Uncommon Thought Journal: Sad But Possibly True

September 28, 2005

Sad But Possibly True - Armed Dolphins on the Loose

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The headline reads "Armed and dangerous - Flipper the firing dolphin let loose by Katrina. The reported loss of the dolphins who were reportedly kept in ponds near Lake Ponchartrain, are reported to be missing. One might think the report is a spoof except for the array of sources carrying it: Daily Times of Asia, Slashdot, PhysOrg. Now you may think, "Hmm, it sounds fishy to me. Well, if it is so fishy, why is MSNBC running the story Dispelling a myth of dangerous Navy dolphins?

"Oh," you say, "See, I knew it was a spoof." Not so fast. The article itself is an interesting combination of information and disinformation. On one hand saying that the issue is an urban myth, while on the other reporting that the Navy has long experimented (and used) dolphins militarily. Adding to the confusion, the MSNBC article states:

"On Monday evening, however, the Pentagon actually issued a statement saying all of its dolphins have been accounted for. Moreover, the DOD says its dolphins aren't trained to attack, just to look for "objects" with their diver companions. Plus, they have no dolphin units in Louisiana, only in San Diego."

Now, we know that the Navy dolphins do more than "look" for "objects" with their trainers. It has been big news that the Navy's dolphin's have planted explosives on the bottoms of "enemy" ships, and on underwater mines. That goes a bit beyond simply finding "objects." That is lie one. The second issue is why say that all of the dolphins are accounted for (if none were at risk of being lost), and then say that all of the dolphins are in San Diego. Why not just say, "The Navy has no dolphin facilities in the Gulf area."

Personally, I hate the fact that the military keeps using animals as weapons. The army has trained some of its canine "personnel" to attack prisoners in orange jump suits. A U.S. soldier testing the readiness of guards at Guantanamo was ravaged by one. So are we to believe that canines are trained to attack and kill, but dolphins are only "finders?" There is a dark and perverse thread in military research. Go to DARPA and look at the public information on the research being conducted ... then spend 30 seconds asking "If this is public" then what kind of classified research are they doing?" Do I think that the Navy would train dolphins to attack? Yes I do.Do I think that some dolphins so trained might have been washed out to sea in Katrina? Yes, I think that is possible. Do I think they are armed? Probably not, but that does not necessarily make them "harmless."

Posted by rowan at September 28, 2005 06:15 AM | Printable Version | [eMail this article!] |

Comments

In light of all the officials claiming mass murder and rape in the aftermath of Katrina, when no such things were happening, one can expect that the Navy kept these dolphins armed at all times. Media as tabloid to glean readers is nothing new.

Posted by: goesh at September 28, 2005 07:37 AM

The sad thing is that it doesn't even suprise me empires do lots of strange things including bad karma !

Posted by: bill hooked at September 28, 2005 08:03 AM

If dolphins are such gentle creatures, is it really possible to corrupt them? If it is true that these highly trainable animals are being used to plant bombs and such, I doubt that the animals truly understand what they are doing. Domesticated or trained animals are very trusting of those who work with them and are only following command.
Armed dolphins at sea are probably harmless as their concept of enemy is whatever creature out there is going to eat them. If they were to plant bombs or whatever, they would not do it without the prompt of a human.
It is the corrupt human mind that should be the greater concern. It is bad enough that humans kill other humans for no good reason. Training animals to kill beyond their own feeding needs is corruption and sadism at its worst.

Posted by: Shawna at September 28, 2005 10:21 AM

Well, I actually have a neighbor who is now a veterinarian who told me several years ago that she trained dolphins (for the Army) to do various "missions" that I found unethical. According to her the task of dolphins planting explosives has been utilized for decades (remember "Day of the Dolphin")--I don't know, however, if this has ever been deployed in earnest, or in actual combat missions. Obviously the intent is there, and the animals are viewed as merely tools.

In my opinion, the military is one of the most insidious abusers of animals. Sometime last year I watched a show that featured Vietnam vets who, to this day, shed tears over their dogs who were unceremoniously shot en masse after the war was over--despite the soldiers pleas to take the dogs home with them. In the program grown men were still visibly shaken over the military posture on these dogs that had saved countless lives and given loyal service to the corps.

It's just another example of how little certain institutions respect natural "resources."

Posted by: Pamela at September 30, 2005 10:59 AM

I stand whole heartedly with this prticipant from above, "In my opinion, the military is one of the most insidious abusers of animals. Sometime last year I watched a show that featured Vietnam vets who, to this day, shed tears over their dogs who were unceremoniously shot en masse after the war was over--despite the soldiers pleas to take the dogs home with them. In the program grown men were still visibly shaken over the military posture on these dogs that had saved countless lives and given loyal service to the corps.

It's just another example of how little certain institutions respect natural "resources."

Furthermore, government institutions HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE, ONLY FOR ACCESS TO POWER AND MINDLESS OBEDIENCE THAT RESULTS IN ABSLUTE EVIL!

Posted by: Ed at November 3, 2005 03:42 PM