U.S. Senate Wants to End the Seal Slaughter

Dear Tyler We oppose ALL hunting not just seals. There is action being taken across the world defending ALL animals farmed AND hunted. There is no respect or compassion in hunting or killing an animal. People don't come first. They put themselves first with total disregard for all other living beings they share the planet with. When we place animals equal to us animals who are so often so alien we find it hard to relate to them then we may learn respect for the differences we see in each other as humans and stop hurting each other also. Differences are differences. They are not wrong. Animals do not deserve a death sentence just for being different. Each animal is whole and complete. Please look at the dvd Earthlings and the PETA podcasts Invisible animals and Nonviolence includes animals. Try to look at the world from another's eyes. I used to hunt fish eat meat. I used to ridicule vegetarians. I used to share your views in many ways. And I used to call myself an animal lover. Then I saw Earthlings and all that changed. I now advocate for animals. I am currently trying to prevent two koalas from being incarcerated in a display cage. Also several retiles. Who are not cute. But they are sentient beings who haven't committed a crime. They don't deserve to be in prison. The seals haven't committed a crime. They don't deserve the death penalty. In 100 years I won't even be a footnote in this century's greatest social justice movement animal protection. But I'll be a part of it. And generations who follow will be able to hold up their heads in pride and say our forebears fought for the animals. I pray yours do not have to hang their heads in shame and say our forebears did nothing or worse opposed animal protection.

For those of you who are making spurious arguments that the seals need to be killed to prevent "overpopulation" here are some things for you to consider 1 Before humans became so dominant on Earth who were maintaining populations from the topdown? The answer other predators which by the way we have conveniently removed. I have always laughed at the argument that humans need to hunt deer "because they starve otherwise" considering we raise beef cattle on public lands and then shoot all the natural predators. If deer weren't forced to compete with beef cattle and if native predators like wolves weren't villified and persecuted there wouldn't be any overpopulation problem. 2 And as for whether it's preferable to have animals die from human or natural causes that's beside the point. When one species becomes dominant in an ecosystem it usually follows that there is a loss of biodiversity. We can safely say that humans are reducing biodiversity. The species that help to keep human populations and therefore human influence "in check" are few. 3 I notice how humans hold themselves separate from all other species when it comes to addressing overpopulation. Five billion people is way too much for this Earth to support for a sustained amount of time. 4 You really have no legitamate arguments for killing defenseless animals. You clearly have no science education and when other people do you can't fool them either. To all the animal lovers reading this I think we need to condemn prohunting arguments and the people who make them even when they are illiterate and obviously just trying to intimidate. You'd be surprized by the number of people who change to help other species when you spread both scientific literacy and compassion.

Wow Rob that's some hard hitting stuff. Not buying maple syrup and cereal?! You might have just secured your spot in heaven next to Che and Harvey Milk. You took one second out of your day at your local store and said no I will not take this. I will not sweeten my pancakes. No I will not have a bowl of your seal killing cereal. You stood up and shouted to the Gods that your act of Friday night activism will turn the tides. You paused your Tivo because you care. And I'm sure that Canada will pause and listen. They will stop and wonder why something feels different one morning. Somehow they'll feel empty. Like something is out of place. Then it will hit them. ROB didn't buy our maple syrup. Oh God you mean Rob didn't buy our cereal either? Then after a moment of silence the country of Canada will mourn the loss of Rob and the five dollars he was going to spend on their gross national budget.

To those who cite seal slaughter is merciful because of seal overpopulation There are how many billions of humans on the planet not only using but wasting resources that are not 'ours'? Oh and taking someone off life support who is suffering and has requested it is unethical? I think you get my point.

While at Trader Joe's shopping I put back the maple syrup I was going to buy Puffins cereal also both from Canada. We will never visit Canada again and many more feel this way. The boycott is on Canada wake the heck up!