Well, they're at it again. A person, claiming to be a member of "Ocean Defense International," used a jet-ski to attack a family of eight Native Americans paddling a hand carved canoe. The family, members of the Makah nation were peacefully engaged in sacred and holy ritual. They were hunting a whale, as their ancestors have done for thousands of years. The Makah were nearly killed by a woman who was apparently willing to kill fellow humans to prevent them from hunting a whale.
Gee, Dan, aren't you being a bit harsh? I mean hey, all those bunny huggers were trying to do was prevent the unnecessary death of a whale. Shouldn't all humans unite and worship whales for the gods that they obviously are? Anyone who believes that needs to put down their bean-curds and pickup a history book, or perhaps visit a "reservation." All living things die. The whale wasn't being hunted to put it's head over some fireplace. It would have provided for the well-being of scores of Makah, feeding their spirits as well as their bellies in a way that no government handout cheese ever will.
Native Americans were successful stewards of this continent long before the Egyptians scratched their first triangle in the desert sand. While the Makah ancestors were RESPECTFULLY and GRATEFULLY accepting the sacrifice of the whale spirit, their species was never threatened. The whales were a gift from the gods. To waste the gift would have been as obscene as hunting them to the edge of oblivion.
But now the white-man (in this case, woman) have decided AGAIN that the red-savages don't understand how to live properly. Fortunately, again, the whiteman is ready to step-in and "educate" the savage natives. Even if the "education" results in the death of the Makah's. Who cares? As long as the will of the whiteman is enforced?
Respect the fact that the Makah are trying to live their lives in harmony with nature as their elders have taught them. In fact, except for a few decades imposed by the heinous slaughter of whales by the Europeans, the Makahs have honored their gods by bravely accepting the spirit of the whale and the sustenance that it provides. The twenty whales that the Mikah have agreed to take during the next five years will not have any significant impact on their numbers. But it will preserve the Makah culture and allow young members to learn the rituals before the last of the elders leave this world to walk another path.