Aunty, sometimes you make a lot of sense.

Dolphin: I dont think you can blame the Coast Guard for the suffering of this whale, or the waste. It was alive and dragging the floats prior to them arriving (that would seem like suffering to me), the news also said the whale was dead prior to the lines being cut and allowing it to sink. And if they just turned the meat over to the tribe, wouldnt that kind of set a precedent to maybe do something similar in the future.

I mean its not like if I got caught poaching an elk the gammie would give me the meat after I paid all my tickets, gave up my gun, truck and whatever else.

Do you really believe they were just going to beach it and divvy it up in the village without looking over their shoulder to see if anyone saw them?

As with the flossing topic, legal does not mean ethical.

Your 17 year old daughter could one day decide to hook up with two of your 50 year old fishing buddies and have a 3 way. Are your buddies wrong? Legal? yes. Ethical? not really.

ya know Dolphin, the Treaty said you have the right to "fish in common" with all the other persons. It did not say you can rape the rivers and salmon......it means to fish side by side, in common with all fisherman.

Some of us should get together and brainstorm a way to produce a video similiar to the Japanese Dolphin slaughter video. It would be a heart-wrenching documentary about the abuses of these racsist treaty rights.

Think of the footage and images we, collectively, could come up with. Fish rotting in the back of a POS truck, unattended set-nets with birds pecking the eyes out of the fish at low tide. Discarded fish stripped of their eggs, drunken idiots launching at the boatramp. Conditions on the "res". Botched whale hunts. Gross overfishing. Piles of gut-shot elk. So-on and so-on.

Add some gloomy music, dramatic statistics, dialouge and interviews. It could become a powerful tool to re-educate the general public on how these ill-concieved, vexing treaty rights violate the "american way", promote segregation, discrimination, resource managment problems and huge socio-economic enigmas.

So whata ya think?

Getting shots of idiots at boatramps: Easy. Conditions on reservations: Easy. Rotting fish: easy.

I know those would be pretty damn easy and numerous to find if someone did set out for them.

Go to almost any reservatio and your set. Go to any popular hole right now on a river that holds pinks, and you will see rotting fish. Any boatlaunch on a river that has pinks in it: your set there too...

Lets hope doesn't wash up on an Oregon beach.

Thanks Donno,

I had forgotten about that one. Here's the link... you'll need Quicktime.

http://home.comcast.net/~sthacks/new_whale/media/whale-hi.mov

Pretty damn funny.

The guy is expressing facts while you are babbling on hypothetical scenarios. Who's got a blind eye here?

My take is, I have no problems with anyone killing whales or anything as long as it is within the LAW. This case is illegal and they should get the stiffest penalties. And I think they will. They are boiling already all over the news. The scummy liberal animal right's activist will get a good hearty feeding on this case. I hope this case is treated as a crime and not as an agenda.

I would hardly call it factual unless he has data to back it up.

Not to be taken too seriously by the serious, my post fit right in between B for Blame and S for Soap Box.

It's too bad when anybody thinks two wrongs make a right.

You had to sign the treaty for it to be enforceable.... Otherwise it was just political pressure that was applied to you on that specific issue.

I just read that the 5 tribe members will only face misdemeanor charges which is what a small fine and a day in jail .Like I said before the only good that will come out of this is bad P.R for the Makahs

Sodfarmer,

Where did you find that little tidbit?

Hopefully the feds can and will prosecute.

King5.com

That's not quite right. The statement is the can only face that set of charges based on the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The prosecuting attorney mentioned they'll pursue other options for the trial.

I'm not a lawyer, so this particular thing seems to need more investigation. I'm not sure if they can only be charged as such due to the specific laws violated, or if it's something the judicial system of the tribal courts is stating. Either way, I certainly don't know what they can and will be charged with, and I'm pretty sure most folks here aren't lawyers or LE either. Let's not jump on this particular statement too quickly.

Wayne Johnson. Do you know him? ......... I do. He is my friend. Wayne is a great man. Killing whales is in his blood. Why should the rich, persistent enviromentalist decide when the Makahs take their whale? It has been 8 years. How much longer should he have waited. I guess until we freed every rat from medical research, everyone gave up meat, chicken and fish, until we all quit logging, fishing, hunting and the circuses were closed. Where would the enviromentalist have it end? I am sorry it causes some woman somewhere to shutter that her illusions of free willie are shattered. Those who don't have the stomach to hunt or fish should shut up. Quit acting like you are so much better, holy than thou, so civilized, and so sophiisticated. Don't jump on this evil bandwagon, there must be someother place your drama is needed. I support Wayne 100% and you would too if you knew him. You think what he did was illegal? Well what about the treaty? I guess lawyers will get rich, and in the end it will be the same as in the beginning, it is their RIGHT it is in the treaty. The enviromentalist have screwed it all up, once again. Stand on their side and your fishing rights are finished. Wayne and has asserted his ancestors rights. Rogue? Or should we say the last real Native. Leave the Makahs alone and let them have their whales. FISH ON
Robert Jamison

Did the whalers in the old days kill whales and feed them to the crabs and sand fleas. Just curious. Alot of good his actions did him. Take note I have no problem with his character, just his decision making. -T

Why should Wayne Johnson decide when the Makahs take their whale? Seems you believe Wayne Johnson IS the Makah tribe. What about the treaty? Where's our half of everything? I tell you what. I'm tired of waiting for OUR half. I'm going to go out to the strait and drop nets across the entrance on behalf of all non-tribal fishers. I'll be a one man wrecking crew exerting my rights as I see fit. Maybe I'll stop at 50,000 blackmouth. I can't help it. I'm scandinavian. It's in my blood.

Last real native my ass. As it is I'm a card-carrying Injun myself, but it's in my blood to run around naked, grind up acorn mush, and kill any Spaniards I come across.

You aren't part Spaniard are ya? 'Cause I just can't help it. It's in my blood. Maybe I should demand my right to do so...then just go out and start cracking away with a rifle.

The only reason the Makah turned on the Whales in the first place is because they annihilated the deer and elk herds on thier area.

And as far as Tradition and Culture goes, I'm pretty damn sure it didnt involve a high-powered rife and a powerboat.

Odd, I'm an environmentalist, and I don't share those view that you've painted people with. Perhaps you may want to focus your attention on specific people or groups. That sort of talk is no better than a bunch of ignorant white folk ranting about "indians" having "too much privilege". Neither are true, even in the most general sense and have little to do with reasonable debate.

The reality is (from my outside perspective), the tribe council regardless of Wayne Johnson, decided that going through the paperwork was worth the effort. His particular rebellion may end up painting the Makah's as a whole in a very bad light.

What would be nice is to get some time with some of those on the council and get some of their views on it. Right now all we are getting is media scrubbed info that's been screened, and perhaps not the full story?

Finally, one thing that would be nice to know. In the past was the traditional whaling done as a family event, or was it more carefully orchestrated amonst the tribe? Fishing for salmon is one thing, a guy in a canoe and nets can do what they need. Whales are pretty big and dangerous, so I'm assuming more careful planning had to be done?