Subject: Re: Fwd: Makah Use Military Weapons on Gray Whales
Date: Aug 27 12:33:46 1997
From: Michael Price - mprice at mindlink.bc.ca


Hi Tweets,

Tom Foote writes:

>I suggested to the fisher
>my notion of a government buy out..i.e., the Fed gives
>the Makah $1 million to not hunt the whales. (as I
>suggested they've been doing with farmers for decades..i.e.,
>paying them not to plant)

I believe Clinton has signed a bill phasing out these subsidies as they
contravene World Trade Organisation guidelines.

>He, however, indicated the
>problem was cultural and that the return to the hunt
>is seen by the Makah as fulfillment of their spiritual
>life...

Oh dear. In the same vein, what if some Christians decide to resume throwing
themselves before lions as the fast track to heaven? I'd be more in favor of
overt spirituality if so much of it weren't so damn *hard* on our fellow
creatures, including ourselves. Maybe I'm just a slow-witted old heathen,
but I really never have been able to fathom why we kill to feel
holy--powerful, yes; that link's clear on the face of it, but holy--. When I
try to explain this aspect of humanity--ritualistic sacrifice--to a visiting
Martian anthropologist (my favorite technique for trying to understand
something baffling about how we humans act), I just hit a wall.

While I was describing to some folks why Tweeters is such a hoot (limericks,
I want limericks!), I briefly sketched in this thread and a few others to
demonstrate that some good, meaty discussion takes place on it. One of them
suggested that it might be far more lucrative to the Makah to develop a
whale-watching industry. There's a good deal to recommend this for
consideration, I think. I agree it would likely be more profitable. It would
be just as seasonal but with more spin-offs, and it would be more in
conformity with the overall long-term trend of the region to recreational
use. Of course, it might require cutting one's theology to fit one's cloth,
but there's ample precedent for that.

so, until they are able to let go of that
>and the Japanese become convinced they really don't
>need whale meat after all, etc etc etc
>heavy sighh-hhhh...

Ditto.

Michael Price The Sleep of Reason Gives Birth to Monsters
Vancouver BC Canada -Goya
mprice at mindlink.net