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Originally Posted by samurai007
So, since you (and Ronin) seem to be ok with violence since "they did it first against something else", I suppose you both would have no problem at all with people who bomb abortion clinics or murder doctors who perform abortions. After all, they "started the violence" against innocent unborn children, and the legal efforts to outlaw abortion are stalled in red tape and political bickering while more innocent babies are killed every day, so you would excuse their extreme actions (which some might label "terrorism") too, right?
Or how about if PETA or the Animal Liberation Front murdered doctors who perform animal testing for vaccines that may cure deadly human diseases? More animals, such as lab rats and monkeys, keep dying, so anything they do to stop it is ok with you, right?
And in the same vein, how about those doctors experimenting using embryonic stem cells from destroyed human babies?
Or farmers who raise beef cattle, chickens, pigs, etc for human consumption?
Oh, the list just goes on and on... do you support violent action in all these cases and more because "they started the violence against animals/fetuses/whatever"?
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Please don't confuse my arguments with Tenchu's.
Although we're both against whaling.. our reasons are different.
As for your comparison of me with pro-life activists etc. I don't believe wilfully taking a human life over whaling is acceptable.
I'm pro-choice... but I believe that such a comparison can't be made because the nature of the two issues complicates things. For one the ocean is a SHARED eco-system which is why world consensus should not be ignored. A woman's body is hers alone and the belief that an embryo is a concsious living being is based purely on religion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HaruHotaru
A whole lot of deep discussion here concerning an equally deep issue... but I'm hoping there's more to the Japanese government than the whaling issue alone.
I know the main topic is about whaling, but concerning Japanese government as a whole, are there any other points to make against/ in favor of any other laws, policies or conduct of the Japaense government?
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I like how the Japanese government have a pacifist constitution.
Although their military budget and technological capability are quite substantial outspending and being stronger on paper than Britain for example. The Japanese military is not allowed to take up combat roles in other countries for whatever reason.
Also Japan seems to be following the Chinese lead and investing a lot in Africa. Such investment could be good for the continent which has long been neglected by European and Western powers.
Japan is also one of the biggest contributors of net aid behind only the United States.. though before you go thinking the United States is so generous.. remember that it only contributes 0.01% of it's wealth to foreign aid making it one of the stingeist. Japan on the other hand is just below the 0.35% OECD average on 0.32% while the small nation of Sweden puts us all to shame with about 0.7%.
If you factor net aid in with percentage of wealth, I think that Japan is definitely one of the most generous countries in the world. Though of course most of my respect is aimed at the Swedes in this regard.