And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Robert Eurich <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Though many on this list are surely no strangers to the kind of racial hatred that the Makah whale hunt has brought out, others of us are more removed from it in more ways than one. The following article, imo, does a good job of illustrating what the tone of the situation appears to be like in western Washington and helps to explain some related issues and concerns which, incidentally, aren't included in the excerpt. In reading the article I was reminded of some lyrics by Frank Zappa: "What is the ugliest part of your body? Some say it's your nose, some say it's your toes, but I think its your mind." <<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>> E-mails, phone messages full of threats, invective against whale tribe http://web3.stlnet.com/postnet/news/wires.nsf/National/C9D22EB9E084643586256 77D00377EEB?OpenDocument <clipped excerpt> May 26, 1999 | 5:31 a.m. By Alex Tizon (EDITORS: Some of the language below may be offensive to readers.) (ARCHIVE PHOTOS) (HAS TRIM) The Seattle Times (KRT) <clipped> Protesters fell into three broad categories: those who decried the killing of the whale, those who disapproved of how the whale was killed, and those who seemed to harbor a resentment, even hatred, toward the Makahs in particular and Indians in general. Most respondents fit into the first two categories. The third group was small, but big enough to warrant attention. Their letters are the kind seldom printed, partly because of an assumption they don't represent a large number of people. That assumption, many would argue, is wrong. At the same time, it's often impossible in heated conflicts involving race and culture to distinguish racist language from simple rage. When are rage and racism the same thing? When does protest become oppression? The lines between these can be fuzzy to begin with. When you throw into the core of the conflict a creature of exalted status such as a whale, then stir things up with fight-to-the-death conviction on all sides, the result is a complex and incendiary stew. Blood has spilled, and a door has opened to all manner of incivilities. The public discussion has become a free-for-all. Political correctness, for better or worse, has gone out the window. (EDITORS: BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM) Here are some samples of the third category. You judge whether they are racist. Ernie Denney, Everett: ``(To the Makahs) Maybe you can try just as hard at getting an education as you did training for the kill. Why don't you start a new tradition: take pride in yourselves . . . and work for a living instead of finding your courage in the death of a defenseless mammal or at the bottom of a bottle.'' Mark Morin, Redmond: ``I have a very real hatred for Native Americans now. It's embarrassing, but I would be lying if I said it wasn't the truth. What do you think will be my private thoughts deep inside my brain when a Native American drops off an application for a job with me?'' Steve Grimwood: ``These people want to rekindle their traditional way of life by killing an animal that has probably twice the mental capacity they have. These idiots need to use what little brains they have to do something productive besides getting drunk and spending federal funds to live on.'' Wendy and Erica (mother and daughter): ``Hey, I think we should also be able to take their land if they can take our whales. Publish this article but don't use our last names. We wouldn't want to lose our scalps.'' John and Edna Zawyrucha: ``Natives were often referred to as`savages,' and it seems little has changed. God Bless America and all those members of the Makah tribe who once again were successful in resurrecting latent feelings of racial hatreds!'' Dave Ferguson, Bremerton: ``If the Makahs are so stuck in the past . . . perhaps we should allow them to stay in the past and take all modern conveniences and luxuries away from them and see how long they last.'' Phillips Wylly, Pebble Beach, Calif.,: ``I am anxious to know where I may apply for a license to kill Indians. My forefathers helped settle the west and it was their tradition to kill every Redskin they saw. `The only good Indian is a dead Indian,' they believed. I also want to keep faith with my ancestors.'' Michael Christophersen, Seattle: ``They are a modernized welfare race. I personally hate the Makah Tribe. I hope and pray for a terrible end to the Makah Tribe, very slow and very painful.'' <end excerpt> -- American Indian Sports Team Mascots http://www.geocities.com/~earnestman/1indexpage.htm "Little drops of rain wear away the greatest of stones." Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
