actually comes from the People (ETA) who brought this ugly display using an Inuksuk clubbing a seal in protest of the seal hunt.
The defense that Peta (unwittingly, though quite hilariously) offers us is of course that permitting the seal hunt greatly increases the chances of all the cute little sea kittens born near Newfoundland this year to live to grow up to be . . . sea cats??
That's right Sea Kittens!
Thanks for the ammo PETA!
This is all kinds of proof of the real lunacy of this operation.
SEA KITTENS!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
ITK replacement idea
Full disclosure up front: I became a terrible employee of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK). It's the truth. It didn't start out that way, but it is what was. But I actually wanted to work for the organization I'm about to try to fillet and repackage with all the nasty scales and tails removed. I know people who work there now, and I will not say whether I think their job should stay or go or disappear, but if you're one of the first to read this from there, I think you'd be OK. At least at another location.
Inuit in Canada are lucky enough a group to be able to have just 4 regional associations. These are variously subdivided, but when Inuit make big decisions in Canada it involves the IRC, NTI, Makivik and Nunatsiavut. The four cover a large area, but there are about 50,000 people, and when the 4 groups meet the process is fairly simple.
The Assembly of First Nations on the other hand is comprised of many Nations, across all of Canada, totalling about 750,000 people. When they get together simple isn't quite what happens.
The two groups of People are in completely different situations, so why does the national Inuit organzation think it should act like the AFN? Why should the organizations rival each other in size? Simple math says ITK should be about 1/15th the size of the AFN.
It's not all simple math, but I think math needs to take a larger role in how Inuit represent ourselves nationally.
We want to educate where the seal hunt protesters are, at least, misinformed. Groups like the IFAW devote considerable funds to (at least) help spread misinformation. We need to devote funds that at least pretend to begin to compare to those dollars.
When the Sea Shepherds say what they'll say about whale hunting we need to say what we need to say in response. The man who heads that organization isn't a moron. He too has funds to spend. Plenty enough to have ships, anyway. Where are we going to get money like that? Or something even close?
Probably nowhere. But I propose that if ITK took stock of itself and slimmed (way) down it could refocus energy, funds, and ideas. ITK needs to stop being an Inuit organization out of place (not everywhere with (maybe) 1000 Inuit gets an organization) and instead a lobbying group that fits in Ottawa.
IRC, NTI, Makivik, Nunatsiavut; they're all fully capable of handling the representation of Inuit. ITK's role in the activities of those 4 groups can be replaced with liasons who work with each other, separately, when it comes to communications. There may be some roles that need to be transferred from ITK to one of the regional organizations, bringing with them the funding.
ITK was important 40 years ago. Back then there was no Makivik, no IRC, no NTI, and no Nunatsiavut. Funny thing when you're important to a cause that no longer exists: your purpose no longer exists. So ITK's purpose needs to change.
With the limited funds allotted to our limited population and the limited funds available to ITK, we need a streamlined, well prepared, quick acting, lobbyist and communications team. I'm not advocating that anyone there now still work there. If the chart hasn't shifted.
But ITK needs to make Educating The World With The Truth About Canadian Inuit its SOLE purpose. Decentralize, no REcentalize certain aspects of ITK not replicable with existing staff in the north. Become a straight lobbying group whose business expenditures are predominately PR/education/lobbying/communications, and the rest office supplies and maintenance costs.
Since ignorance is the barrier to fixing a lot of the problems that Inuit face, and will face, why does ITK do anything else? Let the regional organizations decide what Inuit in Canada want, and do so by communicating directly. In these days of light speed communication of ideas and thoughts cheaply across the country, there's no need for an Inuit information clearinghouse.
What we need is less ITK. And this isn't a new idea. Back when it didn't need to show XXXXXXX amount of expenditures to maintain (relatively) huge rolls coming in there were a few people there. With a few of the right people there, ITK could be an effective and effecient counter to campaigns, like the IFAW anti-sealing crusade, that are detrimental to the health of Inuit and our communities.
Inuit in Canada are lucky enough a group to be able to have just 4 regional associations. These are variously subdivided, but when Inuit make big decisions in Canada it involves the IRC, NTI, Makivik and Nunatsiavut. The four cover a large area, but there are about 50,000 people, and when the 4 groups meet the process is fairly simple.
The Assembly of First Nations on the other hand is comprised of many Nations, across all of Canada, totalling about 750,000 people. When they get together simple isn't quite what happens.
The two groups of People are in completely different situations, so why does the national Inuit organzation think it should act like the AFN? Why should the organizations rival each other in size? Simple math says ITK should be about 1/15th the size of the AFN.
It's not all simple math, but I think math needs to take a larger role in how Inuit represent ourselves nationally.
We want to educate where the seal hunt protesters are, at least, misinformed. Groups like the IFAW devote considerable funds to (at least) help spread misinformation. We need to devote funds that at least pretend to begin to compare to those dollars.
When the Sea Shepherds say what they'll say about whale hunting we need to say what we need to say in response. The man who heads that organization isn't a moron. He too has funds to spend. Plenty enough to have ships, anyway. Where are we going to get money like that? Or something even close?
Probably nowhere. But I propose that if ITK took stock of itself and slimmed (way) down it could refocus energy, funds, and ideas. ITK needs to stop being an Inuit organization out of place (not everywhere with (maybe) 1000 Inuit gets an organization) and instead a lobbying group that fits in Ottawa.
IRC, NTI, Makivik, Nunatsiavut; they're all fully capable of handling the representation of Inuit. ITK's role in the activities of those 4 groups can be replaced with liasons who work with each other, separately, when it comes to communications. There may be some roles that need to be transferred from ITK to one of the regional organizations, bringing with them the funding.
ITK was important 40 years ago. Back then there was no Makivik, no IRC, no NTI, and no Nunatsiavut. Funny thing when you're important to a cause that no longer exists: your purpose no longer exists. So ITK's purpose needs to change.
With the limited funds allotted to our limited population and the limited funds available to ITK, we need a streamlined, well prepared, quick acting, lobbyist and communications team. I'm not advocating that anyone there now still work there. If the chart hasn't shifted.
But ITK needs to make Educating The World With The Truth About Canadian Inuit its SOLE purpose. Decentralize, no REcentalize certain aspects of ITK not replicable with existing staff in the north. Become a straight lobbying group whose business expenditures are predominately PR/education/lobbying/communications, and the rest office supplies and maintenance costs.
Since ignorance is the barrier to fixing a lot of the problems that Inuit face, and will face, why does ITK do anything else? Let the regional organizations decide what Inuit in Canada want, and do so by communicating directly. In these days of light speed communication of ideas and thoughts cheaply across the country, there's no need for an Inuit information clearinghouse.
What we need is less ITK. And this isn't a new idea. Back when it didn't need to show XXXXXXX amount of expenditures to maintain (relatively) huge rolls coming in there were a few people there. With a few of the right people there, ITK could be an effective and effecient counter to campaigns, like the IFAW anti-sealing crusade, that are detrimental to the health of Inuit and our communities.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Anti-Seal-Hunt-Protest
I have a problem with Inuit fighting against huge "environmental" or "animal welfare" groups, and I left a note under the above post over at Stageleft.
As another commenter mentions, the IFAW rakes in millions and millions (and millions) of dollars every year. We're going to fight them with a couple of volunteer students ayayaing and drum-dancing and blindly protesting (just as blindly as the original protesters) the hunt protesters?
These students go to pariament hill every year now (most from Nunavut Sivuniksavut, which today is a noble idea in theory, a more dubious one in practice) and protest the protest. But the students, as far as my personal experience goes, are just as ignorant of the facts on their side as the anti-hunt folks are about the facts on their side.
Rational thought does not rule the day for ANYONE when the IFAW and a few Inuit students/workers from Ottawa "clash" on parliament hill.
I posted some questions in my comment on Sl, and they go like this:
"Which “local Inuit economies” will be destroyed?
I have a problem with Inuit fighting against huge "environmental" or "animal welfare" groups, and I left a note under the above post over at Stageleft.
As another commenter mentions, the IFAW rakes in millions and millions (and millions) of dollars every year. We're going to fight them with a couple of volunteer students ayayaing and drum-dancing and blindly protesting (just as blindly as the original protesters) the hunt protesters?
These students go to pariament hill every year now (most from Nunavut Sivuniksavut, which today is a noble idea in theory, a more dubious one in practice) and protest the protest. But the students, as far as my personal experience goes, are just as ignorant of the facts on their side as the anti-hunt folks are about the facts on their side.
Rational thought does not rule the day for ANYONE when the IFAW and a few Inuit students/workers from Ottawa "clash" on parliament hill.
I posted some questions in my comment on Sl, and they go like this:
"Which “local Inuit economies” will be destroyed?
Who are these folks who will suffer “great personal financial hardship”?
What predictors did you use to conclude that the seal pelt market will die?
If it does die, why would an “Inuit exemption” not help?
If I asked the young women in the video these questions as they tried to hand me their counter-propaganda-propaganda, would they have been able to give me a coherent answer?"
-------------------------
Everyone I've asked these questions (and were at these protest-protests) couldn't answer them in any articulate or knowledgable way, resorting, as the protestors do, to one-line dismissals of their ignorance and further repetition of the lines they've memorized.
Maybe the girls in Sl's video are different (I know for a fact that at least one of them is an intelligent, thoughtful person.) Maybe they could answer those questions.
But when you're competing with folks who will call you a "cannibal", you can't use reason.
The protests (made famous by Bridget Bardot) were reactionary campaigns aimed at stopping a horrible practice (no Inuk would say it's OK to commit mass-slaughter of whitecoats). Their reactionary campaign is now a pro-active campaign.
It is the anti-anti-seal-hunt folks who are now in the reactionary camp. And their reactions are (in typical Inuk fashion) subdued, quiet, and conciliatory. From the "top" down.
You're not going to win a shouting match with whispers. Especially if those whispers are not fully informed and practiced.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
A list I thought of
somewhere. Anyway, this is a list of songs you don't want coming to mind when you're on the crapper (in no particular order):
Like a Rock – Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
Cuts Like a Knife – Bryan Adams
Burnin’ for You – Blue Oyster Cult
King of Pain – The Police
I’m on Fire – Bruce Springsteen
Hot, Hot, Hot, – The Cure
Hurt So Good – John Cougar Mellencamp
Another Brick in the Wall – Pink Floyd
I Wanna be Sedated – The Ramones
Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash
I kept it to more familiar names. Bet I missed some. What are they? Help me out.
Like a Rock – Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
Cuts Like a Knife – Bryan Adams
Burnin’ for You – Blue Oyster Cult
King of Pain – The Police
I’m on Fire – Bruce Springsteen
Hot, Hot, Hot, – The Cure
Hurt So Good – John Cougar Mellencamp
Another Brick in the Wall – Pink Floyd
I Wanna be Sedated – The Ramones
Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash
I kept it to more familiar names. Bet I missed some. What are they? Help me out.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Been to a Sens game lately?
In the kind of seat where the picture was taken from. Check out what our seats are gonna look like from there. They're worth it.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Canucks get McIver back
My one sports fanaticism is the Vancouver Canucks, who today traded pressbox regular Mike Brown for tough d-man Nathan McIver who was lost by the Canucks to Anaheim through waivers. Trade a mostly unused tough forward for a tough, passable 6/7th d-man. This can spell only one thing.
Shane O'Brien is on his way out. Too bad, he's been slow of late, but he certainly has not shown that he's lower on the chart than Davison, the guy who's replaced him in the line-up as he's been banished to the pressbox.
What I hope it also means is that a scoring forward is joining the team, an earlier than trade-deadline-day trade deadline deal. O'Brien is not a slouch, and on some teams he's the 4th d-man. And (by the day, less-)highly touted speedster, Mason Raymond, who does nothing but skate fast, and prospects like Jannik Hansen, and even Michael Grabner and picks can fetch a good 6th forward.
That moves Pyatt to the new third line with Burrows and Hansen (or whoever) or headlining the 4th line. The way a guy like him should be positioned.
PS I have two tickets to the Ottawa Senators vs. Vancouver Canucks game, February 19th, that we paid good dollar for (by mistake, actually) and we'd like to sell them to someone we know will be fun to sit 2nd Row by the Canucks bench with. If you know someone, (Robin, looking at you) who would be interested, let me know.
Shane O'Brien is on his way out. Too bad, he's been slow of late, but he certainly has not shown that he's lower on the chart than Davison, the guy who's replaced him in the line-up as he's been banished to the pressbox.
What I hope it also means is that a scoring forward is joining the team, an earlier than trade-deadline-day trade deadline deal. O'Brien is not a slouch, and on some teams he's the 4th d-man. And (by the day, less-)highly touted speedster, Mason Raymond, who does nothing but skate fast, and prospects like Jannik Hansen, and even Michael Grabner and picks can fetch a good 6th forward.
That moves Pyatt to the new third line with Burrows and Hansen (or whoever) or headlining the 4th line. The way a guy like him should be positioned.
PS I have two tickets to the Ottawa Senators vs. Vancouver Canucks game, February 19th, that we paid good dollar for (by mistake, actually) and we'd like to sell them to someone we know will be fun to sit 2nd Row by the Canucks bench with. If you know someone, (Robin, looking at you) who would be interested, let me know.
My other pursuits
Check out these places for me:
http://www.myspace.com/moshafolger
http://www.alienfatherseskimo.com/mosha
That's me for now
http://www.myspace.com/moshafolger
http://www.alienfatherseskimo.com/mosha
That's me for now
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