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Hi Shane, Great speech but an even better T-shirt! Where can I buy one?

You can get something almost like it here, but not in blue it seems.

- Andrew

Hey Shane!

Here is the answer from New Zeeland governmement(copy and remove oost if it`s too long ;-) :
.................................................
Re: [Maybe Spam] Take action on whaling
Till: mutte318@yahoo.com
Från: "Steve Badcock" Lägg till i adressboken
Datum: Fri, 25 Nov 2005 13:17:31 +1300

Thank you for your email about Japan's scientific whaling programme in the Southern Ocean.

New Zealand is deeply alarmed about Japan's intentions. Hunting whales is like hunting tigers, gorillas or kiwi. New Zealanders regard it as
unjustifiable, and unfortunately it is about to happen on an even larger scale.

As you are no doubt aware, this year marks the start of a new scientific whaling programme by Japan which will see more than double the number of whales killed than under Japan's previous programmes. For the first time, the magnificent humpback and fin whales are to be included on Japan's menu of scientific study from 2007.

New Zealand has made it explicitly clear to Japan that it can see no good scientific reason for its programme. It is entirely possible to study whale populations without killing them. Thousands of scientists are doing that all over the world.

Unfortunately, scientific whaling is legal because the provisions in the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling (IWC) are out of step with modern conservation approaches.

New Zealand is actively working to remedy this, and I will make public a number of proposals we have been considering shortly.

Thank you for your commitment to marine mammal conservation.

Yours sincerely,
Hon Chris Carter
Minister of Conservation

In response to:
Jan Krogh Christensen
Bjorkstugan Jungfruboda
Vislanda
Sweden

Chris Carter
Minister of Conservation
300 Great North Rd, Henderson,
Waitakere City
NEW ZEALAND ,
New Zealand

Dear Mr. Carter,

As you are no doubt aware, the whaling fleet recently departed Japan for the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

Commercial whaling was banned in 1986 and the Southern Ocean was designated a whale sanctuary in 1994 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), but every year since 1987 the Fisheries Agency of Japan and the Institute of Cetacean Research have conducted so-called 'scientific whaling'. The IWC has said on numerous occasions that it does not need the data produced by this 'research'. Such is the scale of the hunt that even the most naive observer cannot fail to conclude that this is commercial whaling. This year almost 1,000 whales will be hunted and killed in the Antarctic alone.

I am asking you, as a representative of a government that has spoken out against whaling and that voted in favour of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, to take concrete action to end this thinly disguised commercial whaling.

The Sanctuary must be enforced.

Your government has a duty to protect the Sanctuary it voted for. I am asking that you launch a new initiative to pressure the Japanese government to stop whaling and I urge you to pass on any intelligence as to the whereabouts of the whaling fleet to Greenpeace, who are willing and endeavouring to defend the Sanctuary.

I urge you to take action on this important issue before more species of whales become endangered or extinct. Yours sincerely,
Jan Krogh Christensen

Thanks for writing your government. Well said.

Even though the New Zealand government has been quite strong on the issue of commercial whaling, it is still important that they know it is an issue New Zealanders feel strongly about.

In fact, whatever country you are from you can use this web form to post your write your government.

The whaling industry in Japan relies on subsidies from a deeply entrenched government bureaucracy. Japan is a huge economic power, and it takes a lot of noise to even get the attention of its government. So let's make that noise!

did you intend to add a link there Andrew?

"You can get something almost like it here, but not in blue it seems.

- Andrew"

Ooop. Yep. Here's the link for t-shirts...

http://www.cafepress.com/greenpeace