6. A Personal Note
In the Preface, I indicated that these comments are dedicated to the whales, dolphins, turtles, and other marine creatures. To give the reader a better understanding of that dedication, I share the following experience:
While snorkeling in the ocean off the coast of Hawai`i, I saw a white spot far below. Slowly a shape emerged, the white being the edge of a Humpback Whale fluke. The whale surfaced underneath me. We swam together, me on the surface sounding whale calls, and the whale fifteen feet below.
The whale moved ahead of me and turned to swim directly towards me. Twenty feet away, the whale turned and looked me in the eye. Completing the turn, the whale passed its fluke over my head and swam away.
Hanging astonished in the water and feeling blessed, I noticed that the water around me had not moved. This massive creature had demonstrated awesome power and infinite gentleness by cleaving the air and water around me without any disruption.
The power of that experience and my numerous swims with the dolphins and turtles of this island inform the depth of my opposition to SURTASS LFA.
At the same time, I know that I am not alone in having such experiences or in feeling a tremendous sense of connection with the cetaceans and other species in the water. There are millions of people on this planet who stand ready to protect these beings.
There is an old joke about the limits of military power.
The captain of a Navy vessel, traveling at night, sees a light ahead approaching his boat. He radios a message: "Whoever you are, reverse course and head north."
A message comes back: "Recommend you reverse course and head south."
The Navy captain is not pleased with this response and radios again: "I am captain of a Navy vessel and direct you to reverse course and head north."
The answer comes back: "Repeat. Recommend you reverse course and head south."
The Navy captain sees the distance to the light closing and radios: "If you do not reverse course, I will use all available means, including deadly force."
The answer comes back: "I cannot reverse course. I am a light house."
The millions of people on this planet who love and respect the water-based beings are the light house. We encourage the Navy to reverse course before it runs aground on the rocks of public outrage.
E hula au me na kohola,
Aloha.
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