Today,
Some months ago I went with an Austrian oceanographer to visit The Long Marine lab here in Santa Cruz, the facility beautiful set on the edge off a cliff above the sea. I am not an ocean-guy – in fact I am scared shitless of the ocean and in particular the Pacific, but what really lured my down there was the dolphins he said they had, alive, but in pools. Neither am I a fish guy, I am not into fish, or sea food for that matters – sushi included. But dolphins, dolphins are more than just a fish, - I don’t know – maybe for people my age it`s the oldschool tv-series “Flipper” that still plays tricks on me, for one – or the fact that it has never really been proven whether or not touching a dolphin, being intimate with a dolphin will or can actually make you more intelligent, loosen up your disabilities, highten your sensitiveness…I mean, in the late 90s they flew people in from around the world to swim with dolphins in The Red Sea – apparently to fix some unfortunate biological flaws.
Anyways, for me – I got of the whole dolphine-scene per se, when telemarketing giant Sonofon adopted the dolphin as their logo – aligning the beautiful animal with tons of shitty commercials in which silly service minded chicks with belached teeth and hair and headset promised to do anything to keep you talking. I really hated that campaign, and it is in fact another damned good reason why this second rate poet doesn’t love big business™ - which makes this posting number 47 in the ongoing…
But back to basics: The dolphins at The Long Marine Lab. There they were, in two circular pools, lazy but still squeaking the characteristic sound.
“They seem a little – hmmm doped” I noted to the Austrian, the ocean-guy.
“Yea, they are tired, taking an afternoon nap – and they old…”
“How old would that be…?” I asked
“Im not sure, but I think they are like born I 1978 and 1980, and that’s old for a dolphin..”
“Ok, but hey they are still god damned cute..” I just wanted to jump in the pool and have a go at them.
“Yea, but guess what – you aint gonna believe this. They are not only old, they are also retired…” he said
“What? What do you mean…retired…retired from what…breeding?”
“No from the fucking Marines…the Navy…”
“You´re Kidding.”
“No, no – during the last Gulf war right, they used them too track mines man, some say they could him set a mine on an enemy ship…and individually they cant be tracked on a radar…they the perfect underwater-sniper…kind of”
“That so fucking mean…I cant believe it. Navy seals dolphins…come on…so what are you gonna do with them, what mean spirited experiment are they part of here?”
“Nothing, we just keep them, the Nany didn’t know what to do with them, they were getting sloppy at their job, but were pretty sure if it got aired that they offed dolphins after end of service, it would be a major blow to their image…”
“Well it already is.. I think! Jesus…I mean its smart, but mean…”
“Yea, but they won the war didn’t they?”
“Who did? The dolphins…?2
“Fuck you, no, the states, they kicked Hussein out of Kuwait..”
“Yea, and now they are doing it again, that’s…great, any dolphins this time..?”
“Well, that I cant tell you….”

We then left, me, I regained the sympathy for the fish...