The Not So Great, Great Paul Watson

If you want to know how great Paul Watson is, just ask him. He'll be more than happy to tell you.

In memory of fellow Paul Watson exposer, Peter Webster.

Inspired by a post on Portland Indy Media by Jim Lockhart.

A BIG THANKS to my wife, Shusli, for turning me on to this post.


PAUL WATSON IS A "POS"!

I first heard of Paul Watson on KBOO. He was being interviewed by Andrew Geller as he was heading up the coast to go fight against the Makah whaling effort. During this conversation, Paul Watson seemed like a pretty interesting fella. Something didn't seem altogether right about him, but then show me an activist where everything is altogether right about them. Then Paul made a comment that taught me to hate him forever, "We've become the Indians and the Indians have become the cavalry." Odd, however, the Indians were not seeking to slaughter women and children as the cavalry so bravely had in the past. But after the Makah got their one and only whale, a little incident happened in Forks, Washington.

After the whale was taken in May of '99, me, Skip Mahawk, and my ex-wife headed up to Neah Bay to get some of our own answers. Skip knew a fella in Forks and we stopped on the way. There we were informed by this man's wife that she worked or volunteered for Neah Bay's Head Start. They had brought a bus load of children down to Forks to watch a local school baseball game. When they pulled into town, there was a group of anti-Makah whaling protesters. These brave and glorious protesters seeing that the words "Makah Head Start" were printed on the side of the bus bravely attacked. They hit the sides of the bus with their protest signs screaming threats to the children (all aged 6 years and under) and few adults inside as well as numerous racial epithets. The bus load of kids managed to escape before the glorious and brave protesters could tear the little kiddies limb from limb. Now, who has become the cavalry?

We had brought some recording equipment with us, and Skip's friend gave us the name of a fella in Neah Bay that would be willing to talk with us. Mr. H. (not using his full name for his and his family's safety) had a lot to say about how the community had reawakened in the renewing of their whale hunting rights. More singing of traditional songs, less drinking and drugs, less depression, etc. They also told us of how Sea Shepherd Folk managed to force themselves into schools in Neah Bay to preach their anti-Indian anti-whaling propaganda to the kids up there. Mr H. also informed us of how the great Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd Society and the Sea Defense Alliance and others would harass their ceremonies prior to and after the successful whale hunt. Those brave SELF-PROCLAIMED white Indians Paul Watson and his various thug allies, how quaint. I also asked Mr. H. about Alberta "Binky" Thompson.

You all remember "Binky" Thompson, right? I'm sure the great Paul Watson has forgotten his little Red N**ger tool by now. As the issue of the whale hunt was coming to a head, the great Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Society paraded a Makah elder around to denounce her own peoples efforts. I saw "Binky" speak at the "End Corporate Dominance" conference at Portland State University. Little old grandma crying for the whales and denouncing her culture and her people. She also claimed that pro-whalers had killed her dog, though she had absolutely no proof, and I bought it, kinda, at first. I gave "Binky" a hug, and so did a whole lot of other folk. But something just doesn't sit right with me when someone accuses a specific group of committing a crime that they can't prove when they have an agenda.

Mr. H. told us what he knew about Alberta "Binky" Thompson. Makah people had little respect for Alberta Thompson as an elder because she never did anything to warrant respect from the people. I asked about her safety in Neah Bay, where she lived, considering what she had done. Mr. H. said people just leave her alone like they always did. There was no threat to her safety. (I saw her at "Makah Days" a few weeks later and she was sitting around eating and having a good time pretty much by herself).

Paul Watson attached himself and his organization to "Binky" because he realized he could use her as a propaganda tool not against her own people, but to convince non-Indians that Makah elders were against the whaling and those against the whaling were being terrorized by the pro-whaling Makah. So the Sea Shepherd Society takes "Binky" on tours of their boat and offer her all sorts of little gifts and lots of undeserved unwarranted attention for one reason and one reason only, so they can use her as a tool for their own ends of attempting to stop Makah Whaling. I have only a basic understanding of psychology and the patterns in which people behave having studied them in personal life and in the greater civilization through observation, reading, and history, and so I don't come up with this accusation by simply pulling it out of my ass. It is a common method to use someone as a tool for people to gain an ends to their own means. In my opinion, however, the ends was not, is not, and never really has been getting the Makah to stop their whale hunt, especially in the case of the great racist Paul Watson.

[side note: I wonder if in that new TV show about the great (big fat and ugly) Paul Watson if he ever has had his little Red N**ger token on, Alberta "Binky" Thompson. I kind of doubt it because "Binky," being accused (and rightfully so) of being an attention whore herself, just might take away some of the attention from where it should be, on the great Paul Watson.]

Armed with this information, I started listening carefully to lectures by the great Paul Watson. I started noticing a pattern. Paul Watson was talking about the great Paul Watson. If you get a chance, and you will if you go to the Portland Indy Media article linked above, listen to Paul Watson talk about how great he is. Whales seem only a back drop in the life of the great Paul Watson according bo Paul Watson. However, you will notice that the great Paul Watson is proven a liar by Ward Churchill.

Paul Waston wrote a book about one of his favorite subjects, Paul Watson. In this book he claims to have been at Wounded Knee during the seige of '73. Even makes a few statements about events that actually happened during this time. Claims he was given a name by Wallace Black Elk during a sweat. That name was "Grey Wolf Clearwater." Paul said that Wallace told the great Paul Watson that he was on this earth to save the Buffalo of the sea, aka, whales. Odd, however, no one who was actually at Wounded Knee in '73 remembers the great Paul Watson. Now, for anyone who has been in a high stress situation such as a seige and a firefight, you are gonna remember those around you, especially someone as great as the great Paul Watson, wouldn't you think? Why doesn't anyone who was actually there remember him? Ward does claim that Paul could have been amongst the many folk who came and offered aid to those beseiged but was gone within 24 hours. It is a possibility, but rather doubtful. Ward Churchill asked Wallace about the naming and Wallace stated that he didn't name anyone during that seige. In fact, Wallace stated he wouldn't have given anyone two names ever and he especially would not have named him Clearwater, considering Frank Clearwater. It would seem that again, Indians are just a tool for the great Paul Watson to agrandize the life of the great Paul Watson. Red N**gers are just tools, tokens, and backdrops (just like whales) in the life of the great Paul Watson.

During this time there was a misinformation propaganda campaign enacted by the anti-whaling organizations. At the e-law conference panel about the whaling just prior to the taking of the whale, the great Paul Watson was telling the folk that the hunt was illegal, a clear and provable lie. Article 6, section 2 of the U.S. constitution states that treaties are "the supreme law of the land." In the Makah treaty it states that with the theivery of most their lands under the illegal conquest and occupation of the U.S. government that the Makah maintain their right to hunt whales. To state that the Makah have no legal right is to state that the U.S. constitution is a lie.

Also stated was that the whale hunt was gonna kill more whales. The Makah received their quota from indigenous Russians. The Makah could take 20 a year for five years, even though the indigenous Russian group actually gave up 120. 1, count them, 1 whale was taken in that five year period. That means 119 whales were NOT killed during that time.

Johnathan Paul was trying to propagandize on behalf of his Sea Defense Alliance organization that the Indians were going to sell products made from the whale. Funny, the Makah had sent their lawyer to sit on the panel (the Makah were too terrified to come themselves because of the actual Cavalry mentality of the alleged activist community toward them). When asked to respond, this is what he said, and I paraphrase from memory: "It is true the Makah asked me to ask the International Whaling Commission if they could sell products made form the whale because they have a treaty right to do so. So I asked. The commission said no. I told the tribe what the commission said, and they were fine with that. They will not be selling any products made from the whale." (Later, Jonathan Paul and I almost got in a fight behind the law building at the U of O. The great Paul Watson's ex wife was even involved. I forget what her name was as she was screaming at me and those with me that she was 1/8th Cherokee and therefore had some sort of supremacy over the Makah [never clearly explained]. Then again, her name doesn't really matter in the life of the great Paul Watson). It wasn't until after our little vocal altercation was ended (being photographed prolifically by a photographer from the Register Gard, though I do not believe any were published) that I noticed Jonathan Paul's bicep was about as big as my head. I have since joked with many a person that he may have sent me to the hospital had we come to fisticuffs, but I would have left him with a nasty pinch he wouldn't have forgotten for about 2 days. Jonathan Paul is now in prison for his activist work, which is bullshit. The man should be free and roaming the earth, even though I don't personally care for him all that much.

About 2 or 3 years ago, Shusli had contacted a young Makah woman about the whaling issue, shortly after the Makah's second attempt to kill a wounded whale near Neah Bay. (The attempt failed, the Navy or some group like them killed the whale and let it sink to the bottom). Shusli and I and others had a call-in program on KBOO about the whaling issue and we were talking about the great piece of s**t Paul Watson, and what his actions against the Makah meant. I went on my usual accusatory tirades of Paul Watson being an ego maniac and a liar and that whales meant only as much to Paul in how they can elevate the life of the great Paul Watson. A fella called in claiming to have been a crew member on the Sea Shepherd and that my accusations about Paul are true. He is an ego maniac, he is a racist, and whales do only mean as much to him as how he can stand upon their greatness in order to elevate his own. I also find it interesting in how few to zero of his crew members are on any lecture circuits. I never hear him mention their names other than some are former members of the SEALS (bfd). Why can't we talk with them? Why are they never on tour with him? Why does he hog all the glory? AND WHAT ABOUT THE WHALES?

I have seen clips of Paul Watson's TV show. I've seen the video of him on the helm. I can just imagine him telling the camerafolk the proper angles to get of him, how he will turn his head at a certain time and share with the world his glorious and fat ugly face. But here is another issue I have with Paul...WHAT ABOUT THE WHALES?

Whales are facing many more issues than just whaling. Truthout did a big expose on the U.S. military dumping tons of its poison gas cannisters into the bottom of the ocean. Any mention of stopping that for the whales? Any mention of stopping the industrial pollution for the whales? Any mention of the current global climate change on the whales? Any mention of the U.S. military using their sonar on the whales? Any mention of the indigenous further north and their issues in subsistance hunting whales? Anything about whales at all? All I've seen is the great Paul Watson and his (nameless?) crew members chasing down Japanese whalers. Mind you, I do not support industrial whaling under any disguise like that which the Japanese are doing, but where are the whales? What is happening to the whales? Mind you, it is more than just industrial whaling that is killing them. And all I see are Paul Watson and crew going after whalers. Nothing more. The show is about the glory of the great Paul Watson and to a lesser extent, the Sea Shepherd Society, and to an even lesser extent, the crew members. WHAT ABOUT THE WHALES?

Paul Watson, the Sea Shepherd Society, and their whole crew and supporters can GO F**K THEMSELVES! Industrial whale hunting is only part of the problem. In my opinion, because the Makah issue was getting so much publicity is the ONLY reason Paul and crew went up against the Makah. Paul was latching on to their publicity and making it his own. Had the cameras been gone, had their been little to no attention paid to the issue, I doubt Paul would have ever shown up, nor any of those other f**king a**holes. In fact, Paul would have probably been saying, if asked, the same s**t I said above, "The Makah have a treaty right to hunt whales. They had voluntarily given up that right when the industrial whaling came close to making whales extinct. Now that they whales are coming back and they received thier quota from the indigenous Russians, not only will their at best be the same amount of whales legally taken every year, but their may be even less should their hunts not be as successful." But the Makah got a lot of media, and what better for an ego maniac in his constant personal self-promotion. Whales? yeah, Whatever.

Don't get me started on some of the alleged leaders of the alleged Peace Movement, either!