[PEN-L:9271] FW: a public response to paul watson of sea shepherd

["Craven, Jim" <jcraven@xxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 15:46:48 -0700
From: arthur <bayou@xxxxxxxxx>
To: jcooney@xxxxxxxxx
Cc: bayou@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: A Public Resonse To Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd

  permission to circulate in full granted
From: NWLPSN, bayou@xxxxxxxxx

 A PUBLIC RESPONSE TO PAUL WATSON
  FROM ARTHUR J. MILLER

  Paul Watson, the head of Sea Shepherd, has issued at statement
attacking The Declaration Against Racism and those involved with it. In
his statement he seeks to discredit the declaration through misleading
people and using outright lies. It seems that Watson is becoming fearful
that people internationally are finding out about the actions he and his
organization have taken against the Makah people, and that they are
speaking out against him. I do not know how wide Watson's statement
has gotten so that is the reason I am making a public response to it.
Below I answer the points made in his statement.
  1. Watson gives out the idea that SISIS (who put the declaration
together) is working with a government intelligence agency. This is the
same tactic that the FBI used in their COINTELPRO program which is
called "bad jacking". Like the FBI, Watson is trying to place the agent
tag on those he seeks to suppress. As many people know SISIS has
provided an important service in support of Native struggles since 1991,
by disseminating a great amount of information. Information I may add
that the government would rather not have that information out.
  2. Watson claims that there has been no racist backlash against the
Makahs and other Native people. This is an outright lie and Watson
knows it. All the racist death threats, the bomb threat against Chief
Leschi School, the placing bumper stickers on cars on Puyallup land
that read "Save A Whale, Kill An Indian", the banner at the PAWS rally
that said "Save a Whale, Harpoon a Makah", the attempt to run off the
road the Puyallup canoe team and the refusal of some white business in
in Port Angeles to serve Native people were all covered by the
mainstream media. In the letters to the editor of many papers were
found numerous racist letters, on radio talk shows you heard such
things as "white people should renew their tradition of killing Indians"
and another person asking where he could get a license to shoot
Indians, these are just two examples. And then there were the acts of
violence against Native people. Those of us who live up here all know of
the racist backlash and we also know who was in the forefront arousing
it, Paul Watson. I heard him state on tv that "if the Makahs take a whale
then all Indian People will suffer".
  3. Watson came into the northwest and joined up with the main
spokeperson for the racist anti-tribal campaign which had been
organized for a long time. That person is Jack Metcalf. Metcalf has been
trying to use the issue of the Makah whale hunt in his long efford to
eliminate all treaties between the U.S. Government and the First
Nations. Sea Shepherd has backed up that goal by saying in a
statement they issued "The Makah Tribal Council may well have brought
their people to ruin and a state of permanent ostracism. The public
anger (the racist backlash) and resentment generated by their act may
now compel Congress to reexamine the legal standing of all First
Nations." The legal standing of First Nations comes from the treaties.
  4. Watson has stated that he has nothing against the Makah people
and respects them. Is that why he and his organization time after time
tried to disrupt Makah sacred ceremonies?
  5. Watson claims that his actions is to get the Makahs to obey
"international laws". The international laws were made by treaties
between Nations, the First Nations did not sign those treaties nor were
they asked to sign them. The treaty that the Makahs did sign gave them
the right to the whale hunt. So what Watson should be doing is to create
a treaty that the First Nations would sign, so that they are included in
the process. The First Nations have had laws imposed upon them for
over 500 years that they had no part in making. All Watson is doing is
being a modern day Columbus or Gen.Custer trying to impose his way
on indigenous people by trying to bully them.
  6. Watson points to the fact that a few Makahs were against the hunt.
The Makah Nation is a community also. Within all communities people
will hold different opinions on issues. It is true that a few Makahs
disagreed with the overwhemming major on the issue. But only one
Makah sided against her people publicly at Sea Shepherd events. Is
what Watson is saying that the voice of one should overshadow the
voice of the many? Contrary to what Watson has claimed there were
many community meetings held by the Makahs on the issue. The way I
see it the decision on how to use their treaty rights is up to the Makahs
alone and it should be made without any outside interference by anyone.
  7. Watson claims that the Makahs are working in the interests of those
that want to bring back commercial industrialized whaling. Does it really
make sense that the Makahs would want to bring back that which
almost wiped out the whales and forced them to not use their treaty
rights for 70 years? Beyond that, there is a fact Watson is not telling
you, the selling of whale meat is illegal and the Makahs have made no
efford to get that law repealed. The Makahs are just an easy target for
Watson to place the blame for what industrialized nations do.
  8. Watson says that those that support the declaration are racists
because he feels that it is an attack on white people. The purpose of the
declaration is to help get rid of racism. I cannot feel sorry for Watson
who feels he has been attacked because he is white. I have heard this
from so many rightwing white racists, the idea that if people of color
want to improve their conditions that some how that is an act of racism.
It seems that to them and Watson that white folks have the right to
everything and to challenge that in anyway is a threat to them. Watson,
I do not buy the claim that you are being oppressed because you are
white!
  The purpose of the declaration is to resist racism. In this case the use
of racism by Watson and Sea Shepherd to promote their issue. One
cannot be an anti-racist and then say that there are times when it is ok
to use it and join forces with extreme racists. These are my views and I
hope others are of like mind on this. I call upon all those who feel they
must take a stand on this issue to write their comments to Paul Watson
(at: paulwatson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) and to Sea Shepherd (at;
seashepherd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx). and let them know what you think.
                                                           In Honoring
Mother Earth
                                                                Arthur J.
Miller
                                                               Coordinator
                                                 NW Leonard Peltier Support
Network
                                                Anti-Racist Emergency
Action Network
                                                bayou@xxxxxxxxx
  We have compiled a pamphlet of background information that is
available through Bayou La Rose, P.O. Box 5464, Tacoma, WA 98415-
0464 at the cost of $3. We are not making any money off this. Please
make checks out to Bayou La Rose.