A woman with a Sea Shepherd tattoo, the organisation of marine conservationist Paul Watson (not pictured). Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters

Quite a few of us contributing to this site have called Costa Rica home at one point or another and it is probably fair to say all of us admire and respect that country’s pioneering role in modern conservation schemes.  For some of us, it was literally the country that inspired us to do what we do.  But no country is perfect, and at least in one current affair Costa Rica seems to be playing the stooge.  Shame on Germany and especially Japan for their leading roles in this farce. Costa Rica’s official abandonment of its core values should not be winked at, even by those of us who otherwise love the country and its people.  Paul Watson deserves our attention and support (click the image above for his editorial in today’s Guardian, which has played its fourth estate role well in this affair):

I must serve my clients, the whales

I can do that far better commanding the Sea Shepherd fleet than I can defending myself from bogus charges by Japan