A Word From Huffington Post * Then From Captain Paul Watson...

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----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------

From: Captain Paul Watson (165320542)
To: (149808415)
Date: 8/22/2009 4:37:13 PM
Subject: The Huffinton Post - Captain Paul Watson on Whale Wars


Date: Aug 22, 2009

The Huffinton Post - Captain Paul Watson on Whale Wars

Paul Watson
Founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society


The Huffington Post
Posted: August 21, 2009 10:26 AM


The Cold War Over the Hottest of Blood

They say the sea is cold, but the sea contains the hottest blood of all, and the wildest, the most urgent.
-- D.H. Lawrence (Whales Weep Not)


As Animal Planet's highly rated show Whale Wars nears the end of its second season in the US and Canada, it has proven to have been a controversial action drama provoking emotions ranging from joyous support to enraged opposition.

Set at the bottom of the world in the remote and bitterly cold waters off the coast of Antarctica, Whale Wars documents the increasingly escalating confrontations between the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the Japanese whaling fleet.

This Animal Planet show has stirred up controversy internationally.. with audiences taking sides either with whale defenders or whale killers. There is an additional controversy amongst those who side with the whales but condemn the tactics of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

What is important is that love us or hate us, people are watching the show and becoming aware of the issues and the annual drama in the great Southern Ocean.

Negative accusations range from the Sea Shepherd crew being incompetent to outright condemnation as criminals and eco-..terrorists. There is no doubt that the show provokes emotions and more importantly it stimulates discussion and thought. These elements added to life threatening drama on board a ship set amongst icebergs, storms, whales, and penguins makes for a compelling and successful television show.

There are four major points of criticisms leveled against Sea Shepherd. First that the Sea Shepherd crew are not competent; second that Japanese whaling is legal and Sea Shepherd has no right to oppose it; third that the Sea Shepherd crew are "..eco-..terrorists;" and fourth that Sea Shepherd has not accomplished anything significant with its campaigns.

It is true that many of the Sea Shepherd crewmembers are inexperienced, but the fact is that these volunteers bring a passion to the project that cannot be found in a hired crew. The officers however are indeed experienced. The best evidence for competence is that after five voyages to Antarctic waters, Sea Shepherd has not suffered any loss of life, any serious injuries and we have not had any mishaps like fire, oil spills, groundings, or ice damage. The whalers have suffered three deaths, two by accident and one by suicide, a catastrophic fire that was the cause of one death, oil spills, and numerous serious injuries as a result of their whaling operation. The Steve Irwin may not be an ice class vessel, but none of the whaling vessels are either, and this last season the Yushin Maru No. 2 suffered significant ice damage whereas the Steve Irwin was not damaged at all.

The test of competence is in experience. In this hostile sea where Sir Ernest Shackleton lost his ship and Sir Robert Scott perished with his crew, the Sea Shepherd crew have proven themselves competent.

With regard to the law, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society operates in accordance to the principles established in the United Nations World Charter for Nature that allows for non-..governmental organizations and individuals to uphold international conservation laws and treaties.

Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is not endorsed by the scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission. Japan is targeting endangered whales in an internationally.. established whale sanctuary in violation of the terms of an international moratorium on commercial whaling. The Japanese fleet is violating the Antarctic Treaty by conducting commercial activity and refueling their ships south of sixty degrees. The Australian Federal Court has ruled that Japan is in contempt of an Australian Federal Court order prohibiting Japanese whaling activities inside the Australian Antarctic Territorial waters.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society intervenes against Japanese whaling operations because we are an anti-poaching organization and the only difference between whale poachers in the Southern Ocean and elephant poachers in ..East Africa.. is that the African poachers are black and poor. In Africa, the rangers shoot poachers. We merely toss rotten butter at them.

The Sea Shepherd crew is doing what governments should be doing, but refuse to do themselves, because of the threats of trade retaliation from Japan.

After five voyages to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, not one member of the Sea Shepherd crew has been charged for any crime in relation to Sea Shepherd activities. There has not been a single whaler injured by our activities. There has not been a single arrest warrant issued and Sea Shepherd crew are free to travel internationally... In fact, during more than thirty years of operations not one Sea Shepherd crewmember has been convicted of a felony and not a single person has ever been injured.

Of course, these days it does not matter if a person is defending whales or running for President of the ....United States...., the accusatory word of choice is "terrorist." The word has become practically meaningless a result, with even the Dalai Lama officially classified as a terrorist by China.

If "terrorist" I be, then it is a strange sort of terrorist that I am. I've received a Presidential award from George H. Bush, the Amazon Peace Prize presented by the President of Ecuador, honorary citizenships from Key West, Florida and towns in Australia, France and Canada. I was cited as an "Environmental Hero of the 20th Century" by Time magazine in 2000, and I have been invited to meet with dignitaries like Prince Albert of Monaco, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Vice-President Dr. Alfred Palacio of Ecuador, and I was invited to address Ministers of the Government of Brazil. In addition Sea Shepherd's Advisory Board includes former Australian Environment Minister Ian Campbell and former British Columbian Environment Minister Rafe Mair, two men of a conservative nature, not inclined to endorse "terrorism."

The objective of the Sea Shepherd campaign is to sink the Japanese whaling fleet economically. For the last four years we have cut the quotas and negated the profits of the industry. Up until Sea Shepherd interventions, the Japanese succeeded in killing their entire quota. Our intervention in 2005/2006 saw the quota fall short for the first time by 83 whales. Operation Leviathan in 2006/2007 and Operation Migaloo in 2007/2008 saw the quota cut in half at 500 whales and 484 whales respectively. Operation Musashi in 2008/2009 cut the quota by 305 and forced the whalers to extend their season by two weeks at great cost.

The financial statements for the Institute for Cetacean Research show liabilities of 2.1 billion yen ($23 million). The industry survives on government subsidies. The whalers admit they need to take 750 whales to break even. We have prevented that. Plans to construct a replacement factory ship have been put on hold for lack of capital to invest in upgrading the fleet.

We have the Japanese whaling fleet on the ropes financially and we intend to keep the pressure on until we shut this illegal industry down once and for all.

Some people may not agree with our methods but our clients are not people. We represent the interests of the great whales and as long as we are not causing injury to humans and as long as we are not in violation of the law, then our actions are justified.

If I were a "terrorist" or even a criminal, I would be in jail. It's as simple as that.

There are more than 1,500 whales swimming freely in the waters off ..Antarctica.. that would now be dead if not for our intervention. These are results that we are proud of that make all the risks worthwhile.

C.P.W.

Full Moon


Let The Sun Shine In

We starve, look at one another, short of breath
Walking proudly in our winter coats
Wearing smells from laboratories
Facing a dying nation of moving paper fantasy
Listening for the new told lies
With supreme visions of lonely tunes

Somewhere, inside something there is a rush of
Greatness, who knows what stands in front of
Our lives, I fashion my future on films in space
Silence tells me secretly
Everything
Everything

Manchester, England, England
Manchester, England, England
Across the Atlantic Sea
And I'm a genius, genius
I believe in God
And I believe that God believes in Claude
That's me, that's me, that's me

We starve, look at one another, short of breath
Walking proudly in our winter coats
Wearing smells from laboratories
Facing a dying nation of moving paper fantasy
Listening for the new told lies
With supreme visions of lonely tunes

Singing our space songs on a spider web sitar
Life is around you and in you
Answer for Timothy Leary, dearie

Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in
The sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in
The sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in
The sunshine in

Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in
The sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in
The sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in
The sunshine in

Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in
The sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in
The sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in
The sunshine in
...

Bows and Blessings. When I was much younger the above song was then and AGAIN now is the same.
What is needed?


I call this, as I contemplate, The Angry Age of Contemplation. – for now.
Why Angry? I have been a pacifist, since I was 13/14 years. I am now on the Lighter side of 108. :)

I changed to be more Intense Action oriented BUT ALWAYS NON-VIOLENT with certain Intense Actions, in the ‘80s.



These are my opinions ATT.
I still am non-violent and also in a contemplative period, contemplating New Actions …even amongst What and How and Where to write..?

All these “unnatural killings” must be looked at. Yet, this is the Problem… WTP {We The People} embrace murder.



/|\)0(


This is a grand example to show just a BIT of the MASS MURDERS and decades later to contemplate tactics and strategies..

Thank You “I Want Changes To Happen”.
-+




----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: I Want Changes To Happen! (40400103)
To: (149808415)
Date: 8/6/2009 8:00:27 AM
Subject: The Shocking Numbers





Animal Use and


Abuse Statistics:




The Shocking Numbers


..



Listed here are statistics in the following categories: Animals Used as Food, Animal Agriculture and Environment, Animal Testing, Companion Animals, Animals in Human Entertainment, Fur, Wildlife, and Activism.

Animals Used as Food

50 Billion and 1,680:

Worldwide, the yearly slaughter count is more than 50 billion. Every second, 1,680 animals are killed for food.
Most farmed animals are killed when they are barely adolescents or even younger, such as the "broiler" chickens raised for meat who are slaughtered at only 6–7 weeks old.

250 Million Chicks:

The U.S. egg industry suffocates, gases, or grinds up alive 250 million male chicks each year; they are not profitable because they will never produce eggs and are not bred to grow at an unnatural speed like broiler chickens.

5.5 Million Calves:

The 4.5 million calves in Europe and 1 million calves in the United States annually destined to become veal are forcibly pulled away from their mothers—dairy cows—within hours, or at most 1–2 days, of birth. The milk produced naturally by the mother's body for her calf, who normally would suckle for 6 to 12 months, is to be taken for sale to humans, so the calf is fed nutritionally deficient formula. His movement is severely restricted, to give his flesh the texture and color desired by human consumers.

90 Percent and 80 Percent of Soybeans:

More than 90 percent of soybean meal grown in the United States is used to feed animals being raised for human food; these animals also consume 80 percent of corn grown in the United States.

Animal Agriculture

and Environment

70 Percent of Land:

In the Amazon, 70 percent of once-forested land is now used for grazing cattle.

18 Percent of Greenhouse Gas Emissions:

Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions—more than all the planes, trains, ships, and automobiles in the world combined. Animal agriculture is responsible for an astonishing 65 percent of nitrous oxide emissions (a gas with a global warming potential [GWP] 296 times that of CO2), 37 percent of methane (GWP 23 times that of CO2), and 9 percent of CO2.

37 Percent of Pesticides and 50 Percent of Antibiotics:

Animal agriculture uses 37 percent of all pesticides and 50 percent of antibiotics and contributes enormously to water pollution, endangering human and nonhuman animal health and life.

Animal Testing

25-100 Million Animals:

More than 25 million vertebrate animals are used in testing in the United States each year—including monkeys, chimpanzees, beagles and other dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, birds, farm animals, and still other sentient beings. After the experiments conclude, essentially all of the animals who have survived the research are killed. When invertebrate animals are considered, the estimated number rises to as high as 100 million.

50 Drugs:

Despite all this suffering in the name of determining safety for humans, as of 2002, more than 50 drugs tested on animals and approved by the FDA as safe had been taken off the market or relabeled because they had caused serious illnesses and death in humans. The FDA itself estimated in 2006 that 92 percent of drugs that pass animal testing fail in human clinical trials.

Companion Animals

6 to 8 Million Dogs and Cats:

Every year, 6 to 8 million dogs and cats enter shelters, and 3 to 4 million shelter dogs and cats are killed.

80 Percent of Puppies:

Most pet store puppies (and 80% of the American Kennel Club's business) come from puppy mills, mass-breeding operations in which ill, suffering dogs are kept in deplorable conditions. They breed between 2 and 4 million puppies each year.

Examples of Animals

in Human Entertainment

7,600 Puppies and 11,400 Young or Adult Dogs:

In 2000 approximately 7,600 greyhound puppies deemed not fast enough to race were killed, as were an estimated 11,400 "retired" dogs. Retired greyhounds, who suffer greatly as racers, may also be sold to research labs or used to breed future litters.

100 Percent of Major Circuses:

Every major circus featuring animals has been cited for violations of the minimal standards of care under the Animal Welfare Act. The very nature of traveling circuses means that beyond cruel, highly abusive training and fear-induced performances, the elephants and other animals must also endure countless hours and days confined in boxcars and trailers.

Fur

350,000 Baby Seals:

In 2006 more than 350,000 baby seals were killed, mostly by clubbing, in the annual Canadian seal hunt; 98 percent of the slaughtered harp seals were less than 3 months old. Forty-two percent of the seals in a 2001 study by veterinarians were found to be skinned while alive and conscious.

30 Million:

More than 30 million mink, foxes, chinchillas, and other animals are killed on fur farms each year, by such methods as electrocution and poisoning. Neither fur farms nor the methods by which trapped animals can be killed are regulated by any U.S. laws.

2 Million Dogs and Cats:

Some fur trims and clothes labeled as fake or as from another animal are actually made from dog and cat fur exported by China, where the more than 2 million dogs and cats per year killed for fur suffer unspeakable cruelties, including sometimes the documented horror of being skinned alive.

Wildlife

3,000 Gorillas and 4,000 Chimpanzees:

Each year, roughly 3,000 gorillas, 4,000 chimpanzees, and hundreds of bonobos are killed for bushmeat in Africa—a devastating practice enabled and encouraged by the logging industry. Orphaned young usually die as well.

2 Million Wild Animals:

The federal Wildlife Services agency, a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, kills 2 million wild animals per year (2.4 million in 2007), including endangered species, at the request of cattle ranchers, hunters, and municipalities and uses such tactics as poisoning, shooting, and even beheading and burning alive. The poisoning method in particular results in the indiscriminate killing of many "non-target" individuals and species.

300,000 Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises:

The global fishing industry's many problems include the devastating issue of bycatch: yearly, billions of ocean animals are caught unintentionally.. and thrown back, dead or dying, including 100 million sharks and rays; approximately 300,000 whales, dolphins, and porpoises; 250,000 endangered turtles; and hundreds of thousands of birds. Shrimp fisheries are perhaps the worst offenders, with commonly more than 80 percent bycatch. Numerous species are facing extinction because of fishing and bycatch.

Activism

Zero:

In direct action tactics to save animals in the United States, no human being has ever been killed or harmed.

source


Want these numbers to go down?

How?Change your way of living!

You're as much fault to this as all the big industries out there that are destroying our planet and killing animals. You may not be the one slitting the cows throat or cutting down the trees, but the consumers are the ones keeping the industries alive.

Why not be a part of compassion?

We feel very helpless when we hear about all the things that are going on, and many of us develop a defeatless attitude since if you can't help all, why try at all, but if everyone has that attitude, nothing will be done.
Big changes don't usually happen by night, but we have proof through history that things you never thought were possible, happened.

To quote Margaret Mead,

''Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.''

Also, a very important line to live by, you may not be able to help everyone, but you can make a difference to that someone.

Wondering how you can help?

Guide to cruelty free eating!

A guide to kind living!



Posted by: I Want Changes To Happen!

>>> MERRIE LUGHNASDH <<<