In a recent report about the "Operation Divine Wind" which was due to start today "Wats-his-name" (who looks as if he has lost weight and healthier) stated that their regular helicopter Pilot, a United States Citizen named Chris Aultman, would not be joining in this years Operation due to personal reasons.
Now today "Wats-his-name" states in a Press Release that Mr. Aultman was denied a visa to enter Australia, which being a Sovereign Nation may allow or exclude whomever it wishes and does not have to explain their decisions to anyone - least of all "Wats-his-name".
It also appears that the Australian Government will not be sending the ACV Ocean Protector, which is at Hobart, TAS we believe, to the Southern Sea. This from Australian Environment Minister Tony Burke in reply to a SSCS question. The reason stated was that both the JWF and SSCS had requested the vessel be there and both requests had been denied.
Meanwhile the MS Steve Irwin remains at anchor in the Port of Fremantle anchorage area, according to its AIS transmissions. It is all getting more confusing than ever and even allowing for those NAUTICAL LOG senior moments you may agree.
Good Watch.
And while the world is concerned for the whales, 400 of our fellow seafarers are still held captive by pirates off the coast of Somalia. Their release through superior firepower could be their only solution.
2 comments:
You'd think, wouldn't you, that if BOTH parties requested an Oz "observer", then one would be sent. However, Australia probably does not wish to compromise its own World Court case against Japanese whaling.
Meanwhile the two versions of Chris Aultman's situation are "interesting", especially as they both came from the one source...who's been quoted (many times) as saying:
“If you don’t know an answer, a fact, a statistic, then ... make it up on the spot.”
— Paul Watson, in Earthforce: An Earth Warrior’s Guide to Strategy
Environmental Minister Tony Burke says that no visa was denied and that it was processed in the normal time frame for such things. (3/4 into video)
http://www.skynews.com.au/video/?vId=2907042&cId=Programs&play=true
I believe that the whole thing was a contrivance by Watson. Citing the failing health of a relative, Watson announced on Nov 18, that Aultman would be unable to attend the campaign this year. He went on to say that arrangements for a new pilot had been made.
In his complaint that the government of Australia is picking on Sea Shepherd and attempting to sabotage his campaign, Watson ignores several facts.
1) Just two weeks prior, Aultman did not intend to participate and had likely not even applied for a visa he did not anticipate needing. If the visa had been a problem on Nov 18, Watson would have made an issue of it then.
2) How would Watson's campaign be in jeopardy if he already had a replacement pilot?
3) Australia gives great lattitude to SS and turned a blind eye to to the actions of provisionally registered Gojira last year, and went so far as to reward those actions by granting full AU registry.
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