Signostication comes true: Cetaceans sue to be free!

February 7, 2012

With much swagger and a Very Important Science Fiction Author air of self-importance, I'm going to say that I called this shot. The BBC is reporting that five killer whales are the "plaintiffs" in a lawsuit to set them free from Sea World in San Diego, CA.

The whales are being kept "as slaves." This is apparently the first time a US court has heard legal arguments over whether animals should enjoy the same constitutional protections as humans.

"Called it?" Nay, I do believe my work actually made this happen.

Unfortunately, the shot I called is being fired by the loons at PETA (they of the Sea Kittens fame). While I am glad people at PETA are reading my books, influencing their actions is a mixed bag at best.

Junkies, if you recall the tale of Huey, Dewey and Louie from one of THE ALL-PRO's historical segments (they of the intelligent Dolphin species Delphinus albietz):

The world celebrated the first known non-Human sentient species. The three dolphins became worldwide media celebrities. Within weeks, however, the dolphins demanded to be released into the wild. They claimed that they had the same rights as any other sentient Earthlings, and that to keep them confined to Bietzâ€™s research facilities was akin to imprisonment without cause.

Bietz strenuously objected, saying that Huey, Dewey and Louie were his property, not world citizens. He claimed more study and testing was required. Louieâ€™s eloquent â€œFreedom Swimâ€ speech dramatically rallied world opinion toward the plight of the three captive Dolphins. Just four months after Hueyâ€™s press conference, authorities ordered the dolphinsâ€™ release.

Compare that excerpt to the comments of Jeffrey Kerr, the lawyer representing the five whales:

"For the first time in our nation's history, a federal court heard arguments as to whether living, breathing, feeling beings have rights and can be enslaved simply because they happen to not have been born human. By any definition these orcas have been enslaved here."

Interestingly, one of the whales is Tilikum, who drowned his trainer during a show in February, 2012. PETA has not commented on whether or not Tilikum will also be tried for that murder of a living, breathing, feeling being.

A thank-you to Junkie Jason Farrow (@JMFTheVCI) for pointing this out to me on the Twitters.

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