Senator fires back at U.S. family upset with seal hunt

[tuvor]

A Liberal senator has replied to a family in Minnesota upset about Canada's seal hunt with a letter denouncing the United States for executing prisoners at home and killing people in Iraq.

The McLellan family had written to Canadian senators to say they cancelled a vacation in Canada because of the hunt, which they called "horrible" and "inhumane," Montreal's La Presse reports.

In her response, Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette said that what she finds horrible is "the daily massacre of innocent people in Iraq, the execution of prisoners – mainly blacks – in American prisons, the massive sale of handguns to Americans, the destabilization of the entire world by the American government's aggressive foreign policy, etc."

She said Americans are not in a position to criticize others. "They must start to look at their own behaviour, the permanent heightening of the planet's insecurity since the election of Bush," she told La Presse.

(snip)

In their letter, the McLellans said they love Canada and have Canadian ancestors but cancelled a trip to Canada last year because of the seal hunt and will scrap plans for one this year if the spring hunt goes ahead, La Presse said.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/03/17/senator-seal060317.html

I suppose the senator has a point, unless the McLellan family is as demonstrative aginst bush's war and their own country's death penalty. Too bad the article doesn't answer that question.

[glarius]

1. One thing I don't see publicized is the fact that Americans hunt seals off

the coast of Alaska. There are other countries which are also sealing. Norwayis one I believe, and others. The thing is that these countries do not allow anyone near their hunts as Canada does, so there are not gruesome pictures and it looks as if only Canada is doing it....I'm against all of it. It's disgusting but not fair that only Canada is being singled out.

[MrPrax]

2. Senate Majority Leader is annoyed...

Marjory LeBreton, a Tory Senate leader, was suggesting that Céline Hervieux-Payette should have brought shame to the Senate...and Bill Graham made an announcement disowning her from the Liberals...

I hate the seal hunt, but I can understand where the Senator is coming from....

Seems to be tension running high in the Senate anyway...the Liberals still have majority and are gearing up to battle the Tories...

Liberal senators ready for battle

Fri, March 17, 2006
General disorder is on the cards in a bitter battle with the Tory government

OTTAWA -- Get ready for the possibility of another round of kazoos, whistles and general disorder in Canada's Senate -- something not seen since the bitter battle between a Conservative government and a Liberal-dominated Senate over the GST 17 years ago.

Grit Senator Joe Day is warning the Liberals won't hesitate to use their clout in the chamber of sober second thought to put the brakes on legislation they deem to be contrary to the national interest.

"They can't say they're going to get rid of us and bully us around," Day said, referring to a Tory plan for elected Senators. "While we're there, we're going to do our job in the best interests of the country."

<snip>

Marjory LeBreton, Conservative leader in the Senate, calls Day's warning "regrettable and ill-advised." She said it was the past "unbecoming" behaviour of the Grits during the Brian Mulroney years "that seriously damaged the already fragile reputation of the Senate."

London Free Press

I expect the Tories in the Senate to try to kick this one around for a while...

[tuvor]

3. I'm glad the senators want to work in the national interest.

I'd be even gladder if we got to elect them.

[CHIMO]

4. Some Feedback

YOUR SPACE:
Senator fires back at U.S. family upset with seal hunt

CBC News Viewpoint | March 2006

I want to thank Senator Hervieux-Payette for reminding everyone why Senate appointments for life is a good idea: It frees up Senators to speak their minds, and say things that need to be said, unbound by considerations about their future political careers or who will disagree. It is helpful to have a counterweight to the short-term, calculating nature of electoral politics.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/yourspace/senator_seals.html

Scroll down a bit for the comments on the original article.

[V. Kid]

5. It's hard to say what to think about this...

...on the one hand all that she says about the US in this quote:

"the daily massacre of innocent people in Iraq, the execution of prisoners – mainly blacks – in American prisons, the massive sale of handguns to Americans, the destabilization of the entire world by the American government's aggressive foreign policy, etc."

Is all pretty much true. And yet it really has little to do with the seal hunt so it's a cop-out. Not to mention that this family is probably liberal anyways, as I very much doubt that a family like this would really be pro-Iraq war, yet care about the fate of a few seals.

On the other hand they've probably been duped by a lot of the anti-seal hunt propoganda completely ignoring that many aboriginal communities rely on the seal hunt, economically and socially. And that its the hight of white arrogance to some how assume the entire seal hunt is "inhumane" and vicious. It's a silly cop-out. And the fact that they take their cues from stars is just ridiculous and ignores that important reality.

[IntravenousDemilo]

8. I agree, it's important to know the political leanings of the McLellans

in this particular case. You're probably right that the family is probably liberal if they even care about baby seals, and not likely to vote for Bush or support his policies anyway. In which case, our Mme Herveux-Payette was preaching to the choir.

On the other hand, tossing a red herring like Iraq into a communication about the seal hunt, especially to complete strangers who expected no reply, and civilians at that, was unforgivably coarse of the senator -- unlike, say, the actions of Carolyn Parrish, which were witty. The McLellan family are otherwise favourably disposed towards Canada, and her assholery might have somewhat tarnished their opinion of Canadians in general.

On the other other hand, if they DO happen to be anti-Bush liberals, while they're boycotting Canada over the seal hunt, why aren't they also boycotting their own country come holiday time?

Finally, baby seals are cute and fluffy, and they have those big brown eyes. If they looked like iguanas, or slugs, or the Bitch from Alien, I don't know if Brigitte Bardot, Paul McCartney and whatever his Linda-substitute is named, and other famous people would be protesting quite so loudly -- OR ANYONE ELSE, FOR THAT MATTER.

[CHIMO]

6. For Anyone

That doesn't think that she has a point. Well watch this piece.

Three Years After U.S. Invasion Two Wounded Iraqi Children and Their Fathers Tell Their Stories

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/20/1439227

Select your method of watching the segment.

[newfaceinhell]

7. So show us the evidence that the McLellans support Bush's policies

If they do, and Hervieux-Payete was aware of that, then she might have a point.

[CHIMO]

9. Stop With The Crap

She was not talking about the views of who represents the "Empire".

She simply said "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones".

If you don't understand the context of the message, then think of this.

Postage to all the senators.

There was no discussions about harvesting a population, it was a statement that "it is wrong and we will exercise our pocketbook".

At some point it must become obvious that "People in glass houses don't throw stones".

The bigger the deadband becomes the harder the shakeup.