Paul Watson, a founder of Greenpeace and a board member of the Sierra Club, is a nut who brags of ramming and sinking whaling ships. So when two of his crew from the Sea Shepherd group boarded a Japanese whaling ship, the whalers naturally tied them up to a mast. Watson complains that the men, who boarded the whaling ship without an invitation after hurling bottles at it, were "kidnapped." They are lucky they weren't made to walk the plank.

While I think the activities of the Japanese are reprehensible and I feel for the poor slaughtered whales, it must be said that these men acted irresponsibly when the boarded the Japanese vessel without permission. They deserved to be apprehended. They were trespassing. No matter the crime, you take your life into your own hands when you board another vessel uninvited. These people are acting like vigilantes and are blowing their own reputation by behaving so irresponsibly. If they wanted media attention they got it, but at what cost to their own reputation?

They should just be thankful they weren't shot.

Let me see if I have this correct, 2 men voluntarily board a ship that they were not invited to (trespassing), and work for an environmental organization (have ability to get violent) who have been following the ship (stalking) and when the crew members tie the people up (for safety/common sense) they are called kidnappers. Those 2 men are lucky that they were not shot on site for trespassing.

Don't harpoon me bro'!!!

Those freaking hippies are lucky. If they came onto my ship, I would throw them both in the brig and give them both a good old fashioned country ass whoopin'.

If the whaling ship is violating the law, then serve the captain with a complaint when he reaches the port, or file a complaint against him and have him prosecuted.

Boarding his vessel is not just stupid, but the captain is within his rights to gun you down and ask questions later. For all he knows, you are a stinking pirate! Out at sea, the only law is admiralty law, which is the law of the captain.

Too bad there isn't an auto manufacturer willing to create the most unenvironmentally friendly car ever, just to piss everyone off. I'm imagining a hybrid vehicle that runs on whale oil and redwood.

On the open sea, in international waters, every ship is it's own country subject to whatever laws the captain decides are valid within his or her judgement. These guys where lucky that that's all that happened to them.