Seal hunting's okay by me

I'm writing in response to the advertisement in your paper about the seal hunt by CATCSH [Nov. 13].

First of all, the harp seal herd off the north coast of Newfoundland is the largest herd of animals of any kind anywhere in the world. There are millions (literally) of them there. The increasing population of seals over the last 15 years has been listed as one factor leading to the crash of the cod stocks that shut down the fishing industry and threw 30,000 Newfoundlanders out of work. Harp seals are not in any way whatsoever endangered and a commercial hunt will not put them in danger.

Second, the seal hunt is a proud part of Newfoundland's history. For many people, it was the only source of income they would receive during the year. Today, Newfoundland continues to suffer from the highest unemployment levels in the country, and probably the highest in the western world. If a few entrepreneurs can find a market for seals and revive a small industry which will give a few weeks work to a couple of hundred people, then I support them fully and congratulate them for their efforts.

Third, why should killing seals be any worse than killing cows or chickens or deer? Why don't these people go after an industry that is big enough that shutting it down will actually have an impact? There are more deer killed in Quebec every year, just for the fun of it, than there are seals killed by the commercial hunt. Why focus energy on the seal industry? Because seals are cute, and that makes it easier to raise money.

Finally, I must remind people that in attacking the fur industry, you are not simply attacking unemployed Newfoundlanders and rich old ladies walking down Ste-Catherine. For many First Nations people trapping is the only source of income, and it is incredibly unrealistic to think that an endless source of economic opportunities can be created in isolated Native communities. Trapping lets people continue to live off the land, and earn an income from a traditional activity. Greenpeace already devastated many Inuit communities in the '70s and '80s with its anti-sealing protests. Are we going to be sucked in and let it happen all over again?

­Leoance White

Reality sucks, so use drugs

Allow me to respond to Benet Davetian's letter ["Bad Drugs," (e)Mail, Nov. 20] about Mireille Silcott's "Safety Dance" article: it sounds to me like you read Silcott's article backwards and heard Satan's hidden message.

Seems to me that if, and when, you become a parent you'll find yourself mysteriously alienated from your kids and not knowing why they're not listening to your good hard common sense. Perhaps you're pining for the good ol' days when Reagan's media hype machine was featuring piping-hot sloganeering (remember "Just Say NO!"?). As my eyes fog into my newest designer drug fix, I notice that your name looks something like "Branch Davidian." Am I hitting the right vein?

The more I read your "upright" words, the more they feel to me like bricks. What is this crap about "personal and public resolve to end drug consumption?" Don't you get it? Gravity hurts! And this world ain't gettin' any lighter with your kind of thinking. Hold their hands, for Chrissakes. Don't you know what your voice sounds like when you lecture?

Sounds like you'd rather spike the "reality" you preach and sacrifice a few lives as an example than actually communicate a message to someone who doesn't think like you. Besides, maybe you haven't noticed how things work up here on the surface, but the "liberal" weekly at which you are pointing your craggy claw is the one in which I was horrified to discover your crusty opinion actually printed, and the same one in which you're presently reading my "jaded" rebuttal. This is called free speech.

­Tom Walsh

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My letter could be a response to the Mirror's recent article on club drugs ["Safety Dance," Nov.13]. People cop a buzz because reality is not sufficiently engaging their full capabilities and is an embracing of their own sense of powerlessness. When work becomes a daily chance to get paid to hang out with and increase the prosperity of people whose company you enjoy, while putting bucks in your own pocket, you forget about getting high.

Creating universes is more fun than walking into walls and spewing into commodes.

­Walter O'Brien