Examiner.com Article: Millions in Federal Taxpayer Funds Going to Mississippi "Dolphin Pimp"by Sandy McElhaney Woodbridge Animal Advocacy Examiner

I recently read an article a dear friend wrote about an "Ocean Expo" being built in Mississippi, with taxpayers money helping to fund it....Really???
I am including some exerpts from the article..."According to Citizens Against Government Waste, a whopping $16.5 billion went to congressional pet projects in 2010.  Leading the pack in discretionary spending is Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran.  In Fiscal Year 2010, Cochran earmarked 27 projects to the tune of $44,400,000.  Of that sum, $1,000,000 went to the Center for Marine Education and Research-Ocean Expo-Learning Center at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies. "  To me the part that stands out in this article is that millions in federal taxpayers funds are going to Mississippi "Dolphin Pimp" Moby Solangi who is supporting this "State of the art" dolphinarirum marine park for the people of Mississippi.  "The $75 million Ocean Expo is the brain Child of Moby Solangi.  Richard O'Barry star of the Academy Award winning documentary The Cove characterized Solangi as a "Dolphin Pimp", Solango is one of the worlds biggest traffickers in captive dolphins, and his track record is a litany of violent dolphin captures and exploitation"
Here is the link to the story so you can read the whole thing and please do.
http://www.examiner.com/animal-advocacy-in-washington-dc/millions-federal-taxpayer-funds-going-to-mississippi-dolphin-pimp
and here is a link to read more on what the Ocean Expo will be all about
http://gotoplaces.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/d%E2%80%99iberville%E2%80%99s-next-attraction-the-ocean-expo/
In my opinion, and I am sure many others...I can think of a million other ways our federal tax money should and could be spent.  We have starving children "Nearly one in four children live in households that struggle to put food on the table. That's 16.7 million children." http://www.bread.org/hunger/us/
We have a huge amount of homeless people in the US "approximately 700,000 to 2 million people in America spend their nights on the streets" http://www.buzzle.com/articles/homelessness-in-the-united-states.html
And of course the fact that I DO NOT BELIEVE IN CAPTIVITY and that is what our money is going to go towards...an "Ocean Expo" so the public can see captive marine life. We live on a planet that is mostly ocean, and if you have not been paying attention it is dying, it is in bad shape, and not to many people seem to care....We continually take & take from it.  And dump anything and everything in it.  Maybe some of our tax money should be going towards helping saving The Ocean !!!!  "If the Oceans Die, we Die", says Captain Paul Watson Sea Shepherd..

This is what captivity looks like...do you want your tax money to be spent towards a life of misery????

A Day for the Dolphins Of Taiji.....

September 1st was the first day of the Taiji, Japan's annual dolphin hunt and slaughter....on that day more then 50 events were planned around the world.  I was lucky enough to be the organizer for the San Francisco peaceful protest in frot of the Japanese Consulate.

About a week before the 1st I had the opportunity to go to my sons school to do a presentation on the Taiji Dolphin's plight.  With the help of my friend I was able to put together a wonderful Power Point presentation.  My son & I made a banner that said "Coarsegold Stands up for the Dolphins of Taiji".  All the kids k-8th signed the banner...

It was absolutely amazing to have the kids tell me how much they loved dolphins and that they could not believe people would kill them for food.  I also had the opportunity to tell some of the kids about captive dolphins, and that they should not go to Marine Parks.  Not go to swim with dolphins programs. Those are the main reasons why they have the hunt and slaughter in Taiji.

My son presented the banner to a consulate member during the protest and my friends daughters presented a petition with more then 5000 signatures asking the Japanese  government to STOP killing dolphins.

It was a great day, I was able to actually put into action my fight for the Dolphins of Taiji and not just be sit at my computer sending e-mails and making phone calls...I felt like I was with my family, apart of something BIG. Close to 100 people showed up to show some love to the Dolphins...I got to meet some of the friends who I have formed unique bonds with over the internet because of our shared passion for the dolphins, as well as so many other animal issues that are close to our hearts. 

 

As for Taiji? That day no dolphins were killed because of a typhoon. Ric O'barry of Save Japan Dolphins,  and so many other great people had a peaceful prayer ceremony as they stood witness at the infamous Taiji Cove.  It was a good day.