4 .- Wednesday, bebrusry 17, 1988 - North Share News _ © strictly pers PAUL WATSON arouses a lot of passion among the so- called objective local media. But when they are really mad, they ignore him. { have a theory about this. Have had for years, actually. But this gives me an excuse to expound it again. Tt is that the media, generally speaking, are terribly unfair, emo- tionally and outrageously fad- driven, What's out is out and what's in is in, regardless, often, of the actual news merit of a situa- tion. Watson has, in fact, just pulled off a iovely, lovely number. He handed himself over to the Icelandic police, saying, if you guys are going around saying I'm a terrorist just because my, men scuttled your whaling fleet, go ahead and arrest me. The press interpreted this to mean he was ‘‘daring’’ the Icelanders to grab him. More to the point, he was drawing interna- tional attention to the fact that Iceland had been — until then — quietly plotting with Japan, Russia, the Faroe Islands and Iceland to set up an ‘‘alternative™’ International Whaling Commis- sion, now that they have lost the war at the real IWC. And who would be attending this little cabal of vanquished whaling mafia? Of course: Canada! Canada! the sleaze-bag to end all sleaze-bags of nations when it comes to the historical question of, how the whales of Planet Earth were just barely saved toward the end of the 20th Century (if, in . fact, they are)! Even though recent ex-whaling countries like Spain, South Korea and Greenland had the grace to refuse to attend such a witch's dance of embittered whate-killers, Canada, after having ignominously dropped out of the [WC, rather than line up on the side of the angels, was creeping in through the back door where the sore losers gather. Yes, we actually sent a del- egation! Wham! On the eve of this hush-hush ‘‘underground"’ whate pirate gathering, Watson arrives, thunderously surrendcring himsclf to poor aggrieved Iccland, victim of his group’s ‘terrorist’ attack last year. Canada’s ‘‘environment’’ minister Tam Siddon hasn‘t been answering his phone since. It was the sweetest picce of global media politics/theatre these weary peepers have scen in ycars ce E ven though recent ex- whaling countries like Spain, South Korea and Greenland had the grace to refuse to attend ... (Canada) was creeping in through the back door where the sore losers gather,”’ PEREIRA ree and years. : After everyone giving him hell for sabotaging those whaling ships in Iceland, suddenly there is con- sternation in snti-whaling circles. He has turned the tables. By being willing to face imprisonment in ivcland, Watson called their bluff. The fact was, Iceland was carry- ing out illegal whaling, with a scientific cover fraudulently pasted-over its operations. Watson was hustled off to jail by the chief immigration officer of Iceland, who apologized with the words: ‘‘Captain Watson, you’lf know I'm just a deck-hand, | have to fojlow my arders.”* From the moment he stepped off the plane in Reykjavik, Watson had the initiative. He was wearing his dark blue navy officer’s uniform, for the completely logical reason that there was likely be far less pushing around if he was in uniform. : He was as pleasant as could be. - When he was asked at the im- migration desk how long he was & Your child can do better in school! Give your child or teenager two hours a week at Sylvan Learning Centre, and soon he'll be mastering the basic learning skills needed for success at school. Diaguostic Testing & Individualized Instruction Bf Personal Attention @ State-of-the-Art Learning Materials @ Convenient Scheduling. @ Unique Reward System Sylvan Learning Centre programmes now enrolling: & Reading Syivan gj Learning i Centre* mp Une T ian PRR ko eee tg TAS Algebra 6 Study Skills 201-1217 Lonsdale Ave. : North Vancouver nale intending to stay in Iceland, he said, politely: ‘Five minutes, five days, five years. It’s entirely up to you."” He was given silent clear- ance and was escorted into the hands of the police. What Watson was doing, of course, was forcing the Icclandic government fo cither you-know- what or get off the pot. They had called him a terrorist and accused him of criminal activity. Here he was, delivering himself, saying: Okay, go ahead. Charge mc. They questioned him -- politely — from 7 p.m, to 2a.m. When they asked him if he was responsi- ble fos the sinking of the whaling ships, he said: ‘‘Yes, and we'll do it again.** Why didn't the Icelandic gov- ernment charge him? They had him. Intead, they packed him off to New York, with an order barr- ing him from all Scandinavian countries for five ycars. Why? On what grounds? If he is not guilty of anything criminal, why is he banned? If he is a ter- rorist, why didn't they clap him in jail? The obvious reason is that Iceland knows damned well its continued whaling operation was outside of international law and Watson was, in fact, as he claims, acting unofficially on behalf of the legitimate IWC — which, note, did not condemn his action. i think, with this, Paul Watson has proven himscif beyond a doubt the foremost environmental ac- tivist of his time @ ; WALLPAPER OUR REGULAR LOW SELLING CLOVERDALE PREMIUM EGGSHELL FINISH Easy to apply, scrubbable, low sheen for living, dining and bed- fooms. q 01143 Regular $3298 1629 Lonsdale Avenue Across from SuperValu EUROPEAN FACIAL Lach treatment ts designed specially for you, using only the finest $ ] 999 and the purest ingredients. SCULPTURED NAILS 55 g99 SUNTANNING — sy999 10 Suntan sessions. Sy ="| Chez Elfe estuetics & #10-636 Clyde Ave. 922-1225 (West Van, Park Royal area) SALE OATES: FEBRUARY 5 TO FEBRUARY 28, 1968 All Wallpaper Cloverdale has one of BOOK the best selections of wallpaper stock and books. 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