On a related note, I saw a story on some celebrity news show about Hayden Panettiere (the girl from the "Heroes" tv show) protesting a whale hunt in Japan.  They said she could get arrested if she goes back there.  (Here is one video about it: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5712255442799606543&q=hayden+panettiere+whales&total=65&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0).

When I heard the headline, I was ready to write this one off as a publicity stunt of some sort, but they actually showed a pretty compelling clip of her crying hysterically as she got out of the water after her protest.  Anyway I just thought that was something different to hear about among the other celebrity news garbage.  I hope it brings some attention to this cruelty, at least.  :-\

Just another reason for me to be proud that I'm a human.

This is sort of a (very long) sidenote, but I'm tired of reading/hearing "tradition" used as a cultural excuse to continue killing animals. Like the excuse of "scientific research," as Heliaphora noted, it is a "cheap cover-up" for making a profit from bloodshed.

Japan also argues that whaling is a Japanese tradition dating to the early 1600s

This reminds me of some news that occured here in Washington a while back. Five members of the Washington Makah Tribe murdered a gray whale by harpooning and shooting it twenty times with a rifle (some say it was done with a machine gun....in any case, a firearm was used...WTF?!). Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act whaling is banned, but the tribe has been seeking to get a waiver so they can be made the exception and allowed to hunt whales. The tribe has condemned the five tribal members who committed the crime, however, only because they feel the act of the five "unruly" members will delay and "hurt lobbying efforts" while they attempt to win the waiver to hunt whales.

Anyway, my point is that, again, "tradition" is being used as an excuse to kill. This is what one of the five murderous members had to say for himself:

Johnson, 54, said he had no regrets — other than waiting so many years to do it.

“I’m not ashamed,” he told The Times. “I’m feeling kind of proud. ... I should have done it years ago. I come from a whaling family, on my grandmother’s side and my grandfather’s side. It’s in the blood.”

I know the Native Americans had it rough and Americans took away their land...and I have respect for their culture...but does that mean the animals need to suffer for keeping their tradition alive? Does tradition justify the bloodshed and suffering of an animal? I'm sure they have other more peaceful and less bloody traditions they can focus on keeping alive.

http://rss.msnbc.msn.com/id/20664162/
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/331408_makah13.html

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I could barely watch that video on dolphins. That was one of the most difficult things to watch that I've seen so far. The prolonged suffering...there are no words for that kind of pain. No words.

I've just watched the dolphin video and am sitting here in tears and feeling very sick.  These animals are easily as intelligent as humans and certainly more humane.  I need to sign up to something right now!