Originally posted on A Matter of Opinion

OK, blog-mates, enough procrastinating for me. Here's something to chew on:

The wounded whale was headed toward the Pacific Ocean when it died due to being shot 21 times and harpooned by five members of the Makah tribe (Sept. 9). These five so-called Native Americans deserve the severest penalties provided by law. Their elders and ancestors must be weeping with shame. Their cultural rights may have been restored by an 1855 treaty with the federal government, but how about the wounded, bleeding whale that finally died due to this cowardly act? I for one think it is time the immigrants from Asia assimilate into the culture of the country in which they live. They have their special rights, their reservations, their nontaxable status and affirmative action, not to mention their gambling cartel. I guess in a way one should thank these punks because of the disgust the rest of us have for their mean-spirited, cowardly act. We can only hope some good can come from exposing these five as having committed a crime even the federal government cannot protect from our outrage.

Howard Roach
Spokane

Question: Which will win out: cultural sensitivity to the tribal traditions or concern for the whale population?

AP photo

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