abhore animal cruelty of any kind when it is clearly evident that we can live quite well without it. Large scale factory farming is tragically cruel and I've seen it first hand having family in the industry. Fishing is also a cruel, Japanese activity and hunting is just as bad. Big guns and fishing rods = small...

I don't care about tradition and the history of the meat industry, I care about the future and so does Greenpeace, PETA, Animals Australia, Humane Society International, Voiceless, International Fund for Animal Welfare etc etc etc.

And who cares if Greenpeace or PETA aren't voted into any position of authority. It is authoritarianism that is the very thing they stand up against. I can go and protest any damn thing I want because it's a free country.

From your posts I have seen that you are an abhorrent human being, regimental and right wing to the extreme.

Chumley, Of course I'm not suggesting the media cut and paste without scrutiny, and no I have not missed the point of Graham's article.

I stand by my point though that Greenpeace is a principled organization. It doesn't manipulate scientific data and it doesn't use violence.

My other point is that Graham is being mischievously selective in singling out the so-called lies of Greenpeace. The Howard Government is a master of spin and the controlled press release. How about we direct the scrutiny in this direction where it really is needed, and leave Greenpeace to get on with the task of preventing the barbaric harpooning of defenceless creatures.

Perhaps you could name "the trumped up threats GP campaigns against".

Not to mention that the animal industry is unsustainable. Livestock give nothing back to the land, produce tones of methane and CO2, erode the soil, and take up over one-third of the nation's fresh water to raise. Farmers feel the need to chain clear their land to provide for such degradation. In a world where people are starving to death, it takes 17 grams of grain to produce 1 gram of beef. We sit and watch Ronald MacDonald cleverly tapping into family values in order to promote himself and most people do nothing.

I am proudly an animal rights and environmental activist and do so without thinking that my every action should be approved of by some dominant political power. I make no apologies for this.

So, Col Rouge and Graham, lay off the people who are saving the world and your grandchildren may get a chance to see it.