McCartney and the Seal Hunt
First off I should mention I am a big Beatles fan and of the Beatles, Paul McCartney is my favorite one, so regardless of what I think of his political opinions, I will still continue to listen to his music. As it turns out McCartney is coming to Canada on behalf of the US Humane Society to oppose Canada's Seal hunt. I generally don't like foreigners interferring in our domestic affairs although on issues of the environment, foreign policy, and human rights, I believe they have the right to as we all share the same planet and what one country does affects others. On economic policy they should butt out though.
My opinion of the seal hunt is I don't like it and would rather it didn't occur, but I do understand that many of these communities are quite poor and this is very important to some people's livelihood. This puts me in a tough position as I don't want to see people lose their jobs and become more desperate, but after seeing the pictures of the seals being clubbed to the death, I just cannot in good conscience say I support this. It may be the most humane way to kill them, but I only believing in killing animals for food, keeping populations under control, and safety. In the case of Aboriginal seal hunters who wish to continue their traditional lifestyles, they should be able to do so. But since for commercial seal hunters, none of the seals are used for food, I do have my qualms. Never mind the United States has banned seal products since 1972, the EU has severely restricted it and some countries like Britain and Italy have banned them. Most go to Norway, China, Japan, and Russia where there is a niche market for seal furs. I will admit I wear leather shoes and have leather seats in my car, however most leather comes from cattle who are also slaughtered for meat so they are simply making use of all parts of the animal, which I support. I wouldn't have a problem if the seals were killed for meat and their skin was used for fur. But this is not the case at the moment.
I watched the McCartneys and Danny Williams on Larry King Live. I thought Danny Williams did a really good job of presenting his side of the case and was no doubt the clear winner of the debates, even if I disagree with some of his positions. Paul McCartney also did a reasonably good job, while Heather Mills was rude and always interrupting and seemed unwilling to listen to the other side.
Here is what I think the Canadian government should do. And I should note all parties with seats in the House of Commons currently support the seal hunt, so this is my personal opinion and not that of any party. The seal hunt for personal use only should be allowed to continue while the commercial seal hunt should be phased out over the next ten years. During this time, the government should work to help develop alternative industries for the sealers and if necessary even paying them compensation for lost income would be fine by me despite my generally dislike of handouts. Seals are animals with feelings so we should not harm them unless necessary while at the same time I don't want to make life more difficult for people already struggling to get by. Never mind the seals hunted are not full adults, rather they are between 12 days to 3 months old so they cannot fend for themselves, whereas at least an adult seal has a chance of fighting back or escaping.
My opinion of the seal hunt is I don't like it and would rather it didn't occur, but I do understand that many of these communities are quite poor and this is very important to some people's livelihood. This puts me in a tough position as I don't want to see people lose their jobs and become more desperate, but after seeing the pictures of the seals being clubbed to the death, I just cannot in good conscience say I support this. It may be the most humane way to kill them, but I only believing in killing animals for food, keeping populations under control, and safety. In the case of Aboriginal seal hunters who wish to continue their traditional lifestyles, they should be able to do so. But since for commercial seal hunters, none of the seals are used for food, I do have my qualms. Never mind the United States has banned seal products since 1972, the EU has severely restricted it and some countries like Britain and Italy have banned them. Most go to Norway, China, Japan, and Russia where there is a niche market for seal furs. I will admit I wear leather shoes and have leather seats in my car, however most leather comes from cattle who are also slaughtered for meat so they are simply making use of all parts of the animal, which I support. I wouldn't have a problem if the seals were killed for meat and their skin was used for fur. But this is not the case at the moment.
I watched the McCartneys and Danny Williams on Larry King Live. I thought Danny Williams did a really good job of presenting his side of the case and was no doubt the clear winner of the debates, even if I disagree with some of his positions. Paul McCartney also did a reasonably good job, while Heather Mills was rude and always interrupting and seemed unwilling to listen to the other side.
Here is what I think the Canadian government should do. And I should note all parties with seats in the House of Commons currently support the seal hunt, so this is my personal opinion and not that of any party. The seal hunt for personal use only should be allowed to continue while the commercial seal hunt should be phased out over the next ten years. During this time, the government should work to help develop alternative industries for the sealers and if necessary even paying them compensation for lost income would be fine by me despite my generally dislike of handouts. Seals are animals with feelings so we should not harm them unless necessary while at the same time I don't want to make life more difficult for people already struggling to get by. Never mind the seals hunted are not full adults, rather they are between 12 days to 3 months old so they cannot fend for themselves, whereas at least an adult seal has a chance of fighting back or escaping.
posted by Monkey Loves to Fight at 4:01 PM
20 Comments:
I just posted on the same topic, although my take is a little different...
Interesting opinions. There is no doubt opponents have been using a lot of propaganda versus facts. I also agree that the seal hunt is environmentally sustainable, but I just cannot in good conscience support this based on the pictures I've seen. I have no objections to killing animals for meat including seals, but when done for fashion, which is what most of their skins are used for, that just doesn't seem right.
Do you eat beef?
Do you think a cow, trapped in a pen, has a "fighting chance" against the metal bolt about to go through its head?
I love the left's pathetically transparent hypocricy.
I say, if you don't oppose the harvesting of animals for human use/consumption (particularily where you are such a consumber - have any leather shoes, coats there miles?),
then shut the fuck up.
Anonymous - this is not some radical left wing idea, in fact the United States government has banned imports of seal products since 1972 and a resolution condemning the Canadian seal hunt passed the US senate with the support of both Democrats and Republicans.
Yes I do eat beef. And no I am not a hypocrit. I have no problem with the seal hunt if done for food. I am against the seal hunt to sell seal skins for fashion. Lets remember these are animals who have feelings. Clubbing an young seal under 3 months of age to death is not something I appreciate or like. As for the issue of leather, those cows are used for meat as well. I am not against seals being used for fur if they are also used for meat, but I am against them being used for fur only.
Perhaps I missed it. Surely McCartney promised to gainfully employ every sealer in Newfoundland and Labrador when he appeared on Larry King Live! Nice of him to take a particular interest in these people providing for their families...
Finally, the end of the seal hunt thanks to a couple of know-it-alls with money and ever brighter prospects.
Miles,
the seals are used for a variety of purposes including their oils, which are rich in Omega 3's 6's.
I take Omega 3 capsules because I have heart disease in my family.
It's not just for fashion.
The reality is that the only reason there is a focus on them is because they are cute and cuddly. They humanize harvesting of animals. Animal rights groups exploit this factor to push their agenda.
Ever see how cute a baby cow (veal) is?
There are all kinds of rationalizations to support one but not the other, but in the end they are just rationalizations which allow us to selectively support an issue.
Hypocricy, nothing more. Nothing less.
Anonymous - I have no problem with the seals being killed for oils for medicine, but I don't believe you know to kill 300,000 people annually to do this. I suspect the vast majority are used for fashion. Let me repeat here, I am not against the seal hunt if used for food, medicine, or for subsistence. I am against it to sell furs in the overseas markets for fashion. United States and 4 EU Countries already ban seal products so we have to sell most of it to Norway, Russia, Japan, and China. No it has nothing to do with cuddliness. I am a card-carrying BC Liberal and I don't agree with the Grizzly Bear Hunt here in BC. It is also the fact they are clubbed to death rather than shot. If they were just shot it would probably be less of an issue. Also at least the Grizzly Bears killed in BC are fully grown adults who can fend for themselves not youngsters under 3 months who cannot fend for themselves. How about if doing for the oil, shoot the seal instead of club it and only kill fully grown adult seals who don't have any pups with them. These seals can live up to 35 years so there are plenty of adult seals to kill.
There was an emerging market for seal meat but the same people protesting the hunt also protested the sale the meat so they are to blame for the lack of utilization of all the seal.
Balanced Nature Not Balanced ARA's check books
Myths
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/seal-phoque/myth_e.htm
Canadian veteranarian study
http://canadianveterinarians.net/Documents/Resources/Files/130_Seal%20Hunt%20Report.pdf
Seal killing 8 foot sturgeon
http://www.katu.com/stories/76832.html
Video of dead fish on bay from seals
http://www.exn.ca/Stories/1999/03/09/56.asp
Real reason
http://www.activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/oid/131
Meet your meat
http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=meet_your_meat&Player=wm&speed=_med
There may be emerging market for meat, but I find it tough to believe that all 300,000 seals are used for meat. Second of all if used only for the meat, they can be shot instead of clubbed to death. Also why not kill adults over a year old instead of young seals under 3 months of age.
Make up youe mind Miles. Is it an issue of seals' "feelings" or lack of use of all of the seal? Keep in mind fluffy chickens, furry cows and other cute critters may have feelings too.
That’s all fine and dandy. Yes, seals should be killed in a humane way - just as any other animal used for human consumption should be killed humanely.
That being said lets begin to look at what we do to humans… both in Canada and in the United States. Here is a description about how humans are killed alive:
Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby’s leg with forceps.
The baby’s leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
The abortionist delivers the baby’s entire body, except for the head.
The abortionist jams scissors into the baby’s skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole.
The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child’s brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.
http://www.priestsforlife.org/partialbirth.html
Not true you say? Then why did former President Bill Clinton twice veto any attempt to ban this procedure? The number of living humans aborted in Canada is over 100,000 a year, in the U.S., over 1,000,000.
The seal hunt is cruel and inhumane. The flailing efforts of Canadian hunters and the government to defend this atrocity is a black mark on your nation, as I note here. The notion that the hunt is for meat is a happy fiction: 95+ percent of the seals killed are BABY HARP SEALS -- the main seal species that does NOT lose its fluffy fur pelt within weeks of its birth. In other words: it's slaughter for fashion.
And I'm not some lefty nutter -- I'm conservative through and through.
I personally am a Newfoundlander and yes I support the hunt as I would any sustainable hunt that gives people a livelyhood. Some people unfortunately have not been able to gain an honest perception of many aspects of the hunt as I can quickly tell by browsing this blog. The meat for instance is widely eaten throughout Atlantic Canada. Flipper Pie for example (No joke) is quite common.
Also, try heading down to your local university, go to a mammalogy lab and pick up a seal skull. You'll quickly see how a quick blow to the head (2 by law followed by a reflex test) will instantly put the animal down.
And we are misslabled as immoral monsters? Come on. The hunt is a sensitive topic for us too. Whats with the smear campaign?
Sense when do Paris Hilton (Porn star) and Anna Nicole Smith (Stripper/gold digger) get off wagging the moral finger at us poor ignorant Newfoundlanders?
I doubt McCartney will land his chopper in England next month to frollic with foxes before his countrymen run them to death with dogs for the pure sport of it.
Sorry for the rant guys.
PAUL McCartney and his wife should know they already killed a baby seal once they touched it no mother seal will have anything to do with it anymore. I am sure there are more urgent things in the world they could be using some energy on than trying to ruin NL
lives. Try saving the millions of starving and abused CHILDREN in the world. There,they can make a difference, instead of promoting HATE there is enough HATE for all in this world. I am sure Ms.McCartney can see this if she has children of her own.????
Anonymous #1 - I recognize we are a meat eating animal so I am okay with killing any animal for meat, but most of the seal are killed for fashion, not meat.
Anonymous #2 - I explain my position on abortion quite well in earlier posts. I am 100% pro-choice. Quite simply a fetus is not a living being, it is part of a woman's body and the woman should have the right to choose.
The monk - Good to hear some people to the right of me agree with me on this.
Hatchetbill - Actually Britain banned the fox hunt. I am not against the seal hunt if the seal is used for meat, it is an adult seal and it is shot, not clubbed to death. I am against clubbing a seal under a year of age (90% are under 3 months) and leaving the carcass on the ice to rot while only using the skins. I agree that job losses are a concern, so any changes should be phased out over 10 years so new industries can be created.
The McCartney's actually do support helping starving children. They reason they are speaking out against the seal hunt is the seals are defenceless animals who cannot speak for themselves. Also the pups are left alone at a pretty young age, so I doubt the pup he touched will die, unless it is hunted or eaten by a predator.
How easy is is to phase out the hunt is not the point miles.
Why we should have to is. Why? Because Americans, Britains and rich celebrities say so? We support loggers out west because of the softwood lumber dispute, we supported prarie farmers who crops failed completely a few years back.
Who's to say its ok to harvest an animal for food and not fur as long as its done sustainably? We harvest animals for numerous economical reasons, not to mentain medical and educational reasons.
And is a seal more defenseless than any other animal? Than a cow or chicken in a tiny pen? I dont think so. Wheres Paul on that one?
Theres a reason young (not white coat) seals are hunted. The harp seal is a typical biological example of a K-species. All the reproductive potential is in the older adults. Thats what makes it a sustainable hunt.
I really care about and respect animals and nature but human society is built on harvesting our natural resources. Why should this species be exempt?
We should phase out the hunt because besides those who do it for self-sufficiency and the small number used for meat and medicines, it is cruel and inhumane. I realize that slaughterhouses are too, but at least we eat those animals. Most seals are killed only for their furs. I don't care what a bunch of British and American celebrities think, I don't like the seal hunt one bit.
Self-sufficiency? First of all I think earning a paycheck is self-sufficiency regardless of whether your harvesting meat or fur. Whats wrong with harvesting an animal to earn a paycheck? So, the product is clothing as opposed to McDonalds burgers.
You say a seal has feelings and so harvesting it for fur is cruel? I don't think the seal really distinguishes between getting killed for food or clothes any more than a cow.
Hmmmm, I'm a cow..."I feel much more happy knowing that I'll be eaten when I'm killed instead of just being made into a jacket, otherwise I'd be pissed. This is way less cruel."
Second, you think that not eating some of the meat is cruel and inhumane? What about every trophy hunt that occurs? If you think a hunter takes a tough old 30 point bull moose or caribou for the meat your fooling yourself.
You may not agree with it dude but that doesnt make it wrong for the world.
Hi there. I just wanted to say a couple of things on your blog, and your take.
I am a Newfoundlander, and I'm in full support of the seal hunt. However, I must say you have put your ideas forth in a very polite and decent manner, so I thank you, and I have no argument or fight with you :)
However there's something you need to know: I can understand your position on only hunting for food and population control; but that's what this is: It's a food hunt/fishery, and a population control (These seals are a big reason for the depletion of our cod, among other things).
The big thing you need to understand is that NOTHING of the seal is wasted. Fins, meat, even the eyes are eaten; seal oil is used in medicine; and after all that, the skin is used for clothing. I don't believe in hunting for fur, but I also don't believe in waste.
In short, the seal hunt isn't as bad as people say. I know that animals are not there to be abused, but this hunt is not abuse--we've worked so hard to make sure of that.
If you want to comment to me, please do. I'd love to converse on this or any other topic with you, because you seem like you can actually discuss, rather than argue. I have the utmost respect for you :) My email is justinfoley@nl.rogers.com
Take care.
Just wanted to clear up a few points. I'm not a member so am posting as Anonymous, but my name is Bridget and I'm from Nova Scotia.
I think first of all that people are getting the seal hunts confused. Sealing opponents are protesting the commercial seal hunt - not the Inuit hunt. The Inuit use everything from the carcass, including the meat. The commercial seal hunt, which is conducted by mainly white men of European descent, is focused on the pelt (for fashion houses in Europe) and the penis (for aphrodisiacs in Asia). They are two separate hunts.
1. Whoever said they must take omega-3...did you know that you can get omega-3s from plant-based sources? You don't need to kill seals to produce omega-3s. Flax is just one source of many. You really have to start thinking outside the box.
2. Slaughterhouses are evil, yes, and there are loads of people fighting against inhumane treatment of food animals, but to suggest that we should stop protesting the seal hunt simply because there are other evils in the world is ludicrous. And to call someone a hypocrite because they eat meat is offensive. I'm a vegan, so don't take personal offense to that remark, but it still offensive to people who take the time to buy organic/free range animal products.
3. The seals' cute-factor has nothing to do with the outcry that they are being killed inhumanely. Many people against the hunt are also against factory farming, including those ugly cows. It doesn't matter if the animal is cute or not - if it's being treated inhumanely we will protest.
4. The government and the sealers have had numerous suggestions put to them as to viable alternatives for employment. These include assistance with setting up an ecotourism industry, license-buyback programs and the harvesting of the pups' hairs once they've molted, for use in the textiles and bedding industry. A German company even agreed to buy the hairs for use in their eiderdowns. The sealers rejecting this offer, saying the idea was "faggoty" and that seals were supposed to be clubbed and not brushed (or combed). The truth is, the government and sealers are not interested in alternative, more reliable and certainly safer employment ideas. They claim to be forced into a life of sealing and yet when they've been offered numerous alternatives, they refuse to even consider them.
5. Only a very small portion of the meat is used. The meat is not viable commercially, so the meat that is collected is sold on to fur farms or ground into pet food. The majority of the meat is left on the hundreds of thousands of carcasses which are in turn left to rot on the ice and in the water. Whoever believes the entire seal gets used in the commercial seal hunt is mistaken or misguided. Again, we're protesting the commercial seal hunt, not the Inuit hunt.
I would suggest that people research the commercial seal hunt. Don't believe the AR groups and don't believe the government - go and do independent research and I think you'll be astounded at the lies and half-truths the Canadian government has been telling Canadians - and now the world - for years about this inhumane and unsustainable hunt.
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