Response To Seaspiracy.

 There are many evil things that take place in the pursuit of money. When it comes to making money from fish, there are many terrible things that are done and that have been known for years.

This includes the use of exploited labor and slave labor on fishing vessels. It includes the terrible practice of cutting the fins off of live sharks and throwing them back into the sea to die slowly. It includes the trawlers that scrape the ocean floors without regards to the ecological damage done. Trawlers that destroy the ocean floors, turning productive seas into barren deserts. It includes the terrible harm and waste that comes from bycatch; the many animals that are killed and discarded in pursuit of  marketable fish. Reckless fishing and overfishing are destroying oceans. Wildlife is being decimated and suffering greatly. It is not just fish, but all kinds of seabirds, marine mammals, sea turtles and more. 

What takes place on oceans and seas are far away from inquiring eyes. Murder literally takes place and there is no one to investigate. Bodies get thrown into the seas. Slave workers and underpaid workers that cannot take the misery of being trapped on ships, oftentimes for years on end, throw themselves into the seas to escape their misery. 

High drama may open eyes to what has been known for a long time and ignored. When the shock effect wears off, inaction and apathy unfortunately returns. 

Some people may be influenced by the documentary and choose never to eat fish. Billions of people do eat fish, or have no hesitancy about eating fish if they can get fish. The actions that are taken next are what are most important. Far more has to be done than what happens on the micro level .A few more people eating not eating fish is not going to change anything. 

There are millions of fishing ships out on the oceans and seas fishing, with some abiding by maritime laws and others not. Commercial fishing is far too unregulated, completely lacking law enforcement entities to ensure the rule of law on open seas.

Why is there no movement, why are there no protests, why is there silence and complicity to slavery on the high seas? Why is there silence and complicity to the mass destruction of ocean fisheries and ocean wildlife? 

Why do people care about the destruction of intelligent wildlife that they can see, but ignore the way larger destruction of the same intelligent animals when it occurs out of sight? Commercial fishing as it presently exists is destroying oceans, killing off all forms of wildlife. 

The destruction of the fisheries of individual nations contributes to political and economic instability. Developing nations must be assisted in protecting their own waters from illegal fishing vessels from foreign nations. 

A civilized world does not live with the rule of law confined to a few borders and lawlessness on the high and open seas. In the way that the U.N. mobilizes forces, even though they are too often ineffective, to patrol and calm down violent or potentially violent conflict zones, nations can come together to provide the law enforcement that is critically lacking on oceans and seas. Similar to the U.S. Coast Guard, international forces must be given authority and law enforcement powers by the U.N. to patrol the open seas. There is no excuse for slaves to exist on any shipping vessels. There is no excuse for any fishing vessel to be able to violate any and all maritime laws. There is no excuse for the continued lack of outrage at all of this.

Between the premise that all fishing is bad and must be banned, to the present situation that all fishing is acceptable, no matter how destructive, no matter how abusive it is to its labor force, there is a middle ground. Absolute positions result in more of the same; absolutely nothing getting accomplished and for all the evil to continue. Like it or not, billions of people are not just going to stop eating fish. 

What happens on the oceans must be regulated. There must be international law enforcement entities to enforce those regulations. For one nonprofit entity to assume that role with one or two ships does nothing to create this. There are millions of ships and vessels fishing out on the oceans and seas. Accepting the substitution of one organization for the complete lack of a civilized, law enforcement response to the mass destruction and cruelty that many fishing vessels and ships inflict ensures the destructions to oceans continues and so does slavery.  A movement is needed to fight for international maritime law enforcement forces.

Individual nations whose waters are being depleted by illegal commercial fishing vessels must be provided assistance. The more impoverished are the oceans, the more impoverished are people. Strong coast guards and maritime law enforcement must be established in developing and developed nations.

Plastic pollution is an enormous threat to the health of oceans, wildlife and humans. The fact that commercial fishing ships and vessels discard enormous amounts of fishing lines, nets and more into the oceans, does not detract from the fact that plastic trash originating from land is enormous and also incredibly destructive.  Plastic pollution in all its forms must be stopped. How to stop plastic trash originating from ships at sea is something about which I have no idea.

There is no plastic coalition anywhere in the world doing anything of significance to stop plastic pollution other than line their own pockets, in my opinion. To me it is a disgraceful movement. No different than the fraud perpetuated by those that deem a fishery sustainable or dolphin free, knowing such certification is a lie. 

Billions of people in developing countries use plastic daily, completely lacking a way to properly dispose of their plastic waste. As long as billions of people depend on plastic and use plastic daily, plastic pollution will only worsen if they continue to lack proper waste management. Millions of kilos of new plastic trash originating from land daily enters rivers and oceans. While alternatives to plastic are pursued, while plastic reduction is pursued - although the trajectory is towards more plastic use, not less- there must be a movement to establish universal proper waste management. Let all these industries and companies, including the multi billion dollar fast food companies, help pay for the proper recovery of plastic trash. People must be employed to remove plastic trash already in the environment, and people must be employed to properly collect and dispose of new plastic trash.  

There is no easy and inexpensive way to stop the plastic pollution nightmare. Continuing to do nothing ensures a nightmarish, costly beyond belief outcome.

For the Faroe man that helps slaughter pilot whales and justifies it by asserting that killing one animal is the same as killing others, he fails to understand that the way some animals are slaughtered is far more painful and brutal than others. There is no easy way to kill highly intelligent marine mammals. They suffer greatly. Without empathy towards other living creatures, without the desire to inflict as little pain and suffering upon other living creatures as possible, we as humans completely fail. Whales and dolphins are intelligent, wild and free animals that do not deserve the incredibly painful deaths that  humans too often inflict upon them. No animals deserve cruel and painful deaths at the hands of humans, including animals that are not wild, and that are raised for slaughter. 

 

  

Charities: Solvers Or Exploiters Of Problems?

 The exploitation of animal cruelty and dog fighting have been easy money makers for a number of animal organizations and animal advocates. They have done everything they can to milk animal suffering and pain to legally line their own pockets. Their selfish world of greed, selfishness and exploitation is only one window into the massive fraud and exploitation that goes on in the nonprofit universe. This is known from first hand experience, and it is what opened my eyes to the massive fraud that exists in far too much of the nonprofit world.

The nonprofits that profess to direct people to responsible charities are essentially worthless because they do nothing to examine the efficacy of what charities actually do. Without critical examination of the actual work and programs of nonprofit organizations and of what they profess to do, there is no way to know whether or not they are worthwhile and effective. Far too many charities are nothing more than deceptive arms of for profit entities. Far too many charities are about little more than feeding doses of feel goodness b.s. in exchange for money. Far too many charities lull the public into thinking serious problems are  addressed, whereas the reality is that serious problems are exploited by them.  

There are nonprofits that are above board. But the predators, the exploiters, the vultures are common and operate often as legal entities, even as respected entities.

Name the issue. Plastic pollution. Sustainable fisheries. Dog fighting. Animal cruelty. Rain forest protection. Wildlife. Child poverty and exploitation, especially in developing countries. Wildlife protection. Specific species of animals that elicit responses from people selective in their concern about what animals should not suffer and what animals they could care less about. Ocean protection and conservation. Marine life protection. The list is endless of issues and problems that are not  properly and effectively addressed, and instead are exploited and manipulated to serve the interests of individuals and organizations and not the populations in need.

Because nonprofits act in the name of goodness, and because the doses of feel goodness they serve are massive, few care, stick their necks out or do anything to change things for the better, no matter the harm, no matter the suffering. 

Apocalypse Never: Overestimating The Power Of Environmental Alarmists

 This is a short review of a book.

In the long list of what is damaging the environment and mankind's future, the role of environmental alarmists must be far down, if even present at all. 

Is it true that by embracing the artificial we save what is natural, especially in reference to the use of plastic? Plastic pollution is an enormous killer of marine life, including whales, dolphins, fish, sea birds, and more. The widespread use of plastic without any way to properly dispose of plastic waste in most of the world has devastated oceans, rivers and wildlife. 

It is true that there are environmental alarmists. But so what? People exists on the extremes of almost any issue and religion. 

Is concern about deforestation and burnings in the Amazon and elsewhere alarmism? After these great forests are destroyed; the Amazon, Congo, Borneo and so forth, which seems to be the trajectory mankind is pursuing, there will be no second chance to find out if concern for these forests was alarmist. Meanwhile, forests throughout the world continue to have their wildlife decimated by the degradation of the forests, excessive hunting, mining and so forth. Environmentalists, let alone environmental alarmists, have been impotent to stop the devastation of most of the world's rain forests, oceans, wildlife and more. 

Regarding nuclear energy, there are reasonable concerns about nuclear waste, safety, and how to avoid future Fukushima accidents. The greatest resistance to nuclear energy comes from financial and business interests that do not want to compete with nuclear energy. The power of environmental alarmists, if such a breed really exists in any significant or meaningful number, to stop nuclear power or anything else is pretty much nonexistent. 

Needed Police Reform That Is Not Discussed

 There is a need for police reform. This will not happen if the conversation about policing cannot move beyond racial politics, self serving agendas, and the sensational. 

There is a problem in society with violence. This includes gang violence, violence from bullies, violent psychopaths, domestic violence, drug war violence, child abuse, school violence and more. Bad policing adds to violence, but is nowhere comparable to the violence that results from no policing. 

There are violent people that bully and abuse others because they can get away with it, especially when there is no one to stand up to them. Police must be a force for good that reduces violence and that stands up against abusers and bullies without being abusers or bullies themselves. Good policing brings out the best in cops as public servants and reduces violence. Bad policing brings out the worst and adds to violence. 

Numbers game policing must end for good, in which police are pressured to generate meaningless statistics, including for arrests. This opens the door to poor policing and police misconduct. 

Police work must return to the basics, especially in high crime urban areas. This means serving and protecting through patrol, including patrol that is not only vehicular. Cops walking beats where they become part of neighborhoods is true community policing, not the convoluted nonsense that is being passed off as community policing. 

Police departments must rid themselves of cronyism, political favoritism, clout, layer upon layer of bureaucrats and overlapping and unnecessary supervisors and brass. Law enforcement personal from the top on down belong on the streets as much as possible, not in offices pushing around papers or engaging in endless conversations. Police work must be lean and mean in a good way - in which law enforcement returns to its bread and butter mission-  serve and protect through patrol.

The use of 911, or emergency communications, must change. Too many people abuse the 911 system in order for police to harass someone they do not like, or whose appearance they do not like, and not because they suspect criminal activity or that someone's safety is jeopardized. There needs to be better guidelines regarding screening 911 calls, and consequences for those that misuse the 911 system.

Police and deputies that respond to 911 calls must be trained to understand that people do not give up their constitutional rights just because someone called 911. 

Police and deputies need to understand what are people's constitutional rights. If they cannot understand what are these rights, they do not deserve to be police. Police and deputies need to understand what are lawful searches and stops. They need to understand that because someone refuses to answer questions, or refuses to provide an id when not lawfully required to do so, it does not give police or deputies the right to trample on that person's constitutional rights. Too many cops and deputies do not understand what are constitutional rights, and what are the limits and scopes of their police authority.

If cops or deputies are thinned skinned, and cannot handle hostility or rejection, they should not be on the job. Too many cops and deputies take offense at attitudes they do not like, failing to understand that this does not free the cop or deputy of their duty to be professional. A person's bad attitude in and of itself does not constitute a crime.

No cop or deputy should enforce laws that do not exist, or stop or arrest someone under false pretenses or made up reasons. Cops must be professional. They must know the laws. They must understand the constitutional rights of each person. They must never exceed their lawful authority. 

Good cops know how to deescalate situations that need to be deescalated. Good cops know when to escalate situations that require escalation. Good cops know the difference between situations that require escalation, and situations that require de-escalation. Good cops can be empathic when needed. There are other situations that require cops to be firm and tough, which includes at times the lawful use of force. Not enough cops and deputies know how to deescalate situations that require de-escalation, how to escalate situations that require escalation, and how to differentiate between the two.  

Cops that work high crime areas will eventually encounter violent people and violent situations. If cops  are neutered and nothing more than armed secretaries riding around in vehicles, then the only ones that win are cops that are lazy to begin with, and criminals and violent people. Good cops need to be supported. There are predatory attorneys looking for any excuse to sue police. There are supervisors that are unscrupulous, vindictive, petty and sadistic, looking for any reason to harm a good cop they personally dislike, including by making false accusations and complaints. False and fraudulent accusations and complaints come from not only criminals that want to get a good cop fired or off of their back. Contrary to public opinion, cops are held to higher standards than the general public. Police careers have been ruined by false accusations that would not harm civilian careers. 

Police work is an honorable profession. It requires police to be more than armed secretaries. It does not need hotheads, bullies that throw their weight around, passive people that cannot control difficult situations, abusive supervisors, vindictive people or anything else that is not professional. Police work must be professional. This means ending numbers game police work. It means ending cronyism and inefficiency wherever it exists. It means streamlining police work and getting back to the basic mission of serve and protect through patrol, which must not be only vehicular in many areas. It means reforming the 911 system, including what calls are accepted and how police respond to those calls. 

Police training is too often falsely blamed for poor policing. Even if cops were poorly trained for some reason, they will be better cops if they are decent human beings that can compose themselves in volatile and stressful situations than cops than are highly trained but that are bullies. Much of what cops will learn and need to know will come from their actual experiences on the streets. Police are not children when they are hired. If they already lack a proper moral code by the time they are hired, no amount of training will change that. Once on the streets, bad cops will do better in police departments that reward bad behavior, such as numbers game policing, whereas good cops will do better in professional police departments free of cronyism, political favoritism, clout, vindictive, petty and abusive supervisors, and that do not have numbers game policing.  

A more lengthy and serious discussion is needed. Real police reform will not happen as long as the discussion continues to not be had, and the focus remains on self serving agendas and the sensational.  

Bioplastics Cannot Replace Waste Management: Stopping Plastic Pollution

 Bioplastics can help stop the plastic pollution nightmare. But if bioplastics are used as yet another excuse to continue doing nothing about the millions of kilos of new plastic waste that daily pours into rivers and oceans, then bioplastics will not help stop the plastic pollution nightmare. While bioplastics are aggressively pursued, there must be an even greater effort to ensure that proper waste management becomes universal. As long as billions of people in developing countries continue to use products  wrapped in plastic and other plastic materials daily, with no infrastructures to properly collect and dispose of their plastic waste, the plastic pollution nightmare will only worsen. 

Bioplastics, recycling, plastic straw bans, river and ocean cleanup devices, jewelry made from plastic trash pulled from oceans, beach cleanups and all else are not stopping the flood of new plastic trash that daily enters rivers and oceans by millions of kilos. Bioplastics may or may not one day make a real dent against the use of plastics, but waiting for that day to come while rivers, oceans and more continue to be degraded and contaminated by plastic trash is reckless and wrong. The priority must be on establishing universal waste management. 

Universal waste management, in which plastic trash and other harmful waste already contaminating the environment are removed,  and in which new plastic trash and other harmful waste are properly collected and disposed, will end the plastic pollution nightmare and lift millions of people out of poverty by all the jobs that will be created. Universal waste management is far less expensive than continuing to turn rivers, oceans and more into polluted sewers. Without proper waste management the plastic pollution nightmare will not end. It will only become more of a nightmare.

The Dog Fighting, Animal Cruelty Farce

 Most animal cruelty takes place out of sight, out of mind. Nothing is done about the overwhelming majority of animal cruelty. 

Animal cruelty, including dog fighting, that is in criminal codes and therefore enforceable by public law enforcement is rarely enforced. Unlike almost all other crimes, it is often left to the discretion of individual law enforcement personnel as to whether or not they want to enforce animal cruelty and dog fighting laws. 

This lack of a police response, let alone a proper one, first observed decades ago by a cop that worked a high crime area where dog fighting and animal cruelty were common and ignored, was brought to the attention of a number of animal organizations and individuals. Rather than fight for an appropriate and widespread police response to these crimes, these organizations and individuals did everything they could to capitalize on animal cruelty and dog fighting to benefit themselves and their organizations. 

This included, among other things, plagiarizing, creating self serving documentaries with plagiarized photos, creating misleading and deceptive media and public relations campaigns,  investigating dog fighting and animal cruelty, even though their investigations were often toothless at best, and frequently did nothing more than give dog fighters and animal abusers opportunities to move their animals to new locations. No crime, especially crimes of violence, which includes dog fighting and animal cruelty, should be investigated by token police teams or by nonprofit entities. There is no excuse for any animal organization to ask for money to investigate animal cruelty when there is already public law enforcement entrusted this responsibility. What has been completely lacking is advocacy to get the police to respond appropriately, and for a number of animal organizations and animal advocates to stop exploiting these crimes for their own gain.

The farce persists that animal cruelty and dog fighting are lessened by certain animal organizations and animal advocates, when in fact they achieve the opposite.  Despite the best efforts by that cop, dog fighting and animal cruelty continue to be minimally enforced by public law enforcement. Dog fighting and animal cruelty continues to be heavily exploited and manipulated by a variety of individuals and organizations. 

Dog fighters continue to have greater chance of getting struck by lightning than ever getting arrested for dog fighting. 

Using Oceans As Toilets. Plastic Pollution

Billions of people in developing countries use plastic daily, and live in areas that completely lack waste management. Establishing universal waste management is a battle that no one is fighting. Other than a lot of talk about plastic pollution and some actions that accomplish little to nothing, there is no serious effort to establish universal waste management.  Every single day, millions of kilos of plastic trash are added to rivers and oceans because billions of people use plastic daily and completely lack waste management services to properly collect and dispose of their plastic trash and other harmful waste. 

Proper waste management in developing countries will lift many people out of poverty from all the jobs that will be created, and it will stop the plastic pollution nightmare. People need to be employed to remove plastic trash already in the environment, and people need to be employed to be part of waste management systems that properly collect and dispose of plastic trash so that new plastic trash does not keep pouring into rivers, oceans and more.  

The oceans are used as toilets, seen as the cheap way to dispose of plastic trash and other harmful waste.  

The advocacy and funding needed for universal proper waste management is shamefully absent. The short sightedness, the recklessness in choosing the oceans to be toilets instead of properly collecting and removing plastic waste and other harmful waste will one day be fully realized. But by then, it will be too late.