Guest guest Posted August 7, 2000 Report Share Posted August 7, 2000 FROM WASHINGTON CITIZEN'S COASTAL ALLIANCE ------------------- Sekiu, WA: 10:00pm PDT REMINDER! If you haven't done it already, be sure to send your e-mail to Ralph Nader regarding Winona LaDuke's statement in support of whale-killing. Do it TODAY! Please take a few moments to write Mr. Nader, and send your e-mail to nader2000 For more information, please visit www.stopwhalekill.org And once again, Stuart Chaifvetz has allowed us to repost a letter he has written on the subject. Please contact Mr. Chaifetz and thank him for his support! Here is the letter in its entirety: " As a Green Party candidate for Congress, and as a man who has fought for the rights of animals, I was compelled to speak when I heard that the Green Party Vice-Presidential candidate came out in favor of the Makah's right to hunt and kill whales. Since I made that statement, I have received a number of letters from those who feel that the argument should be centered on the treaty rights of the tribe. To this it is added that only one whale was killed, and further, that this hunt will not lead to the extermination of the species. Could my message have been so unclear? If so, then let these new words form my motives and sculpt my meaning in sharp crystal. The issue of hunting whales centers solely on the whales themselves for they are the focus, the goal and the victims of it. This issue was solely defined when that first harpoon pierced that first whales' flesh. She was a babe and she died by hands she would have rather stroked her skin with gentle caresses. Her given name, given by a Makah elder, whose grief stole from her body and became a word, is Yabis; It is the Makah word for beloved. Who launched that harpoon, who rained razor death into Yabis' body, is a blur; It is a factor that can give no weight to the scale of justice, for the scale has fallen and broken under the heavy burden of the soul that was, in such an abused way, torn loose from its earth bound body. My voice too is feathered, light, and transparent when put parallel with the final cry of this innocent child. For it is within that sound that this debate is bordered and judgment passed. The question of hunting whales is written with a broken quill, dipped in blood spilled unnaturally. It is mourned by those who have opened their hearts to that great life, and to the mother Yabis will never swim with, never sing to, never touch again. To this grieving soul do we ask forgiveness, even for those who do not seek it? We will not forget that it is to her that the greatest loss has been given. We will not forget that a heart that beats within gray skin breaks as ours would when memories of a child destroyed floats through it. The fight against the slaughter of animals is embraced in the name of honor. It is fought to give voice to the slain, and the yet to be slain. It is fought so that it never happens again It is fought for one single whale. It is fought for Yabis. Stuart Chaifetz Green Party Candidate 4th Congressional District, New Jersey www.HonorAndNonViolence.com ***** ON THE CALENDAR... ------------------------------- AUGUST 17-20: Clallam County Fair, Port Angeles, Washington The Peninsula Citizens for the Protection of Whales (PCPW) is manning a booth during the fair. They will be passing out information on the Makah whale hunt, taking questions and " showing the flag. " If you can, stop by and show them some support for all the work they do! Volunteers welcome, as well. Contact Chuck Owens- (360) 928-3048 or Sandy Abels- (206) 361-0736, grwhales. AUGUST 26: Makah Days demonstration On Saturday, August 26th, PCPW will be holding a land demonstration at the junction of State Route 112 & 113 near Clallam Bay/Sekiu. This demonstration is to remind people that, although the hunt may be on hold, we aren't going away. The demonstration begins at 9:00 am. Bring BIG bold signs, suncreen, rain gear and a sack lunch! Same contact info as above. ***** JAPAN-U.S. WHALING DISPUTE SIMMERS -------------------- August 7, 2000 Antiwhaling nations such as the United States are becoming increasingly dissatisfied over the government's decision to broaden the range of whales it catches for research purposes from this fiscal year. When U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met Foreign Minister Yohei Kono late last month, she hinted at the United States imposing sanctions on Japan and called for a halt to Tokyo's so-called experimental whaling. Some fear the issue may trigger a new conflict between the two nations. According to the Fisheries Agency, Japan will catch 10 sperm whales and 50 Bryde's whales in addition to the 100 minke whales that it has been catching for research purposes in the northwestern Pacific Ocean for the last six years. It will be the first time in 13 years that sperm and Bryde's whales have been caught. Six whaling vessels left for the Pacific on July 29. The agency expanded the types of whales to be caught after fishing industry experts pointed out that sperm whale numbers had increased and supplies of the fish that they feed on had fallen as a result. The agency decided to expand the range of whales to be caught to conduct research on the whale's habitat, assist the nation's fishing industry by estimating the numbers of each type of whale in the Sea of Japan and neighboring areas, and conduct general research on the ecosystem of whales. The United States and Europe oppose this policy and have expressed serious concern over the matter. According to the Foreign Ministry, after Japan reported its plan to expand research-purpose whaling in mid-April to the International Whaling Commission, several countries protested that Japan should never be allowed to expand its whaling practices. In particular, people in the United States are strongly opposed to hunting sperm whales--the same kind of whale that was featured in U.S. author Herman Melville's novel " Moby Dick. " Copyright 2000 The Yomiuri Shimbun ***** U.S. SENATOR URGES ACTION OVER JAPANESE WHALING ---------------- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A leading U.S. senator urged President Bill Clinton on Wednesday to consider imposing sanctions against Japan to protest a hotly contested whale hunt in the north Pacific. Despite opposition from President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and leading environmental groups, a Japanese whaling fleet set out last weekend to hunt large sperm and Bryde " s whales, two species protected under U.S. law. The Japanese already hunt the minke whale. " It seems clear that Japan is testing the resolve of our opposition. And it seems just as clear that we must respond authoritatively, " said Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Government Affairs Committee. " Given the threat to the sperm, minke and Bryde " s whales, I urge President Clinton to closely examine the sanctions available under U.S. law if Japan continues to ignore international standards, " Lieberman added in a statement. U.S. officials said the Clinton administration could impose trade sanctions against Japanese fishery products and other goods, though they stressed that a number of other options were available. Japan gave up commercial whaling in compliance with an international moratorium in 1986 but has engaged in research whaling since 1987. The practice has drawn fire from the World Wildlife Fund and anti-whaling nations, who see Japanese research as an end-run around the moratorium because the flesh ends up in the market for human consumption. Japan is the largest consumer of whale meat in the world. Under U.S. law, the Secretary of Commerce will review Japanese actions and make recommendations to the president, who could then impose trade sanctions or other retaliatory measures on Japan. ***** FROM PROGRESSIVE ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY ------------- UPDATE ON WHALING IN JAPAN PAWS Advocacy Director Will Anderson recently returned from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting and explained that the Japanese government's disregard for public opinion regarding whaling is due in large part to the U.S government position on Makah whaling. Over the objections of many IWC commissioners, the Clinton Administration forced through a Makah grey whale quota by sidestepping normal IWC criteria and procedures. The Makah aboriginal request fails the subsistence needs test and created the new category of cultural whaling. Japan and many other countries have long wanted to initiate their own cultural whaling plans and are now able to do it as a result. " Regulated " global commercial whaling is likely to resume beginning with the IWC 2002 meeting in Japan. For questions or more information, please contact Will Anderson at (425) 787-2500 x811 or wander <wander . ***** FROM OCEAN DEFENSE INTERNATIONAL ----------------------- ODI Condemns Japanese Whale Hunt Less than one month after being shot down by the International Whaling Commission in their bid to expand their " scientific whaling " , Japan's whaling fleet is now headed to the Northern Pacific to hunt sperm and Bryde' s whales. Japan continues to defy international law and continues commercial whaling despite the moratorium. " Ocean Defense International condemns this illegal hunt and feels the United States and the United Kingdom should not only threaten sanctions but should send military forces to stop the fleet, " ODI president Jonathan Paul stated today. Most species of whales were brought to near extinction by humans hunting them until the moratorium went into effect in 1986. Japan and Norway continue to hunt whales despite the moratorium. Despite the alarming rate of strandings and populations of a number of species of whales on the decrease, whaling countries have been pushing hard to lift the moratorium, including giving financial aid to small-island nations to obtain votes in both CITIES and IWC meetings. " We are very concerned about the condition of ocean eco-systems and with the precarious condition of all whale species, " Paul stated. " Furthermore, many countries are backing the Revised Management Scheme (RMS) to allow commercial whaling, including the United States with the blessing of Al Gore. Gore's camp claims the RMS will regulate whaling and less whales will be killed. Yet the moratorium currently in effect has not stopped Japan and Norway. How can we control regulated whaling when we cannot even control a total ban on whaling? " ODI has been opposing the Makah whale hunt since the fall of 1998 with its fleet of coastal boats. ODI has asserted that this hunt will open the door to commercial whaling around the globe and it seems that this is just around the corner. " If the governments around the world cannot enforce the law involving the illegal take of whales, I guess we are going to have to do it ourselves, " Paul said. " We are in the process of obtaining a ship to do this. We are in the next great mass extinction on the planet. Our goals are to have a global moratorium and a world ocean sanctuary for all whales, dolphins other marine species. " Ocean Defense International PO Box 401 Williams, OR. 97544 ***** MOVING CLOSER TO COMMERCIAL WHALING ------------ " With a proper understanding of what we mean when we are discussing 'subsistence,' the values of whaling will be properly understood because they extend into the realm of culture, spirituality and economics... Whaling, as with all other 'subsistence' activities, has always had a commercial aspect. " Tom Mexsis Happynook, World Council of Whalers July, 2000 ***** ..................................... http://www.stopwhalekill.org You can change list options to a daily digest or Web-only reading. Sign up at Topica, log in, and change " subscription options. 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