And as to the economic tourism question, it is a very good one. In Iceland, the whale watching industry contributes more to the national economy than commercial whaling did before Iceland joined the moratorium in the 1980s.

The Icelandic Fisheries Ministry is also lying about their commercial exploitation intentions by saying they will only do "sustainable harvests" of whale species. Of the 39 permits issued for the hunt, nine of them are for endangered fin whales - proving claims that the hunt is sustainable are not true.

Also, people should realize Iceland has been whale hunting since 2003, under the same ruse the Japanese are using: "scientific" whaling.

There is an excess of unwanted meat in Iceland, Norway and Japan. In Iceland, they haven't even sold the meat from earlier "scientific" hunts. 82.4 percent of Iceland's 16 to 24-year-olds say they never eat whale meat. Not only is there not much of a market for the meat today, but the future for the whale meat market is non-existent both in Iceland and globally.

By catering to this very small, pro-hunt faction in Iceland, the government is risking the wrath of a globally organized tourism boycott of the country.

So why do they bother? Easy: greed. A very small group of men will make a tidy sum, while most Icelanders will be left to suffer the consequences. Just like in the rest of the global capitalist republics in the world.