Well folks today I've seen it all. Paul McCartney and his wife lying on an ice flow with a cute little white coat seal and telling everyone they are in Newfoundland (pronounced NewFinlend) to try to stop the slaughter of these animals. It was indeed a surreal sight. (By the way his wife almost lost a few fingers when a seal pup she was petting like a dog decided to turn around and make a snap at them. I guess as cuddly as these animals look the McCartneys now should realize these are predatory wild animals, not pets.)
How misled was Mr. McCartney? According to all reports Mr. McCartney was not even in the Newfoundland area but on the ice off of Prince Edward Island. First lie fed to the man who no doubt didn't know the difference. Secondly, he posed with a cute white coat leading people to believe there was a slaughter of them underway. The fact is I don't believe Mr. McCartney even realizes that there is not white coat hunt anywhere in North America and hasn't been for decades.
Finally reports say that while enroute to PEI Mr. McCartney was in discussion with a federal fisheries representative to whom Mr. McCartney said he was under the impression that there was an issue with conservation and protection of the seals and that populations were falling. The truth is that the herd is actually estimated at between 5.8 and 7 million seals (bigger than it has been in decades) and growing. An example of excellent conservation and management success beyond anything ever done in fisheries itself.
I don't doubt for a minute that Mr. McCartney is sincere in his efforts but I feel just as strongly that he has been lied to. It is obvious he doesn't know the facts about the population, the non-white coat hunt or for that matter even where he was visiting.
As a side note, Premier Danny Williams requested an opportunity to discuss the hunt with McCartney during his stop over in this Province on his way to PEI but that meeting never took place. Instead when the McCartneys appear tonight at 10 Eastern on Larry King Live the Premier will deliver a taped message intended to educate the McCartneys and the viewing audience.
I have to say I wish him luck. Apparently federal officials were approached but none had the guts to step up to the plate. Instead Premier Williams will appear not to represent Newfoundland and Labrador specifically but to speak for Ottawa. I guess the folks on the Hill found their scape goat.
I'm sure Premier Williams knows enough about the issues to send a clear message but I have doubts about the format. My concern is that his video message will (a) be edited and not show all of his points, (b) it will allow the McCartneys or any other guests to refute or argue against him without providing him the ability to respond directly and (c) that it will give the McCartneys the last word.
I sincerely hope it doesn't work out that way but I have my doubts. Premier Williams has been placed between a rock and a harder rock. If he doesn't appear he will be blasted for not standing up for Newfoundland at home while the activists will claim he was afraid to face the "facts" as they see them. If he does appear under this format he will be an open target with no defence. I guess the folks who should be standing up on this issue (Harper or Hearn) saw the perils of the situation and figured better that Newfoundland and Labrador take the heat than the entire Country.
excuse any typos in this piece but I'm rushing it out before running out the door.
ReplyDeleteBye the way, I will be really curious to see the reaction from everyone to tonights broadcast of Larry King Live so take it in if you can.
(That holds especially true for the folks south of the border so if you have a chance, especially "Crazy American", take a look and let us know how it went from the U.S. perspective.
Thanks
Patriot
Some well thought out facts have been brought to light there Patriot. Hopefully when Mr. Williams lays out the facts on Larry King Live, maybe this new data/knowledge will rest well with the general public. I think Sir Paul should channel his efforts to something more worth while, like AIDS, Famine, and Genocide in Africa. Follow the lead of Bono, and other Rock Stars.
ReplyDeleteJeff Barnes
i doubt if mccarthy or williams can sway anyone.the line seems to be drawn and people already have their minds made up.(i won't be swayed from my beleif,nor will those in the site url here)
ReplyDeletehttp://ananimalfriendlylife.com/2006/03/mccartneys-go-head-to-head-with.html
I agree with tm above... Some of those activists have thicker skulls than die-hard Liberals and no amount of factual information will ever sway their opinions.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck to Danny anyway...
Seal pups are killed. The color of their fur only matters to you.
ReplyDeleteSo he was in PEI not Newfoundland. The distinction matters only to you.
Its is fact that Newfoundland sealers kill baby seals.
It is fact that the seal population may well be declining. How do we know this, even though it contradicts your parroting of the DFO line?
Because Dr. David Lavigne says so. Dr. Lavigne has a PhD. You apparently think we kill more seals in Alaska than you do in Canada.
I can understand your sense of anxiety. You're about to be exposed throughout the world for the senseless barbarians you are. Your attempts to hide this slaughter from the world is about to fail forever as CNN broadcasts the pictures you don't want seen.
In five hours the world will see the true Newfoundland.
I can understand why you're shitting your pants.
That white seal will be dead in a month. How is that misleading anyone?
ReplyDeleteYou people continue to sound like buffoons, Who really has the thick sculls?
ReplyDeleteYour barbaric practice is going down. Go ahead and continue to slit hairs and act delusional. You make it easy for your opponents.
How was Paul swindled? Did a Newfie steal his wallet?
ReplyDeleteThe seal industry as it is today will eventually end, it can not survive the emotional response. This is more about image and fundraising than anything else. The leftists ram Kyoto down our throats based on "science." Yet, when science doesn't fit their agenda they dismiss it and in this case they have emotion on their side. Same with GM foods. The science is their supporting it but it doesn't fit in with their neo-socialist agenda so they riot in the streets.
ReplyDeleteI have killed seals (beaters) with a 22 rifle and 30-30 during a food harvest where we were licensed to take seals for food only. It ain't pretty, but neither is dressing a moose, gutting a fish, cleaning a turr, skinning a rabbit, quartering a cow or slicing a pig. Notice how on Larry King they kept showing the sealer standing over the seals hacking and hacking. The sealer is shown, properly hitting the seal 3 quick times to ensure a quick and humane kill, but they kept repeating it so it looked as if he was just whailing away on the poor, helpless, baby seals. An emotional response is required.
As I said, the seal hunt will be a thing of the past. Over time, the overpopulation of the herd and ever dwindling fish stocks will lead to starvation and disease within the stock. Nature has a way of filling the vacuum left behind by our footprints.
Too bad Sir Paul didn't take the Premier up on his offer to eliminate foreign overfishing on the Grand Banks and maybe even get rid of the practice of drag-nets on the ocean floor (Trawlers). He could offer to throw a concert @ Marble Mountain to kick off the spring, seal watching, eco-tourism season.
Either way, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have some difficult decisions to make on a number of issues.
It's amazing how people can be so ignorant to the facts, yet still hold such strong opinions.
ReplyDeleteseal pups are killed, after they've been weaned and abondoned by the mothers. They are independant adn swim and hunt for food. Sure they are still young, but not babies.
ReplyDeletere: "Starving africans" come on!!! Get a grip!- seals are not humans and are not equal so stop the 'killing seals=killing humans' analogy, its crap.
The biting seal pup, only shows that they are not 'cuddly' as they are made out to be by activists...they are more compaeable to dingos or leopards, than humans, or 'dogs'. They want to maximise the emotional impact by 'harping' on the cute cuddly defenseless baby thing...
"It is fact that the seal population may well be declining. How do we know this, even though it contradicts your parroting of the DFO line?
ReplyDeleteBecause Dr. David Lavigne says so. Dr. Lavigne has a PhD."
ooooh! he has a PHD...wow. Did he do a comprehensive fly over photograph survey? NO?
he has every right to state an opinion, but its only an assertion, not evidence that the survey is wrong.
do better.
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas/Csas/DocREC/2005/RES2005_037_e.pdf
ReplyDeletethis is the link to the DFO pup production study. Does 'anonymous' have Lavigne's study?
One thing I keep noticing,...back when the cod stocks were in serious decline, in the 1980's , before DFO acknowledged it, before they shut down the fishery, Scientists from the university in St.johns , and fishery groups, were very vocal critics of DFO management practises, and they knew the cod were in trouble.
funny, that now the only ones saying the seal herd is in trouble are the activists. Dr. Lavigne is an activist too, and IMO biased toward 'no sealing' period. Where is the wider academic community on this issue?
"They are independant adn swim and hunt for food. Sure they are still young, but not babies. "
ReplyDeleteStop lying. Not even the DFO says this, moron.
The are baby seals - the DFO says so. They cannot swim - if they could, they would swim away and your proud sealers wouldn't be able to club them.
You know what the best part of larry was?
the first clip. Your proud Sealer kills a seal, turns to the camera...
...and gives the world his middle finger".
Such proud men. Such a proud tradition.
Where's a good genocidal politician when you need him?
Here is some food for thought Pun intended.
ReplyDeleteCanadian Veterenarians report on seal killing. Independantly reviewed.
http://canadianveterinarians.net/Documents/Resources/Files/130_Seal%20Hunt%20Report.pdf
Myths about the seal hunt
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/seal-phoque/myth_e.htm
Seal killing a 8 foot sturgeon.
http://www.katu.com/stories/76832.html
John Effords video showing dead fish on the bottom of a bay after seals ripped their guts out and left them to rot.
http://www.exn.ca/Stories/1999/03/09/56.asp
Meet Your Meat.
http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=meet_your_meat&Player=wm&speed=_med
While there are things I wish to see changed with the COMMERCIAL seal hunt like using the entire seal even if it is for animal and fish food. Butcher the seals onboard ship so as to remove the red blood on white ice.
Kill mainly adult male seals if at all possible like in most other wild game hunts.
Stopping the seal hunt all together makes absolutely no sense other than emotion from those uninformed who think their meat comes from styrofoam trays. It is for this reason that the ARA's insist on a complete ban as opposed to something more acceptable because they don't want to see it end because they use it to raise 60% of their annual funds each year.
I'm more concerned about the balance of nature that Balancing ARA's check books.
I would like to see the haresting of Capelin for their roe as this is a waste and abuse of the fishery IMHO.
We are taking the food from the fish while leaving the predators seals to kill what is left of the fishery. Eating everything under the sea Shrimp, Squid, Crab, Lobster, Caplin, Cod, Herring, Halibut, you name it a seal will kill it and either eat some or none of what they kill. A seal will eat 8% of it's body weight each and every day but in doing so it will probably kill 100% of it's body weight and leave what it doesn't eat to rot.
Balanced nature not Balanced ARA check books.
Beatle Power Overwhelms Defender of Seal Slaughter
ReplyDeletePremier Danny Williams did not have a chance. Like a deer caught in the headlights, he was as helpless as a baby seal when he foolishly attempted to take on the legendary Beatle and his wife in a humiliating defense of the indefensible massacre of new born seals.
Sir Paul McCartney and Lady Heather Mills McCartney were brilliantly articulate and their defense of the seals on last nights Larry King show was an incredible boost for the campaign to end the brutally cruel slaughter of seals.
“My heart was filled with hope to hear the McCartney’s defense of the seals. They knew their facts and they were not intimidated by Premier Danny Williams, the Premier of Newfoundland.” Said Captain Paul Watson, the President of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Premier Williams attempted to steer the argument away from the issue but Heather put him in his place by pointing out that he was doing what most politicians do by trying to deflect the issue.
William’s defense of the sealers as humane was pathetic and lost all credibility with the images shown of the seals choking and convulsing in their own blood on the ice. William’s argument that the seals were shot and not clubbed was shown to be a lie by the same images, and by interviews with sealers holding their clubs. Even more pathetic was William trying to say that the people who defend the seals are terrorists and are under investigation for terrorism.
The World Wildlife Fund did not win any points when Williams announced that he had their support. And the International Fund for Animal Welfare must have been outraged to hear Williams say that the sealers had the support of IFAW, which they don’t and never will.
Most importantly Paul and Heather promoted the boycott of Canadian Seafood Products and pointed out that the boycott of snow crabs from Newfoundland alone had cost the Canadian seafood industry 129 million dollars, a fact that Williams could not deny.
They specifically mentioned the boycott of Red Lobster twice which will put considerable pressure on the restaurant chain to stop their purchase of Canadian fish. Last week Trader Joe’s joined Whole Food Market and thousands of restaurants that have signed on to the boycott of Canadian seafood.
Heather and Paul stayed on the issue and did not allow themselves to be distracted by Williams. Recently elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper is most likely regretting his decision to have Williams speak for him. That decision made Harper to appear cowardly, a world leader afraid to debate a Beatle and his choice of Williams demonstrates his complete ignorance of the issue.
If Williams is the best defender of the slaughter that Canada can produce then the battle for the hearts and minds of the public has been lost to Canada. They should end the seal hunt now and save some dignity.
Rebecca Aldworth and the Humane Society of the United States are to be commended for bringing the McCartney’s to the ice. They allowed the McCartney’s to deliver the message on their own and they were terrific.
Williams invited Paul and Heather to Newfoundland to defend the cod which he says were wiped out by European fisheries. The fact is that it was the Canadian draggers that were responsible for the destruction of the cod, not the seals and not foreign fishermen.
When Williams said that Canada had the best scientists in the world managing the seals, Heather quickly pointed out that they were the same scientists who mismanaged the cod.
Heather knew her stuff and she was passionate about it. Paul radiated confidence and both of them strongly refuted William’s insulting accusation that they were being used by those who opposed the seal hunt.
The Newfoundland Premier, Canadian politicians and the sealers can ridicule the opinions of celebrities all they like but the fact remains is that the public listens when they speak and the international public has become very aware of the bloody, cruel, barbaric and archaic slaughter of seals by Canadians because of outspoken celebrities who have gone to the ice, people like Richard Dean Anderson, Martin Sheen, Farley Mowat, and Brigitte Bardot.
This visit to the ice by Paul and Heather has sent images of the seals around the globe. They have led a media charge that has broken the lines of the Canadian defense of this slaughter and they have invigorated and passionately motivated seal defenders around the world.
“Well done Paul. Well done Heather, You have made a major contribution in defense of the seals and for the cause of ending this horrific slaughter and we thank-you.” Said Captain Paul Watson.
Let the World Wildlife Fund know that you do not support their support of the bloody inhumane slaughter of seals
http://www.wwf.ca/AboutWWF/WhoWeAre/Contact.asp?lang=EN
Captain Paul Watson
Founder and President - Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Director - Sierra Club USA
Director - The Farley Mowat Institute
Director - Atlantic Grey Whale Society
President - Oceanic Research and Conservation Action Force
P.O. Box 2616
Friday Harbor, WA 98250
Tel: 360-370-5650 Cell: 310-701-3096
E-mail: Paulwatson@earthlink.net
Website: www.Seashepherd.org
to anonymous ...
ReplyDeleteMyth #1: The Canadian government allows sealers to kill whitecoat seals.
Reality: The image of the whitecoat harp seal is used prominently by seal hunt opponents. This image gives the false impression that vulnerable seal pups are targeted by sealers during the commercial hunt.
The hunting of harp seal pups (whitecoats) and hooded seal pups (bluebacks) is illegal – and has been since 1987. Marine Mammal Regulations prohibit the trade, sale or barter of the fur of these pups. Furthermore, adult seals cannot be harvested when they are in breeding or birthing grounds and younger seals must be weaned, self-reliant and independent.
is an independant animal, that is capable of hunting its own food, a baby?
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/seal-phoque/myth_e.htm
Funny thing Mr Mccartny came here thinking that hte seals were an endangered species.
ReplyDeleteThe only endangered species of the East coast of Canada are the fish and prey for the seals. Why is it cod are about to be listed on the endangered species list but the seals or becoming a scourge on the ecosystem in our oceans.
There are some 6000000 Harp seals, 2000000 Hood seals, and at least 1000000 other species of seals of the East coast of Canada alone.
Endangered species Cod not seals.
http://www.cosewic.gc.ca/eng/sct1/SearchResult_e.cfm?commonName=cod&scienceName=&Submit=Submit&boxStatus=All&boxTaxonomic=All&location=All&Board=All&change=All
http://nl-outsidethebox.blogspot.com/2005/09/cod-wash-i-cant-see-difference-can-you.html
You are idiots. They are not capable of hunting their own food, they have never even been in the water.
ReplyDeleteYes, we get the whitecoat disctinction, you don't. As soon as one little white hair falls off, they are doomed. And so is your disgusting logic and barbaric hunt. Find another topic to embarrass yourself on.
Actually, the Canadian Government does allow the murder of white coat seals.
ReplyDeleteThey're just not killed when their coats are still white.
You can bitch and moan all you want about posing with the white-coats but you can't change the fundamental truth which is that your government will allow your sealers to kill that white-coat.
The only hypocrisy is yours, for thinking that the color white matters, when the only color that matters is red.
"The image of the whitecoat harp seal is used prominently by seal hunt opponents. This image gives the false impression that vulnerable seal pups are targeted by sealers during the commercial hunt."
ReplyDeleteAre you completely stupid? If they weren't vulnerable YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO CLUB THEM!!!
Please tell the world your vasectomy was successful!!
Who would you say is more qualified to make judgements on the seal hunt People from the USA, Britain and wherever who have never seen a seal or killed and animal or people who live day in and day out making a livelyhood from the natural resource?
ReplyDeletePeople in Canada don't want to make any animal, mammal, or fish extinct or endangered for that matter thay have a vested interest in ensuring that there will be there for future generations.
The meddling by ARA's for their own profit is doing more harm to the ecosystem of the east coast of Canada than any hunt has ever done in history.
http://brianoconnor.typepad.com/animal_crackers/2005/10/sea_shepherd_co.html
http://www.vare.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=2
http://www.furcommission.com/news/newsC7.htm
It's amazing how quick the comments roll in when the seal hunt is the issue. I just have a few comments.
ReplyDeleteFirst to Brian, thanks for the insights but just a couple of problems with your facts. one problem with your comment is that 300,000 seals won't be killed this year. The quota is usually around 300,000 + over a 3 year period, not one year. Also, your vote does count because as much as many people make this a Newfoundland and Labrador issue and as much as Premier Williams was left to fight the fight, it is a Canadian issue. The hunt is undertaken by people from Newfoundland and Labrador, PEI, Nova Scotia, and Quebec. That makes it a national issue. Other than that it was a great comment.
Secondly, to Billy Patterson who said:
"Actually, the Canadian Government does allow the murder of white coat seals.
They're just not killed when their coats are still white."
Could you have made a more moronic statement. If they don't have white coats then they aren't white coats.
Next on the list, is for Paul McCartney and his missus. I had to laugh when they said on an interview on CTV that they were invited to "see the seal pups" and on Larry King that they "Were invited to witness the event". I have to ask, what event. They didn't witness anything, certainly not the hunt. The only event that happened while they were in PEI was a media event where they were photographed with cute white seals that aren't even hunted.
The McCartneys also said that only one bullet was used if at all because hunters did not want to make a second hole and damage the fur. Yet they said that the hunters after shooting them the hunters club them with a pick and then stick the pick in them to pull the seals across the ice. Gee, that sure seems like a lot of holes for someone who doesn't want to damage the pelts.
The last comment I will make is a general one. I know it won't convince anyone so I will let the debate go on without me after this point.
The McCartneys and others say that the hunt is inhumane because the animals are clubbed in the head several times and often skinned alive or die hours later. I have to ask myself a question and it is one perhaps others should ask.
Anyone who saw the clubs displayed on the Larry King show last night should picture them with a "pick" in the business end. Now I ask myself this question: I am a 180lb + person who stands 5'10'' but do I believe that if I was hit in the head with that instrument even once, would I be aware of anything after that? I don't think so. I bet a 50-70lb seal wouldn't either.
Bye all.
Myles, you are the single most incompetent pseudo-journalistic hack on the freaking planet! DO SOME RESEARCH!!!! The three year (2003-05) quote was 975,000 seals. Divide by three, or didn't they teach you simple math in Newfoundland schools?
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and boycott the Beatles. I'm sure you'll have the same effect on his wallet as his support of the HSUS boycott will have on sealer's.
Since when is something excused because its somebody's job or is legal? Would anybody argue that people have the right to eat meat? Would anybody argue that slaughterhouses are barbaric? What's wrong with reconciling the two? Lots of things are legal and barbaric - executions, abortions, plastic surgery.
Myles, again you're wrong. An adult is a teenager is an adolescent is a toddler is an infant is a fetus. Does killing it at any specific stage change the morality?
The majority of Canadians oppose the hunt. My guess is a majority of fisherman also oppose the hunt - why should they suffer simply because some Newfie mothers gave birth to defective children?
Anybody who believes bashing a baby animal in the skull is "humane" defines for all of us exactly what type of humans you are.
I hope the hunt goes ahead this year. Sir Paul will only make the boycott that much more effective, and the $150 million you didn't sell last year will be $450 million you didn't sell this year. And it will go on and on until the fisheries collapse and you all are left to do what you do best.
Sit on your asses, listen to incompetent hacks like Myles...
...and collect your welfare checks.
Love to all
Because size matters.
ReplyDeleteSomething Sealers know nothing about.
Video from ARA's matters also.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.furcommission.com/news/newsC7.htm
Apparently federal officials were approached but none had the guts to step up to the plate.
ReplyDeleteThat includes the late, great, Loyola Hearn, who transferred his CNN invite to Chairman Dan.
In case you missed the debate on CNN between Heather and Danny here is a link to the transcripts.
ReplyDeletehttp://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0603/03/lkl.01.html
H/T Small Dead animal comments section
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/
MSNBC.com 'Print this' sponsored by
ReplyDeleteThe Economics of a Bloodbath
The annual baby-seal hunt is underway in Canada. Could devaluing these beautiful animals actually save them?
WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY
By Patti Davis
Newsweek
Updated: 4:53 p.m. ET March 3, 2006
March 3, 2006 - Despite mounting pressure to cancel the yearly seal hunt, in which hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals are killed simply for their pelts, the Canadian government is allowing the bloodbath to continue.
Between 2003 and 2005, an estimated 1 million seal pups were slaughtered according to the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The kill levels are twice as high as they were in the 1960s when international outrage succeeded in closing down several markets for seal pelts. The United States banned the import of seal products in 1972, and the European Union agreed to a partial ban. Canada eventually banned the killing of “whitecoats” (baby seals) in 1987. But those white coats are replaced by spotted gray coats in a matter of weeks--at which time the seals are eligible for the hunt.
Last year alone, more than 315,000 seals were killed. Some environmentalists report that some of the animals are skinned alive and are left to die in agony. Canada’s claim that the hunt is regulated and monitored has been disputed every year by protesters who show up at the same time the sealers do and have witnessed what really goes on.
The hunt begins in March after females give birth to pups with soft plush fur. That fur is the reason that the ice floes turn red with blood. The defenseless pups, who have no way to escape the sealers’ clubs and rifles, are prized only for their pelts. Only for fashion statements.
Some people have held out hope that with a new prime minister, the annual hunt can be stopped. Stephen Harper has replaced Paul Martin, who was an uncompromising supporter of the hunt. As yet, though, a regime change hasn’t helped. There has been no indication that it will be canceled.
However, there is some good news. Italy has banned the import of seal products, and the British government is strongly considering doing the same. It’s clear that if compassion will not end this mass slaughter, maybe economics can. If no one is buying seal pelts, the pups (less than three months old) will not be clubbed, shot and skinned. Many might actually fulfill their life expectancy of 30 years.
On Thursday, Paul and Heather McCartney visited the Gulf of St. Lawrence to bring worldwide attention to the pups whose fate is in the hands of the Canadian government. Working with the Humane Society of the United States, they have stated their commitment to make this a global issue.
Predictably, sealers don’t appreciate the high-profile attention the McCartneys’ visit will bring to this issue. The Canadian press quoted Jack Troake, a 70-year-old sealer, who said, “It’s something we’ve done for 500 years. It’s helped to sustain us. We go to bed with a full stomach, a tight roof over our heads. It’s part of our culture, our history.”
Are we to actually believe that there is no other way for thousands of people to make a living? That all they are equipped to do is kill seal pups and skin them? And as far as traditions dating back hundreds of years, there are plenty of old traditions that have been banished as countries have grown more civilized: town lynchings, slavery, bleeding people with leeches, stoning women to death … to name a few.
In the end, supporters of the seal hunt may find that their worst enemy is global warming. Unseasonably warm temperatures have prevented the formation of many ice floes, which is where females go to give birth. There is extremely low ice cover in both the Gulf of St. Lawrence and waters northeast of Newfoundland, both primary breeding sites.
It would be nice if appealing to the hearts and compassion of human beings was enough. But some of earth’s inhabitants sadly only listen to money. Countries that are banning imports of seal products will probably make the most difference. Perhaps the only way to save these beautiful creatures is to render them economically worthless. It’s a strange world when the only way to save something valuable is by devaluing it.
© 2006 MSNBC.com
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11659086/site/newsweek/from/ET/
It's interesting how everyone watched the same interview but came away with entirely different perspectives on the successes of each speaker.
ReplyDeleteFor my part all I really got from it is that Heather cannot let anyone else speak. She retracted the term "barbaric" and replaced it with "archaic". I can only assume that she is trying to remove the stereotype of the barbaric sealer and recognize sealers as human. All-be-it performing an occupation that she wishes didn't exist. Ultimately I appreciate this recognision. That the disagreement on the issue should not be brought down the level of base, and ignorant language common from many of the "anons" on this blog. Take a lesson from her on that if you get nothing else from her words.
Other than that from Paul I felt a definate softening on the issue. A recognition of the human factor in this debate. Also a recognition of the other issues that must be taken on in the animal rights movement. I definately think he listened and may have learned some things himself. My quesion to him would be in the context of bull fights, dog fights, animals in research, abusive and poorly monitored zoos and pet stores... in the context of industries of veal, lamb, fox, mink... In light of the immeasureable atrocities of man against man and man against the environment - Why the Seal Hunt?
The answer is simply that it is way too easy. A province that is struggling economically and poorly supported by the Canadian federation. A province with a group of residents that are oppressed and commonly referred to in terms of welfare checks, uneducated, and barbaric. Racial stereotypes in any sense of the word. The previous posts indicate precisely this.
An easy target. A highly funded campaign supported by the rich and famous. And the money shot of the little white seal.
Way too easy.
PS. WJM - watch what you say about your new boss. You never know who's reading.
Steve here,
ReplyDeleteI got an opportunity to watch only a portion of the program, but what I saw was consistent with the sides as they've been drawn for a lot of years. Basically, one side claims inhumane.. and the other side says tradition and subsistence.
As far as Danny Williams, despite comments made above about his misrepresentations, I think he fairly stated the position that this is neither illegal, nor immoral, nor an endangerment to the species.
Unfortunately, like many others Mr. Williams had little effect because the argument from the animal rights activists is essentially not a logical argument it is emotional. The McCartney's argued that position very well.
In all the most frustrating portion that I saw was that the McCartneys did not seem constrained to meet the very same standard of consistency or accuracy that they claimed Williams was failing.
Paul McCartney several times during the program said that he arrived with an open mind, and yet obviously had already made the judgements he expressed on film shown before he had even been presented with the Canadian government side of the issue, by his own statements on the program.
And yet, like all of the statements I heard from the McCartneys, the accusations and opinions went basically unchallenged by King, and when Williams began to refute some of the more outrageous claims, King often allowed Williams to be overspoken.
I was especially taken aback when McCartney suggested that seal watching could replace and even bring more income to the sealers. I took it as the rock star equivalent of let them eat cake. Why?
Because the position is fundamentally hypocritical. Not one single effort has been made by either he nor any other activists to actually do anything towards making the easily expressed alternatives real. There isn't any seal watching tourism industry on that scale and their won't be either. Might as well tell em to eat cake.
To those from Newfoundland who are frustrated that their culture is fundamentally misrepresented, I don't think that is the entire case.
But I do think that you should not expect an even presentation by either the press nor the liberal world of celebrity. Fair doesn't sell nearly as well as cute.
It's far easier to stereotype than the learn, and this planet is becoming more and more about sterotypes.
You asked how it played in the US.
Frankly, the best pieces of good news I can give you about this is fewer people watch the cable news shows on Friday evening than any other evening of the week, and frankly no one really expects Larry King to do any hard interviewing anymore either
Just my two cents worth
you say it helps newfs but really like the over fishing it makes a few rich while making the enviroment poor no jobs move no education get one its free
ReplyDeleteThat's precious anon. My five year old nephew writes better than that. Learn about commas and punctuation if you expect people to read. It's not a friggin' telegraph. I think you were trying to insult our education level if I read that right. That's pretty rich.
ReplyDeleteAnd to the gent above that suggested the reaction of the pup seal to Heather was because he was defensive against humans. There are no hunters there yet. The first humans he would know about would have been the ex-model and the ex-beatle posing with it for cameras. So the snap was just intended for her I'm afraid.
To Crazy Americian. Good insight as always. It is very true that the argument is one of Emotional vs Logical. Not that there is anything wrong with either, but reconsiling the two is the difficult part for sure.
Danny Williams accused them of being misinformed and used by the Animal Rights Movement, then went on to lie about UN Approval, misinform viewers about that Newfies use seals the same way the Inuit do, misinform viewers by saying Paul wants to abolish the right to eat meat and prove that he was being used by the Government by making an irrelevant comparison to slaughterhouses.
ReplyDeleteThe reason the seal hunt is "picked on" is because unlike bullfights there is an economic component and unlike dog-fights its out in the open.
This is not "emotion versus logic". Its right versus wrong. This IS barbaric and sealers ARE barbarians. It is not humane and no reputable, non-DFO paid for study says so, and it should say something that nobody accepts the science of the DFO.
Logic says it is unprofitable, unnecessary and wholly replaceable.
What the world saw on Larry King was Sealers doing what they do best while their political leader claimed they weren't doing it all. What the world saw was a group of barbarians and their Quisling.
Simple as that.
interesting article on HSUS. stopping the seal hunt is just one of the many 'animal uses' on their to-do-away-with list
ReplyDeletehttp://www.activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/oid/136
You guys must be completely blind to reality.
ReplyDeleteSealing is a barbaric activity. The world saw that on Larry King.
Sealers are barbarians. The world saw that on Larry King.
Sealers are proud of being barbarians. The world saw that on Larry King.
Newfoundland and Labrador, from its citizenry to its Premier, are proud of these barbarians. The world saw that on Larry King.
To think for a moment that anything Paul said, or that Danny said, comes anywhere close to the impact of seeing your barbarians at work, is ridiculous. Your arrogance, your cruelty, your sadism and your lust for blood were on full display for a full hour. And will be again, and again, as CNN replays the interview.
You might be too isolated to see this, as you are sheltered on what Danny calls "the easternmost point of North America" but everywhere through America awareness has grown and people are taking notice of the boycott. Just walk through any grocery store anywhere in America and you'll see that.
And its shocking that anybody could delude themselves into thinking otherwise.
to greg pruitt,proud american.
ReplyDeletei remember mai lai in vietnam,i saw many images recently from iraq of children slaughtered by soldiers of your country.your people would make far better sealers.i saw quite a few images of that on larry king(except mai lai however he did show some abu gharib footage)(i know,im off topic,sorry myles)
people ask 'why do sealers behave so badly in front of the media?',..
ReplyDelete1) out of about 4000 sealers working throughout the hunt, a mere handful are photographed 'behaving badly'
2) some feel provoked, by 'media' who will portray them as cruel barbarians,
3) some are provoked to behave aggressively, for the photo-op, and are naive enought to fall for it.
As for what Larry King showed?
Did they show any seals actually being skinned alive? Since the lobby groups claim that up to 42% are skinned alive, about half of what you saw on LK would have been 'skinned alive',surely they'd have real footage to show the world?! I didn't see any, never have. Have seen dead seals twitching, like the chicken with its head cut off, but no living seals being skinned. Surely they'd have footage if it were real??
clubbing seals 'looks bad' even when they die instantly (which is the vast majority of times...).
IF you disagree with killing animals for fur, fine, stick to that, should be no need to pad the case with the emotions and 'skinned alive', cuddly baby seals...etc...
its about the powerful imagery that evokes an emotional response.
How many people who are now upset about seals, give a crap about mink or foxes farmed for fur? I'd guess that most don't care about 'other' fur, don't know anything about it and 'don't care'...
Seeing as Mr Mills (McCartney) wears the pants you can tell Paul what to do by informing Heather on her web site.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.heathermillsmccartney.com/
"everywhere through America awareness has grown and people are taking notice of the boycott"
ReplyDeleteMr. Pruitt, the seal hunt has resulted in a boycott that's been in place for decades. It still hasn't effected the seal hunt and it never will. And no amount of accusations of "barbarism" will help you either. For a supposed MD, you are a pretty bad speller and your arguments fail to hold up. Are you really Heather Mills McCartney?
The Humane Society of the United States is campaigning against the Canadian Seal Hunt this year. Their principal tactic this year is to urge Americans to stop purchasing Canadian fishing produce, forcing the Canadian government into a change of policy. That is, attempting to destroy the local economy of another country. Perhaps we could call that “International Economic Terrorism.”
ReplyDeleteNow, if they are engaged in such activities, it might look bad if they were to be funded by a politician or perhaps a
US federal government agency. A list of their funding sources is to be found on:
http://www.activistcash.com/organization_financials.cfm/oid/136
Apparently, among their funding bodies is USAID, a US federal government agency, providing $500,000 in 2005. Oops. http://www.usaid.gov/about_usaid/usaidorg.html
The USAID website states their mission in part “…[USAID] supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances US foreign policy objectives…”
Well, that explains it then – engaging in International Economic Terrorism must be an official US government foreign policy objective.
The irony in this situation is that Paul and Heather have brought about the complete opposite effect of what they hoped to accomplish. Newfoundlanders are rallying support more than ever. The local furrier that specializes in Seal Fur is having a sale to promote the event. The local papers are full of supportive letters and articles and even the national papers are coming out on our side seeing the McCartney's for the wealthy elite, billionaire hypocrites that they are.
ReplyDelete(Apologies to 'Mr. Mills' who I do have some sympathy for at this point)
http://www.torontosun.com/Comment/Commentary/2006/03/03/1471876.html
I see there has been a lot of activity on the site again over the past couple of days. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteI apologize to the person who called me on the 300,000 vs. 900,000 number. I was caught up in the moment and the old temper got the best of me. For some reason I indeed mixed up the numbers.
On another topic I always find it interesting that those opposed to the hunt who claim to be very concerned with "caring" and "fairness" and "rights" are often the ones who resort to name calling, swearing and violent language. Very very telling indeed.
(And yes, WJM, you are right, Loyola Hearn should have involved himself in that LK broadcast. That for me is one clear black mark against him at this point)
Liam,
ReplyDeleteBaltimore MD means Baltimore Maryland, not Medical Doctor, you ignorant jackass.
Liam,
ReplyDeleteHe also didn't spell anything wrong.
Christ, you really are dumb. Must be a Newfie, eh?
I very much enjoy checking in to see all the new ignorant things you seal hunt defenders are saying!You don't think your opposition expected you to circle the wagons and that there would be some outpouring of support to save your precious slaughter? That you would cut off your nose to spite your face in order to be able to continue to bash in the heads of defenseless baby animals?
ReplyDeleteThanks for doing some of the heavy lifting for us.
This has to be the same anon as above. It's like reading friggin' E.E. Cummings.
ReplyDeleteAnon, may I introduce you to the comma. It is below the "<" sign on your keyboard.
Time to sign-off on this blog post I guess. Not bad overall.
As we all know, politicians live and die by the public opinion polls so I guess the polls must be in on the Premier's appearance on Larry King. I would also surmise that they must not be too bad. Why do I say that? Because VOCM News is reporting today that:
ReplyDeleteFederal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn says he has invited Sir Paul McCartney to come to Newfoundland and Labrador to meet Prime Minister Stephen Harper..." "...Hearn says Premier Williams did a great job. Hearn says he called and left a message with Sir Paul McCartney with an invitation to come to this province."
I guess the feds have finally decided to step up to the plate and do what they should have done in the first place.
I only hope Paul McCartney has the strength of character to stick by his word and actually listen to all sides of the arguement. Perhaps if he does come he should leave Heather at home this time. It might actually give someone else a chance to get a few words in. (She may be married to a knight but she is definately no lady.)
Sexist pig. Why are smart, forceful women so scary to you all?
ReplyDeleteMy apologies, Anonymous/Afraid to give his or her name. You're correct. I thought Mr. Pruitt was one of those types that likes to flaunt his doctorate to make his opinion sound more educated. My bad.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I was thinking of Dr. Vlasak of the Sea Shepherd Society, friend of the ALF terrorist group who, like you and Mr Pruitt, is an idiot who attempts to win his arguments about the seal hunt by playing up his hatred of Newfoundlanders.
Oh, and by the way, you're right about another thing, there were no spelling mistakes; just mediocre grammar and a near inability to form a readable sentence. Question: is that a common feature among Americans these days? You'll understand, my opinion of your country is a generally good one that is somewhat tainted by the idiots you elect.
All the best.
In defense of my fellow American Mr. Pruitt, he of the good manners, proper grammar and ability to convey his argument in a clear and concise manner as opposed to the Newfie scum who apparently can't spell all three syllables in his first name, I must point out that Dr. Vlasak actually did graduate both college and medical school, something less than 1/100 Newfies are capable of doing and that when using "Question" as a dialectic, the proper grammatical symbol is. in fact, a semi-colon.
ReplyDeleteLiam, I hope both of your brain cells were in use long enough to follow that simple, cogent exercise in comparative reasoning, you ignorant, effete barbarian Redneck.
Hell, your idiot likes our idiot. Get with the program.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous wrote: "Sexist pig..... you ignorant, effete barbarian Redneck"
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of sexism, to call a male "effete" in a disparaging way is to call him, literally, a woman who is no longer fecund. It is sexist in at least two ways.
"As for the comments on how little money the sealers make let me tell you that as a sealer's wife, that bit of money is a welcome sight after 5 months of EI."
ReplyDeleteSorry, Ma'am, but does the word "JOB" have any translation in the Newfie vocabulary? Maybe if he WORKED in those five months, that little bit of money wouldn't be so important.
Or is Hubby too "proud" to flip burgers, shovel snow or point out the Home Decor aisle at Loews?
As for the Quebecois, we would pick on them, but us Limousine Liberals simply cannot stoop to speaking pedestrian Kermit.
Oh, and by the way,
ReplyDeleteDo you honestly think anyone in America - you know the people who actually BUY the majority of your husband's catch know the f*n difference between Newfoundland and PEI?
You really think that was a victory? A sense of one-upmanship?
After video over video of your husband who's too proud to get a real job at "work" with his baseball bat?
Are you really that insulated that you think that somehow damaged Paul's credibility?
What a sad, pathetic people you are.
And no wonder Harper and Hearn are bending over backward's to kiss Sir Paul's ass.
Obviously they saw what you all were too stupid to see.
Do you honestly think anyone in America - you know the people who actually BUY the majority of your husband's catch know the f*n difference between Newfoundland and PEI?
ReplyDeleteActually, we know that people in America don’t know the difference. I would go as far to say that 90% of your population couldn’t pick out their own home town on an unmarked map. It is very humorous that you seem to be proud that you citizens know next to nothing about their largest trading partner. But, I guess by keeping the population ignorant, it makes things easier for your government to brain wash you any way that they want.
GOSH! im so embarassed,that MD thing threw me off also.i thought it meant mentally delayed. life!everyday a learning experience.
ReplyDeleteby the way i saw a few seals on the way to work this morning.never had the cam but wished i did.
Newfie and Nigger. Any difference?
ReplyDeleteNot too much. But you all knew that, right!
Educate yourselves some.
Would you actually expect to gain the listening ear of an African American if you called him/her 'N' word?
(I limited myself to typing it only once just to state my point)
Are there not bigger problems in the world than wiether or not Canadians kill whitecoat seals? Obviously thru the dissemination of imformation presented not only in the initial post but even in the comments thereafter, there is a lot of confusion about the actual facts of the situation. My suggestion would be to stop flaming in comments and if you feel so strongly about the situation get out there and do something about it. Personally, the numbers speak to me and if the population is under control (which it seems to be) than get over it and find something real to worry about. Seals are cute, yes. People kill them, yes. Are there bigger problems in the world than people killing seals.
ReplyDeleteJust my opinion.
Flame Away
"Greg Pruitt, Baltimore MD said...
ReplyDelete"You guys must be completely blind to reality."
That's an invitation if I ever heard one...oh say can you see....
"Sealing is a barbaric activity. The world saw that on Larry King."
The Rattlesnake Roundup is a barbaric activity. The world won't see it on Larry King. 'Lady' Heather and her ilk only care about something if it's "cute".
"Sealers are barbarians. The world saw that on Larry King."
Rattlesnake Roundup people are 'barbarians'. Again, the world won't see that on Larry King. Who can love a rattlesnake? Who cares if they die needlessly? (For the record, I do, as do countless others who aren't represented by misinformed celebrities who could be doing so much more with their money and time.)
"Sealers are proud of being barbarians. The world saw that on Larry King. "
Rattlesnake Roundup people are proud of being barbarians. Again, the world won't see that on Larry King. But we have seen it on National Geographic and other scientific television programs.
"Newfoundland and Labrador, from its citizenry to its Premier, are proud of these barbarians. The world saw that on Larry King."
SOME Americans, from its citizenry to its Premier, are, if not proud, doing nothing to stop the massacre of Rattlesnakes every year in several states, with Sweetwater, Texas at the forefront. Again, you won't see that on Larry King live.
"To think for a moment that anything Paul said, or that Danny said, comes anywhere close to the impact of seeing your barbarians at work, is ridiculous. Your arrogance, your cruelty, your sadism and your lust for blood were on full display for a full hour. And will be again, and again, as CNN replays the interview."
Rattlesnakes being dragged out of the wild by the thousands, with awards going to the people that bring in the largest snakes (in other words, breeders...it's affecting rattlesnake populations in a very big way) and every single last one of them being slaughtered based on ignorance and an inability to share this world with something you just don't understand. My favorite part of a 'good' Rattlesnake Roundup show is when they bring out the Rattlesnake Roundup Queen, all dolled up with that fake plastic American-made smile on her face as she helps skin the first rattlesnakes alive in front of a packed arena.
Your arrogance, your cruelty, your sadism and your lust for blood are on display every spring in your country. Again, you won't see it on Larry King.
"You might be too isolated to see this, as you are sheltered on what Danny calls "the easternmost point of North America" but everywhere through America awareness has grown and people are taking notice of the boycott. Just walk through any grocery store anywhere in America and you'll see that."
You might be too isolated in your corner of Maryland to see the slaughter that occurs on your own American soils...but you are too damn quick to point your finger elsewhere. Yes, once again, this won't be reported on Larry King. Would have to be seen on a more truthful, less-concerned-about-ratings tv venue to hear and see such truths. There out there. Take a look and educate yourself.
"And its shocking that anybody could delude themselves into thinking otherwise."
Ditto.
From your Newfie friend in NS.
Before anyone jumps me for this:
ReplyDeleteI meant to say "SOME Americans, from its citizenry to its PRESIDENT", not premier.
Normally I wouldn't bother coming back to do this, but some people here have the kind of mindset that likes to attack below the belt.
:)
Dear Americans:
ReplyDeletePlease do away with your rattlesnake roundups, your dog bloodsports [ cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/us/2006/03/02/noyes.ca.dog.bloodsport.kgo ], your shooting wolves from helicopters, and your overall ignorance, and MAYBE we'll listen to your complains.
Biology 101: if the seals were starving they would not be thriving. Which one is it?
ReplyDeleteIt must be nice to be known around the world as seal killers. Most people cringe at the mention of Newfoundland and Labrador. It must be great to be represented by sealers who can't even speak English properly when they are interviewed. One sealers said something like this campaign helps animal activists get big houses and cars. HMMMM, but they don't seem to have a problem with rich people buying seal fur coats, do they? If Paul McCartney had come to place an order for 100,000 seal pelts, Newfoundlanders would be kissing his butt. How hypocritical.
Did you notice that every time the seal hunt goes on there are ads on TV promoting tourism to Nl and Labrador?
Oh yeah, let me book a tour of NL, maybe I can catch a glimpse of some seals being skinned alive!!
Morons.
Greg Pruitt:
ReplyDelete"Sorry, Ma'am, but does the word "JOB" have any translation in the Newfie vocabulary? Maybe if he WORKED in those five months, that little bit of money wouldn't be so important.
Or is Hubby too "proud" to flip burgers, shovel snow or point out the Home Decor aisle at Loews?"
Employers don't hire people like that - five months on and seven off. You just can't find a job for five months and come back the next year.
"Oh, and by the way,
Do you honestly think anyone in America - you know the people who actually BUY the majority of your husband's catch know the f*n difference between Newfoundland and PEI?"
If they're going to place all their personal integrity as a celebrity behind a cause there, then they damned well should.
But hey, I can't complain. Paul McCartney has shown himself to have no integrity - he didn't even know what f***ing province he was IN! It's every bit as funny as not knowing what state you're in in the U.S.
"You really think that was a victory? A sense of one-upmanship?"
Why not? The man revealed himself for the clueless idiot he is.
"After video over video of your husband who's too proud to get a real job at "work" with his baseball bat?"
I suggest you not make such posts like that. We take libel just as seriously here as you do.
Are you really that insulated that you think that somehow damaged Paul's credibility?
It sure as hell does to those of us who know better than him what's going on.
What a sad, pathetic people you are.
Speak for yourself.
And no wonder Harper and Hearn are bending over backward's to kiss Sir Paul's ass.
Obviously they saw what you all were too stupid to see.
"Kissing Sir Paul's ass"? Oh please. Don't make me laugh. They're going to put him in his place.
Anonymous coward posted:
ReplyDelete"Biology 101: if the seals were starving they would not be thriving. Which one is it?"
Hmm. I'm going to leave it up to you to prove to me that the very same person said both those things. Otherwise, clam up.
"It must be nice to be known around the world as seal killers. Most people cringe at the mention of Newfoundland and Labrador. It must be great to be represented by sealers who can't even speak English properly when they are interviewed."
That's a really funny take on it. Is inbreeding really such a big problem in your area?
"One sealers said something like this campaign helps animal activists get big houses and cars. HMMMM, but they don't seem to have a problem with rich people buying seal fur coats, do they?"
No. Because who is to say whether the rich people make their living legitimately or not? As for the lying activists receiving U.S. government grants? Oh please.
"If Paul McCartney had come to place an order for 100,000 seal pelts, Newfoundlanders would be kissing his butt. How hypocritical."
Nope. You and your activists are the hypocrites.
"Did you notice that every time the seal hunt goes on there are ads on TV promoting tourism to Nl and Labrador?"
There are always ads promoting tourism to Nl and Labrador. How convenient for your argument that you only pay attention to them during seal season.
"Oh yeah, let me book a tour of NL, maybe I can catch a glimpse of some seals being skinned alive!!
Morons."
Let me book a tour of wherever the hell it is that you live. Maybe I can hook up with your sister!! Oh, sorry, I see the two of you are already involved...
Moron.
Boy that last post is frightening. He ends off with the most intelligent thing the poor soul can think off. Time to get your own computer/place kid and stop being so nasty.
ReplyDeleteMy mother, at 78, was born in newfoundland. She was a little girl of 10, and of 15, when the seal hunt was REALLY bad.
ReplyDeleteAppairently, back in the 20's, the furs were in style, so the seals were being hunted beyond the norm.
You may note, when I say hunted, I refer to the natural process of finding and killing dinner. Dogs do it, cats do it (in fact cute little kittens are particularely cruel). The seals themselves do it.
The fur trade was unnatural. It drove the killing to the point where something had to be done, since the seals were in danger of extinction... and planning not being a 'real strong suit' of newfies of that day, intervention was required.
At that time, Bridgette Bardot stepped up to the plate. A big deal was made about the "cute" factor, but it made great moves towards animal rights... kudos, Bridgette. It raised awareness about the callousness of fashion, and ended an era. The results of that were robust rules governing the seal hunt, and decreased social desire for seal fur coats.
Now, anyone that says that the decline in cod population isn't due to the increase in seal population, (according to my mother) spends too much time with their head in books. She watched it happen, year by year... she watched the boats come in emptier and emptier. She watched the seals wander into town like racoons, and get into the garbage. She watched the balance go out of balance. Until the craze, the hunt occurred at a natural rate. All the seal was used, and the people had food for their families.
Now don't get me wrong, my mother is learned beyond the times of her upbringing; she not only reads, but writes, and is a poet of some skill. However, living in an outport newfoundland village for the first 20 years of her life, taught her a few things about being practical; where the books fail, and living takes over.
A pertinent fact is, seal hunting is HARD WORK. If it were possible to get a job in an office, or at fast food joint, then these people would. They do what work there is, to feed their families. Going out on to Ice is pretty cold, and sometimes people die. If these men could do anything else to live, you bet your life, they would. People who say "there's always options" have obviously never been to Newfoundland. It is one of our country's most economically depressed areas, since there simply isnt that much of global value that comes from a big rock. The ambient social structure cannot support upper echelon jobs, like paper pushing, unless there is a social product which brings dollars into the community.
There are a great many seals now... more than their were before it all kicked in. It seemed that nature in her glory, responded to the seal hunt by balancing the population. When the fur coat craze hit, it threw everything out of balance.
Once again, human involvement throwing the natural balance out of whack; based on things like, appearance, or DESIRE rather than need. The desire for attractive seal coats; the desire to save the cute seals (which by the way, WILL bite a kid's hand off); the desire to feel better and have an opinion about the activities of people that we know almost nothing about. People who find the seal hunt barbaric, should visit an abbatoire before their next trip to a burger joint; people should go to newfoundland and try to get a job, before they claim that there are always options; and people should find out what the truth is, rather than looking up numbers that seem to largely disagree.
For most people in newfoundland, the best option seems to be, moving somewhere else; and some of our nation's hardest workers in construction and labour come from the rock (yes, it is called that).
So, the entire issue was not created by barbarians killing cute cuddly things; rather it was created by rich people in places like Britain whose desire for fashion gave a poor people, a brief hope at something above poverty; a simple people who overreacted to the possibility of financial security. Newfie men did what they had to do; if there were millions of people in Newfoundland, it would be easy to believe that the warped ones went out and got wiggy on seals; but when you think of the number of people, these were more likely, hard working honest men who's dad taught them a trade. Nobody wants to drag several hundred pounds of dead anything, anywhere. But, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, unless he wants to be a deadbeat, and cause pain and suffering to his family.
When we think of the seals, we think of the "human" version of the seal. 'Missing their mothers', that sort of thing... is all a very human angle on it. When a bear eats a fish from a river, it is natural. The fish is gone, and the fish's family lives on. We should not try to tell the bear that it is wrong. And, incidentally, no-one lays down beside a baby fish and protests for its life.
Whether one personally believes that hunting is an option or not, one must recognize that it does occur, and it is natural. Many animals are not humane when they hunt. Cats in fact, will torture their prey before they eat it, IF they eat it. Trying to keep a cat from doing this, would be silly. The cat will simply not do it in your presence.
Hunting is a way of controlling balance. When lemmings grow too populous, as they have few natural predators (save the snowy owl), they quite literally run out of space. No, they do not commit suicide, it is very much accidental... but natural. Should we install nets at the bottoms of cliffs everywhere? Haha... what would we feed the extra lemmings?
We are animals, and have to fit in with the natural balance. The fact that we are aware of this balance, makes us doubly responsible; and doubles the shame of our failure. The world is paying for our whims.
A few things that my mother CAN say about the seal hunt, as someone who has seen this issue evolve over the past 8 decades;
a) any hunting sucks, but you have to do what you have to do, especially when you live in a land where very little grows well
b) seals are cute, but vicious; as one of her friends was attacked by one as a little girl, she has learned to look past the "cute" of it
c) we created a breeding frenzy in the seals by overhunting them, and then cut the hunt way back; the result is, so many seals that the land can't sustain it, and the fish are vanishing (between more seals and foreign fishing in Canadian waters)
d) Finally, this very issue was dealt with YEARS ago - the hunt IS humane, even more so then the processing of cattle for beef (not to be too gross about it). The regulations were set and the lines drawn, and they worked! Too well. The seals thrive; again, too well.
Now we are dealing with the repurcussions of our actions, and so is the world and nature around us. The notion of allowing an opinion or a social trend to influence the balance of nature, to me is the most appalling thing. The fact that the kind of coat that someone wants to wear, and people's opinions about things that they know very little about, is ruining people's lives, and entire ecosystems... blows my mind. Sometimes, I am embarrassed to be human.
I am not trying to put forth an opinion with this; personally the entire issue has very little effect on me. However, it is a great reason to bring up a few other pertinenet points, as I have tried to do above.
The time may be done with shaking the world; maybe we should be listening to it.
BTW sorry if the comment is a month too late, i live under a rock