Peter Keller of the hosting group Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN) gave a heart-breaking yet beautiful eulogy for the sea lions killed by commercial and sport fishermen, as follows:
Greetings ladies and gentlemen,
We are gathered here today to honor ten individuals whose lives have been tragically cut short over these past three months. Here in Puget Sound, ten of this region's most distinctive animals were found shot to death, their only crime being that they were born as sea lions, and merely living as nature intended.
No longer will they be able to experience the joys of the open sea, of lounging in the sun, playing on the shore, of catching fish. They were killed by predators, an invasive species not native to this region, one who thinks fish was theirs and theirs alone. Humans were responsible, the only species of animal that is motivated by greed, and it was greed that motivated them to shoot to death these unfortunate creatures.
Many top minds throughout history have said the greatness of a society can be judged by how well they treat animals, and the fact that we deem it appropriate to kill animals simply because we feel they are inconvenient really calls into question how far we've advanced.
Today we grieve not only the tragic death of these individuals, but we are here to pay homage to all animals who have paid the ultimate price in service of mankind's greed and arrogance.
The next time anyone encounters a dead animal, whether it be on the shores or fields with a bullet in its body, or it be shrink-wrapped on a grocery shelf, they should bow their heads in reverence to the life that was sacrificed, and make a pledge to stand up and say--the killing has got to stop.
Let us now give a moment of silence to honor the dead.
(pause)
Thank you very much, and let peace be with you.
This was followed by Anthony Marr's speech which began with: "The Funeral Motorcade for the Animals is a solemn event, conducted in the same spirit as a funeral for a loved one. It is for all the non-human sentient beings that have died at human hands, through the ages and right now. In our grief we speak, that all killings of sentient beings must end!" Anthony further elucidated that salmon comprise less than 5% of the sea lions' diet, and that sea lions in fact benefit the salmon by targeting the other two dozen species of predatory fish that prey upon salmonids in far greater quantities, concluding on that if anything needs to be sacrificed, it should be sport fishing, not sea lions
This brought about an article in the Seattle Tribune: "the Global Anti-Hunting Campaign is staging 'the first of 50 funeral motorcades for the animals' on Friday; it will proceed from Seattle's Volunteer Park in Seattle to Bellefields Nature Park in Bellevue. // I've always been curious about why these kind of demonstrations never target other predators. Tigers, for example – aside from napping excessively, they spend pretty much all their time hunting and killing sentient beings. Why do they get a pass? // This particular motorcade commemorates sea lions. Deer, I could see. Rabbits, I could see. But sea lions are carnivores, for heaven's sake. It's like weeping for Al Capone at a memorial for crime victims." Bearing in mind that any media coverage is good coverage, the flawed argument herein, which shoots itself in the foot, no pun intended, is terrific coverage.
The rainstorm did hit in the hour long return journey, and Anthony Marr, with 11 year old Tyson in the backseat of his motorcycle holding on to him for dear life, was soaked to his underwear and chilled to the bone, but for the sea lions, it was just a cake walk in the park.
Anthony Marr, Founder and President
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC)
Anthony-Marr@HOPE-CARE.org
www.HOPE-CARE.org
www.ARConference.org
www.MySpace.com/AnthonyMarr
www.YouTube.com/AnthonyMarr
www.myspace.com/Anti-Hunting_Coalition
www.facebook.com/Anthony.Marr.001
www.facebook.com/Anthony-Hunting_Coalition
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com (search for “Anthony Marr Heal Our Planet Earth”)
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