Column: Respect Makah Nation's hunting rights
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Filed Under:
Opinion
"Imagine if the government said nobody could fire a gun while it spent untold years studying the social and environmental effects of gun use.
Even if you think that's a fine idea, imagine the protest there'd be about government tyranny.Folks would go around defiantly blasting off pistols, quoting Charlton Heston or the Second Amendment. And they'd have a point.
It's roughly how the Makah Indians feel about now.
The Makahs' freedom issue isn't guns, but whales. They are a sovereign nation with a treaty right to go whaling. Treaty rights are different than constitutional rights, but they're in the same league. They can be regulated, managed, overseen. Yet they are "the supreme law of the land." They're not supposed to be denied.
But the government isn't letting the Makahs whale. The hunt has been barred since 2003, while the feds spend untold years studying the social and environmental effects of whaling.
Imagine if one of your rights — say, the right to call me a whale hater — was suspended while the government studied free speech. You'd be seething."
Get the Story:
Danny Westneat: Makahs' right must be honored
(The Seattle Times 3/26)
Another Story:
Tribal pretrial conference postponed for five Makah whalers (The Peninsula Daily News 3/26)
Relevant Documents:
Tribal
Council Statement |
Makah
Tribal Whale Hunt |
Marine
Mammal Protection Act
Court Decisions:
Anderson
v. Evans (June 7, 2004) |
Anderson
v. Evans (December 20, 2002)
Relevant Links:
Makah Nation -
http://www.makah.com
Related Stories:
Makah whalers reject plea deal for illegal hunt
(3/25)
Makah whaling case set for
trial in two courts (03/17)
Judge reduces
charges in Makah whaling case (2/20)
Federal court delays trial for unauthorized
whalers (01/25)
Opinion: Makah Nation
shouldn't hunt whales (1/22)
Makah
Nation delays trial for unauthorized hunt (1/21)
Makah chairman confident of tribe's return to
whaling (1/14)
Makah whalers plead not
guilty for illegal hunt (12/12)
Makah
Nation charges five for unauthorized hunt (11/27)
Rogue Makah whalers seek delay in federal trial
(11/12)
Editorial: Makah hunters to pay price
for illegal hunt (10/8)
Rogue Makah
hunters indicted on federal charges (10/5)
Opinion: Makah Nation has treaty right to hunt
(10/5)
Federal probe into Makah whale
hunt ongoing (09/18)
Editorial: Makah
Nation must punish rogue hunters (9/14)
Letters: Readers discuss illegal Makah whale hunt
(9/14)
Makah leaders hopeful after
Washington meetings (9/13)
Column: Makah
Nation shouldn't hunt whales (9/13)
Makah Nation hires former Slade Gorton aide
(9/12)
Editorial: Illegal hunt may be
last for Makah Nation (9/12)
Unauthorized hunt likely to delay action on permit
(9/11)
Editorial: Makah Nation reacts
swiftly to rogue hunt (9/11)
Editorial:
Illegal whale hunters must be punished (9/11)
Makah Nation blasts unauthorized whale hunt
(9/10)
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