Whale- Mart Campaign
Wal Mart's involvement in whaling stems from its association with Seiyu, a chain of 400 supermarkets throughout Japan. According to a report by the Environmental Investigative Agency (EIA), over 95% of Seiyu outlets openly display whale meat for sale Wal Mart owns some 42% of Seiyu (37% two years ago) and five Wal Mart executives sit on Seiyu's Board of Directors. In other words, Wal Mart is deep in the whale meat trade, and a major driving force of Japanese whaling.
Anti-whaling is also a human concern, since whale meat is laden with mercury, dioxin and PCB, and Japan is force-feeding its own children with whale meat in their school lunch program, all to keep the whale-meat-eating tradition alive and the whale-killing industry thriving.
First off, It is an easy bet to say that over 90%, if not 99%, of Americans are against killing whales and dolphins for any reason. Therefore, Wal Mart Watch taking an anti-whaling stance can only enhance its reputation.
Second, the United States is itself an anti-whaling nation, and has always voted against commercial whaling at IWC conventions, as it will again in June this year. So, it is not a contentious political issue either. (By the way, the United States also has the laudable policy of banning the importation of seal products from Canada.) While on this subject, Japan has succeeded in buying enough votes from various Caribbean and African banana republics to likely gain majority control of the IWC this year on the point of re-opening commercial whaling, especially given that three anti-whaling nations - Costa Rica, Kenya and Peru - will likely be absent due to deliquent due-payment.
Third, whether or not Wal Mart Watch gets involved with this project at this juncture, media will sooner or later direct questions at Wal Mart Watch on the point of Wal Mart's involvement in the whale meat trade as a result of CARE-4, and Wal Mart Watch will have to state openly its stand on whaling anyway.
Also, since whale meat is a part of Wal Mart's trade, in other words, since Wal Mart is in the whale meat trade, it is in fact a relevant factor for Wal Mart Watch. So why not state it out front and be forthright about it?
Whale-Mart Campana
Wal Mart envolvimiento en la industria ballenera viene de su asociation con Seiyu, una cadena de 400 supermercados en todo Japon. Un reporte de la Agencia Investivativa Ambiental (EIA), demuestra que sobre un 95% de los supermercados Seiyu venden abiertamente exhibiendo carne de ballena. Wal Mart es dueno de un 42% deSeiyu (37% eran hace 2 anos) y cinco Wal Mart ejecutivos estan en Seiyu's Mesa de Directores. En otras palabras, Wal Mart esta profundamente envuelto en el comercio de carne de ballenas, y es un fuerte intrumento de la flota ballenera Japonesa.
La anti-industria ballenera es tambien por el bienestar, ya que la carne de ballena esta contaminada con toxicos como mercurio, dioxina y PCB, y Japan se lo esta forzando a comer a sus propios ninos en su programa escolar de almuerzo, todo para mantener la tradicion-comer- ballenas viva y la industria ballenera proliferando.
Primero, es facil decir que mas de un 90%, si no un 99%, de Estadounidenses estan contra la matanza de ballenas y delfines sin importar la razon.Asi que Wal Mart Watch tomando una actitud anti caza de ballenas solo puede darle mejor reputacion.
Segundo, Los Estados Unidos es una nacion a si misma anti ballenara, y siempre ha votado contra la caza comercial en el IWC (Commision Internacional ballenera), y empezara en Junio de este ano. Asi que no es un asuto politico tampoco. Por cierto cabe mencionar que los Estados Unidos tiene una ley muy fuerte prohibiendo la importacion de productos de focas de Canada. Mientras, en este tema Japon ha tenido gran exito comprando votos de varios paises Caribenos y Africa para ganar mayor control en el IWC este ano, al punto de que el IWC se vea forzado a levantar el moratorio de proteccion internacional a las ballenas (Que Japon ha ignorado todos estos anos), lo que permitiria su caza hasta extincion de las ballenas, especialmente desde que 3 paises anti balleneros : Costa Rica, Peru y Kenya, mas seguro es que esten ausentes por no poder pagar su membresia al IWC.
Tercero, si Wal Mart se envuelve en este projecto, los medios tarde o temprano van a tener cuestionamiento del Wal Mart's rol en el comercio de carne de ballena como resultado de CARE-4 (Tour del reconocido activista Chino-Canadiense Anthony Marr en los E.U de 7 meses), y Wal Mart va a tener abrirse francamente en su posicion en la industria ballenera.