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Okay, this is going to be a long one, but it's about something that's very important to me, so I think it's justified. It's about my province.

I love my province, a whole fuck of a lot. I think it's an amazing place to live. But, like anywhere, there are things that happen here that we probably wish wouldn't, and every so often, they become public issues. And, like any public issues, celebrities inevitably become involved.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, then I guess you missed Larry King live this evening. He was hosting "Sir" Paul McCartney and his wife, Heather Mills McCartney in a discussion about the seal hunt, intending to speak with our dubious Prime Minister, Steven Harper. Instead, this honor was passed to someone much better informed on the subject, our Premier, Danny Williams.

Just a quick not about Premier Williams: he's an absolutely fantastic man, despite being a Conservative. He's the epitome of the self-made man, quite a success as a lawyer and business owner. On the whole, our province really likes him.

Ok, so now it's time for the main points raised by the McCartneys, then what the truth actually happens to be. Trust me, as a Newfoundlander, you can trust my information on every one of these points as being well-researched and accurate. I've not done it myself, but I can guarantee you that I'm at the most 3 degrees of separation from someone who has.

McCartneys
-the seal hunt is inhumane, as seals are clubbed to death or injured to the point where death is imminant and then left to die. They are often skinned alive

-the seals hunted are pups, or "whitecoats", seals who are only a few months old for only their pelts, used in the fashion industry

-the seal hunt does not generate a significant enough amount of revenue to condone its continuation

-our government is bribing UN officials to state that our hunt is humane and well regulated

The truth
-the seal hunt, though unpopular, is well regulated and very humane. At least 90% of the seals hunted are hunted with guns and shot. Even if the seals are clubbed, the club is heavy enough to crack the skull causing instant death very near to 100% of the time. Also, seals being skinned alive is a sensationalist reporting of seing a seal being skinned shortly after death. Much like anything else shortly after it is killed, the brain sends out electrical impuleses at random throughout the body, causing spasms that may look similar to the physical reaction to pain. This is merely the report of a weak-stomached journalist who doesn't know the facts.

-the seals hunted are not, in fact, pups. Harp seal pups have white, fuzzy coats for the early stages of their life and are termed "whitecoats." When they moult and lose this coat, they are considered to be adults and pups no longer. The cute, fuzzy, white, pleading look of a harp seal pup is again the work of a media trying to vilify people trying to make their way in the world. It is illegal in the extreme to hunt them for their pelts. This isn't to say that it doesn't happen, but it is not condoned by the government or our people.

That aside, seals are hunted for more than their pelts. We eat their meat as well as sell their pelts, and also use their blubber to extract Omega 3 fatty acids, a compound with varied medicinal uses.

-the seal hunt doesn't provide a large amount of income only if you put it in context of richer provinces or countries. If you look at the conservative figure that CNN offers, $14.5 million (even though it's actually about $17 million or so), it's actually a very large amount of money for our province to make for only a few weeks of work. This province is very poor, and we have an overabundance of fishermen that are too old to retrain to do something else. Hunting for food is what they've done since they were teenagers. It's what they do to survive. Unless these free-thinkers can come up with a viable solution to provide as much income for as little work, no one will ever swing for it.

In short, the seal hunt is a very important part of this province's economy and at this time, we cannot justify its liquidation.

-the idea that our government is bribing UN is ludicrous. Given that the UN, while quite useless in a miliatry aspect, is the champion of all things good and just, bribing a high placed official would be an insanely costly venture, one not easily made by a government plagued with money issues. Even the implication that our goernment would stoop to such an act was a despicable low blow that I found it difficult to stomach.

Our Preimer raised a very curious point which cause the rather shrill Heather McCartney to raise this point. He mentioned how several environmental analysts working for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) who had determined that the seal hunt was being done humanely, were fired upon the release of their findings. It seems that it's not only the McCartneys who are only interested in figures that support their causes.

Also, the pictures you see of the McCartneys rolling on the ice with whitecoats...well, they've doomed those pups to starvation. Until they learn the necessary suvival skills, they are heavily reliant on their mothers to bring them food. After handling the pups, their mothers will reject them. Great job, McCartneys.

Basically, my friends, I ask for understanding on your parts. In a perfect world, no, there would not be a seal hunt. But please, don't judge my province solely on the propoganda of a celebrity who doesn't know what they're talking about. Actually take the time to learn both sides of the issue and then decide where you stand before you turn your nose up at us and scoff "barbarians."

Thank you.

yeah it's an awfull thing that humans do it way to often they're expecting each other to do something and then nothing is done about the issue.

btw mmm they are skinned alive several times, maybe it didn't happen at your place though, I saw it on a video where they did indeed skin some of them alive. When they hit them in the head with a club , they end up with a TEC and can't physicly move but can feel and are somewhat aware of what is happening ;_;.

as most citiziens of your providence haven't seen what they do to those seals
they just see it as if it didn't exist, they're usually to cold hearted to feel anything about it.

Actually, a significant proportion of the people in my province are actively involved in the seal hunt. The UN officials who determined the seal hunt was conducted in a humane and professional manner noted the statistic that over 90% of the seals were killed with rifles.

Seals being skinned alive is hardly the practice. Some people do it, most don't. The footage you see is merely what journalists opposed to the seal hunt decided to film. Sensationlist media are only interested in the facts of a story that serve only to further their causes. What good would it be to abolish the seal hunt if they followed a group of hunters that killed with rifles?

And since this crops up quite often around here as a social issue, more people than you might think have a very good idea about what goes on. It's part of our economy, just like how other economies rely on exploited slave labor in Taiwan, Mexico, Indonesia, and China and you don't see people getting all up in arms about that.

It has nothing to do with being cold-hearted. It's how a lot of people here make money to live during the off-season. These aren't people who hunt for sport. If they don't do this, they starve. Do I like the seal hunt? No, not particularly. Personally, it does nothing for me, and I don't use any of the products obtained from it.

But until people can come up with a viable option of obtaining income for these people, as both the McCartneys' ideas, starting up a slew of "seal watching" business, or the government footing the bill for the off-season workers' needs, are insufficient and ludicrous, respectively. They were under the misinformation that businesses here that conduct whale-watching tours are quite lucrative. The truth: they aren't. There are only a few that I know of that aren't continually under the gun for money. There are only so many government grants for tourism, and I can guarantee you that the feds up in Ottawa have no interest in what's going on out east when there so much oil to be had in the west. Also, the government does not have the kind of money to offer about a hundred thousand Newfoundlanders and Labradorians enough money to make it almost 7 months without any supplementary income. If they were geologists in Alberta, it'd be a whole different kettle of fish. Nobody gives a damn about this province.

People who aren't from here just don't understand how things really stand, and it's insulting to have an acid-casualty who happens to be a super-star and his shrew of a wife come and call us "barbaric" for it when they don't have all, or even ANY of the figures.

Well said Senjuro, another reason why I hate the American Media... if it gets rating say it even if it isn't true.. who care's right? Wrong! people do care and I am nearly fed up with the medias half assed " truths" about other people, places,religions, and beliefs... It is really working my nerves.... I have now lost all respect for CNN

Seal hunt? those poor creatures are almost innocent! But they are much needed to the world and surviavl and all, I proposed human hunts and demonstrated the use of skinning humans, it didn't fly so well, after a rather short 10 year placement, I was back to prove that the human hunt is valuable

My points are actually good because we can hunt all those people who beg for money, they are almost dead anyhow, it is the most humane thing I can think of and people is a good source of Zinc and Vitamin B11

mmmm, solent green

back to seals, they are worth their weight in gold, they make much needed food for little expense, they are doing nothing else, look at htose jelly rolls! Make them move a little and next year they won't be so stupid! Survival of the fitest people!

Just one thing to this.
The world would be better off without humans.
Unlike other topics, I don't agree with you, senjuro, so I'll leave it at that.

I didn't say anyone had to agree with me, I just didn't want the other half of the story to go untold just because Heather Mills McCartney is unspeakably rude.

Incidentally, I totally agree with what you said about humans. It seems all we're good at is raping the world of all its resources. Hopefully, when our generation begines its rise to power, the world will slowly become a better place, instead of continuing its present downward spiral.

Considering that most youths seem to be lazy, opinionated chaps who can't live without a DVD player, and refuse to clean their bedrooms, let alone their litter, I don't think we have much hope. The poorer children are as spoilt as the richer children; trying to explain the importance of conservation to them is wearying. Most happily sing "If You're Happy And You Know It Bomb Iraq", and haven't the smallest grasp of their own history, let alone that of Arabia or Babalon. Their cultural identities have been removed with sergical advertising and fast food. They seem to retain very few qualities of their homeland, and much more of American youths. Wasteful, indeed. Show me a significant proportion of teenagers protesting for America signing up to the Kyoto agreement, and I will immediatly retract this prejudice, damning, and downright stupid statement.

Don't forget, the US isn't the only country on the globe that's brainwashed into idiocy.