A Japanese whaling ship rammed a protest boat led by Paul Watson, head of the anti-whaling organization Sea Shepherd.

Opinion is divided on whether Sea Shepherd had it coming or whether the Japanese were all-too-happy to try to sink the boat. (Note in the video how they use the fire hose even after ramming the boat. To rinse off the blood?)

Both options could be simultaneously true, of course.

Paul Watson reminds me of a modern-day John Brown. (Remember, this blogger thinks that, as a general matter, it’s worse to kill a whale than a human—there are fewer of them, and they’re better for the planet than we are. Of course, I’d prefer no killing of either.)

I have mixed feelings about his tactics, but it’s not like the civilized nations of the world are doing much to stop whaling.

The video below, by the way, is being disseminated by Japan’s “Institute for Cetacean Research,” a name which would be funny if it weren’t so cynical and disgusting.