From Pitchfork
Quote:
Canada has free health care, legal marijuana, and state-sanctioned gay marriage, but America's free-wheeling neighbor to the north won't be getting Morrissey.
Canada's annual seal hunt has put it at odds with the king of all vegans, prompting Morrissey to refuse to tour the country in support of his forthcoming album, Ringleader of the Tormentors. In a statement on the fan site True to You, Morrissey said, "I fully realise that the absence of any Morrissey concerts in Canada is unlikely to bring the Canadian economy to its knees, but it is our small protest against this horrific slaughter." That, sir, would be an understantment.
According to Moz, the Canadian government argues that the "cull," as the hunt is called, is a sustainable, economically viable activity based on sound conservation principles, but Morrissey remains offended by "the barbaric slaughter of over 325,000 baby seals which is now underway."
He continued, "The seal population has looked after itself for thousand of years without human intervention, and, as the world knows, this slaughter is about one thing only: making money. The Canadian government will stream all of the pelts into the fashion industry and this is the reason why the baby seals are killed with spiked clubs that crush their skulls - any damage to their pelts is avoided."
Oh, life is a pigsty!
"The Canadian Prime Minister also states that the slaughter is necessary because it provides jobs for local communities, but this is an ignorant reason for allowing such barbaric and cruel slaughter of beings that are denied life simply because somebody somewhere might want to wear their skin. Construction of German gas chambers also provided work for someone - this is not a moral or sound reason for allowing suffering."
Uh, Morrissey? You do realize that you recently played three shows in America, where George W. Bush is President, right? And he's responsible for way worse things than killing baby seals, right? OK, just checking.
He closed his statement with the following: "If you can, please boycott Canadian goods. It WILL make a difference. As things stand, Canada has placed itself alongside China as the cruelest and most self-serving nation."
Wow, us Yanks sure dodged a bullet on that one. Maybe we get a free pass because Morrissey used to live here. That's the only logical explanation.
