A 1200 year tradition of killing. How long will we continue to look on and then look the other way?

You might think a comment like that came from the days when Rome sent Christians to their deaths in the arena.

A tradition that has occurred for over 1200 years?

It appears that the tradition is also tied into the rite of a young boy becoming a man.

The seas run red with blood as they calmly count the dead.

Isn’t it time that we care about our actions and actually become stewards of this tiny, frail, blue planet?

In a recent press release posted by JiJi Press, the Japanese Whaling fleet returned back from the Southern Atlantic Ocean with a total of 267 dead whales. Of those caught and killed, 172 whales were pregnant.

When you think of it, it is at best an outrage. Japan’s press release was that it was a “successful catch,” when in truth, whale meat is being stockpiled for people who eat it only as a luxury. The fact is, less than 2% of the Japan’s population eat whale meat.

Although the Sea Shepherd and its dedicated crew held the Japanese back from the 900 whale quota, in actuality what was taken from the sea was a future for the whales. It may have seemed like a great victory to that brave crew (and it was!), but the taste of victory is soured when one realizes one hundred and seventy-two additional lives were taken.

Whale hotdogs being sold in Japan

Projecting the creation of whales over time, in the next seventy-five years more than one hundred thousand future whales have just been eliminated! Japan continues to laugh in the face of the world, quoting historical and traditional right, when honestly that robotic paradigm has changed. Ask their children who don’t eat whale meat, unless of course it is colored, flavored and made to look like a hotdog, only to find it pushed off into unwitting school lunches! I don’t consider myself an activist.

But doesn’t it seem horrid that the Japanese report that their counts of whale populations show them on the increase, while at the same time, two thirds of their catch has just eliminated future populations? It just reeks of a grisly crime especially when another country in the world, Switzerland, has banned the captivity of their smaller relatives – dolphins – based on the realization that these creatures are self aware and sentient. Do you know of any other race that kills pregnant and sentient creatures?

Although a great family movie, the Big Miracle misses the big picture.

Although for some it is very old news, I saw the film “Big Miracle”, based on a true life story about three endangered Pacific Grey Whales trapped in Alaska and the rescue efforts to save them. The unfortunate thing is that the real message was watered down and overlooked!

As is usual with scriptwriters, the story was “much to do with Hollywood” and altered from the real story. The movie, although moving and portraying the mindsets of the people and cultures affected by the “whales plight”, did touch but touch upon the realities of current Inupiat life and the lust for power by oil barons.

The only ones not really represented or understood were the ones the story was really all about – whales!

A couple of points: Greenpeace, although a voice for animals and the environment, does not always look for a balance or should I say, presents a workable ideal that we are stewards of this tiny blue planet. Make no doubt about it that Greenpeace as a group does care about the fate of this planet and all that live here. However there is too much time spent in verbal rhetoric making others wrong for their actions. A better example is the “Born Free Foundation”, where in India, farmers are taught to grow plants that elephants don’t eat. It is an educational point of view and also allows Man and elephant to coexist.

As far as oil goes, the first thing to acknowledge is that there is no real oil shortage and has never been. Alternative fuel has probably already been discovered but never allowed into the world market, simply because the individuals at the top are now into the game of controlling masses of people. Recent oil prices rise purely on speculation and the consumer is completely at the mercy of these corporations, simply because our governments sit idly by while their own pockets are fattened.

Where the Inupiats are concerned, however, there were interesting comments made about whales which I wish to elaborate on:

The Paradigm of Inupiats Being an Indigienous Race has Changed

This picture was taken of an Inuit family over fifty years ago

Completely understood is the fact that these indigenous people have in the past relied on the ocean for food, which includes whaling. However that paradigm has changed with the introduction of oil companies who pay all the Inupiats money to drill on their lands.

A comment made in the movie by an Inupiat, was that not always would the Inuits have the money that came in monthly for the oil on their land. What would they do after there was no more money?

O.K., let me think with this. You get a lot of money and spend it on televisions, cell phones, CD’s and modern conveniences. What about figuring out how to sustain yourself in a harsh environment? Certainly some research and work to be done there. But no research or organizations exits to solve this problem or even work out a solution. Instead, the Inupiats sit back and take their money, just like unemployment. The cries to save the culture, although great for PR, misses the real change and the honest truth.

Although the original story takes place in Point Barrow, Alaska, this is what you see in ALaska now and how Inupiat and Inuits live. Do you see any igloos?

As I said, money received from the oil corporations buys food, televisions, cell phones, clothing and heaters. But also bought are luxuries and lifestyles that no longer look like igloos. Diets have changed and the ritual of killing whales have slowly diminished to the point that the older generation fights to keep the ritual alive, while the culture is adapting to watching “American Idol” or listening to the latest rock group. And the youth eagerly accept this change! The realities of a harsh environment exist still, but no longer is the horizon dotted with igloos, but homes with satellite dishes and modern heating, only to name a few modern conveniences.

So as Aretha Franklin sang her song, I say it here: “Who’s zooming who?”

How Do You Take Care of a Garden Called the Sea?

There was a comment made about the sea being the Inupiat’s “garden”. But what was more interesting was the fact that in my concept of “gardening”, one not only removes the fruits and vegetables that are a result of his labors, but plants new seeds and cares for the earth. At no time did I hear or see anything being done to protect the ocean or nurture life within the ocean. Truth be told, Inupiats are just as bad as the oil companies, simply because this planet is viewed as a resource where things are taken and never replaced. Neither cry at the present is for survival, simply because the paradigm of surviving Life has changed.

What also amazed me was that in the entire story, though focused around saving endangered grey whales, no one really noticed the sentience of the whales – minds like ours that had reasoning capabilities and intelligence to match. Since no one up there in Alaska knew how to talk to whales, how did the whales know to follow the trail of open holes to the open sea? I did not see any Sea World trainer jumping in the water and blowing their whistle, or clicking their behavioral clicker to get the whales to follow orders!

This is where Hollywood, oil corporations and the government closed their eyes and looked the other way. Yes, we did help save some whales and it was great PR for the Reagan Administration, the oil companies, Greenpeace, the Inupiats and the Russians, but the real message was missed – that we are dealing with a sentient species!

Endangered Whales: A Sentient Species?

A Pacific Gray Whale looking at you. Yes, he is looking at you!

It is that idea which I wish to focus upon. These creatures are sentient. Whales are aware. And because whales do not have two legs and two arms, whales and their cetacean species (dolphins, beluga and Killer Whales) have been deemed as food or a nuisance to Man, or worse – captured and held prisoner to groups that profit from them. The truth is, to consider whales as beings would mean a loss of income to circuses and oil companies, to fisherman and government, simply because the viewpoint of all of the above is that this planet has always been ours for the taking and for the consuming. We would call that an inconvenient truth.

Remember also that there is nothing in the definition of “resources” that says anything about replacing.

The truth is that as Man grows, his responsibility to this planet grows, whether he likes it or not. And it is also recognizing that while our knowledge and technology increases, we have to become more and more aware of other species of creatures on this planet who have existed far longer than ourselves. Surely those creatures have a right, just as we do, to live without fear and without loss of life.

It will be a great day for us all, when we embrace this planet as stewards, but also in accepting that responsibility, grant the right to live not only to ourselves but to all living things.

I don’t usually post other people’s blogs, but if you are living in the L.A. area, take a ride to the Santa Monica pier and join in the festivities:

On February 18th and 19th our aquarium under the Santa Monica Pier will be hosting “A Whale of a Weekend,” celebrating the annual gray whale migration along our coast. The Aquarium will provide a wildlife observation station stocked with binoculars and field guides, giving visitors the opportunity to search for whales and other local wildlife. American Cetacean Society/Whale Watch representatives will staff the observation station and can address questions about these gentle giants. Inside the Aquarium, guests can make a variety of whale related arts and crafts. They will have the opportunity to earn more interesting facts about these migratory mammals through story time, film screenings and fun, interactive presentations for all ages. Learn more at http://www.healthebay.org/event/whale-weekend-day-1

Justice is really blind, now that a U.S. Federal Court Judge, Richard A. Jones, is willing to listen to a frivilous lawsuit filed by the Japanese to stop the Sea Shepherd from its activities to hinder the Japanese from their so called "scientific research".

In a recent Associated Press release, The Tokyo-based Institute of Cetacean (Whale) Research along with a few other countries are seeking to get a U.S. federal court to order the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to cease disrupting its whaling activities in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica.

What is amazing to me that a U.S. federal judge is willing to hear Japan’s whaling argument or even allow it into the federal court system. Why? Consider the fact that our own President was supposed to take the side of anti-whaling, based on his initial campaign promises.

But, as we have seen, no sanctions – other than a letter – have been written and authorized by the President – and sent to the Faroe Islands, which somehow is supposed to tell them to “stop whaling”.

It is kind of like the recent spy plane recovery. A several trillion dollar spy plane is downed in Iran. Instead of destroying or recovering it, Obama felt that we could just get it back by asking for it. Well, it will be returned – in pieces!

This is the kind of back bone we have in Washington, unfortunately. Even the recent “balancing the budget”, Obama chose to point the finger at the Republicans. Isn’t he the President of us all? What happened to the phrase “the buck stops here!”?

It looks like the same game is being played at a lower level. No one has the chutzpah to make a decision. Rather a U.S. federal court is willing to spend taxpayer dollars on an issue which is actually frivolous.

If the judge had any sense or kept up with the news, rather than sitting in an ivory tower, and made himself aware of the smokescreen and glass marketing, he might just throw it out.

"Gee, I wonder if the judge will miss the facts..."

Politics make strange bedfellows, I think. Bedfellows prompted by the almighty dollar and the debts owed to Japan. Common sense and the rightness of things get put by the wayside as a result.

What are the lies that are being masked regarding Japan, whaling and whales?

Well, one is that “Japan says the hunt is a scientific exemption from an international moratorium on commercial whaling. The government says the research is needed to provide data on whale populations so that the international ban can be re-examined and lifted based on scientific studies.”

So, you need to tell that you need 900 dead whales to figure that out?

Why does anyone need such a large sampling of dead whales (900 to be exact or roughly 3,000 tons of whale meat), given today’s technology?

Here’s another point: anyone who is a student of the Internet, can read Japan’s English translations of their own newspapers. They admit that the research is just a ruse – in their own newspapers! They even say that the meat is sold by the Institute to help cover its “research costs” And to top it all off, staff writers for JAPAN TODAY even comment at the stupidity of the U.S.!

The other fact is that less than 3% of the Japanese population eat whale meat. It is not a staple of any Japanese diet, save a few people who have survived the last World War. The truth is that thousands of tons of frozen whale meat is stockpiled and unused in Japan.

The other fact is that Japan is hunting in a sanctuary. They have also depleted and emptied their own seas of fish and whales.

They have been caught bribing Russian officials, and they have been caught bribing their own officials. And when publicly caught by Japanese whistleblowers, the whistleblowers were put in jail and charged with treason! They provide their own official counts and records, but without independent verification.

On a side note, remember the millions of dollars of foreign aid that went to Japan for the homeless? That money never got to the homeless, but went into the pockets of Japanese officals.

Japan has even tried turning whale meat into hotdogs and flavored hamburgers to feed to unsuspecting school children.

A harpooned Minsk Whale being collected "for research" by the Japanese

On February 6^th, U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones is scheduled to hear the arguments, when in fact the case should not even be allowed into our court system and paid for by you and me.

What I would suggest is that you write the judge and tell him that he needs to wake up and not waste everyone’s time and money. That he should throw out the case simply based on the fact that it is already known that Japan laughs at us for our own blind sense of justice, while being completely willing to cut our legs off where we stand, thinking that they are a fair and honest people.

Think of the recent meltdown and the lies to its own people.

Think of the movie, “The Cove”

Think of the worst pollution – air and sea – disaster in Japan.

So what do you think…and what are you going to do about it?

Although I usually write about the less aggressive whales, I by no means wish to forget Killer Whales and the ongoing saga with Sea World.

You see, Killer Whales are big business. People are drawn to intrigue and horror stories. And “Killer Whales” always draw a crowd, especially when “killers” can be shown to be playful, docile and controlled.

At least that is what you are led to believe.

But to understand it a bit more clearly, you need to separate out a couple of ideas. Ideas that confuse the issue, simply because words can border on sensational, and thus draw crowds. Crowds that pay money to see “killers”.

Killer whale jumping out of the blue water (Orcinus orca)

You see, the word “killer” usually brings into one’s mind a sinister thing, an evil thing. And from years ago, “killer” whales, were actually just that – whales that eat other whales. Recent events now show that these whales even eat sting rays and great white sharks.

The truth is, these whales are at the top of their food chain, just like we are. They eat other animals.

However, when any animal, including man, is caged and corralled, behaviors change. Men become violent. Well, so do whales, especially whales that are predators. Just like men, given the chance, they will turn against their keepers.

Tilikum is one such “killer” whale.

How would you express your rage at captivity, left to be in a room the size of a living room for the rest of your natural life?

As it turns out, Tilikum has killed two other people. But remember one thing – there are no records of wild orcas hunting and killing man in open waters. The behavior changed when forced these mammals were forced into a small enclosure.

Sea World has 25 of the 42 whales that exist in large-scale aquariums. And right now there is a move to remove trainers from being in the water with any orca. The interesting thing is that Sea World is attempting to stop this lawsuit by OSHA.

They are trying to prove that these animals can be “controlled” when the point is that having human trainers riding them are what visitors come to see every year, paying millions of dollars in entry fees and paraphernalia.

Does Sea World really care about the safety of their trainers…really?

The spark of sanity that may occur is that OSHA could win this case, denying trainers to be in the water with orcas.

People will no longer be drawn to the shows where trainers are thrown into the air, hug and ride whales.

The excitement will go.

And so will visitor attendance.

If OSHA wins their case, it means one step closer to freedom for these magnificent beings.

You see this all too often. Sensationalism done for notoriety's sake.

Earlier this week, a YouTube video caught the eyes of people all over the internet world. The video captured two things if you look closely: the creation of a ‘bubble net’ used by Humpback whales to corral fish they are about to eat, and then the actual surfacing, or breaching, of Humpback whales between two kayakers and a woman on a paddle board.

It was a rare shot and actually a good one. But then the Press loves controversy:

“Woman Almost Swallowed by Whale!”

Well, sort of. Nearly doesn’t really say that she was swallowed. But anyone reading the headline bites the proverbial lie and goes to the site where such an untruth has been dealt.

From the outset, many people could say, “Well it was just a little lie – a little ‘white lie’ – so why all the ruckus, whalepeople person?”

The truth is that I don’t have my knickers in a twist (I don’t really even know how that would feel), but let me point out something. Subtle comments like that make whales seem wild and dangerous. Dangerous animals. Animals that because they are “dangerous” can be killed, hunted or maimed.

“Silly” one would say, “Who would do such a thing?”

I wonder.

Maybe try the Japanese or the Icelandic Faroe culture – even the Alaskans. Turn the “animal” into a dangerous creature and then it becomes edible.

Think about it.

What usually is missed in all such articles like this, is that these creatures have been doing this for millions of years. You think they are invading our little pleasure excursions with our little boats and paddle boards.

Think again.

If Humpback whales know how to catch fish using simple but highly technical traits such as blowing a ring of bubbles, do you think they might be able to tell the difference between a kayak boat and a fish the length of a man’s hand?

“Well. Gee, I really didn’t mean that…”

“Uh, huh. Go on…”

“Well, uh…”

“Tell me,  how many whales in recorded history have swallowed a man or a boat?”

“Uhhhhhh…..well there was Jonah…”

…

You see, it is all about sensationalism and always has been. Make something not well thought of and it becomes dangerous, even possibly a menace to society.

Now, not to be one-sided, these Humpback Whales are protected and fines can be given by our government for harassing them. I will admit that man has made some progress since the tales of Jonah or Captain Ahab.

But not much, mind you.

Whales are social creatures and far more sentient than most of you know. They use sound wavelengths similar to quasar emissions from distant stars to pass information over long distances of water. They navigate thousands of miles by the stars and by underwater landmarks with a precision man cannot even fathom as of yet. Whales have even a social hierarchy, which approaches our own.

A Gray Whale making friends with a tourist on a panga in Baja, California

And their actions sometimes even defy our own thoughts and reasoning. The Gray Whales of Baja lift their children to small boats of tourists to see and have direct contact. Why would they do that?

Killer whales, after having their bellies made full of small sea lion pups, have been seen to nudge the smaller ones caught in the surf back to land.

A predator no less.

And we say we are the smarter one?

The next time you see a story about a whale that almost “swallows a woman” recognize that once again “Yellow Journalism” has crept into our lives and the person writing his/her story has made his $200 a week paycheck.

It is time once again for Paul Watson and his group of merry men (and women) to brave the Antarctic seas in an attempt to disrupt and delay the extinction of a race.

I am talking about whales.

The Japanese to date have fabricated the need for whale meat, when giant frozen stores lie untouched in Japan. Why? Because less than two per cent of the Japanese population eat whale meat. Some don’t even know it is still being sold.

So why are whales being hunted by the Japanese and being killed?

It is a profit and loss thing. It is numbers on a page. The Japanese people don’t require whale meat to survive. In fact it is a delicacy and for most Japanese a luxury, simply because in most cases it is not the staple diet of a normal Japanese family.

The silly thing is, that Japanese do not like to “lose face”. Many would be willing to jump off a bridge to just “be right”. History tells us so. The other point is that Japanese philosophy and logic is a one way flow. It dictates to others.

Emperors of Japan were given the title of Gods. And Gods could do anything they pleased. Taxes, life and death were dealt out into the masses. Disagreement brought death, while all the while, people smiled.

Young men were ordered to their death during the past war- men who were taught to fly planes into ships, but not taught how to land. They were taught not to argue but sacrifice their own value for men who drank out of gold cups, served by women sold into the race as geishas. If you want to know what that was like, read the book “Shogun”, and you will see how the Japanese mind works. It still works that way at the very top and has actually changed little.

Profits and loss. It has been construed and altered to mean “honor”. All the while, Japanese sit idly by. Not because they are afraid, but because “everyone” must obey. Integrity, honor and common sense have been replaced with profits and loss.

In the recent earthquake in Japan, no one was told just how bad the radiation was and how dangerous it was to human life. “Well, you are going to die anyway” was the comment made by officials. And when the aid came from countries like the U.S., where did it go? It didn’t go to the people that needed it, but instead went to the rich and the governmental officials who pocketed it.

Confronted with the above, the response is to go public and admit that the money was misused. To bow some scapegoat’s head and say, “We so sorry”. But the money was never returned and the people who need it starved.

Enter the dolphins of Taiji. When exposed, the village’s response was to barricade and hide the slaughter from western eyes- to use police to stop the world from watching.

Profits and loss. The “smart” dolphins are captured and sold into zoos like the Seaquarium or Seaworld. The rest are killed for their meat.

All the while, the villagers turn their heads while they turn a profit. They tell themselves daily and hourly how right they are, when in truth, they see the intelligence of these creatures yet kill them indiscriminately.

Profits and loss. Robotically they answer “it is my family’s tradition” and so they kill. They don’t ask and they don’t think. And while the western world looks on in disgust, they would rather kill an entire race to prove how right they are.

All this, while the U.S. looks on. Mark my words – those running for office again will make campaign promises again and “suggest” they should do something. Obama issued “a stern warning” to Iceland (a letter), but has any thing really been put into actual effect? Presidential , Senate and House seats will exchange and nothing will be done. They are all too busy ensuring their own pensions and mistresses. Not to mention stocks in companies that deal in war.

Profits and loss.

Profits and loss.

What do you think?

made by President Obama against Iceland.

The warning is tantamount to saying how much the budget was cut, when in reality nothing was really “cut”.

This is a portion of the blog regarding whaling is what I want to focus on:

In a move hailed by conservation activists, President Barack Obama initiated potential diplomatic sanctions against Iceland this week for its commercial whaling activity. The sanctions include six measures ranging from possibly limiting cabinet-level visits to Iceland to limiting cooperation with Iceland in the Arctic region.

“While such sanctions might seem mild to some, for environmentalists it was akin to throwing down the gauntlet, diplomatically speaking. “This is a real shot across the bow,” said Patrick Ramage, global whale program director with the International Fund for Animal Welfare.”

Hmmm. Now what other conservationists were quoted? Note that the second paragraph comes back to quickly say that “sanctions might seem mild to some.”

Well, honestly the sanctions are mild! There are no reports from Iceland that the warnings have actually any effects on them. It’s more like letting the American public know that we are giving this country aid and have been all along. Why are we giving them aid in the first place?

Now, is a “bold move” a hand slap, or a “oh, you shouldn’t do that” a stern gesture? And how long do you just let a situation go on?

The truth is, that is why we get small, ragtag groups like Sea Shepherd out there. Individuals tired of the political banter that goes on close to election time, but ignoring the real issues during the time the executive is supposed to be at work solving heated issues, instead of shopping sprees, playing golf or vacationing.

I liken it to this kind of an idea. A child coughs. Immediately the over-protective mother  and overly zealous, runs to her child and grabs him. “Oh my poor baby, you are sick! Quick – call the doctor, call an ambulance, my baby is dying!” when in fact part of a piece of candy she had just given him was swallowed too quickly and he was merely trying to dislodge it so that he could swallow!

Here we have “a letter”, which has been written (obviously) by someone else and signed by “the President”. Somehow the “press” gets hold of it and lauds it as “an incredible diplomatic statement that will change the lives of all men!” , when in fact very few men read it, and the ones that really needed to read it didn’t get a translation…

How silly can you get stating, “A real shot across the bow…” How about “Woooeee, Earl, lookee here! You done grazed that turkey and I am sured as I am a’ livin he’s gonna take notice an’ never come into your cornfield agin!”

But the truth is, the turkey never heard the shot. And he probably thought he got buzzed by a larger than life horsefly!

Obviously I am unaware of how much a piece of paper can create drastic effects on a race with different goals, different agendas and different beliefs?

Probably if we actually cut the “aid” we give these people as in many other countries, we would balance our budget in the same year. Maybe make them take notice and realize that there is such a thing as “working” for a living and creating valuable products with the rest of the world that people are willing to exchange money for, instead of trying to “buy” friendship, when the truth is, the money pumped into these countries, never trickles down but stays in the pockets of the officials and their extended families!

If you don’t think that is true, then I wonder why the U.N. is now under attack for creating relief funds that never find their way to the people who need the help – Haiti, Japan, to name a few?

But then we also look the other way as stated in my earlier blog regarding allowing Alaskans to hunt whales? What is the difference?

The kettle calling the pot black?

It is this type of rhetoric that allows the senseless slaughter of the creatures. Whales, dolphin. Bluefin tuna are only but pawns in a massive political game.

So was the American Indian. Look what we did to him.

What do you think?