Canadians urged to don sealskin as "birthday" suit
Fri Jun 27, 4:42 PM ET


OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadians should wear sealskin to celebrate the country's birthday on July 1, an Inuit leader said on Friday, in defiance of a European movement to ban the import of Canadian seal products.

"I am quite tired of other people telling us how to live our lives, without taking the time to learn about our culture and way of life," National Inuit leader Mary Simon said.
"I am calling on Canadians who support us to get some seal clothing and wear it in a show of solidarity to Inuit and other Canadian sealers on Canada Day."
Simon said she made the plea in response to plans by animal rights protesters to gather in Brussels and demand a prohibition on seal items like furs, skins and health products.
Protesters -- supported by celebrities like Paul McCartney and Brigitte Bardot -- have long objected to the seal hunt for its cruelty. They've won widespread public opinion over the years with graphic footage of young seal pups being bludgeoned to death on the ice.
Canada's assurances this year that it would impose new rules to ensure the animals are killed more humanely has done little to dampen the protests.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper defends the seal hunt as a traditional way of life among Canada's aboriginal peoples and a an important source of income for many small communities along the Atlantic Coast.
"Sealing is still important to the Inuit economy in 2008," said Simon, who wore a sealskin vest at a public event earlier this month.
"It angers me that animal-rights protesters, ignorant of and callous toward Inuit culture, are trying to take that away."

Canadians urged to don sealskin as "birthday" suit - Yahoo! News

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

I'm the "Confederate with a pipe"!! LOL

Some Europeans seem to make a habit of that.

Well, some Americans seem to make a habit of developing a knee jerk reaction to Europeans.

The news above looks like minorities defending their turf, nothing new, Affirmative Action under another shape.

Canada says seals to be killed more humanely | Environment | Reuters


Just saw this the the site of the Humane Society of Yurrop, oops!, the Humane Society of the United States:
Protect Seals 2008 | Save Baby Seals | Stop the Canadian Seal Hunt

Do you mean the Inuits? I'd hardly call opposing threatened economic sanctions a "knee-jerk reaction".

In fact, most Americans hardly mention Europe at all, and couldn't care less what Europeans are thinking. Usually, when I see a discussion of European thought in the American media, it's in reaction to European criticism of something we have done, are doing, or planning to do.

"The English Channel is fogged up, the Continent is isolated." - headline on The Times.

If it annoys people, why not wear sealskin? I used to make a point of smoking on NO Smoking Day just to annoy people!

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Regards,

Gordon
History Vault Bookshop
FortressScotland-http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/Historian/

Just to be clear - I'm a softie for animals, ie I'm the person who couldn't handle the animated lion getting killed in Narnia; however, several years ago because of pressure there was no seal hunt. Many, many seals died horrible deaths of starvation and disease re overpopulation.... A reasonable solution is humane processes that keep populations healthy and viable, and while they are at it maintain cultural aspects of life.

Sealskin is very warm and waterproof....it has its place in the Arctic in winter but not 35C like today!

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Regards, Michelle

Oliver Goldsmith, "I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines."

How many of these people actually practice what they preach? Simply another agenda.

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David

"It is history that teaches us to hope"
Robert E. Lee

So do some Americans *cough*France not sending troops to Iraq*cough*

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There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.