Fw: (US) More on Makah Whaling and Coast Guard Injuries Continue

[Guest guest]

-

Barry Kent MacKay <mimus

<ar-news

Thursday, April 20, 2000 9:57 AM

(US) More on Makah Whaling and Coast Guard Injuries Continue

 

 

> >From the Cetacean Freedom Network list, this current eye-witness account,

with an

> action component:

>

> Toni Frohoff wrote:

>

> > The Makah whalers threw a harpoon at a whale this morning - I could not

tell

> > whether or not the harpoon hit or not, but apparently it did not stick.

A

> > woman activist on a jet ski was ran over by a coast guard boat and is

being

> > taken to the hospital. We do not know for sure who this was, but

apparently

> > she was conscious and sustained a shoulder injury (we are hoping it was

> > nothing worse) - from seeing the footage, it is amazing she is alive.

> >

> > Again, the newscasters are making the activists look like the criminals

and

> > aggressors in this situation.

> >

> > For those of you who are wondering what else can be done, in addition to

> > supporting the enviro people in Neah Bay, you can also call the

following

> > television news stations to let them know how shocked you are about the

> > biased *and* inaccurate coverage of this incident. For those of you out

of

> > the range of these stations, rest assured that their coverage is just as

> > bad, if not worse, than it was during last year's hunt.

> >

> > - Newspeople are giving U.S. government (NMFS, Coast Guard) and Tribal

> > spokespeople much more airtime than " activists "

> >

> > - They continue to disseminate inaccurate information

> > * They need to be reminded that the IWC did *not* sanction this

whale hunt.

> > * This hunt is *not* unilaterally supported by Native Americans

(Makah or

> > otherwise)

> >

> > - Most of the newscasters themselves are forgetting that the Coast Guard

is

> > paid to defend people, not to attack relatively defenseless women on jet

> > skis - or to create more violence than already existed. Instead many of

the

> > newscasters are actively defending the actions of the coast guard,

saying

> > that " the Coast Guard warned these people that they would be more

> > aggressive " (A colleague of mine said that was like telling a woman

wearing

> > a slinky outfit that it was her fault that she was raped). They are

also

> > describing the event by saying that " the jet skier *came in contact

with*

> > the Coast Guard boat " . For anyone who sees this footage, such as was the

> > case with the last incident a few days ago, this does not even come

close to

> > depicting the action.

> >

> > Media Numbers to call (ask for the News Desk or complaint line):

> >

> > Komo TV: 206-443-4000

> > Kiro TV: 206-728-7777

> > NW Cable News and King TV: 206-448-5555

> >

> > While you are at it, in anticipation of continued biased, innacurate

> > coverage, I enourage you to call the two major Seattle newspapers:

> >

> > Seattle PI - Reader Representative Line: 206-448-8051

> > Seattle Times - Reader Response Line: 206-464-3310

> >

> > Thanks,

> > Toni

> >

> > ------------

> > Toni Frohoff, Ph.D.

> >

>

> ____________

>

> Barry Kent MacKay

> International Program Director

> ANIMAL PROTECTION INSTITUTE

> www.api4animals.org

>

>