It’s No Wonder Whales are ‘Snapping’ – They Belong in the Great, Open Oceans
Dear Editor,
Sea World has so profoundly and perversely impacted marine mammals it’s no surprise that some – like the orca who dragged her trainer to the bottom of the tank at the San Diego park recently – are starting to snap. The largest pool in the world cannot come close to the vast open oceans where the orcas and dolphins at Sea World should rightfully be swimming.
In the wild, these whales live in tight family units. Both male and female offspring typically remain with their maternal family for life. Orcas can swim up to 30 mph and can travel 75 to 100 miles or more per day. At Sea World, orcas perform tricks for food and swim endless circles in small, barren concrete tanks. They often die far short of their natural lifespan.
Animals don’t deserve to be treated like giant wind-up toys that do tricks, which is why many people refuse to give their money to aquariums that use captive whales and dolphins.
Jennifer O’Connor, Animals in Entertainment Campaign Writer, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
This Christmas, Make a Point of Giving Love and Kindness
Dear Editor,
Things change in a society, sometime for the better sometimes for the opposite.
Christmas has changed over the years.
Once confined to a quiet family gathering, it has become laden with commercialism. Colorful advertising inserts put pressures on people to do this, to look like that, to serve this brand and on and on.
I visited a despondent friend recently.
He had allowed the holiday season and the social pressures of our culture to get him down.
He forgot that every one of his worldly problems would one day pass away and be forgotten.
We need to get back to the basics: the importance of family unity and good personal relationships.
Love and kindness in a family makes for the stability and unity that healthy children need for wholesome growth and maturity.
This holiday season be a peacemaker and a role model of forgiveness.
Let your children know that you love them and they are wanted.
Give them a kind word, a loving look, a touch of understanding.
You will be glad you did. And they will never forget it.
Peter Frusetta, Tres Pinos
