The news just keeps getting worse. South Korea has already sent a formal statement to the IWC which sets out their intention to coastal whale. Japan must be crowing with delight as their efforts to destroy the IWC and the world's whales are going from strength to strength.
Over the past few years, Japan has bribed nations with big money grants in return for these small countries joining the IWC and voting with Japan. Some of these countries are landlocked and have probably never seen a whale.
I've commissioned legal opinions from some of the best international legal experts in the western world. Every single opinion has detailed legal action which could be taken against Japan under a number of international treaties which Japan is violating. There's also mediation options but no anti whaling government will mount any legal action. Nor will they table their legal opinions or provide them to the lawyers working for the environmental groups fighting the resumption of whaling.
In bowing to Japan's efforts to resume commercial whaling, the western nations who claim to be anti whaling - USA, UK, EEC, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America - are all respectively setting an unholy precedent. In ignoring the legal advices, they are, in effect, turning the international treaties designed to protect whales and the marine environment into useless bits of paper.
Why ? Its all about trade. In the past, the excesses of Japan, Iceland and Norway to prevented by threats of trade sanctions by the US. When Dubya Bush got into office, that was the end of trade sanctions to protect whales. Trade rules supreme. Every major anti whaling nation is entrapped by its trade with Japan, so money talks, whales die.
If we lose the whale fight, there is no chance of protecting this beautiful Planet. People power makes for miracles, we can make a difference. I just watched the film Gandhi, its an old movie but the message is still powerful. He walked 240 miles across a large stretch of India with many people following, the Indian people practiced non violence and finally got their freedom and sovereignity against enormous odds.
Whales are highly intelligent animals. They have language, song, families and majesty.
They are the Mind in the Waters. When we act, they act.
Keep sending protests to the White House, to IWC Deputy Commissioner Doug DeMaster ( email details on the California Gray Whale Coalition Group F/Book site. Send protests in your own country to your President or Prime Minister. Just keep yelling loudly for the whales !
Sue Arnold, California Gray Whale Coalition
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