Weekend forecast from the whale hunt/website/how you can help/letters

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===== A message from the 'makahwhaling' discussion list =====

 

FROM WASHINGTON CITIZEN'S COASTAL ALLIANCE

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SEKIU, Washington:

No hunting yesterday, none today: the weather has been foul, and seas

running heavy. ODI vessels will be on patrol this weekend, and we continue

to bring as much light to bear on this illegal hunt as possible. Below, a

few items, bits and pieces. And, as always, get the DEFINITIVE word on this

hunt at the best web-site out there:

 

www.stopwhalekill.org

*****

 

 

 

ITEMS NEEDED (REPEAT)

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Thanks to those of you have send us pre-paid AirTouch cellular phone cards.

We need several more! These cards are easily purchased at any convenience

store or grocery.

 

Available in $30, $50 or $100 amounts, simply scratch off the access code on

the back of the card and e-mail that code to dano! It's an

easy way to help us! Just make sure they are AIR TOUCH CELLULAR cards...

 

Have any jet skis or boats that need to see some action? Contact us! Any dry

suits you're not using? CONTACT US!

*****

 

 

 

PROTEST THIS SATURDAY!

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The Peninsula Citizens for the Protection of Whales will be hosting a

protest this Saturday. Meet at " The Rock " in Sekiu, WA at 12:30pm. A car

caravan will make its way to the Makah Reservation, where we will no doubt

be turned away yet again. Come and be a part of our community!

 

Contact: Chuck Owens (360) 928-3048

*****

 

 

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

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Spiritual kinship with whales borders on religious practice

 

Setting up an arbitrary exclusionary zone around Makah canoes so they can

hunt whales is tantamount to assigning them public waterways for strictly

religious purposes. If they need to demonstrate their spiritual kinship with

whales by slaughtering them, it transcends a cultural practice and becomes a

religious one.

 

There are stranger religions, more violent religions, religions that

apparently require animal sacrifices, but in this country -- where there is

supposed to be a separation of church and state -- the welfare and

sensitivities of the general public aren't blatantly, egregiously and

unconstitutionally compromised. At a time of the year when we are reminded

of some of this country's worst mass and serial murders, why is it necessary

to revive killing whales -- barely off the Endangered Species List -- as a

positive, fun thing to do?

 

As for the Coast Guard ramming the personal watercraft, the video clearly

demonstrates ample opportunity for the boat to avoid hitting it.

 

Kurt Warner

Seattle

http://www.seattle-pi.com/opinion/ltrs2711.shtml

*****

 

 

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR- PART 2

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Whale of a deception

 

Dear Editor,

 

While families of gray whales follow their ancient migration route north,

the Makah tribe, with the aid of the U.S. Commerce Department, the U.S.

Coast Guard and the National Marine Fisheries Service, are gearing up for

another " ceremonial " hunt. They hope to re-create the horrific scene played

out last May, when a young female gray whale was harpooned and shot to

death. After a 20-minute struggle her lifeless body was dragged to shore

behind a diesel-powered commercial fishing boat.

 

Japanese whaling interests are currently touring the globe in an effort to

recruit new countries into the International Whaling Commission, secure

their votes and stack the deck to repeal the moratorium on commercial

whaling at the next IWC meeting.

 

Far from being impertinent to Japan's commercial whaling design, both the

Makah and their relatives, the Nu cha Nulth of Canada's Vancouver Island,

have repeatedly stated they eventually hope to sell whale products

commercially.

 

U.S. whaling delegates played into the hand of Japan's commercial agenda by

proposing a new category of " cultural " whaling. However, the IWC has never

officially awarded the Makah their own quota nor acknowledged the Washington

State tribe's subsistence need for whale meat.

 

What was sold to the public as a virtuous effort to re-establish a people's

identity through the return to whale hunting can now be seen as part of an

intricate plan that could bring about the resumption of wholesale commercial

slaughter of gray whales.

 

Jim Robertson

Twisp, WA

*****

 

 

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: THE FINAL WORD

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Love for whales makes it impossible to approve of hunt

 

I remember last year the Makah claimed that we who were opposed to their

whale hunt just wouldn't understand. I am a 14-year-old who has tried hard

to understand things from their point of view, but I can't see how killing a

whale would prove anything except that because they have the " right " to do

something, they feel a compulsion to do it.

 

Maybe the truth is that the Makah don't understand. They wouldn't understand

how I, and the protesters, felt when they killed the whale last year. They

don't know how much we love the whales. They didn't see me crying in front

of the TV when I came home from school that day. They haven't had the same

nightmare for days about whaling. The problem with whaling is that you can't

do anything. The Makah don't understand the frustration. I know people in

Japan and Norway kill whales. I know that there isn't anything I can do

about it, but we have a constitutional right to object to the Makah.

 

What makes this so hard is that it is right here. The only good thing about

whales being killed elsewhere is that I don't hear about it. I want to

believe that if we could stop the Makah, we would have enough self-esteem to

end all whaling.

 

So maybe we don't know what it feels like to kill a whale, and we don't want

to. Maybe we don't know about their culture, and maybe it doesn't matter.

Maybe all that matters is the love for the whales that the Makah don't have.

 

Lauren Burton

Maple Valley

*****

 

 

 

THE MORALS OF CULTURAL RESTORATION

----------------------

By Andrew Olivo

 

In the quest to revive a ravaged culture, is it necessary that every custom

be maintained? According to Mohandas Gandhi, the answer is unequivocally

" no. " Though Gandhi worked to reawaken India and free her from British

imperialistic rule, he also worked diligently to end the ancient Indian

tradition of " untouchability. " Gandhi did not cherish this ancient practice

of prejudice simply because it was ancient. He was convinced that only

nonviolence could restore dignity to his ransacked culture, and that cruelty

toward any living being would set him back on his noble cause. " I would much

rather Hinduism dies, " he said, " than untouchability lives. " He knew his

culture was on the brink of being annihilated by outside forces, but he also

knew that not every practice destroying his society was imposed from

without.

 

When trying to revitalize a culture which has been exploited and devastated

by imperialism, what better example to follow than Mr. Gandhi? Indeed, his

wisdom has sustained and impacted many of the world's great leaders. Such

leaders being: Martin Luther King JR, Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, and the

Dalai Lama, to name but a few. I wish the leaders of the Makah tribe would

also look to Gandhi for guidance.

 

The Makah plan not to employ the art of nonviolence to heal their besieged

culture, instead they will use a .50 caliber rifle. In a statement

clarifying their unique plan for cultural rejuvenation by way of whale

hunting, the Makah leaders have stated:

" Whaling had been a tradition of the Makah for more than 2000 years. We

had to stop in the 1920s due to the scarcity of gray whales. Their all-time

abundance now makes it possible to resume the hunt. Many of us also believe

that problems besetting our young people stem from lack of discipline and

pride. We believe that the restoration of the whaling will help to restore

that discipline and pride. "

 

But what the Makah leaders have left unclear is just how exactly this whale

hunt is to restore discipline to the lives of their children, since the most

Makah children have to do with this hunt is to stand on the beach and watch.

And how is it going to restore pride to their lives when it has subjected

them to international controversy, countless legal battles, daily protests

from animal-rights activists, and the ridicule of many politicians and

ecological foundations? If disciplining their children is the priority, than

isn't resurrecting this custom beside the point? Wouldn't it be more

productive to devote energy to the creation of better schools, hiring of

better teachers, and perhaps counselors?

 

Instead of such straightforward and logical approaches, the Makah have

subjected the children of their tribe to a hateful controversy, and, by

enlisting the protection of the U.S. Coast Guard on their hunt, have cost

the American people hundreds of thousands of tax dollars. So whaling is no

longer only a part of their tradition, it is now a

part of every American's culture because we are paying for it. This is why

it is not at all culturally insensitive for me, a non-Indian, to state my

opposition to a hunt I am helping to finance.

 

Do we owe it to the Makah to foot the bill for such unique attempts at

instilling their children with self-esteem? And if so, will our help even

make a difference? According to Malidoma Some PhD, African Shaman from the

Dagara tribe and author of The Healing Power of Africa, the answer would be

no: " When one culture embarks on the endeavor to preserve another, it is

already too late. For my tribe it is no longer a question of maintaining our

traditions, but of surviving. " Like Gandhi, the Dagara have decided to

forsake certain customs.

 

And though Gandhi's work threatened to alter the very fabric of his

country's cultural life, the Indian people so deeply respected his devotion

to peaceful social reformation that they conferred upon him the title of

" Mahatma, " meaning " Great Soul. " Such titles have not been bestowed upon

Alberta Thompson, a 74-year-old Makah elder who opposes the whale hunt. In a

statement delivered to the International Whaling Commission, Mrs. Thompson

describes the abuse she has suffered at the hands of her tribal community:

" I have been vilified and slandered on the Internet and in newspapers.

The tires of my car were slashed with a knife while I was shopping at the

grocery store. While I was away last August, my six-year-old dog was found

dead one and a half miles outside of Neah Bay. She was an indoor dog, and

never ventured further than across the street. Last year, the (Tribal)

Council attempted to cut off my senior citizen's monthly stipend. The

Chairman directly stated that this was done because I opposed the whale

hunt. "

 

Since respect for the elders is the foundation upon which traditional

American Indian culture is built, after learning of the way Mrs. Thompson

has been treated I am left to wonder if cultural restoration is the prime

motive

behind the whale hunt. Mrs. Thompson asserts that not only is the motive not

traditional, the hunt itself is not done according to tradition:

" The claims that this hunt is being carried out as a matter of tradition

are false. The hunters are supposed to spend an entire year physically and

spiritually cleansing themselves, yet one was recently found guilty of

driving under the influence; another is on probation for assault and has

routinely sworn at me, indicating that he is far from a cleansed spirit.

From the moment it was proposed, this has never been a traditional hunt. "

 

So it is quite clear that at least in the case of Alberta Thompson this hunt

has not brought tribal pride and cultural awareness, but pain and suffering.

And with the example that has been made of Alberta Thompson, is it

any wonder why few other tribal members have voiced an opposition to the

hunt? It has become obvious that the Makah are not motivated by a desire to

rebuild their community, but are using the whale hunt as a thrill-kill and a

means of justifying an aspect of their culture that can be found in other

nations as well, intimidation and cruelty. It's sad that an innocent whale

has to give up its life to feed people who now buy their meat at the grocery

store, just like every other American.

 

It's unclear what the Mahatma would think of the situation with the Makah, I

don't think anyone ever asked his opinion of " cultural whaling. " But I do

know how his grandson, Arun Gandhi, feels about the hunt. In a personal

letter that I quote with his permission, my friend Arun told me, " No one can

justify the actions of the Makah tribe. No one can claim the right to kill

as part of their culture. The sad thing about human nature is that the more

you tell a someone not to do something, the more they will want to do it. "

 

This is why I do not waste my breath trying to tell them they should leave

the poor whale alone. And this is why I wish the Makah would find their way

to the philosophy developed by my friend's grandfather. If they did, they

would be on the road to true restoration, unencumbered by the controversy of

killing a helpless whale.

*****

 

 

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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" I am unalterably opposed to the U.S. Coast Guard being used against U.S.

citizens for the benefit of a sovereign nation.

 

The framers of our Constitution, fresh from the abuses of British soldiers,

wrote a uniquely powerful document that stands alone throughout the world. I

cannot imagine that our living Constitution was meant to empower our current

president, who cannot claim the honor of having served in defense of his

country, in this outrage. "

 

Rita Nalette, Seattle (Seattle Post-Intelligencer letter to the editor)

 

 

 

 

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