The Power of One can End the Killing of the Whales
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 21:50:58 -0700
The Power of One can End the Killing of the Whales
One of the foundations of the Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society is that one person can make a
difference.
Because of Dian Fossey the Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda
were saved. Because of Birute Galdikas, the Orangutans
of Indonesian have been protected. Because of David
Wingate the Bermuda storm petrel is not extinct.
We encourage our volunteers to embrace individual
empowerment. One person can change the world and that
is a fact.
One of our early crewmembers, Alex Pacheco left us to
become the founder of the People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals. Another crewmember Peter Woof
led campaigns to oppose the damning of the Franklin
River in Tasmania and yet another, Astronomer Dr. Ben
Zuckerman who is also a Sea Shepherd Board member
photographed the first planet outside of our solar
system.
Sea Shepherd is an organization of visionary,
resourceful and aggressive individuals.
One of our long time members Bruce Foerster
demonstrated this principle this week when Belize
surprised everyone by voting against all five Japanese
motions at the International Whaling Commission
meeting in St. Kitts & Nevis..
Everyone had assumed that Belize was a bought and paid
for nation recruited by Japan. But Belize was the
first nation to realize that doing the bidding of
Japan could have grave economic consequences for the
tourism industry.
Belize Hotel owner Bruce Foerster certainly made
Belize aware of the consequences. In an e-mail dated
May 21st, 2006, Bruce gave Belize an ultimatum.
It looks like Bruces protest along with other
concerns expressed from the tourism sector in Belize
reached the governments ears.
Belize did no favours for Japan and the Belize vote
was 5 for 5 for the whales.
We think that Bruce contributed towards this decision
and we urge all people who care about whales in the
Caribbean and Pacific island nations that supported
Japan to request that their governments reconsider
when the IWC meets again next year in Anchorage,
Alaska.
It is time for honour to be restored and for the
people to speak out in defense of the whales that
their politicians sold out. In every Caribbean island
nation polled, the majority of people are against
whaling.
We know that St. Lucian and Antiguan politicians are
being wined and dined and given expensive trips to
Japan. We know that Japan is dumping cheap cars on the
islands and we know that the police of St. Kitts have
become an extension of the Ministry of Japanese
Security.
But the people have the final say and if the whale
loving and environmentally concerned people of the
islands speak out, these whorish politicians can be
tossed out and the reputation of the nations can be
restored.
The people do not want their nations to be Japans
bitch.
Bruce Forester has set a good example. He used his
position of a person who provides jobs in the tourism
industry to make it clear to the government of Belize
that supporting Japans pro-whale killing stance is
unacceptable.
Apparently they listened.
Bruces Letter
From: Bruce [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: May 21, 2006 10:18 AM
To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'; '[EMAIL PROTECTED]';
'[EMAIL PROTECTED]'; '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
Subject: Belize pro whaling?!
Importance: High
Gentlemen,
I understand that Belize will be attending the
International Whaling Commission meeting next month
and intends to vote on the side of Japan to scrap the
moratorium on whaling? Please let me know if this is
indeed true as I vehemently object to such a decision.
Commercial whaling has reduced the worlds whale
population to only about 1% of its pre-whaling
numbers and I and millions of people like me do not
agree that whaling of any kind ( outside of aboriginal
whaling on a tiny scale ) should be permitted or ever
tolerated.
As a business owner here in Belize I am ashamed
that you would betray the worlds few remaining whales
by helping authorize their slaughter and should you
indeed pursue this I will immediately sell my large
resort and take all of my capital out of the country,
compromising the 100 full time positions which this
resort provides and the millions of dollars we invest
annually into the local economy. I simply cannot
tolerate such a destructive move on your part and will
not live nor invest in a country which pretends to
care for the environment but in reality cares only for
the dirty money that they can earn by voting to
destroy the relatively few whales that these butchers
have not already painfully and mercilessly
slaughtered.
You are risking a huge economic backlash and a
tourism boycott should you make the mistake of voting
for the destruction of these rare and intelligent
mammals!
I await your response with great anticipation,
Sincerely,
Bruce Foerster
Managing Director
Jaguar Reef Lodge
President
Jungle-Sea Ventures Ltd.
Captain Paul Watson
Founder and President of the Sea Shepherd Conservation
Society (1977-
Co-Founder - The Greenpeace Foundation (1972)
Co-Founder - Greenpeace International (1979)
Director of the Sierra Club USA (2003-2006)
Director - The Farley Mowat Institute
Director - www.harpseals.org
Director - Ocean Outfall Group of California
Advisory Board Member - Telluride Mountain Film
Festival
Advisory Board Member - The Animals Voice Magazine
Whom when I asked from what place he came,
And how he hight, himselfe he did ycleepe,
The Shepheard of the Ocean by Name,
And said he came far from
the main-sea deepe.
- Edmund Spenser
A.C.E. 1590
www.Seashepherd.org
Tel: 360-370-5650
Fax: 360-370-5651
Address: P.O. Box 2616
Friday Harbor, Wa 98250 USA
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