I must say further that if the Makah do chose to go ahead and hunt the
Gray Whales, then using the most humane way, i.e., the high tech military
weapons is indeed preferable to the traditional weapons. This whole
situation fills me with profound sadness. It has become obvious to me
that given the sheer numbers of humans on this planet and the demands we
place on the resources/environment, we must develop regulations for use
and conduct that transcend individual cultures, governments, and political
boundaries. But, I have no idea how to do that!
Maureen Ellis me2 at u.washington.edu Univ of WA and Des Moines, WA
******************************************************
On Fri, 15 Aug 1997, Don Baccus wrote:

> At 10:49 AM 8/15/97 -0700, you wrote:
>
> > And yes, in opposition
> >to another view given, we all, as sentient beings of this planet, have a
> >stake in this hunt. It IS our business!
>
> Whaling is our business. The purchase of legal hardware by the Makah
> tribe, even if they're weapons, is not.
>
> While whaling is our business, the issue still remains as to whether
> or not we tackle that by trying to convince them that they should
> not take this step, while respecting their limited sovereignity
> and cultural heritage, or should we simply adopt the notion that
> we can declare their hunt to not really be aboriginal because we're
> better placed to decide than they are.
>
> >The behavior of these whales has evolved to include people as part of
> >their social structure. The Makah should consider doing the same.
>
> And there's nothing wrong with trying to convince them to do so.
>
> It seems, though, that Sea Shepherd wants to make that decision for
> them, which is a very different thing indeed, isn't it?
>
>
>
> - Don Baccus, Portland OR <donb at rational.com>
> Nature photos, on-line guides, and other goodies at
> http://donb.photo.net
>
>