A quick comment on Seal Protesters

Hi folks,

I thought I would take a minute to discuss the recent protests on the seal hunt. I don't plan to spend a lot of time on this as I don't think these folks deserve much time.

This is not truly a problem with the Governement of Canada or out place in the Dominion, (this is one case where the Feds have backed us by allowing a hunt to continue, even if, in my opinion it is not a big enough hunt). It is instead a case where we need to take the bull by the horns and help ourselves.

If you visit the web sites of these groups such as FFAW, Paul Watson's site, even the SPCA, you will see that these folks are mis-leading the public. They tend to show pictures of baby white coat seals, tell the public that we are killing young seals (just days old), skinning them alive and even worse. This plays well in areas around the world where people do not know the truth.

As we all know, the white coat has not been hunted for decades and sealers are not savages who enjoy torturing animals. I grant you that there may be an isolated number of "idiots" out there who do not care about the cruelity they inflict, but that is true of any place in the world or any industry. I can assure you it is not the norm. The average sealer is just like you and me. They are simply trying to make a living in a tough and dangerous line of work.

The problem is that many people believe this bull!!

Everyday millions of chickens, cows, pigs, etc are slaughtered. Nobody protests this. I would almost be willing to bet that some of the folks who will donate to the seal protest organizations don't mind hunting deer or moose, salmon or trout fishing and no doubt many of them are not vegetarians.


As a province we need to pull together and put in place a massive PR campaign of our own to get the true story out around the world. This is an industry that needs to utilize the type of spin doctoring that is used by these groups, but instead of lies we need to get the truth out.

I find it interesting that the sites for these organizations, with the pictures of the adorable little white coats, also have many links available for those who would like to donate. Is it possible they are using the seal hunt to fill their own pockets, pockets that are deep enough to wage a massive public opinion campaign against us and keep the money rolling in? We need to start using some of our own financial resources to counter this if the hunt is to survive.

One last comment before I close out. To the head of the SPCA who made some nasty "Wente" like comments on Newfoundland and Labrador in a recent press release. If you don't agree with the hunt, that is your right, but first get your facts straight rather than listening to the partisan parties that you obviously are hearing from. Secondly, keep the politics out of your comments. You are not a political expert by a long shot so stick to what you know (once you learn the truth). Remember, a lot of people in this province donate to the SPCA and are in favor of the hunt. You may be putting some of that revenue in jeapardy.