No, this is not an introductory college course on the captive dolphin industry. One hundred and one is the number of dolphins cruelly taken from the wild over a 6-day tragedy in Taiji. I recently wrote to a journalist the following: I know no other cause as worthy of my time as the dolphin cause. It is painful as hell to be a dolphin supporter.
Why is it so painful? When you know that young ones will never see their parents again, your heart breaks. When it happens one hundred and one times, what do you do to mend your broken heart?
To add lasting insult to injury, what do you do when you see the cove turn red because 23 dolphins are being murdered while their family members are swimming nearby, unable to do anything to stop the madness? Again, how do you heal your broken heart?
You write poems. You listen to music. You find joy and laughs when and where you can. And sometimes, you pour your heart out into a blog...
When I was young -- maybe 4 years old, I want to say -- my family and I went to SeaWorld in California. Can I tell you what my favorite memory was going there? It wasn't the show. (And you might argue that's my animal rights activist self re-writing history. No, it's not.)
My favorite memory from that trip to SeaWorld was riding around in a stroller, pushed around by my family. (To be perfectly honest, the simplest things made me happy.)
I would say, if you're a parent or a grandparent, and you're thinking of ways to entertain your children or grandchildren, please -- for the love of dolphins -- do not take them to SeaWorld or any other place where dolphins are held captive, against their will.
Take them to the park. Take them to the mall. Take them to the library. Take them to see a children's theatre production.
But please don't take them to a place that directly or indirectly supports Taiji's captive dolphin trade / slaughter. These places may tell you they oppose drive hunts / drive fisheries; however, by the very nature of holding dolphins in unnatural habitats, the captive dolphin industry fuels what Taiji is doing.
"If you want to know where you would have stood on slavery before the Civil War, don't look at where you stand on slavery today. Look at where you stand on animal rights."
-Captain Paul Watson
Let's not forget that captivity is a synonym for slavery.
Please help my broken heart.
Showing posts with label captain paul watson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label captain paul watson. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
A Letter to President Barack Obama
A handwritten version of this letter is going in the mail tomorrow morning.
Dear President Obama,
Congratulations on your re-election as President of the United States. The results on Election Night gave me a renewed sense of hope for our country and our world. I have thought about writing you a few times over the past four years, but this letter that I write to you today is not about me. It’s about “a civilization of creatures who have never attacked us, who only show us kindness, and who have no defense against us: they are dolphins, porpoises, and whales.”*
A petition signed by over half a million people will be delivered to you, Vice President Biden, and the Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. regarding the dolphins, porpoises, and whales that swim near Japan. These beautiful, intelligent creatures don’t belong to Japan. They don’t belong to anyone. They don’t belong in captivity. They do belong in the ocean.
They do not deserve to inhumanely die by human hands in Taiji's killing "cove."
And yet, this is happening in 2012 and will continue to happen unless we, the people of the world, do something about it. And we are.
Mr. President, I am asking you, as our World Leader and as the Voice of the People, to please work with the Japanese government to end the senseless slaughter in Taiji, Japan.
In your final campaign speech in Iowa, you said, “Don't let anybody tell you your voice can't make a difference.” I took your words to heart and am now using my voice to speak on behalf of the dolphins, porpoises, and whales.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, Mr. President. I know you have a lot on your plate – believe me, I know. But as Captain Paul Watson has said, "If the oceans die, we die! It is as simple as that and, thus, to me, there is no cause more important."
Let’s move the country forward, and let’s move the world forward. Please help stop the killing and live capture of dolphins, whales, and porpoises in Taiji.
Sincerely,
Allison Cabellon
New York, NY
*Quote from "I am a Cove Guardian." Please click here to watch.
Dear President Obama,
Congratulations on your re-election as President of the United States. The results on Election Night gave me a renewed sense of hope for our country and our world. I have thought about writing you a few times over the past four years, but this letter that I write to you today is not about me. It’s about “a civilization of creatures who have never attacked us, who only show us kindness, and who have no defense against us: they are dolphins, porpoises, and whales.”*
A petition signed by over half a million people will be delivered to you, Vice President Biden, and the Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. regarding the dolphins, porpoises, and whales that swim near Japan. These beautiful, intelligent creatures don’t belong to Japan. They don’t belong to anyone. They don’t belong in captivity. They do belong in the ocean.
They do not deserve to inhumanely die by human hands in Taiji's killing "cove."
And yet, this is happening in 2012 and will continue to happen unless we, the people of the world, do something about it. And we are.
Mr. President, I am asking you, as our World Leader and as the Voice of the People, to please work with the Japanese government to end the senseless slaughter in Taiji, Japan.
In your final campaign speech in Iowa, you said, “Don't let anybody tell you your voice can't make a difference.” I took your words to heart and am now using my voice to speak on behalf of the dolphins, porpoises, and whales.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, Mr. President. I know you have a lot on your plate – believe me, I know. But as Captain Paul Watson has said, "If the oceans die, we die! It is as simple as that and, thus, to me, there is no cause more important."
Let’s move the country forward, and let’s move the world forward. Please help stop the killing and live capture of dolphins, whales, and porpoises in Taiji.
Sincerely,
Allison Cabellon
New York, NY
*Quote from "I am a Cove Guardian." Please click here to watch.