A Letter to Ric O'Barry: No More Fish Stories Please!

No more hyperbole please

All Eyes are on Ric O'Barry.
There are 40 synonyms for exaggeration.

The latest biggest Taiji news we see is not that Ric was NOT arrested, it's that, the prick from Texas, was right: Ric's statements on Dolphin Project's Blog were false. It hurts when friends lie. It makes you wonder why.

Contrary to Ric's statements, Ric was never offered the title of Ambassador of Ito City last week for his Dolphin work or ANYTHING else by Mayor Hiromi Tsukuda or ANYONE else.

When we investigated Ric's similar claim in The Cove...it turns out that Ric was never given the "Keys to the City of Taiji" either, as stated in the film.

Maybe they were both just figures of speech...you know, "having the keys to the city" and being the “Ambassador of Ito City” are like saying that we are like "best buds". That could be, but unfortunately for Ric, Ito City Mayor took the twisting of his words at face value, meaning a lie and complained to everyone who would listen, which thankfully included Cara Sands, the Dolphin Project .net web manager, and the falsehood has been taken down, but there is an uncomfortable accumulation that has prompted our letter to you today.

Dear Ric:
We love you as the tough Dolphin loving warrior you chose to be when one of the Flipper Cast, became the only Dolphin in history fully documented by you to choose to stop breathing. We know the Japanese in power may not like you. We are now reasonably certain that the Taiji police have it in for you...but you have a good team there in Taiji and 1000's of people standing with you to keep on keeping on...you don't need to exaggerate your titles or police brutality (torture for a night in jail) for us to keep loving you...You don't need to lose your passport or drink before you drive or drive your car off the road to get attention.

You don't need to hype the radiation in dolphin meat before you test it either. The Tesla-Drive-to-DC-to-Deliver-a-Million-Signatures-to-Obama-to-Announce-a-Cove-Japanese-Rights-Buy-Back-Paid-For-With-New-Donations Event so the Japanese will finally see the truth, was a boast beyond reason or reality with no apparent follow-up...No tall tales! No lies please! Just you. We love you just the way you are.

What the world needs is good people observing the hunt and reporting it in photos and videos, tweets and posts to the world. That's the base. From there we need increased international pressure like with the Australia for Dolphins WAZA Lawsuits. Let's put more money into real pressure. 

We also need real negotiation if we are actually going to see an end of the Dolphin hunt. Next time we have an actual negotiation with people on the side of the hunters and people on the side of the activists, please support it instead of ending it. With great media attention, comes great responsibility. We need solutions. We need you there in Taiji.

The more you are there, the more the "Eye of Sauron" will not be on the Sea Shepherds, for they are doing the heavy lifting every single day of the season, year after year, without the drama. Dozens really have gone gone through regular Taiji police interrogations for years. They have even stoically gone to jail in Taiji and been found innocent.

If the police do arrest you, we are confident that you too will be found innocent of whatever crime the Taiji Keystone Cops can dream up. You are a better man than this. Your cause...our cause...the Dolphin Cause is just. The hunt will end. You don't need to try to do it alone.

We can do it together.

Sincerely,
Steven Thompson

The opinions expressed here are mine alone based on my own research and experience. The intent here is to improve Dolphin activism with constructive criticism.

There are at least 40 synonyms for "exaggeration". One in this list need not be.
They are: baloney, excess, fabrication, falsehood, fantasy, hyperbole, misjudgment, misrepresentation, untruth, aggrandizement, amplification, boasting, caricature, coloring, crock, elaboration, embroidery, emphasis, enlargement, exaltation, extravagance, fancy, hogwash, inflation, jazz, line, magnification, overemphasis, overestimation, pretension, pretentiousness, rant, ric o'barry, romance, stretch, whopper, yarn, figure of speech, fish story, flight of fancy, and tall story.

The New Taiji Games 2015-2016

Find all the hidden cameras and win a prize!

The Pre-Opening discussion is done. The Taiji Dolphin Hunting season opens tomorrow, in about 8 hours.

All who have planned to be in Taiji are here, all checked in and ready to go. The film makers, the activists including all the groups and all the independents, the reporters, the police, the hunters, the managers, the politicians. THE WORLD IS WATCHING.

And while we watch, they watch.

Pre-Season research has identified a new aspect to the Dolphin Activism in Taiji. There is now something to do while we wait for the Blue-Cove, Red-Cove verdict.

Introducing the new game for all Dolphin activists who are actually in Taiji. The name of the game is: WHERE'S THE CAMERAS?

It looks like the police and town officials have actually taken a page out of our guide, The Cove Film Play Book: How to Be a Dolphin Activist, and installed rock cameras or others at up to $549usd a piece.

Can you find the new hidden cameras? The police appear to have installed wireless cameras and built a whole room at the back of the Police Cove Office to monitor the usual places: The Point, The Hill, The Union Office, The Parking Areas, The Super Market, and of course The Boats.

While it may have cost a bundle to get together and install and of course to keep up to date with full battery power, they will probably save on their payroll unless this game begins in earnest. Then they will have to monitor the gamers. They may have inadvertently started a whole new game for the hundreds of activists coming to play, just like "Where's Waldo?"

It's going to take imagination and creativity to play. You'll have to imagine you are a Japanese Taiji Police Officer who is set on trapping Dolphin Activists doing bad deeds. Do not take this lightly. It is no easy task to slide down the rabbit hole of Japanese Dolphin Activist Law-enforcement. First you have to accept that right or wrong, you will enforce a law that legitimizes the murder of some of the most intelligent, beautiful beings on the planet. Then, you just do your job. Just think: where might those foreigners go where they are not supposed to go and where won't they look for a camera?

If you find all 14 cameras, you win the prize, the right to gloat that the Taiji Police are following you personally and have your photo pinned to their wall.

Who will find them first?
It could be you.

Just get a ticket to Osaka, and take the train straight to Taiji. Remember to please hide your Sea Shepherd gear if you are not yet prepared for the game at the professional level, "The Deportation Game".

Here is a hidden camera website. Please shop here so that you can practice at home before you come.
Buy your own!

Please post photos of cameras hidden in the Taiji hills or town and include your method of detection. These now un-hidden cameras will then become a tourist draw to line up and pose in front of. The person who finds the camera has the right to name the site. There is really no limit to what can be done once a camera is actually found.

Where else in the world can gamers go to pit their wits against actual police carrying guns in a high stress international-conflict location and have the game itself funded by the police themselves! 

Furthermore, the risks are real or somewhat real because the police are such pussy cats here and not known to be prone to violence. Yet won't the police be motivated to arrest you or threaten arrest for posing in front of the camera? Maybe...maybe not, but this is about as real as gaming can get.

Caveat: the rules have not been fully accepted by all parties. Whether the police know of the myriad ways, including phone apps to find a hidden camera, as evidenced by a quick Google search, has yet to be seen.

For the Dolphins and for Us,
Steven Thompson
In Japan, part of an awesome team, supporting independent activists to Taiji
Taiji Dolphin Action Group


The game, "Where's The Cameras", is brought to you by Wakayama Dolphin Governor Yoshinobu NISAKA. The word is that no one is quite sure why he supports the killing so strongly or why the Japanese Government offers so many killing permits to him, but he sure does give otherwise ne'er-do-well activists something creative to do with their time.

Sometimes Rules Need to Be...

Be the catalyst for change...do what you can

by Steven Thompson, TDAG 
January 21, 2013

Can you feel the tension in the dolphin ethers? 

All these Taiji dolphin murders this week, vegan non-violent activists being denied visas into Japan, corrupt buyers drop meat in the street from their truck as they speed away in haste: the dolphin killing mafia is afraid. 

We are all on the cusp of a full televised whale war in the Southern Oceans. The War is COMING. 

“Life is short, break the rules.”  -Mark Twain

The Rock & Roll world is feeling the change through the eyes of the Chili Peppers. at their concerts. Imagine this band and others coming to Taiji. Hold the vision.

It is those like these Sea Shepherds, ready to enforce where governments fail, who make the difference. May we always live in a time of Sea Shepherds. May we live in a time, where we are all Shepherds of the Sea and laws no longer need to be broken.

A big THANK YOU to the volunteers in Taiji today guarding the Cove and monitoring the hunt. Without groups like Sea Shepherd and individual dolphin activists all over the world, we simply wouldn't know.

New Taiji Dolphin Strategy: Radical Volunteers Needed

Radical axis

Watching this 90 minute film will change how you think about activism.

Hunger 2008 

by Steven Thompson, TDAG 
January 15, 2013

Are you sick of Red Cove Days? An alternate approach surfaces.

Are you ready?

The dolphin killing mafia is certainly not ready for this.

Watching this 90 minute film will change how you think about activism.

There is new discussion about people coming to Taiji...NOT with any organized group. This time people are coming to Taiji for the purpose of getting arrested and then choosing a radical course of action.

It has never been easier to get arrested in Taiji. So far I count six dolphin activists who have spent more than several weeks in jail for the cause of dolphin freedom in Japan. Personally, I have been detained after I was assaulted by the hunters. Yes, I lost my freedom because I was assaulted. But this was just for a few hours and with ringing in my ears. More than a dozen Sea Shepherd volunteers have also been detained for up to a day.

Alex Cornelissen and Allison Lance Watson were first to go to jail in Japan in 2003 (22 Days). Erwin Vermeulen next in 2012 (64 Days). Nils Greskewitz (18 days) , and Michael Q. Todd (54 Days) followed by the end of the year.

There is certain to be another person in the sunless Taiji (Shingu) jail. We hope they watch this movie.

If this is someone you know, send them this link to Hunger, an award winning movie of a successful strategy against a more powerful opponent.

Doing a 30-day fast would garner massive media attention. There are people who have done this. It is of course, not as dramatic as Bobby Sands...you don't need to give your life...just give more than any have done before.

We are looking for the one in a million volunteer/s. All expenses paid.

Think about this...watch the movie...If you are ready...we will discuss timing...you would not be expected to pay for this yourself. This will be organized off of public pages so that the volunteer/s get into the country...there is also the mater of getting arrested.  The jail in Shingu has no sunlight and involves solitary confinement without reading materials. I know this is torture for many of us.

Film on youtube.


A big THANK YOU to the volunteers in Taiji today guarding the Cove and monitoring the hunt. Without groups like Sea Shepherd, Save Japan Dolphins, and individual dolphin activists all over the world, we simply wouldn't know.

Keep the Taiji Dolphins in Your Prayers

Swimming Free away from Taiji

by Steven Thompson, TDAG 
November 27, 2012 

Are dolphins intelligent? Are dolphins spiritual? To those who believe...to those who are ready to give it a try. As you go to sleep or meditate today, please send a psychic message to the dolphin pod members who escaped today:

STAY AWAY FROM TAIJI! ...IF YOU HEAR THE BANGING, GO UNDER...OUT TO SEA

An entire pod of dolphins ESCAPED certain death today. They outsmarted the most ruthless technologically advanced dolphin murderers on the planet: the Taiji Killers, those who eat dolphins. There was no massacre today.

How do you think the escaped pod feels now? Happy? Exhausted? Did anyone die in the mad rush to escape? Are their hearts beating back to normal? Where will they swim to next?

Many of us sat on the edge of our seats waiting for the #tweet4taiji. We waited and waited...drank a cup a tea...felt like throwing up...not working...not sleeping...knowing the dolphins were swimming a race...a high speed marathon where there can only be one loser. And losing means you watch your friends and family get their throats cut or their spines pithed...blood still filling the water...screams piercing your soul...mothers and babies dragged by their tails, drowned in agony. This is the vision that may await the dolphins if they swim by Taiji.

Please envision the dolphins who escaped today, communicating with other dolphins to stay away from Taiji. Please envision the awareness of the Taiji hunt to spread among all dolphins everywhere. Please share the vision that dolphins must swim under the wall of sound and back out to sea.

Please tell the dolphins that you care...care enough to stay away from Taiji. Taiji is no place for a happy and free dolphin.

Swim fast and free

Away from Taiji 

Under the sound and out to sea

Telling all dolphins is the key.

A big THANK YOU to the volunteers in Taiji today guarding the Cove and monitoring the hunt. Without groups like Sea Shepherd, Save Japan Dolphins, and individual dolphin activists all over the world, we simply wouldn't know.

Baby Dolphins and Japanese Embassies

We save baby dolphins.

by Steven Thompson, TDAG 
Sept. 7, 2012

The next stage begins.

When the hunt is on and the dolphins haven't been netted yet, I hold a vision of escape: fast, far and free. Some dolphins are bound to escape. May they tell the tale to other dolphins to keep away from Taiji as scientists say they can.

When dolphins get roped into the Cove, it is time for the next stage: make the call to consulates and embassies and the people in charge. Get creative. Visit the embassies...remember the names of the people you talk with or meet with.

With a baby pilot whale in the Cove confirmed, our next step is clear. Please call any Japanese outlet and demand that at least the baby and his mother be saved. Killing a baby or pregnant female, even in a hunt, is murder.

This approach focus was suggested by a Japanese man in Taiji when Ric O'Barry and I showed The Cove in his home to him and his guests. He recommended an emotion approach after seeing the scene of the bloody baby dolphin swimming across the nets to diver Mandy-Rae Cruickshank "Japanese love dolphins; use this love to save them", he said.

Holding the pod overnight is rare now. It is an unusual opportunity. Please make calls every hour for the next 20 hours. Babies are the heart string. Play it!

Ask if there are any pregnant females. If Embassy officials don't know the answer, ask them to find out, you'll call back. Give them the numbers of the Mayor and the Taiji union in charge of the hunt. Give them the names.

Mayor SANGEN ,Kazutaka Taiji Town Hall
Call: 073-559-2335
Fax: 073-559-2801

Mr. MATSUMOTO, Shuichi, President and
Mr. Shimetani (Private Space) Kazutoyo, Chief Butcher
Taiji Isana Union
Call: 073-559-2340
Fax: 073-559-2821                                   (Add 81 for Int'l and drop the first zero)


Some may question the survivability of baby dolphins, and their mothers, pregnant females, and perhaps a few males. Dolphin scientist Diana Reiss told me that it is by no means certain that they will die. It is more possible that they will contact other dolphins and warn them! Baby dolphins have been released before with other remaining members of their pod when the pressure was on. Let's apply pressure any way we can!


Dolphin lovers, please place contact lists in the replies section in this document. Thank you.

For the baby dolphins and for all humanity!

We Make Dolphins the Japanese Agenda

Mayor Sagen, Taiji, Japan talking about us

by Steven Thompson, TDAG 
Sept. 2, 2012

I got a telephone call today from a Japanese friend at the Cove today. Ric O'Barry and I showed the Cove (watch for free) at the home of our mutual friends in Taiji four years ago. We still have security issues for the Japanese. Violence is possible. Town shunning is par for the course. It's not easy to challenge the tradition of the-way-it's-always-been-done.

My friend cannot easily contact Sea Shepherd or Save Japan Dolphin activists directly. He has a message for them--he's happy you are here. Many Taiji people are happy you are here! The hunt gives their town a bad reputation. He is on good speaking terms with people in Taiji including hunters. It's a small friendly town.

The message to Cove Guardian, Melissa Sehgal, and Cove Monitor Tim Burns, is that the hunters are upset...he used the phrase "mecha okotteiru" (damn angry). Being here works. Thank you for coming! We could arrange a meeting sometime when the undercover police escort stops tailing you or you slip away.

The hunters get together at the Isana izakaya (bar) after their hands are clean. Deiter Hagmann with Atlantic Blue, got some good footage in the bar and we observed the Korean live dolphin export party when we got one of our tires sabotaged. The hunters also lounge around outside the union smoking cigarettes after they get cleaned up. They are happy to talk to people walking by, including non-Japanese. I have shared potato chips with them. They usually love to debate. Really. It's always a bit of rowdy fun. But today was different.

The media coverage...the heavy and constant police presence...the town meeting...Taiji will feel under siege for 6 months and today is just the second day. The news last night (Sept. 1, 2012) in Japan prime time covered the opening of dolphin killing season. The news anchor seemed more concerned about Sea Shepherd than the peacefully assembled Save Japan Dolphin Activists. Sea Shepherd has become the buzz word for those attacking Japanese "culture".

Activists around the world demonstrated in front of Japanese consulates and embassies. Now that we have activists reporting minute by minute from Taiji, we have taken over the Japanese agenda in every city where there are dolphin activists and a Japanese presence. We are the Japanese agenda.

One well-known hunter, SHIMETANI Kazutoyo (aka Private Space), who helps manage the day to day hunt and butchery, had no idea who he was talking to. He was angry. he even uses the F-word, in English of course. I interviewed him when he was following me around with a video camera when I was alone at the Cove. When I turned my camera off, he started talking. Shimetani san really is a nice guy. He has a good heart. He isn't evil. His soul is not corrupted. I think he is just following tradition, and extremely misguided.

I hope he doesn't have a heart attack. I hope he sees the light and saves baby dolphins and pregnant females at least.

The hunters have gone back after killing and released babies, pregnant females, and a few males when we protested two years ago. It's a time consuming reverse process of banging the poles and pushing frighted dolphins out near international waters. Of course they may be intelligent and warn other dolphins to stay away (I think they did...the hunt numbers are down as a result). When the hunters do make the decision not kill every male, female, and baby, Taiji will not be known as the dolphin baby killing capital of Japan. There are more options for Taiji than following tradition blindly. Please demand that that the dolphins save the babies and pregnant females. This is the strategy recommended to us by trusted Japanese people.

I recommend a letter writing campaign too--it has certainly worked for Amnesy International: Identify the people doing bad things, and inundate them with mail. The wonderful thing about post offices is that they will hand deliver your message. These are the men most responsible for dolphin deaths in Japan.

Let's all write a letter every week to:

1. Mayor SANGEN Kazutaka at the Taiji Town Office

Taiji Town Office 3767-1, Taiji, Taiji-cho, Higashimuro-gun, Wakayama 649-5171  Japan

2. Mr. SHIMETANI Kazutoyo, Chief Butcher, at the Isana Union.

Taiji Isana Union 3167-7, Taiji, Taiji-cho, Higashimuro-gun, Wakayama 649-5171  Japan

Also consider writing to
3. Mr. MATSUMOTO Shuichi, the President of the Taiji Isana Union (Gyo Gyo Kumiai). Same address as Mr. Shimetani.

Taiji Isana Union 3167-7, Taiji, Taiji-cho, Higashimuro-gun, Wakayama 649-5171  Japan

Consulates and Embassies
The staff at these offices exist to answer our questions. Please ask them if they could advocate for the baby dolphins. You can call in English anytime. Many have 24 hour numbers.

If they don't have the telephone number to call off the hunt, you can give it to them.

Mayor Sangen                                          
Taiji Town Hall                                               Taiji Isana Union (Gyo Gyo Kumiai)
Call: 0735592335                                            Call: 0735592340
Fax: 0735592801                                            Fax: 0735592821
Add 81 for Int'l and drop the first zero

The alternative to the killing is to hold a new vision for Taiji...a beautiful Taiji...maybe with wild dolphins happy to interact in the open seas.

Dolphins can be so forgiving.

They will help.

Give 'em a chance.

First, save their lives.

For the Taiji Dolphins!

Note: I am not a member of Sea Shepherd or Save Japan Dolphins, but I think they are doing a heck of a good job spreading outside pressure (gaiatsu) awareness to end the dolphin hunt. Please support the individuals using their own funds to get involved. Please support Japanese activist when you find them. They are ones who will end this. They are the ones who will create an alternative.

The Taiji Tourist Visa

Is saving dolphins a form of tourism?

By Steven Thompson
March 18, 2012

This youtube video shows members of the Zaitokukai (anti-Korean) group. After they spit at a Sea Shepherd vehicle in Taiji, they went to Osaka to push Immigration officials to keep Sea Shepherd "terrorists" out of the country. The officials seemed to humor the Zaitokukai members by meeting them outside of their office. The Zaitokukai filmed themselves doing this and uploaded it on the internet. The French Zen Master put in on youtube for easier access.

I feel that the Zaitokukai's work helps spread the word of the dolphin hunts and encourages more Japanese officials to join in helping the hunts to end.

If Sea Shepherd were demanding to end nuclear power or guarantee absolutely safe radiation free food, it would be an impossible situation. The well-known journalist, Christopher Johnson, probably got rejected re-entry into Japan this year because he was reporting the truth on nuclear issues.  The Japanese government, as it currently exists, could never meet these demands. Chris Johnson made enemies and offered them no way out.

But as things stand, it is not all that difficult to help end the killing of dolphins now costing more and more in security costs and stress on the little Taiji town. The Zaitokukai involvement helps to increase security costs.

Zaitokukai Banzai!
Long Live Silly Japanese Bullies!

The more people who want Sea Shepherds to leave Japan, the better.

End the hunt, and they will leave.

Still, Sea Shepherds and all dolphin activists will need to watch their backs especially if there is any taint of getting paid to be in Japan. That would mean they would need a work visa.

Wackos at the Cove

 

 Taiji Front Lines

Chaos to Kushimoto

By Steven Thompson
March 13, 2012

The situation in Taiji has gone from End-of-the-Season Sayonara to Wacko-Fest Extravaganza at the Cove.

Make some popcorn, get a drink. It's only going to get more interesting in our quest to save the dolphins.

Yesterday, right-wing nationalists spit what looks like chocolate sauce all over a Cove Guardian's car. This has confirmed three things for me.

1. Right Wingers are silly
2. Japanese police need better planning
3. Cove Guardian strategy works

A few car loads of Japanese wannabe gangsters looked like drunken toddlers as they spit brown goo, displayed their middle fingers, and stuck out their tongues as they pushed around Taiji's finest boys in blue, one day after the more heavily armed prefectural police went home for the season.

The Taiji situation has gone beyond my imagination. If the nationalists had not come to show their tongues and fingers, nothing would have happened in Taiji and the Cove Guardians would have inevitably gone home till September.

But now that the Zaitokukai has sent the special Kansai Club to Taiji, any activist keen to get more involved will and should send resources to Sea Shepherd or Save Japan Dolphins, or they will go to Taiji and join the fun.

Can you say Zaitokukai and smile at the same time? Try it. Slowly. Zai--to--ku--kai...Zai--to--ku--kai.

It always ends with a falling diphthong sound mirroring the fall of nationalism in Japan after World War II. Right Wing groups are a shadow of their former selves. They would be more relevant wearing clown noses and spraying silly string in the air.  But they do piss people off. Yesterday they pissed off the 50 police focusing on Taiji.

Last season the police looked silly when they couldn't move a meditating Cove Guardian zen master. The police held a multi-day training seminar for a battalion of uniformed and undercover detectives. This season the Japanese police were overwhelmed by a ragtag group of Japanese bullies. There is only one way to go for next year: more preparation.

If the Taiji establishment decides to continue to murder dolphins, Cove Guardians will be back and better funded than ever before. This means that the security expenses to the local economy will soon outweigh the cost of the hunt. Who will look silly then?

Thank you Zaitokukai! 

The Japanese nationalists have made themselves part of the problem. The Cove Guardians are clearly part of the solution.

Erwin Vermeulen: Not only legally free

Scott West (L) shakes hands with Erwin Vermeulen

By Steven Thompson
March 6, 2012

Erwin Vermeulen won his case in court two weeks ago on February 22, 2012. Yet one question remained: would the prosecutor exercise her right to appeal? She had two weeks to do so...she waited the full two weeks to announce.

The Wakayama prosecutor's office confirms that Erwin is not only legally free, he is also morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably and reliably FREE.

Thank you Erwin for your Dolphin Disobedience. Enjoy your time in America. You deserve it!

Dolphin lovers dance!
Pirates take the chance!
There is still so far to advance.

First, Erwin's lawyers will decide how to advance the case against his accuser for forcing Erwin to be in jail for 64 days based on a lie. This will be news that will be ongoing.

Second, there are still six Cove Guardian volunteers in Taiji getting up every morning facing a large police presence. This may be the year that dolphin lovers occupy year round! But this is far from certain. Please help make it happen. Please donate and earmark for Taiji.

Sea Shepherd Campaign Coordinator, Melissa Sehgal, reports from Taiji today that all killing boat activities are still being monitored everyday. All captive dolphins are also monitored in every location, especially the sick dolphin in the harbor pen, Harbie, being tube fed every day. I hope she is given better medical attention and then freed with all the other dolphins locked up there.

Finally, are you looking to add your effort to the cause? Watch the Cove and contact those responsible for killing the dolphins. Go to Taiji or support someone who can. Thank you all for caring.
TO DO LIST

Erwin Rocks Japan, Engulfs Holland

Erwin Vermeulen found innocent Feb. 22, 2012

By Steven Thompson
2/25/2012
Japan

Good media coverage on Erwin rocks Japan, even if they do still use the whaling word and avoid any mention of dolphins. Thank you Japanese media.

Amazing coverage engages the entire population of the Netherlands. Her Majesty Beatrix is reported to have been made aware of the human rights issues in Erwin's case. And Erwin hasn't even started on the Amsterdam press circuit yet. That all starts in the next 24 hours. All dolphin lovers offer a sincere thanks to the Dutch media and the Dutch government.

Stories have spun wildly and happily out of control. There will never be a way to repair the image of the police oppressing an emaciated, honest, and non-violent Dutch citizen protecting the even weaker members of the seas, the beautiful dolphins.

An interview with a Dutch tourist in Spain today came out with the understanding that Erwin had received no hot meals and was forced to be in solitary confinement. Neither is true, but the way it was all handled by the accuser, his boss and the police give rise to endless exaggeration on a personal level. The story will continually mutate around the coffee tables of Amsterdam for years to come.

Thank you Dolphin Resort Hotel! Thank you Mr. Kitagawa! Thank you Taiji and Shingu and Wakayama police. You could have ended the circus earlier but chose not to.

Remember that meeting? You all voted to continue the charade as yes-men for the Governor of Wakayama and his deputy, the Mayor of Munchkin City, I mean Taiji.

Gauging the impact of the new media coverage and the acquittal is what I'm thinking about. How deeply will Sea Shepherd's win in court affect the outcome of the dolphin hunt?

This discussion will be in flux as meetings and more press conferences get held over the next week. The next press conference is in Amsterdam. Both sides are certain to spin it for themselves. But one thing is clear: times have changed.

People around the world are certainly more engaged, but no country is now more engaged than Holland. I get the feeling that the Sea Shepherd flags will safely be Dutch permanently. Thank you Madame Prosecutor.

Dutchman Erwin Vermeulen, paid any balance due to cover the stress of the Dutch government for Sea Shepherd support with his 64 Days of inhumane treatment in a Japanese jail for doing nothing more than loving dolphins. The witness was judged to have lied. No pushing occurred. Dutch people protect their own and now this includes Taiji dolphins. Thank you Judge.

As I noted a few days ago in the TAG Blog:

"The Dolphin Slave Resort owner, their young cry-wolf dolphin trainer Kitagawa, the Japanese police at three levels (Taiji, Shingu, Wakayama), and Ms. I-want-Erwin-in-jail-one-more-day Prosecutor, clearly, obviously, and very publicly screwed the pooch."

My feeling is that that cute little Japanese puppy was Japan. And that she didn't like it very much. The politicians and business people who deal in dolphin death look pretty incompetent to the Japanese establishment. And then there is the money.

Budget negotiation in Japan for next year's national subsidy on Cetacean meat and the massive Taiji police and Coast Guard presence, and the whole Institute for Cetacean Research folly will occur every day all the month of March for a decision by the beginning of April.

My dolphin drumbeat until the end of March is: No more money for the Taiji hunt. Try it: 9 beats--pat your knees or the table in front of you.

No-More-Money-For-The-Taiji-Hunt

Celebrate for Erwin and the Dolphins...Tokyo Tomorrow

Scott West and Erwin Vermeulen 2/22/12

By Steven Thompson
February 23, 2012 in Japan

Thank your Dolphin Lovers!

Historic teamwork here. When Sea Shepherds and I were coming out of the court, we were in telephone contact, posting on TDAG and Sea Shepherd sites.  All of us here who care so much and are invested so deeply, shared in the joy and continue to share the happiness. It really was something special...it's ideal for growth, making deeper connections, cross-pollination and hope for ending the hunt.

There will always be a next step, and a next emergency, but now is the time for many to enjoy our success.

This year, I have usually supported in the background, but yesterday, observing the front lines, meeting new people, sparring with reporters. It was fun...then more fun--Party Time!

We enjoyed vegan food in Wakayama City...the ONLY vegan restaurant in Wakayama...if the translator had not been a vegetarian, we would not have been there. We toasted a cup of pirate rum to the freedom of dolphins and to Erwin. Even the lawyer imbibed! I could not have dreamt up better people or a better time. We laughed to irreverent piracy and plans for the future.

Next up, to slowly wrap our minds around, is year-round occupation. There are groups working hard on this. Join in privately if you feel the call. If you want to live in the Taiji area, please contact us.

Next up in my mind, is the Tokyo Press Conference. In 24 hours, Friday, Feb. 24th at 3:00pm. Erwin Vermeulen, Scott West, and the lead attorney, Mr. Iwao Takayama, possibly the best trial lawyer in Japan, will give a press conference in Tokyo at the Foreign Correspondents' Club.

Thank you for loving dolphins, thank you for working together.

Dolphins Win the Day in Court

Erwin Vermeulen and Scott West 

By Steven Thompson
Wakayama, Japan
February 23, 2012

All are just beginning to calculate the implications. But, one thing is clear: The dolphins won yesterday. A watershed moment exploded for all of us in the Free Dolphins Movement.

What happened yesterday, with an innocent ruling for Erwin Vermeulen in Japanese court, was much more than just our friend Erwin going free. The shock passing through all sides will be felt like the Earth's crust heaving a meter or two as we try to help each other.

New stories will come out in the near future. There are new players, or significant players in the dolphin issue whom I did not know about. Several came forward yesterday, poking their heads out for just long enough to see that the field is wider and deeper than I expected. There are at least six new stories I will cover in the following weeks. These stories exist because Sea Shepherd has committed to be in Taiji until the dolphin hunt stops. I cannot thank them enough.

The story of the Second Dutchman in the courtroom yesterday will come out. He helped me understand more in 10 minutes about the social and political issues in the dolphin issues than I have learned in the last four years.

The story of the Japanese Police supporting Erwin will come out. This telephone conversation was completely unexpected.

The media involvement has also never been this focused. I feel this was an immense change for them too. In a turnaround, I got to interview the reporters, as a captive audience, as we waited outside the court building for an hour, in line for an entry ticket. The reporters have been prevented from reporting on the dolphin issues by nationalist-agenda editors. This may change now.

The story of Scott West will be told in time. If he had not been such a hardheaded professional, this would certainly have had a very different outcome. Scott deserves the title and respect of Captain. He has effectively steered a ship called Infinite Patience, in a Japanese sea of chaos.

I also spoke to a friend of the accuser yesterday, a friend of Mr. Kitagawa. This is a first I believe--no one has heard the story in detail from the dolphin trainer's point of view. There is more here than we realize. Much more.

Finally, I spoke with Erwin at length. We will not see Erwin fade off of the stage anytime soon. Tomorrow will be a momentous occasion for Erwin. After 73 days of being kept from his job, he will legally be able to go back to work. Two hours from now, Erwin will be back in Taiji, defending the dolphins' right to live. Thank you Erwin, for your love of life and your endurance throughout this ordeal.

Judgment Day for Erwin Vermeulen

Innocent or guilty, we'll see you in Taiji.

By Steven Thompson

It's Judgment Day for Erwin Vermeulen tomorrow.

On Wednesday, February 22nd, the verdict will be announced in Wakayama District Court in the case of Kitagawa vs Vermeulen. Court will be called to order at 11:00am.

The judge will decide whether Erwin Vermeulen is guilty or innocent of pushing Mr. Kitagawa.

I will be there along with many supporters from Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Save Japan Dolphins.. A large media presence is expected. I have heard that Private Space may attend. Certainly the Taiji police and the hunters' union will be represented. It is expected to be a lively day for a jig together.

Being with this group of Eco-pirates is always somewhat of a surreal experience for me. Irreverent humor prevails. Tomorrow has been named as Erwin's Hanging Day. Just like in the movies, it would be without precedent for a pirate worth his salt to miss his own hanging day. I expect Erwin will be there smiling, no matter what. My feeling is that he is looking forward to it all.

The best that could happen is for Erwin to be found innocent."Muzai" is the word in Japanese. It is my mantra for the next 18 hours.

What will an innocent verdict mean?

It will mean that the Dolphin Slave Resort owner, their young cry-wolf dolphin trainer Kitagawa, the Japanese police at three levels (Taiji, Shingu, Wakayama), and Ms. I-want-Erwin-in-jail-one-more-day Prosecutor, clearly, obviously, and very publicly screwed the pooch.

While obvious to us that Erwin is innocent, it is not obvious to the Japanese public. An innocent verdict will speak volumes to the Japanese that dolphin lovers are good people.

For dolphin lovers, who already know they are good, Taiji has become a renewed focus because of Erwin's imprisonment. The attempted oppression of Erwin has effectively spread awareness of the dolphin hunt. I cannot thank the authorities enough for this service.

What would a guilty verdict mean?

I don't think that a guilty verdict will change a thing for us. Since Ms. Prosecutor has limited her request from prison time to a small fine, there is now no expectation that Erwin will not get to go home shortly.  Either way, Erwin flies home with friends to his family.

The worst case, a guilty verdict, in my estimation, will just encourage legions of Eco-activists to come to Taiji to see the place where the alleged assault took place. If the alleged assault really happened, wouldn't you like to walk in Erwin's footsteps?  Maybe we can find the evidence of guilt that has so far eluded Japan's finest.

Erwin Vermeulen: Free and Thankful

By Steven Thompson

I got a message today from Erwin. It's the same as it states in the SSCS releases. Erwin said he is overwhelmed by the support. Thanks! That's it.

I have never seen as tight a lid on information for Taiji as now.

As reported yesterday in TDAG by those asking the questions that need to be asked, it is now confirmed that Erwin will not be going to Taiji. He will be on the best behavior that any pirate can be around 15 other pirates in the neighboring town of Kii-Katsuura.

I don't expect any news till Feb 22nd. Join us then from 11:00AM as we do a jig and make good fun of those who thought they could keep dolphin lovers down by arresting them.

Erwin Vermeulen: Japanese Political Show Trial?

Erwin Vermeulen: Japanese Political Show Trial?
 By Steven Thompson





Today, in closing arguments, lawyers for the defense railed against the prosecution case citing example after example of how the prosecution failed to prove any allegation of assault against the dolphin trainer. No photo, video or witnesses provide evidence to link Erwin Vermeulen to any violence of any kind. 

 1. A key defense witness testified that Erwin had his hands full with a long-lens camera in his left hand and a walkie-talkie in his right. So, pushing of any sort could not have been done with his hands as the prosecutor claimed.
2. No DNA evidence was found on the alleged victim's jacket. 

3. No bruise or scratch was apparent on the victim's body.
In closing arguments, the lawyer for the prosecution started to back-pedal. No longer asking for a prison sentence, they humbly ask that Erwin be fined 100,000 yen (approx. 1,276usd). It is starting to look like the Taiji police officer in charge of the arrest may be thinking about a career change.

The verdict will be announced on February 22nd. Please join me: let's envision justice for Erwin and the dolphins. Set Erwin free to enjoy his last few days in Japan before his visa runs out. Let the dolphin hunters and trainers know that we will not go away.
However, don't hold your breath for Erwin being found innocent...a country that can imprison an obviously innocent person for 72 days, could come up with anything.

Dolphin Defender's Last Day in Court

BY Steven Thompson

                                                Picture Provided by Pilar Posada
                                 
 “If you see a good fight, get in it and fight to win it!” ~Ralph Abernathy's Dad

Erwin Vermeulen will have his last day in court tomorrow, Feb 16th at 10:00am. The Verdict Day, will be Feb 22nd.

This is the time when Erwin's defense team will give their closing arguments for Erwin's release from jail. The prosecution will state their case for encouraging the judge to give Erwin the maximum sentence: 2 years in prison and a fine.

I understood from my conversation with Erwin at the Wakayama Detention Center that he sees himself as a civil AND dolphin rights activist . He seemed happy that the world is watching and that supporters are looking at more ways to do what they do best. 

Let us all do what we do best to end the dolphin hunt.

Dolphin Defenders Trial Update Day One

By Steven Thompson

There are literally millions of people looking for information on Erwin's trial. This time, the stars have aligned over Wakayama City. The large media presence in Wakayama Court today was at it too, digging for news and feedback from lawyers who are trying to keep as tight a lid on information and spin as Sea Shepherd is.

Why? Because Erwin's future is at stake--two years in prison. And then there is the whole precedent making side--a slight brush up costs two months in jail.

Shallow news has been out since about 18:00, on TV and in print. Now just past midnight, everybody now realizes that this story is BIG--big international interest, big implications, big conclusions either way the case settles. It probably has Erwin in knots now knowing that the trial will go on next week too. And the dolphin hunt begins in Taiji in another six hours, depending on the weather.

My heroes, besides the accused, are those standing by Erwin in court. Those with the toughest job are in Taiji everyday, never letting up as the killers leave Battleship Row at Ford Island.

If you show up to support Erwin, you probably get on some Police Watch-List. Japanese know this. I know this. They...whoever they is...kept calling my workplace after I got involved last year. The stakes are high for everybody--but mostly for the dolphins and perhaps that is where we have already won.

Nobody who loves dolphins will ever let Taiji out of their sights. That's it. Alex and Allison went first, now Erwin. Today, Erwin is the only person in the world in jail for supporting dolphins. I think he'll be lucky to get out of jail by the end of February. They may wait that long to make a decision. I hope I'm wrong.

Sea Shepherds are sure to release a report on their website when they choose. Japanese and international media will report as they will. Tomorrow is the day of details that I predict will be combed through by the next group of lawyers for the next man or woman or child to stand up against the dolphin slavers and dolphin killers in Taiji. The key point is the judge making sense out of a multi-lingual trial.

Taiji citizens: the people who decided to send Erwin to jail for pushing have decided the fate of your town. You are now at the forefront for Civil and Dolphin Disobedience for environmental and animal rights activists. This will never change until the hunt ends.

Dolphin lovers: we are at the beginning of the end of the hunt.

I can report on Mr. Nakahira, local right wing representative of Nihon Yonaoshikai, in Taiji yesterday clarifying what those who love Sea Shepherd know: that the fact that Shepherds are in Taiji to end the hunt. They apply the pressure that gets people talking. They force a high-cost police presence and tax waste when the money is badly needed after the destructive typhoon last year. Sea Shepherds make children question why things are as they are. Why do dolphins have to die? Mr. Nakahira says he wants Sea Shepherd to leave.

Mr. Nakahira's comments about children were translated by the reporter from ABC Australia. This has even the local children wondering why their parents accept the murder of dolphins. Why are the questions always there?

What the heck is wrong with Taiji? Why are we killing these dolphins. They don't kill dolphins in Tokyo or Osaka, Nagoya or Hiroshima, and they say we kill baby dolphin and pregnant females too. How can we make it all go away?

Will it go away if we arrest them?

I don't think so.

The second day of Erwin Vermeulen's trial starts at 13:40 on Friday, January 27th.

Interview: Prison life in Japan for non-Japanese

Erwin Vermeulen from Holland is the only man in jail today fighting for the rights of dolphins to live. Erwin faces trial next week in Wakayama, Japan. On January 26, 2012, the Japanese government will put our friend on trial for allegedly pushing a dolphin trainer in Taiji, Japan.

He has already served 36 days in a Japanese jail, and faces up to two years. Some say more people will come to Taiji to accept being jailed for dolphins--a sort of Dolphin Disobedience. I compare Erwin to a modern Henry David Thoreau.

What is life like? Erwin has not been allowed any visitors besides a very competent team of three lawyers. To understand what Erwin faces, we have interviewed a man who spent two years in a Japanese jail. We will call him Jay. He claims he was innocent. I believe him and his friends and family believe him, but he still had to spend two years of his life in prison in Japan. This is an introduction to Jay's story. We hope that it will help you to better understand what Erwin faces.

An Interview with Jay: Prison Life in Japan for non-Japanese

Outside help and support came via letters or any money or reading materials I needed. There's not much else friends can do other than those three.

Daily life in jail is usually spent writing letters, reading and talking to others in your room (if he is not in a solitary cell). It's quite a monotonous routine every day. They have a tight schedule of serving 3 meals a day, delivering mail everyday and supplies once a week that you can buy if you have money. You are allowed to keep your supplies and books in the room with you. In jail you wash your own clothes in the sink with soap at designated times of the day. This is all done at the big prefecture jail though not at the small city jails but I'm assuming that big and more accommodating jail was where he was moved to.

Pre-trial can be stressful because of the language barrier and also because frequently the translator can easily make mistakes (SO IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE YOUR TRANSLATOR UNDERSTANDS YOU AND WHAT YOU WANT).

Immediate post-trial involves being swiftly moved to your next destination (immigration or prison)

Doing time involves working everyday at some monotonous job standing all day with one 10 minute break and a lunch break eating in a cafeteria. Unless you get a solitary room you will be sleeping with a roomful of others (up to 13) on a futon. Personal item are kept in the room and television is turned on a few hours a night. Any medicine (this also applies to jail) needs to be specifically requested to the guards and if a serious illness arises then you will be taken to the doctor onsite. All taken in though Japanese prisons are quite safe compared to other countries. Rarely are there fights (stabbings are unheard of) and illicit drugs are never seen. It's basically like high school with a lot of psychological mind games and talking behind your back because your a foreigner (what the Japanese call ijime).

All I have is some resentment that comes back once in a while at the times I choose to hold my tongue when other inmates talked shit. I did learn how to be more patient though.

_________________________________________________________________

Please ask if you want to know any more specifics. One place to ask is the Facebook site: Taiji Dolphin Action Group.

Your ideas needed to end the Taiji hunt

We support dolphins.

Our Facebook group, TDAG, supports dolphins.

Many organizations support dolphins.

Organizations approach the dolphin hunt issues differently. The reality is that there will always be vast differences of opinion in how to end the hunt.

TDAG members have worked with individuals from at least nine organizations: SSCS, SJD, Eyes On Taiji, WDCS, EIA, Whaleman, Atlantic Blue, Blue Voice, and ELSA. Please get to know these groups. They accept non-profit donations. Get involved more deeply in their work. The leaders and paid to interact with you. They have excellent resources and vast experience. If you have ideas that seem to match their various approaches, we would be happy to introduce you to their representatives.

There are at least four other groups where committed individuals work to end the hunt: Campaign Whale, Ocean Care, AWI, and IDA. We have had positive interaction with them on a more limited basis. Please get to know them too.

They all agree that they want the hunt to end, and yet follow different, sometimes dramatically different, paths.

A goal of TDAG is to give all paths a voice and encourage the development of more by encourage readers to follow their hearts. We are still searching for the way to end the hunt.

Steven Thompson
TDAG Co-Founder

Thanks to Steve Cody, for sparking this post.