Web Talk Exclusive - Letter to Rebecca Aldsworth
What do you know, it seems that my article “Friends, Neighbors, Barbarians – Lend me Your Ear” has raised the hackles of none other than Rebecca Aldsworth of the animal rights group, HSUS.
The article, which ran in Canada Free Press this week, bothered her so much that she penned a letter to the editor in response. Oh dear God, how will I ever survive the pain!!! Sorry, I couldn’t resist a little sarcasm. Anyway, I thought that in the spirit of sharing and openness I’d post a copy of my response for you all to enjoy.
Dear Ms. Aldsworth,
Thank you for responding to my article in Canada Free Press. After receiving your letter regarding my commentary it is clear to me that I owe you an apology. I had no idea that you were so close to being functionally illiterate and that you have such trouble with your mathematical skills. I really am sorry.
In an effort to explain the contents of my article in a way you can understand I offer you the following comments:
You wondered why I said I disliked the word “barbarian” then used it 14 times. I’d like to commend you for attempting to count so high but unfortunately you missed it by one. I actually used the word 13 times, (unless of course you count the title of the piece but that’s not really fair is it?). Don’t feel bad though, you came close.
Seriously though, I wouldn’t have thought my use of a word that I was discussing was such an odd thing but I guess you know best, after all you’re the one who took the time to attempt a word count, not me.
On to more important topics Rebecca, I can call you Rebecca can’t I now that we’re actually email “buddies” and all? Anyway Rebecca, you also questioned my statement that 90% of the hunt was done using rifle, not club. Good point. You correctly pointed out that about a third of the hunt takes place in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with clubs while a further 10% are clubbed in the hunt off the Newfoundland shores. Good work.
In the piece I was discussing the fact that the word “barbarian” is most often used in reference to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, even though the hunt is conducted in other places as well. In fact, in the very paragraph containing the statistic you referenced, I noted this point once again. As such, the statistic I quoted referred to the portion of the hunt conducted on the offshore of the Province where, by your own admission, 10% of seals are clubbed. Once again, it takes a little bit of tricky math but if you consider that 10% of the seals being discussed are clubbed then it follows that 90% are not clubbed. Clear as mud Rebecca? Good.
You know, someone in your line of work really ought to strengthen their math skills. If I were even considering making a donation to HSUS, which I’m not, I’d really have to question your ability to manage my money. Of course I shouldn’t be surprised. You did decide to pay a local radio station, VOCM, to run anti-sealing ads every day for months on end before realizing that:
1. You were vainly spending money to try to convince Newfoundlanders that they are misguided and wrong in their very way of life;
2. That buying the ads meant HSUS was financially supporting people in a place where the seal hunt is strongly supported; and
3. Purchasing the ads resulted in HSUS supplying revenue to a radio station who’s on air personalities repeatedly voice their full support for the seal hunt on a daily basis, FOR FREE! Money well spent if you ask me Rebecca.
Sorry, I digress. Let’s get back to your letter. In it you pointed out, for about the hundredth time in your less than illustrious HSUS career, that you understand the realities of the situation here because you are originally from a fishing community. You wonder if this meant that, “…perhaps” I intended to include you among those who intentionally mislead the public.
I can tell you the truth can’t I Rebecca?
The truth is that I didn’t give you a second thought when I wrote the piece. I don’t mean to offend you, now that we’re pen pals and everything, but no matter how important you might think you are, you didn’t register on my mind at the time. Don’t let that bother you in the least though. There’s no need to wonder about where I think you should fit in. I’m sure you know quite well. I do need to question whether growing up in a fishing community actually means that you understand things however. Hell, I grew up in a logging community but I don’t know the difference between a spruce from a fir (by the way if you can clear that one up for me I’d appreciate it). See, we all have our weak points.
It’s clear that you have difficulty fully comprehending things so that’s enough for now. I’ll leave you to digest my responses and you can get back to me at your convenience.
Oh, before I go, I should mention that I initially intended to reply to your letter in another article for Canada Free Press but decided against it. The way I see it, a lot more people will read my original article than will ever see your letter to the editor and I wouldn’t want to help you get free publicity. Not until you improve your comprehension and math skills as you might help re-enforce that old stereotype about Newfoundlanders being stupid. Besides if you really want to get your message out to the masses you can always buy some more commercial radio time. Maybe VOCM still has a few slots available? It’s worth a try.
47 comments:
That's the barbarian way
In order to look taller they chop other people's heads off.
Thank God for Rebecca Aldswoth. The only Newfoundlander who embraces compassion.
Anon
I'm wondering do you and your ilk protest the misery that the poor little ducks and geese go through to produce 'foie gras' pate for the palates of the rich of this world?
These poor foul are caged in a pen, not much larger than the size of their body, they have a tube inserted into their throats 3 times per day so that they can be forced fed corn meal. The amount of corn meal each bird is fed per day is the equivalent of a human being eating 28 pounds of pasta per day.
The birds, ducks and geese, whichever are being produced at the time, become very agitated at the sight of the feeders coming to force feed them. From the commotion of seeing the feeders 3 times per day, they go into a frency and rub all the feathers off their backsides from striking the wire cages. Then this type of injury to their backsides, sometimes, attract the rats which then come to chew on the affected area. Also, sometimes the livers of these birds burst from overfeeding and sometimes the tubes puncture their stomachs. The punctured stomachs cause complete torture and agony for the life of the bird, which could be 30 days or more, since the birds are not sent to hospital to have the stomach punctures repaired. It is complete agony for more than a month that it takes the livers of these birds to be of the size to be harvested for the palates of the rich. I cannot think of any treatment to any other living organism that is any more barbaric than this.
France, Canada and the United States are all producers of this delicacy.
Of course, this 'foie gras' pate is only for the palates of the rich, since the poor cannot afford to dine on it, because it has a price tag of up to $300 per pound. The price, of course, is all according to the brand.
Rebecca Aldworth
I would like to know your opinion regarding the second post to this blog re the production of 'foie gras'.
Rebecca I will post directly below the details of how the ducks and geese suffer for the production of 'foie gras' for the palates of the rich; and please Rebecca I would like to know your response to the post, or I am wondering do you care? In my opinion there is no comparison to how the dear little ducks and geese suffer in the production of 'foie gras' over more than a 30 day period versus a seal being killed almost instantly. These poor creatures, ducks and geese, take a month or so before death mercifully comes. My God why do you not do something about those creatures?
Or would you not represent a goose or a duck used in the production of 'foie gras' because there is no remuneration in it for you? I know that you and the others in your organization must get paid handsomely for the protests you carry out on behalf of the seals. I don't think you carry out the protest you do for the anti-seal production without getting a grand and handsome salary yourself; because it is said that your organization collects millions and millions of dollars on behalf of the seal protest, solely because the beautiful seal is the poster animal. I would say that there is no other creature in the animal kingdom that would get any better response than the seal, Paul Watson said so on a CBC Program, before he got the right to use the seal as a poster animal and while Brian Davies was the leader ofthe anti-sealing group you represent. Mr. Watson uttered the words to a CBC reporter back then that a seal always has an omnipresent tear in its eye, which makes it the prime poster animal to collect money on. He said that the reason a seal always has a tear in its eye is to keep the eyes from freezing.
Why do you not use a goose or a duck as your poster creature, creatures that are reared in such a horrendous way and treated with so much barbarism for the palates of the rich? All you would have to do to invoke peoples ' sympathies, if they really cared is show the little creatures in their cages with the feeding tubes down their throats and all the feathers missing of their behinds. You should get a lot of attention from that scene, but I will say there will be no money in that scene for you Rebecca Aldworth. Your people know too well the animal that brings in the most money to your coffers, it is, of course, the seal.
SECOND POST by ANON THE SECOND
I'm wondering do you and your ilk protest the misery that the poor little ducks and geese go through to produce 'foie gras' pate for the palates of the rich of this world?
These poor foul are caged in a pen, not much larger than the size of their body, they have a tube inserted into their throats 3 times per day so that they can be forced fed corn meal. The amount of corn meal each bird is fed per day is the equivalent of a human being eating 28 pounds of pasta per day.
The birds, ducks and geese, whichever are being produced at the time, become very agitated at the sight of the feeders coming to force feed them. From the commotion of seeing the feeders 3 times per day, they go into a frency and rub all the feathers off their backsides from striking the wire cages. Then this type of injury to their backsides, sometimes, attract the rats which then come to chew on the affected area. Also, sometimes the livers of these birds burst from overfeeding and sometimes the tubes puncture their stomachs. The punctured stomachs cause complete torture and agony for the life of the bird, which could be 30 days or more, since the birds are not sent to hospital to have the stomach punctures repaired. It is complete agony for more than a month that it takes the livers of these birds to be of the size to be harvested for the palates of the rich. I cannot think of any treatment to any other living organism that is any more barbaric than this.
France, Canada and the United States are all producers of this delicacy.
Of course, this 'foie gras' pate is only for the palates of the rich, since the poor cannot afford to dine on it, because it has a price tag of up to $300 per pound. The price, of course, is all according to the brand.
I'm wondering do you and your ilk protest the misery that the poor little ducks and geese go through to produce 'foie gras' pate for the palates of the rich of this world?
These poor foul are caged in a pen, not much larger than the size of their body, they have a tube inserted into their throats 3 times per day so that they can be forced fed corn meal. The amount of corn meal each bird is fed per day is the equivalent of a human being eating 28 pounds of pasta per day.
The birds, ducks and geese, whichever are being produced at the time, become very agitated at the sight of the feeders coming to force feed them. From the commotion of seeing the feeders 3 times per day, they go into a frency and rub all the feathers off their backsides from striking the wire cages. Then this type of injury to their backsides, sometimes, attract the rats which then come to chew on the affected area. Also, sometimes the livers of these birds burst from overfeeding and sometimes the tubes puncture their stomachs. The punctured stomachs cause complete torture and agony for the life of the bird, which could be 30 days or more, since the birds are not sent to hospital to have the stomach punctures repaired. It is complete agony for more than a month that it takes the livers of these birds to be of the size to be harvested for the palates of the rich. I cannot think of any treatment to any other living organism that is any more barbaric than this.
France, Canada and the United States are all producers of this delicacy.
Of course, this 'foie gras' pate is only for the palates of the rich, since the poor cannot afford to dine on it, because it has a price tag of up to $300 per pound. The price, of course, is all according to the brand.
I'm wondering do you and your ilk protest the misery that the poor little ducks and geese go through to produce 'foie gras' pate for the palates of the rich of this world?
These poor foul are caged in a pen, not much larger than the size of their body, they have a tube inserted into their throats 3 times per day so that they can be forced fed corn meal. The amount of corn meal each bird is fed per day is the equivalent of a human being eating 28 pounds of pasta per day.
The birds, ducks and geese, whichever are being produced at the time, become very agitated at the sight of the feeders coming to force feed them. From the commotion of seeing the feeders 3 times per day, they go into a frency and rub all the feathers off their backsides from striking the wire cages. Then this type of injury to their backsides, sometimes, attract the rats which then come to chew on the affected area. Also, sometimes the livers of these birds burst from overfeeding and sometimes the tubes puncture their stomachs. The punctured stomachs cause complete torture and agony for the life of the bird, which could be 30 days or more, since the birds are not sent to hospital to have the stomach punctures repaired. It is complete agony for more than a month that it takes the livers of these birds to be of the size to be harvested for the palates of the rich. I cannot think of any treatment to any other living organism that is any more barbaric than this.
France, Canada and the United States are all producers of this delicacy.
Of course, this 'foie gras' pate is only for the palates of the rich, since the poor cannot afford to dine on it, because it has a price tag of up to $300 per pound. The price, of course, is all according to the brand.
I'm wondering do you and your ilk protest the misery that the poor little ducks and geese go through to produce 'foie gras' pate for the palates of the rich of this world?
These poor foul are caged in a pen, not much larger than the size of their body, they have a tube inserted into their throats 3 times per day so that they can be forced fed corn meal. The amount of corn meal each bird is fed per day is the equivalent of a human being eating 28 pounds of pasta per day.
The birds, ducks and geese, whichever are being produced at the time, become very agitated at the sight of the feeders coming to force feed them. From the commotion of seeing the feeders 3 times per day, they go into a frency and rub all the feathers off their backsides from striking the wire cages. Then this type of injury to their backsides, sometimes, attract the rats which then come to chew on the affected area. Also, sometimes the livers of these birds burst from overfeeding and sometimes the tubes puncture their stomachs. The punctured stomachs cause complete torture and agony for the life of the bird, which could be 30 days or more, since the birds are not sent to hospital to have the stomach punctures repaired. It is complete agony for more than a month that it takes the livers of these birds to be of the size to be harvested for the palates of the rich. I cannot think of any treatment to any other living organism that is any more barbaric than this.
France, Canada and the United States are all producers of this delicacy.
Of course, this 'foie gras' pate is only for the palates of the rich, since the poor cannot afford to dine on it, because it has a price tag of up to $300 per pound. The price, of course, is all according to the brand.
END OF POST
September 19, 2006 3:24 PM
Rebecca Aldworth
My last post somehow got duplicated. Please ignore the second portion.
Look at this. Someone trying to bring up foie gras.
FYI>>> The reason millions of people object to foie gras is because it is a cruel practice.
Two wrongs do not make one right.
Foie gras is wrong. So is the seal hunt.
Changing the subject again? Losing strategy, but thanks for the proof you are losing and the disgusting seal "hunt" is headed for history.
Look at this. Someone trying to bring up foie gras.
FYI>>> The reason millions of people object to foie gras is because it is a cruel practice.
THEN Anon if millions of people object to 'foie gras' why don't you prey on those people to raise money for your cause? I have yet to see a campaign telling the story of the geese and ducks raised to produced 'foie gras'.
I would suggest to you it is because you are unable to raise a dollar to put in your coffers for that cause.
Paul Watson of the Sea Sheppard Society told CBC Radio that the seal has an omnipresent tear in its eyes, which gives it the appearance it is always crying. And as a result this thugs at the heart strings and purse strings of sympathisers. But the tear is there, of course, to protect the seal's eyes.
I would like to see you use your campaign against cruelty to animals by alternating every year. One year you will use the seal, the next year you will use the bear, the next year you will use ducks and geese and the next year the kangaroo, etc. That would be fair to all animals.
I will say to my dying day that those geese and ducks that are raised for 'foie gras' are treated the most cruelly of all animals. It is the most barbaric form of torture that those poor creatures have to endure while they are forced fed to fatten up their livers for the palates of the rich. They are living in torture from the day they are born. Why aren't all of your hearts bleeding for these poor creatures?
Nice going. In your letter to respond to Rebecca Aldworth you sound like a Junior High kid trying to be funny and flippant.
In short, you look like an idiot.
I am a Newfoundlander who is ashamed and shocked at the seal hunt and I know that it is not the neccessity that it once was.
You can try to fool the rest of the world...I'm not buying it.
I would suggest to you that the reason you do not go after the foie gras industry is because it is too powerful. I can only imagine what the foie gras lobbyists would do to you people if you attempted to fiddle with their industry. You wouldn't even get to first base, and, of course, you wouldn't dare to intervene. Plus there is no money in it for you. Your high paying jobs come from the fact that you can collect a hundred million dollars on the image of the seal.
I will add that I am against the killing of all animals. If you lobby for one, then you should lobby for all of them. Please alternate your campaign from one animal to another from year to year. It is the fair way of being humane.
Again I know you will not do this, because one year your campaign will bring in $100 million, that will be the year of the seal, and the next year year it will bring in zero. Big business, no matter what type only can survive on big bucks. Your industry found out a long time ago that those big bucks in that industry, only come from one animal and that is the seal.
i am responding to a disturbing letter riddled with harsh & just plain MEAN comments towards a woman with HSUS! anyone who can SUPPORT the brutal killing of ANY animal (in the letter SEALS were the subject) anyone who can condone this brutal slaughter is just a very ANGRY & SOCIOPATHIC personality! was this a WOMAN who was ranting at the woman named Rebecca? (of the animal welfare group) what kind of a WOMAN could support or condone such a sick & deviate industry? she sounds like maybe she is a little TOO pumped up with MALE Hormones! if this is a MAN, well then, this is a different illness altogether! i am against the MURDER OF ALL ANIMALS! which is why i do NOT eat or wear them! & have not for YEARS! the more i live, the more i see that people are nothing more than a vile CANCER that has been unleashed upon this once beautiful planet. we are NOW getting our long overdue KARMA. thank you.
Honey Sheperd
loved2death@adelphia.net
Honey Shepard
I'm glad you brought up the term CANCER. I'm guessing you are wearing synthetic clothes you're definitly typing away on a plastic keyboard - go and check out the amount of pollutents that these two industries pump into the atmosphere every year. Like Heather Mills - who seemed to on one hand to save the seals was quite proud to wear plastic boots and melt the ice right out from under them. It seems a tad hypocritical.
You, my human-being counterpart are not a very nice person, or that is how you come across in your writing. When you support one animal to be saved from killing over another, solely because of the donations you are able to raise on that animals behalf because of its looks, which in the case of this post, the beautiful and cuddly seal is the subject. The seal is a lucky animal because you, or your group, are able to raise money on its back because of its photogenic attribute. How about all the other poor creatures, like the kangaroo which are killed in the millions because they are considered a pest in Australia. Kangaroos aren't as lucky.
I, too, don't want seals to be killed, neither do I want any other creature to be killed.
A little bit about my kindness to animals, if you care to know, is that in the past 12 months I have taken 2 Seagulls to the Wildlife Dept. to be taken care of. The Seagulls flew into a building and almost killed themselves but didn't. I couldn't stand to see them suffering with broken wings and other injuries.
And by the way it doesn't matter to me one iota whether you are pumped with Estrogen or Testosrone. That was such a silly idoitic statement for you to have made. I care little about your Gender. The fact is you are expressing your opinions, that is all that matters to me.
And by the way, I follow the Golden Rule which states "don't do onto others, what you would not have others do onto you".
The last post by Anon which started with "You, my human-being counterpart are not a very nice person, or"............ was meant to be directed at the person who signed in as: Honey Sheperd
loved2death@adelphia.net
It was an omission.
Dear Patriot,
Well, now I guess you can add me to your list of "e-mail buddies." By the way, you misspelled and incorrectly punctuated much of your response to Rebecca. Before you complain about her alleged mathematical deficits, perhaps you need to improve your literary skills - though I am constrained to admit you have a definite flair for sarcasm.
You are someone who supports the murder of infant seals. Whether they are clubbed, skinned alive, or shot with rifles is - bottom line - immaterial to this discussion. The fact that you approve of the wholesale slaughter of newborns tells more about your character - or lack thereof - than any other consideration. You are a depraved psychopath pushing the massacre of little babies for the vanity of hirsute harpies who fancy a sealskin coat or ignorant imps who believe that eating neonatal gonads will bestow symptomatic or prophylactic benefits upon intractable erectile dysfunction.
At some point in a thoughtless animal abuser's life, he or she has to become mindful of the fact that we share this planet with all manner of other species who not only evolved before we did, but who also have the same right we do to be here. Infanticide is a heinous crime - regardless of the species membership of the victim. That is what you empirically do not have the cognitive acuity, emotional sensitivity, experiential clarity, or moral competency to understand.
Sorry for the repeat - meant to leave my name.
Dear Patriot,
Well, now I guess you can add me to your list of "e-mail buddies." By the way, you misspelled and incorrectly punctuated much of your response to Rebecca. Before you complain about her alleged mathematical deficits, perhaps you need to improve your literary skills - though I am constrained to admit you have a definite flair for sarcasm.
You are someone who supports the murder of infant seals. Whether they are clubbed, skinned alive, or shot with rifles is - bottom line - immaterial to this discussion. The fact that you approve of the wholesale slaughter of newborns tells more about your character - or lack thereof - than any other consideration. You are a depraved psychopath pushing the massacre of little babies for the vanity of hirsute harpies who fancy a sealskin coat or ignorant imps who believe that eating neonatal gonads will bestow symptomatic or prophylactic benefits upon intractable erectile dysfunction.
At some point in a thoughtless animal abuser's life, he or she has to become mindful of the fact that we share this planet with all manner of other species who not only evolved before we did, but who also have the same right we do to be here. Infanticide is a heinous crime - regardless of the species membership of the victim. That is what you empirically do not have the cognitive acuity, emotional sensitivity, experiential clarity, or moral competency to understand.
September 20, 2006 4:06 PM
Rebecca
Why have you stopped responding? It appears to all that you are now seeking the help of the rest of your buddies, the ones who go to the seal hunt with you for adventure and for the big dollars you gain from doing so. Dollars which are collected from donors who believe everything you people say.
I cannot believe that you would start the discussions on this blog, receive replies with questions to your post, and then throw in the towel. Where are you Rebecca, we need you to answer some of the questions that you were asked on this blog? Please do not get your colleagues from the Sea Sheppard Society to camouflage for you.
And "Yes" Rebecca I want the killing of all humans and animals to be stopped. While, it appears that you and your supporters have tunnel vision, since your group's focus is solely on the seal, because the seal is such a lucrative animal for your group. It is the only animal that can bring $100 million dollars to your coffers. I am sure if you had focused on a different animal every year, you would have had far better results than you have gotten from focusing on just one animal, the seal. Now of course, the monies you would have collected to pay your large salaries would not be the same. AND I suspect that is the sole reason for your group focusing only on the seal.
By the way Rebecca I would classify what you people do at the seal hunt as an "Extreme Outdoor Adventure". People pay good money for such adventures. It is like having a trip into outer space or a trip down to the Titanic's resting place. These trips bring in big money. I am convinced that it is nothing more than that or else you would focus on another animal.
I am awaiting your reply Rebecca.
Please don't reply , Rebecca.
Don't waste your time with someone who doesn't understand the concept of "humane"
The seal killers and those who support them are all barbarians.
Yes, BARBARIANS. The seal hunt is mainly for pelts and money.
When everyting is said and done, people kill seals because they like to kill seals.
Currently people don't depend on seals for survival. All the sealers have access to electricity, cell-phones, internet,cars, etc etc,
200 years ago people depended on the seal hunt for survival. 200 years ago they didn't have electricity, cell phones or cars.
Times have changed.
"massacre of little babies"
"wholesale slaughter of newborns"
- I think you'll find we're talking about seals - Humans have babies seals have pups.
So if they were adult seals you wouldn't have a problem?
"Currently people don't depend on seals for survival. All the sealers have access to electricity, cell-phones, internet,cars, etc etc,
200 years ago people depended on the seal hunt for survival. 200 years ago they didn't have electricity, cell phones or cars."
Not sure about the colour of sky in your world but here I have to pay for my car electricity phone etc - so do the sealers. Its not something you find growing on a tree.
wheres WJM at least his arguments etc have some sort of logic.
Anon who said "Please don't reply , Rebecca".
Anon - Would you people allow Rebecca to finish what she started. Rebecca replied to Patriot's Blog and in turn Rebecca was asked by another poster to answer a number of questions. Why are you controlling her moves?
Rebecca - I have a question also I would like answered.
How many high paying passengers go out each year to the ice on the Sea Sheppard for observation of the seal hunt or should I call it an Extreme Outdoor Adventure? I would like to have the number please.
To GMT
HAve you ever heard of education?
Do you know that Newfoundland is the province with the highest % of functional-illiterate adults?
BTW, how many NEW jobs has Williams created in Nfld?
The cod moratorium was declared 14 years ago, where is the FIRST fish farm?
Sealers need EDUCATION not clubs.
I agree, but what do you say to the chicken, cow, horse, pig, kangaroo, goose and duck slayers? Veal and foie gras producers? The people who carry out those jobs in Canada and the rest of the world are, no doubt, deficient in educationa as well. If they were educated, they probably wouldn't have chosen that vocation.
"The cod moratorium was declared 14 years ago, where is the FIRST fish farm?"
I take it by this you're implying that there are no fish farms in NL? I'm glad you brought up the subject of "functional-illiterate" because with a bit of research you'll find over 100 aquaculture establishments in NL.
Buts ist interesting to see your quite happy to see wild animals confined in tamks or cages rather than living in the wild - would you be happier if seals were raised in farms them killed?
I supose you think all wild animals should be kept in zoos because after all an animals life in captivity exceeds those in the wild.
gmt
Isn't it ironic that these so called know it alls, who survive on the largesse of naieve donors to the anti-sealing campaigns would ask such a question. My God doesn't the question asker above know that a fish bred through fish farming and when killed for the dinner plate suffers as much as a fish killed for the dinner plant that grew in the wild? I think someone who would make such a suggestion needs to go back to school as well for an upgrade in education. If these people had brains they would be dangerous.
But we know these people aren't in this to end the suffering of animals, they are doing what they are doing for entertainment and to make big money. If they were successful in stopping the killing of animals, where would they get their entertainment and make their easy and lucrative living then?
If you read the article below on how veal is produced, you will see that a calf produced for veal is being killed the moment it is isolated from its mothers. Not only isolated it is starved of iron and other nutrients so that its flesh will be pale for the palates of those who want to eat that type of meat.
IT IS THE SICKEST AND MOST CRUELEST WAY FOR AN ANIMAL TO DIE. IT TAKES MONTHS BEFORE THE FINAL SHOT IS ADMINISTERED TO THE CALVES BRAIN. A SEAL ONLY TAKES MINUTES. AND, OF COURSE, THAT IS FAR TOO LONG FOR THE TORTURE OF ANY ANIMAL. I AM NOT DEFENDING THE KILLING OF A SEAL, I AM JUST POINTING OUT THAT THERE ARE FAR MORE CRUELER FORMS OF KILLING IN THE ANIMAL WORLD THAN THE METHOD OF KILLING THE SEAL. (AGAINT I AM NOT DEFENDING THE KILLING OF SEALS, I AM JUST POINTING OUT IT IS A MUCH QUICKER DEATH)
SEE BELOW WHAT THE POOR CALVES HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO PRODUCE VEAL FOR THE PALATES OF THOSE WHO PREFER THAT TYPE OF MEAT.
MY QUESTION - WHY AREN'T THOSE ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS GOING AFTER THE VEAL INDUSTRY?
THE ANSWER IS THAT THE LOBBYISTS AGAINST SHUTTING DOWN THIS INDUSTRY ARE SO STRONG, THE SO CALLED ANIMAL RIGHTS PEOPLE WOULD NOT HAVE A CHANCE. .......THERE WOULD BE NO MONEY IN THAT VENTURE FOR THEM, THEY WOULD STARVE.......so therefore they go after the poor little sealers who have no defence, by that I mean the sealers have no lobby groups that are rich enough to take on these anti-sealing groups, that have become very rich on the backs of the sealers, AGAIN because of the sealers lack of lobbyist strength.
READ BELOW AT YOUR OWN PERIL, BUT A WARNING FIRST, IT IS A VERY SAD AND HORRIFIC READ. A POINT HERE THAT SHOULD BE NOTED, IF THIS PROCEDURE OF PRODUCING VEAL, THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY WOULD BE THE BIGGEST LOBBYIST.
Veal : A Cruel Meal
A calf lies dead in the slatted stall in which it stood for all of its life, with no mother, sunlight or decent food. This is the fate of a calf raised for veal
The veal calf industry is one of the most reprehensible of all the kinds of intensive animal agriculture. Veal calves are a by-product of the dairy industry; they are "manufactured" by "milk machines" - dairy cows. Female calves are raised to be dairy cows: They are confined and fed synthetic hormones to increase growth and production and antibiotics to keep them alive in their unhealthy, unnatural environments. They are artificially inseminated and, after giving birth, are milked for several years until their production levels drop, then they are slaughtered.
Male calves are taken from their mothers shortly after birth. Some are slaughtered soon after birth for "bob veal." Others are raised in "open pens," a kind of minimum security prison, and even then they are sometimes chained. Most are destined for the veal crate.
Solitary Confinement
The veal crate is a wooden restraining device that is the veal calf's permanent home. It is so small (22" x 54") that the calves cannot turn around or even lie down and stretch and is the ultimate in high-profit, confinement animal agriculture.(1) Designed to prevent movement (exercise), the crate does its job of atrophying the calves' muscles, thus producing tender "gourmet" veal.
"Feeding" Time
The calves are generally fed a milk substitute intentionally lacking in iron and other essential nutrients. This diet keeps the animals anemic and creates the pale pink or white color desired in the finished product. Craving iron, the calves lick urine-saturated slats and any metallic parts of their stalls. Farmers also withhold water from the animals, who, always thirsty, are driven to drink a large quantity of the high-fat liquid feed.
Because of such extremely unhealthy living conditions and restricted diets, calves are susceptible to a long list of diseases, including chronic pneumonia and "scours," or constant diarrhea. Consequently, they must be given massive doses of antibiotics and other drugs just to keep them alive. (The antibiotics are passed on to consumers in the meat.) The calves often suffer from wounds caused by the constant rubbing against the crates.
A Fate Worse Than Death
About 14 weeks after their birth, the calves are slaughtered. The quality of this "food," laden with chemicals, lacking in fiber and other nutrients, diseased and processed, is another matter. The real issue is the calves' experience. During their brief lives, they never see the sun or touch the Earth. They never see or taste the grass. Their anemic bodies crave proper sustenance. Their muscles ache for freedom and exercise. They long for maternal care. They are kept in darkness except to be fed two to three times a day for 20 minutes. The calves have committed no crime, yet have been sentenced to a fate comparable to any Nazi concentration camp.
What You Can Do
To help stop veal calf abuses, don't buy or eat veal, and tell friends, relatives, and neighbors why. Tell restaurant managers about veal cruelties and ask them to remove veal from their menus. Also, don't buy or eat dairy products, because of the dairy industry's role in veal production. Ask your state legislators to sponsor bills that would prohibit the use of veal crates.
REFERENCES
1.Singer, Peter, Animal Liberation, 1975, p. 123.
5/15/97
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals- 501 Front Street - Norfolk, VA. 23510 - 757-622-PETA (7382)
R E S O U R C E S
HOME
The ALF FAQ
Meat and Cancer
Animal Rights FAQ
Facts on BSE (VIVA)
The Taste of Depravity
Animal Rights Resources
When Meat Is Not Murder
The Post-Darwinian Transition
British Meat: the recipe for BSE
British Meat: the recipe for cancer
The Slaughter of Animals for Food
Meat: the recipe for prostate cancer
British Meat Cancer Education Service
Red meat: the recipe for bowel cancer?
British Meat: the recipe for food poisoning
British meat crisis: has BSE spread from cattle to sheep?
(21st August 2003)
The Meat and Livestock Commission
(website address http://www.mlc.org.uk)
has just launched a bid to get this website
shut down in a censorship bid thinly disguised
as a domain dispute. The MLC claims it owns
the words "british meat". We have responded.
E-Mail
info@britishmeat.com
HOME
Correction for a paragraph above that has two words omitted. The words are "was stopped.
READ BELOW AT YOUR OWN PERIL, BUT A WARNING FIRST, IT IS A VERY SAD AND HORRIFIC READ. A POINT HERE THAT SHOULD BE NOTED, IF THIS PROCEDURE OF PRODUCING VEAL was stopped, THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY WOULD BE THE BIGGEST LOBBYIST.
Blah blah blah, I'm just a tad sick of listening to the continuous whine of these seal protesters. There's billions of animals killed everyday in worse ways than the seals. Every day there are entire species of animals lost forever, but for some reason they get no ink, don't you protesters care about that sort of thing, do you care about these lost species? Or do you just care about the seals because they are cute. We all know that they are nowhere near extinction. But they do raise a lot of money I guess, and we all know that's the real reason people always jump on the seal bandwagon. Good $$$$$'s are to be made there and that is the only reason. So in the future stop your whining about the seal hunt and try to do something about the disappearing species and you may get more support from NL's. In the meantime stop pimping the seals like they're a bunch of cheap whores so you can make a few bucks. It's realy beyond discusting, please have some self respect. Go do something useful with your pathetic lives.
Invasion of the Anons time of year again.
NL ex-patriate et al:
As long as you don't publish your name, private address and phone number(s), your educational as well as your socio-economic status and your family history,
YOU REMAIN JUST AS ANONYMOUS AS EVERY OTHER "ANONYMOUS".
A "Nick" is just an anonymous mask.
(:)
Agreed!! Everyone on this blog hides behind some name or other.
FYI. the attached website is re; propaganda techniques. Understanding them is a wonderful first step in tearing down antisealing rhetoric and misinformation. Review SSCS and HSUS and IFAW, postings then refer to the list of propaganda techniques...its really an eye opener. I knew all along what they were doing, but this helps you really put it in its place. Great for online 'debating' too. Use this info to identify a lie or key piece of false info and stick to it. It will help keep you on track and highlighting the falsehoods they rely on.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Propaganda_techniques
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Propaganda_techniques
isdaby what a great site. I have included this in my favorites. You can be assured I will visit this site many times and make myself familiar with the propaganda terminology and techniques used to duped the masses. This modus operandi of such groups as politicians, lawyers, and these so called do-good animal crusaders on which this particular blog is written about; and, of course, anybody who wants to make things appear non-transparent.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Propaganda_techniques
Isdaby - The site above is a wonderfully informative site! I have included this in my favorites. You can be assured I will visit this site many times and make myself familiar with the propaganda, terminology and techniques used to dupe the masses. The site is used by such groups as politicians, lawyers, and the so called do-good animal crusaders, on which this particular blog is written about; and, of course, anybody or any group who wants to make things appear non-transparent. The site has to be the bible, by which the groups I mentioned above, formulate their modus operandi, for whatever type of activity they are about to act upon.
The story below appeared in The Evening Telegram on Friday, September 29,2006.
Patriot and Posters to this blog, what are your suggestions to have this site deleted? The name of the site is www.tour-newfoundlandlabrador.com.
QUOTED FROM THE TELEGRAM
"""""I didn't do it, activist says
By ROB ANTLE AND JAMIE BAKER, The Telegram
The home page of www.tour-newfoundlandlabrador.com bears just a hint of its real purpose. — Photo by The Telegram
A British Columbia animal-rights activist says she is not involved with a fake tourism website that disparages Newfoundland and Labrador.
But Sinikka Crosland acknowledged this week that her e-mail address was used as a contact point for technical inquiries about the controversial Internet portal when it first went online.
The creators of the site — www.tour-newfoundland labrador.com — have shielded their identity by using an Arizona-based privacy-protection firm to register it.
Crosland acknowledged she knows some of the people behind the site, but said she is not one of them.
“From what I understand, the people that have created the website, and are involved in the website more closely than I am, just simply want to remain anonymous,” she told The Telegram in a phone interview this week.
“They’re members of the public. They have families and jobs and that type of thing. They just don’t want to be out there in the limelight.”
Technical liaison
Crosland said she was approached earlier this year to act as an initial liaison for technical inquiries.
The site’s creators have since created an e-mail address to handle such questions.
“If people (had) a technical problem with (the site), I was quite happy to send the messages on,” Crosland noted.
News of the website’s existence created an uproar when revealed by The Telegram last month.
The site — which claims to be “created in Canada by caring Canadians” — is constructed to look like a typical tourism portal.
But it is largely dedicated to anti-sealing messages — including purported quotes from Newfoundlanders and gory photos of dead seals.
The site features less-than-flattering stories about “many of the newsworthy highlights” about life in the province.
One example: “Booze Ban Sparks Mass Resignation at Newfoundland Fire Hall.”
The authors compare the seal hunt to female infanticide — the practice of killing newborn girls in favour of boys — and female genital mutilation.
The site also facilitates the bulk sending of e-mails to tourism-related businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Nobody has taken responsibility for the Internet portal. But the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is actively promoting it on its website.
Instructions posted by ALF say the campaign “targets vulnerable, small tourist-based businesses in Canada’s sealing communities” and is “designed to inflict economic pain on a personal level.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security considers ALF a domestic terrorist threat.
Crosland said none of her contacts are related to ALF.
Crosland is president of The Responsible Animal Care Society (TRACS), an animal-protection group based in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley.
She said TRACS has nothing to do with the anti-sealing initiative, although the group’s e-mail address was the one used as point-of-contact for inquiries to the fake tourism website. Her involvement was personal, Crosland said, noting she routinely uses that address on her computer.
Crosland has been extremely active on Internet news groups posting information in protest of the seal hunt, which she calls a “black eye for all of Canada.”
She has also helped organize anti-sealing demonstrations in B.C.
rantle@thetelegram.com """""
UNQUOTED
What puzzles me most, is while watching the news I see as Canada stands loudest and tallest on strengthening it's combat and the world's against global warming, while ignoring the effects of it on wild species. When the Government of Canada speaks out against global warming and combating it to other nations, do you think they even listen, when in the back of their mind they see films and footage of mass destruction of marine life perpetrated by this same government? When they have been warned not only by most other nations but also by the scientist of their own? How can Canada be taken seriously on the world stage when it comes to this topic if they continue to ignore the effects not only of global warming, but mass culling or even the hunting of marine life, that depends on this ice that is melting for a long future of survival? The numbers of seal birthed today will be terribly different from those years following as the ice melts and the seals slowly begin to vanish through drowning or by miscalculating the amount of warming for the next year, and culling way too many. How can Canada answer to yet another miscalculation that ends in yet another species becoming extinct, after all we cann look at history in this area when it comes to the amount of trust we can give the DFO. No one can predict the future of these wild marine mammals, but we can stop and give them the best chance of survival, leaving them alone. With odds stacked so high against them, even without the culling, they deserve the best chance do they not? After all people of today owe them that, after all the years they were hunted for true necessity, and gave their lives so people could survive, at a time when options are many for us, we can at least give them that same chance to survive, in great appreciation for their sacrifice..
Thank You.
Note From Patriot:
The following comment was posted anonymously under an article to which it did not relate. I have moved it to this more appropriate location for that reason. Also, I have responded the the question posed in my next comment.
Regards.
Posted by Anonymous:
PATRIOT: I AM NOT SURE IF YOU WILL APPRECIATE ME POSTING THIS ARTICLE HERE OR NOT, SINCE IT IS MORE APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR BLOG TITLED Web Talk Exclusive - Letter to Rebecca Aldsworth. BUT I AM GOING TO POST IT ANYWAY.
PLEASE, I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT SHOULD BE DONE.
The story below appeared in The Evening Telegram on Friday, September 29,2006.
Patriot and Posters to this blog, what are your suggestions to have this site deleted of the world-wide net? The name of the site is www.tour-newfoundlandlabrador.com.
QUOTED FROM THE TELEGRAM
"""""I didn't do it, activist says
By ROB ANTLE AND JAMIE BAKER, The Telegram
The home page of www.tour-newfoundlandlabrador.com bears just a hint of its real purpose. — Photo by The Telegram
A British Columbia animal-rights activist says she is not involved with a fake tourism website that disparages Newfoundland and Labrador.
But Sinikka Crosland acknowledged this week that her e-mail address was used as a contact point for technical inquiries about the controversial Internet portal when it first went online.
The creators of the site — www.tour-newfoundland labrador.com — have shielded their identity by using an Arizona-based privacy-protection firm to register it.
Crosland acknowledged she knows some of the people behind the site, but said she is not one of them.
“From what I understand, the people that have created the website, and are involved in the website more closely than I am, just simply want to remain anonymous,” she told The Telegram in a phone interview this week.
“They’re members of the public. They have families and jobs and that type of thing. They just don’t want to be out there in the limelight.”
Technical liaison
Crosland said she was approached earlier this year to act as an initial liaison for technical inquiries.
The site’s creators have since created an e-mail address to handle such questions.
“If people (had) a technical problem with (the site), I was quite happy to send the messages on,” Crosland noted.
News of the website’s existence created an uproar when revealed by The Telegram last month.
The site — which claims to be “created in Canada by caring Canadians” — is constructed to look like a typical tourism portal.
But it is largely dedicated to anti-sealing messages — including purported quotes from Newfoundlanders and gory photos of dead seals.
The site features less-than-flattering stories about “many of the newsworthy highlights” about life in the province.
One example: “Booze Ban Sparks Mass Resignation at Newfoundland Fire Hall.”
The authors compare the seal hunt to female infanticide — the practice of killing newborn girls in favour of boys — and female genital mutilation.
The site also facilitates the bulk sending of e-mails to tourism-related businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Nobody has taken responsibility for the Internet portal. But the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is actively promoting it on its website.
Instructions posted by ALF say the campaign “targets vulnerable, small tourist-based businesses in Canada’s sealing communities” and is “designed to inflict economic pain on a personal level.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security considers ALF a domestic terrorist threat.
Crosland said none of her contacts are related to ALF.
Crosland is president of The Responsible Animal Care Society (TRACS), an animal-protection group based in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley.
She said TRACS has nothing to do with the anti-sealing initiative, although the group’s e-mail address was the one used as point-of-contact for inquiries to the fake tourism website. Her involvement was personal, Crosland said, noting she routinely uses that address on her computer.
Crosland has been extremely active on Internet news groups posting information in protest of the seal hunt, which she calls a “black eye for all of Canada.”
She has also helped organize anti-sealing demonstrations in B.C.
rantle@thetelegram.com """""
UNQUOTED
September 30, 2006 11:03 AM
Anonymous:
Handling this issue is a two edged sword. My immediate reaction is that we should ignore this childlike attempt to discredit our province. Perhaps we should also see it as a way to show the world exactly how underhanded and deceptive some of these groups can be. In making this matter a public spectacle we may only be feeding into the publicity machine and in doing so providing a mode for them to get more attention.
Having said all of that, I'm no lawyer, but I suspect the province might have a case to take this to court and force these yahoos from using the web site name. Cases have been tried, and won, in the past by celebrities, companies, etc. when someone has used their name in a web address. From what I've seen, as long as the injured party can show that the group in question is using the name to mislead and cause damage to them they have a shot at winning.
It's a difficult situation but one that surely needs to be examined.
Patriot - Thanks for your reply.
I think the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador should construct a website that would immediately precede alphabetically the site titled www.tour.newfoundlandlabrador.com and explain why these people favour the seal for campaigning, over the ducks and geese used for the production of foie gras (fatty livers) or the baby calves reared to be anemic to produce veal. The ducks, geese and calves suffer a more barbaric existence and death than do the seals, since these animals are slowly being killed from the day they are born. The depiction of what these animals suffer would be a great rebuttal for the site.
And, oh yes, Newfoundland and Labrador if you do construct a site, please don't forget to point out the history behind the Sea Shepard Society's Captain using the seal as his campaign animal. Give all the details of the interview with CBC Radio where Mr. Watson lambasted Mr. Brian Davies for using the seal image prior to him claiming the seal as the poster animal for his organization. Mr. Watson in that interview with CBC Radio stated that the seal was not an endangered animal, but that it was an easy animal to exploit because of the omnipresent tear in its eye that always gave it the appearance that it was crying, which tore at people's heartstrings and in turn they donated their hard earned money to these beggers. Instead he stated in that interview the tear in the seal's eye is nature's way of protecting the seal's eyes from freezing. It didn't take Mr. Watson long though after Mr. Davies retired for him to adopt the seal himself and exploit it for the same use that Mr. Davies was using it for; that, of course, was to become rich from donations on the back of the seal.
The ducks, geese and calves suffer a more barbaric existence and death than do the seals,
hmmmmm..............................................
More barbaric?? You mean like using a scale of 1-10 on the Barbarism meter, the ducks, geese and calves suffer a 10 on the barbarism scale? And the seal a what, 9? Good point anon,it takes this kind of sound reasoning to condone the slightly lesser of evil, I mean after all it could be the worse, it could just be the 10 of all evils instead of a simple 9....carry on, just don't hit the 10 on the Barbarism scale mate, keep it a ninish, and all is well.
First of all let me preface what I am going to say by saying that I do not condone the killing of any animal.
But I will say that a duck or goose reared for 'foie gras' production goes through a more barbaric death than a seal which only takes minutes to die. A duck or goose is forced fed 3 times per day a corn meal concoction that is the equivalent to a person being fed 28 pounds of pasta per day.
These birds are kept in cages, not much bigger than the size of its body. They have feeding funnels inserted into their throats three times per day and sometimes the procedure punctures the stomachs, which causes ungodly torture and agony. The birds are so traumatized by this procedure and the sight of the feeders coming into the room to geed them that they go into a frenzy in their cages and rub all the feathers of their backsides. Then the rats sometimes come to feed on the affected areas. This torture lasts up to 2 months or until the livers are fattened enough for market and the birds are slaughtered.
The calves are made anemic so that their meat is pale. They are fed a diet that contains no iron and these calves are kept in holding pens that they cannot move around in, much like the ducks and geese bred for foie gras.
A seal is encountered and slaughtered almost immediately. You cannot tell me the death of the seal is more barbaric than that of a duck, goose, or calve bred in the manner that I just described. If you say so then you Sir/Madam are not thinking straight.
I will say again I wish to see no animal slaughtered. I am just arguing the point that some animals go through more torture and barbaic treatment than others.
I will say again I wish to see no animal slaughtered. I am just arguing the point that some animals go through more torture and barbaic treatment than others....
Of course they do and to assume the majority of seal are killed almost automatically is only an assumption. All rights of animals to be treated in a humane way has been actively protested, contested and fought for through history and a majority of the time even if the killing is not completely stopped it can be closely regulated, there are still inhumane killings of course. For anyone to believe that just because the largest number of marine mammals ever slaughtered in a time where the world is teetering, because of contamination and warming, that we can continue on our same destructive paths of the past, is so naive. However, the fact remains that just because the seal slaughter is on the list of one of the most barbaric slaughters of wild marine mammals known to this world, and the worst when it comes to marine mammals ever seen, that other animals and people in need of the same protest to insure survival, are not being forgotten in arguments for their rights either, rest assured. We can not ignore rape because we have to end murder. It is all wrong and all needs to be addressed, putting the subject on to another evil only hinders the ability to see clearly the one we are looking at right now. Bottom line two wrongs never make it right and no one opposing this slaughter is even remotely close to ignoring the ducks.....etc....Do something about the evil's in life you can and for the rest keep trying to find a way to get them too, one at a time for as long as it takes.
But a seal does not take two months to die, and thank god it doesn't, like the ducks and geese bred for 'foie gras' and the calves bred for 'veal'. As I said these animals are reared under extreme torture and barbaric treatment.
Death doesn't come easy for any animal that is slaughtered, but the more suffering man inflicts upon those animals during the rearing process, the harder the aninmal suffers during its life, and as far as I am concerned because of that,it is being killed every minute of its life.
You are right in one thing though two wrongs don't make a right. But that is not what I was trying to point out in my post. I was trying to point out the length of time it takes for the above animals to die while being reared for 'foie gras' and 'veal' under such horrendous and barbaric conditions. The torture is not only administered at the time of slaughter, but all through the time the animals are being reared.
I never see a campaign on the go to stop the sort of cruelty and barbarism I just outlined being inflicted on the ducks and geese and calves. The only campaign I see is on behalf of the seals, and of course, the reason for that is the money it brings into the coffers of the people running the campaigns. IF THERE WERE NO MONEY COMING IN, THEN THERE WOULD BE NO CAMPAIGNS. Those so called protesters would not waste their time if they weren't getting well paid. That is another point I wanted to get across. I hope that I have done so.
Any campaign waged should be on behalf of all the animals of the world that are slaughtered, not just one.
And then there would not be a single result, in all honesty the results have been excitedly accepted and admired by those who oppose the many things they "pay" to stop and have also been excitedly accepted by those who also have no money to pay for it to end. How much would you pay an attorney to defend someone you love or something you believed in? They are the best at what they do, the results sometimes take time through the beaurocratic tape and money made by those higher up in the industry itself, but eventually they always, always come through, and that is what counts. It is after all peoples money they do with it what they will, on the other hand in this case at least they see the results they want, not like the fishermen involved in the sealing industry, used and abused, left with nothing but another option of barbarism in the end that will allow them to scrape by, poverty and payment to the government, a high surplus province with the highest poverty rate. Sad I tell you, geese, ducks and seal....I have ten dollars to donate towards the cause that is most devastating to the environment (this is the center of truth these days. The environment.) I give it to the seals, why? Results are becoming extremely evident after all the years and work and the time for killing is at its end. My money will go to the geese next....see how it works? Eventually it will all boil down to the fight, right and wrong, because after all there is no reason at all here, no reason to kill 345,000 seal a year, except for fashion.
Madam or Sir
I want to thank you for the civilized manner in which you are carrying on this discussion. I have noted that in the past people from your organization aren't too polite when discussing these matters.
But, of course, I now want to point out the ironies of what you said. You wrote "not like the fishermen involved in the sealing industry, used and abused, left with nothing but another option of barbarism in the end that will allow them to scrape by, poverty and payment to the government, a high surplus province with the highest poverty rate".
But aren't you people, who selected the seal as your poster animal, now doing the same to the fishermen as others have done 'using and abusing' them? Why did you not first select the duck, goose and calf that are used for the production of 'foie gras and veal', both considered delicacies and both fetching the highest prices in the land, in the supermarket and restaurant businesses; and both of these industries (foie gras and veal) deal out the cruellest and most barbaric forms of torture and death to these animals in the production stage, then the second death comes when the actual blow, electric shock or bullet is administered?
Now, again please do not take me wrong, I am against killing of the seal, but only after the big industries that exist on the killing of animals such as the duck, goose and calf, are taken down. I think , instead of dealing a double blow to the fishermen, who you say are the down-trodden, and who are using the sealing industry as a form of work to eke out a living, instead the duck, goose and calf, which are used for foie gras and veal production should have been targeted for the campaigns you carry out. Once you have eradicated those industries, then you could take down the sealing industry. But you choose the easiest path of least resistance, the fishermen. Poor fishermen don't have the resources, like the foie gras and veal industries who have lobbyists, who influence the politicians on behalf of the 'foie gras and veal' industries. You would have to use your $100 million dollars you receive on the backs of the seals to fight those industries, and therefore, there would be no monies left over to pay your lucrative salaries. Plus I am very sure the foie gras and veal industries contribute to your campaigns so that you will keep your hands of both of these industries.
Another interesting statement you made was that our province is "a high surplus province with the highest poverty rate". You are right there but we cannot seem to get our hands on our resources so that they will work for us. You see the big industries, that you people seem to favour, always get to be the primary beneficiary of our resources here in Newfoundland and Labrador. And, of course, as long as that practice goes on we will always show a GDP surplus here, but we will never have any of the resulting jobs to create the economies here, instead the economies get created in other provinces and countries. Now Madam/Sir - that is a problem for you to tackle and I challenge you to fix it. Then and only then will you see the high paying jobs growing here in Newfoundland and Labrador, and then and only then, there will be no need for the seal harvest to continue. I challenge your group to tackle the federal government and big industries . Say to them let Newfoundland and Labrador keep their resources for their development, so that the province and its people can be the primary beneficiary. If you do that and succeed, you will then have done a wonderful thing for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and, of course, there will be no need for the seal harvest and hopefully the seal harvest will be shut down forever.
You also stated this "Eventually it will all boil down to the fight, right and wrong, because after all there is no reason at all here, no reason to kill 345,000 seal a year, except for fashion". Yes, and I think the same argument can be made about the foie gras and veal industries, since the end products of fatty livers and pale anaemic meats are expensive and are considered luxuriant meats and there is no reason for these industries to exist other than to placate the palates of the rich.
It is not my conversation, very interesting.
I would like to write a few things.
to anon who stated this: Once you have eradicated those industries, then you could take down the sealing industry. But you choose the easiest path of least resistance, the fishermen.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/27/national/main1550028.shtml
http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/1631
There are many of these all over, all you have to do is look.
Why, as the other anon stated, should
anyone opposing cruelty to animals congregate
and concentrate on one single horror?
It seems the animal rights groups are making
progress on many animal cruelty fronts. Using the
false fact that the ducks and geese and other cruelties
are being ignored to pick on poor fishermen is not even
remotely in line with the facts.
The statement that fisherman are the least resistant is
another furthest from the truth statement.
How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time, this is an elephant, not
an itty, bitty poor bunch of helpless fishermen.
The fishermen turned sealers, must become like anyone else and
realise it is time to find another and humane way to support
themselves and their families.
The other anon wrote the environment is a serious issue. I agree.
Activist, scientist and the everyday Joe, will not ignore it anymore,
the destruction of wild marine and land mammals, using our hand
to deliberately commit mass murder upon them has to stop,
along with many other things destroying the environment whether it
be factories that need reforming to environmentally safe conditions
or this, our future depends on this, none of it is being ignored.
Deliberate destruction of many species is a thing of the past,
we must now work to conserve and save what we have left.
Take and take till it is gone and move to the next species,
does not go over well with hardly anyone anymore. At this present time, day
and age the seal slaughter is one of the most destructive, brutal, and ugly
upsets to the environment and marine mammals anyone has ever seen, there is
no playing it down, no way, there is no trying to take minds off of it
any longer by bringing up other horrible issues. No one can erase what
the world has now seen. Oh, what these fishermen are capable of, these are
NOT the men who lead the easiest path of resistance, not men capable of this.
The whole world has seen the truth, thanks to the pictures, films and
commercials, we can judge using our own eyes, seeing is believing, remember
this.
To anyone that reads this, I am not an activist just the everyday Joe.
I am like a majority people today, we are becoming increasingly aware of the
evils being done and speaking out and will tell as many as will hear.
I will not be back, this is all the time I care to give to pro sealing
argument and web sites, I have read and re-read both sides and to top it
all off, nothing can change what is seen by the eyes, the truth.
I have a suggestion for Mr. Paul Watson and Ms. Rebecca Aldsworth.
I would suggest that the next campaign be directed at The Federal Government of Canada and big industries who take the resources of Newfoundland and Labrador without putting anything back into the province to create economies, and thus not creating jobs for people like seal harvesters.
If Ms. Aldworth and Mr. Watson directed their campaign at the Federal Government and outlined the fact that the province of Newfoundland and Labrador is not enjoying any of the benefits of tax dollars that go into Federal Regional Offices and Military bases, and the fact we have not been the primary beneficiary of any of our resources, then the people of Canada will come to understand the reason people have to do such jobs as harvesting the seal to make a living.
But I will add here the seal hunt is not nearly as barbaric as the foie gras and veal industries. I would like to put the whole world to the test of voting on these industries, after a description of the torture inflicted on the duck, goose and calf is shown to the world. I know what the result will be. Torture and barbarism last at least two months longer for those poor creatures. All done as far as you people are concerned for the rich, civilized, elite palates.
Both of you can make a big difference by directing your campain at the Feds and big industries and make a plea that they put jobs here to pay for what is taken out of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Canada can put a few Federal Regional Offices here, every other province enjoys high paying jobs from such offices. A military base or two can be operated out of Newfoundland and Labrador, after all approximately 10 per cent of the military is native to this province. Military bases add a lot of revenue to all the other provinces. Billions of dollars each year go to providing services for military bases to the provinces in which bases operate.
If we were on par with the rest of the provinces with Federal Government jobs, none of our people would have to harvest the seal.
Why didn't we get the jobs from Inco that Sudbury, Ontario and Thompson, Manitoba received. These jobs could have eliminated the seal harvest altogether. Both Sudbury and Thompson got another 15 years of life because of the ore that comes out of Newfoundalnd and Labrador. Why didn't Ottawa see to it that the Upper Churchill Hydro Energy had a corridor to be conducted to market , instead of Quebec ending up being the primary beneficiary of the power. The Oil that is pumped out of our offshore waters goes to the United States with not one barrel being refined here. It is refined in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. That was the way it had to be because we are part of Canada. Canada's structure has to be revamped so that everybody gets a chance to survive, especially a wealthy resource province, like Newfoundland and Labrador. I don't mind at all sharing our resources with the other provinces, we only have 500,000 people, but first I want to make sure our people have jobs and they do not have to harvest the seal. It is a industry that shouldn't have to be in Newfoundland and Labrador, but because of the structure of Canada, it just continues to occur.
I will end this post by saying that if your next campaign is directed at the Feds and big industries that take resources from Newfoundland and Labrador, the seal harvest will end must faster than directing the campaign at the seal harvest itself.
Please, Please, Please Ms. Aldsworth and Mr. Watson see to it that your next campaign is directed at the Federal Government of Canada and the big industries that steal so much from the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
To the people who accuse HSUS (and other groups) of not caring about other animals, concentrating solely on the seal: I suggest that you visit the website of HSUS, SSCS, IFAW, etc. and you will see that they run a number of campaigns against various issues regarding abuse and exploitation of non-human animals. Perhaps you should take a few minutes to acquaint yourselves with the facts before you go wading in, accusing and criticising? It's always better to come to a debate armed with well-researched facts, not simply knee-jerk reactions, hearsay and uninformed stubborn personal opinion.
And to those of you who persist in bringing other issues such as the cruelty of veal and fois gras, you fool nobody. You have no credible arguments to justify the wholesale slaughter of infant mammals so you attempt to deflect attention to another issue. Stick to the topic at hand.
Bridie
Post a Comment