When a major issue resonates with Newfoundlanders, we seem to come together in harmony to voice our passion. In the past 15 months, it has happened at least four times. First, when Margaret Wente of the Globe and Mail decided to use Newfoundland as a punching bag during the Atlantic Accord flag flap, we punched back with 1000's of emails, letters, and phone calls giving her a piece of our collective minds. In a trend that looks like an annual event, a year later, Bill Lankhoff of the Toronto Sun, lashes out at Newfoundland and our olympic gold medal curling team. Then a true annual event/fundraiser, the seal hunt protest, Newfoundlanders show support for Danny William's defence of the seal hunt when on the Jerry Springer, I mean Larry King show with Heather & Paul. Now, an outcry has helped Costco reverse it's "business" decision to put seal oil capsules back on the shelf.
Newfoundlanders are a very passionate and thoughtful people, but when our image is intentionally being slandered by malicious people, then we defend and demand justice. The vibe that an issue strikes is palpable in the general populace. Even though we do not have a large population in our province the passion of the protest is high, and shows that we do as a whole have alot of power. Many people, about 3000 signed online petitions, supported a boycott of Costco if the seal oil capsules were not put back on the shelves. So we can make a difference. Paul Watson's gang, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS), are ripping mad about this because they claimed to have directly influenced Costco in their decision. My condolences Paul, but it seems that Costco does not want, or no longer wants, to be associated with a lying bunch of media manipulating PETA-philes. SSCS, the Humane Society of the U.S. & PETA, have used false statements, used celebrities, and used a racist type of slander to attempt to paint Newfoundlanders like the sadistic hillbillies from the movie Deliverance. ..."Costco has decided that they would rather support men who viciously club helpless baby seals... ". Here's another example of image-eliciting words used by Watson's group: "... the ignorantly-cruel seal killers have taken their boats into the Gulf in an effort to shoot every seal in sight...".
Apparantly messages like these do influence some "civil" people. One reader, mdalton, sent MacLean's this online message: "I think the seal hunt is barbaric and inhumane. It seems that a small group of people with a lack of intelligence feel that clubbing seals or spiking them over the head is a rewarding way to make money."
Well mdalton, you have to understand that the seal hunters are in a bit of a dilemma. They likely grew up working in an industry, fishing or sealing, that required a specific navigational intuitiveness, and a physical aptitude to work in a physical occupation. Thus, they may be currently “under-educated” for the modern age we live in. On the other hand, because of their education levels, they are over-qualified to be a seal hunt protester, which truly requires ignorance, a deceptive and uncivil personality. However, with some brainwashing lessons from the sensei himself, Paul Watson, I’m sure they can learn to lie about facts, and be prejudice towards people.
A recent caller to Bill Rowe's Backtalk show, could listen no more to what anti-sealing protestors had to say. She described working in a cattle slaughterhouse elsewhere in Canada, and said that the seal fishery was as humane, if not more, than animal slaughter in regular abbatoirs. Describing it as never a pretty business, "I was up to my knees in blood every day ... if you do the same thing to a cow on the ice, and it will look ten times worse." So people involved in animal rights really ought to take their protest to places that really do need to implement humane practises, and while they're there, stop using lies to raise money. Just go there and try and be constructive. As long as groups like PETA fabricate facts about Newfoundland and its people, there will never be a place for them here.
2 comments:
As I read this there is a news item on TV about sealing vessels that are trapped in the ice and had to use the aid of Search and Rescue. The idea that anyone would do this sort of work if they didn't have to is ludicrous. I’ll side with the honest hard-working barbarian any day over the hypocritical lazy hate monger.
Very well put words bnb. Unfortunately the hate and prejudice that the ring leaders of animal rights groups model to their workers or volunteers is so irresponsible. They shamelessly promote their hate in the language seen on websites like the Sea Shepherd's. How they year after year manage to get people to give to them is a Fifth Estate story in itself.
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