Mayor of Taiji, Japan: In Order to Respect Culture, One Must Condone Brutal Slaughter

        Fishermen in Taiji hunt both dolphins and small whales (source: BBC, AP)

In a BBC article entitled, "Oscar win for film of dolphin hunt in Japan's Taiji" the mayor spoke out in defense of his town's traditional brutality.

In response to "The Cove" winning Best-Documentary at the 2010 Academy Awards, the mayor of Taiji, Japan, home of the aforementioned cove and its morally deficient fishermen (sorry, I usually give fishers and farmers the benefit of the doubt -- not this time), suggested "that the hunt was legal in Japan and called for respect for the traditions of different cultures."

Yeah, right. And genocide in Rawanda should be met with respect for that culture's traditional hacking off of the limbs of tribal enemies, be they women, children, innocent men, what have you.

Sometimes you just have to recognize that your traditions are morally indefensible, change them, and move on.

Cheers for "The Cove."