| Do Lobster's believe in Karma? by Martin Macisso Jr It | | | | system of Buddhism, and also cleanse them of bad |
| started out as a typical Monday morning in late March | | | | energy. According to McAlaney, the group was young, |
| at New Meadows Lobster, a wholesale lobster broker | | | | very polite and paid in cash. They asked for the best |
| based in Portland, Maine, the weather was cold, | | | | release point for the lobster and McAlaney directed |
| lobsters were more scarce than on record and | | | | them to a spot off of East End Beach in Portland. The |
| customer's were few and far between. That was until | | | | unfortunate reality for these high-priced crustaceans is |
| - a young group of idealists walked in with $3300 in | | | | that they will most likely wind up in a manmade Maine |
| hand and a quest to save life on their conscience. The | | | | lobster trap once again. "We told them they're going to |
| young group purchased over 300 culls(1 claw lobster) | | | | get caught again and they said, 'That's OK. We just |
| from Pete McAlaney, New Meadows lobster owner, | | | | want them to have a chance before they get caught |
| with the sole intention of setting the lobsters free back | | | | again,"' McAlaney said. "I don't know if they go around |
| to their icy North Atlantic homes. The group was | | | | and free chickens and cows or what." At a time when |
| unidentified and claimed no religious or political | | | | retail prices for lobster have soared to all-time highs of |
| affiliations but a few speculate they practiced some | | | | $15 per pound it appeared to be poor timing on the |
| form of Eastern philosophy. The group claimed the | | | | freedom fighting group's behalf. Unless of course - all |
| lobsters were "God's creatures" and belonged in the | | | | life is Precious and Priceless. McAleney was no doubt |
| sea from where they came. For centuries Buddhists | | | | happy about the unexpected business for his less |
| have a believed in partaking in the practice of setting | | | | desired 1 claw product and the lives of innocent, |
| sea creatures free to their homeland as a form of | | | | hard-shelled sea inhabitants were mercifully saved. |
| prayer to improve Karma. The belief of the Buddhist is | | | | Both parties involved probably experienced a win-win |
| that saving a creature on its way to imminent death | | | | situation. Let's just hope they remembered to take the |
| will increase one's level of Karma, a spiritual merit | | | | bands off the Lobster's claws. |