Navy resumes use of sonar off California

[Bonobo]

Source: Christian Science Monitor

Washington - Environmental groups are fighting President Bush's move to allow US Navy ships to use sonar during exercises off the California coast beginning this week, a new wrinkle in the long-running legal battle that pits military readiness over concerns about whales, porpoises, and dolphins.

The Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying ships began an exercise Wednesday that allows the aircraft carrier's strike group to use sonar to practice detecting submarines in the waters near San Diego before the ships deploy overseas. The Navy says such training is crucial to prepare ship drivers for the threats that lurk in waters around the world.

But that training may not last for long. Environmental groups expect a federal judge to rule against the Navy in the coming days, nullifying an exemption signed by Bush last week that environmentalists believe was unconstitutional. The president, says Richard Kendall, an attorney representing the National Resources Defense Council, used an agency within his own executive branch to overturn the federal court ruling limiting the use of sonar during the exercises.

"The president's effort to use a White House agency to override a court order is very dangerous in our legal system, highly illegal, and completely unjustified," says Mr. Kendall.



Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0125/p02s03-uspo.html

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We live in a democracy. That means WE are the government. Our own Federal Judges ordered the Navy to stop this. Our President has contravened the law. It is our duty to stop him.

Before we advocate that other sovereign countries bring military action against Norway, Iceland and Japan, we should first act to stop it our own country.

[lebkuchen]

1. Fuck the US Navy then.

[ladjf]

2. Why do we continue to torture and slaugher whales?

[Bonobo]

3. Strandings...

Whale strandings increase in the UK
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2005/march/news_3417.html


Military Sonar Threatens Whales Around the World
http://www.savebiogems.org/whales/

[lebkuchen]

5. I'm going to print these pics and send them to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen

[Bonobo]

6. There are so many, many stories, pictures and articles on this subject on the net.

I do not know why it is not given the attention that the more exciting "Japanese evil whaler pirates" gets, but we probably kill many more whales and dolphins then the Japanese and...

We do it indiscrimately.

We do it unopposed.

We do or will sell this sonar technology to every other ally on the planet.

[Bonobo]

4. Where is the outrage?

[Barrett808]

7. Oh, I'm outraged. Thanks for posting.

:mad:

[Bonobo]

8. Why no one else?

Perhaps it just isn't a sexy enough story.

You see my issue with this now?

No emails, letter, phone calls, protests, nothing. In OUR democracy!

[Barrett808]

10. To be fair, there are environmental organizations actively pursuing this

So there's a fair amount of action on this front.

Still horrible, of course, and any letters/donations/actions in this cause are welcome.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[slowry]

17. You know what most DU'ers do, as far as activism? Lets get some names. n/t

[Bonobo]

18. If you work for this cause, I commend you. eom

[Bonobo]

11. Here is where I live part time...

They depend upon the sea. It is filled with fishermen. They know what it is to give and take and respect the ocean.

Do we?

[mopinko]

9. we are all outraged,

we're getting tired, tho. what can we do? nothing.

[hankthecrank]

12. We found russian subs with out active sonar why do we need it now?

There is no need for active sonar when passive gets the job done

[Bonobo]

13. That's obviously the truth.

[Thothmes]

19. Normally

Pasive sonar gives you course and speed, range is iffy. Active sonar is used for final shooting solutions. Most surface war ships do not have any significant passive capability built into them. They are the ones that go banging around the ocean looking

[Barrett808]

24. Thanks for the 411. n/t

[The Stranger]

15. The Executive cannot unilaterally lift an order of a federal court -- NANCY DISASTER, ARE YOU THERE?

[Bonobo]

16. It is also a States Rights issue. I thought Republicans were for States Rights.

[mimitabby]

20. whaling

at least the Japanese EAT the whales they murder. Us, we just kill them like flies on a radiator grill..

[The Stranger]

21. You do realize, don't you, that he takes issue with the Japanese being criticized for whaling?

Or maybe that part of it was obvious to everyone but me.

[Barrett808]

22. In fact, there's little demand for whale meat in Japan

Much of it gets dumped into frozen storage or made into dog food.

[Bonobo]

23. I think a concerted effort is being made to advertise it going on.

Lots of pictures of beautiful whale meat if you google it in Japanese. Clearly some money is changing hands.

[Bonobo]

25. Weird, there are always so many more posters on the other whaling threads...

Where are they all?

[Nihil]

29. Around the world

Don't assume that all of the critics of Japanese whaling (or Icelandic
whaling or Norwegian whaling or ...) are in the US. We (i.e., you and I)
are separated by a few timezones you know.

I responded to, recommended & kicked your dugong thread in E/E as soon as
I got to it and I did the same to this one - I've only just got round to
checking LBN ...

Patience grasshopper! :hi:

[Bonobo]

26. Kick

[lonestarnot]

27. The president's effort to use a White House agency to override a court order is very dangerous

The president's effort to use a White House agency to override a court order is very dangerous in our legal system, highly illegal, and completely unjustified," says Mr. Kendall.

[pinniped]

28. The Al-Qaeda subs are on their way.

.