You wrote: > > In a message dated 98-08-09 00:19:45 EDT, wsteffen_at_skypoint.com writes: > > << I apologize that this has absolutely nothing to do with kayaks, but it > never did. > >> > This Intervention/blockade would reflect badly on all Sea Kayakers. Note that > this is being organized by venders who have a commercial interest in whales > i.e. whale researchers, whale watching boats etc. Well the interveners certainly wont be alone, historically speaking. They can count themselves among the many persons, both from the moral high ground and commercial interests, who have worked tirelessly over the past centuries to violate and invalidate native treaty rights and human rights. As much as I dont care to see whales killed, I dont think animal rights take precedent over human rights, even though the more people I meet the more I like my dog. I respect that people have strong opinions on this and want to express them, so do I. Life without strong beliefs wouldnt be worth living. It's when we try to force our beliefs on others that I have a real problem. Using reason, and logical arguments to attempt to sway someone are fine. Go ahead and write your letters of protest. But I dont see any difference between active interference with the treaty-given right to hunt and the persons in the past who prevented natives from exercising their human right to speak their own language, worship false gods, wear long hair, etc etc. The missionaries and do-gooders of the not so distant past had strong beliefs that they were "right" too, as they set out to destroy cultures they found "savage", which translated means they couldnt understand it. Believing strongly that you are in the right doesnt make you right. Crushing something you dont understand or agree with doesnt make you right. The motives of commercial interests arent hard to understand, as usual. I hope that any paddlers thinking about intervening will reconsider, or we will have to change the popular saying to "Honor diversity, as long as they arent different". Wayne *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Aug 11 1998 - 10:24:51 PDT
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