Being Vegan – The Navy Is Wrong On This One
By Paul Graham
Las Vegas Informer
This past Friday was a victory for marine life and those that protect it along the California Coast. The California Coastal Commission, meeting in San Diego, after hours of public comment voted unanimously to reject the Navy’s permit to conduct harmful testing along the California Coast. This came after decades of the Navy dismissing and ignoring any mitigation requirements made by the Commission regarding sonar and explosion practices and the impact upon marine mammals. What has just happened in California, though, is going to have to be repeated over and over again around the world to truly protect marine mammals because this is part of a much bigger problem.
The U.S. Dept. of Defense has given the U.S. Navy permission to eventually cover 70% of the Earth’s oceans with their sonar systems. This would begin with five-year proposed training plan from 2014-2019, and it would threaten entire populations of marine wildlife off the East Coast, Southern California, Hawaii and the Gulf Coast. Included in these marine wildlife populations would be some of the world’s rare and endangered species such as blue whales, fin whales and North Atlantic right whales, which are barely clinging to survival. High intensity sonar can deafen, injure and even kill marine mammals. It has already caused mass stranding and deaths of whales on beaches around the world. I saw an area like this filled with beached whales and dolphins in the Canary Islands and it was heart-wrenching to say the least.
This mid-frequency sonar will bombard whales and other marine mammals with noise so intense, up to 236 decibels, it can actually cause their internal organs to hemorrhage. The Navy’s own Environmental Review conceded originally that the testing could kill more than 1,000 marine mammals, cause more than 5000 serious injuries, and inflict 5 million cases of temporary hearing lost. Other of their reports stated estimated that the testing would deafen 1600 whales and kill 1800 more and that harm would come to marine mammals more than 10 million times during the 5 years of testing off of the U.S. coast alone. The numbers that they presented to the California Coastal Commission were much lower than these original figures and the Navy was chastised by the Commission for the shoddy science behind the numbers that were presented.
Perhaps no one can fully predict the full impact of what this testing would have upon marine mammals and the ocean’s eco-systems in general. From the little we have seen so far, it would be devastating to say the least. It boggles the mind that with the amount of resources available to them that the Navy would not be able to come up with a testing program that would not harm the marine life and still not compromise our military readiness. Perhaps a new technology could be developed that could accomplish their goals without severely hurting marine mammals, sea birds and other ocean life. We can not consider the devastation to marine life in our oceans somehow as collateral damage for the Navy’s proposed testing program.
This is by no means over because every area that this proposed testing is to take place will have to fight and address this proposed testing. I have signed a number of petitions over the past few months and expect to sign many more. What we do know is that these petitions, emails and the public opinion expressed at these hearings did make a difference and I encourage you to get involved somehow to come to the aid of these magnificent marine mammals and the oceans they live in. Right now, the California Coastal Commission has to negotiate a resolution with the Navy. What we don’t want to see is the Navy to go ahead and ignore previous rulings of the Commission like they did in 2007 and 2009. For all of those that care about our oceans and the marine life in it, we cannot be bullied by the Navy or anyone else. These beautiful creatures have no voice but the ones that we provide for them. This is only a beginning. For all the good that they do, the Navy is wrong on this one. We need to continue to fight to preserve and protect the lives of every living creature. With every battle that is fought and won perhaps more people will begin to see that this fight for animals is one of the most noble and necessary that we can be engaged in.
Paul Graham
Paul Graham was born and raised in Northern California and has lived in Las Vegas since 2004. He is a top wedding officiate, a green Realtor and writer. He has a daily vegan food blog www.eatingveganinvegas.tumblr.com which is 365 days and 365 vegan meals in Las Vegas. He can also be reached at eatingveganlv@gmail.com or www.facebook.com/EatingVeganinVegas.
Paul’s upcoming book, “Eating Vegan in Vegas” will be published by Sullivan Street Press and for more information please go to www.sullivanstpress.com.
March 9, 2013 - 6:32 pm
Thanks for reporting the good news! It’s important that we respect our oceans and the animals that live in it.
March 10, 2013 - 7:18 am
Henry Fonda in “In Harm’s Way”: “We all know the Navy is never wrong, but in this case it was a little weak on being right.”
March 10, 2013 - 10:13 am
“It boggles the mind that with the amount of resources available to them that the Navy would not be able to come up with a testing program that would not harm the marine life and still not compromise our military readiness. Perhaps a new technology could be developed that could accomplish their goals without severely hurting marine mammals, sea birds and other ocean life.” Your faith in the technological prowess of the United States Navy is laudable even if that last sentence is rather hand wavy.
March 10, 2013 - 7:25 pm
Rick…thanks for the post. I support our military to a point…but the purpose of this particular article was not to make it too adversarial but to bring attention to a very important issue that people need to get behind. I was not trying to be too hand wavy. My main concern are the animals affected by this and that is my main concern. I am trying to give the Navy the benefit of the doubt and in hopes to a resolution with the California Coastal Commission and others to come that they will see that a safer and more reasonable alternative is necessary. If they cannot, then perhaps I will shift my tone to another level.
March 10, 2013 - 11:59 am
I almost didn’t take this article seriously because of the “Being Vegan” tag, but it is important information to get out. I wonder how many other reasonable people who would agree with the sentiment were turned off by extremist title. Also, are there any existing petitions on We the People? I would sign it and promote it if there were.
March 10, 2013 - 7:18 pm
Michael…Being Vegan is the name of the weekly column in The Las Vegas Informer…The Navy is Wrong On This One is the name of this week’s article. I would disagree with the premise that “being vegan” is extremist. I think buying into “the system” and eating what is pushed upon you no matter the consequences to animals, our health, or the environment is much more extreme in my way of thinking.
March 10, 2013 - 12:19 pm
Paul,
This was an excellent article. I really enjoyed the wording of your truthful experiences and understanding of this important matter. I completely respect what you are doing.
Now, I am going to bust chops and ask you to take it gracefully, one person to another, because you are important and I care about you and this cause.
The purpose of this cause is because the truth is important:
The TRUTHFUL suffering and death that occurs
If it’s not TRUTHFUL suffering and death then there is no suffering and death.
The most important thing in life is life. This is a most important truth. Truth and life together are most important.
The tile of this article, “Being Vegan – The Navy Is Wrong On This One”, is a lie.
We are alive. In this real truth, we are equal.
Therefore, any statement that defines us as not being equal is a lie.
We cannot “be” vegan”. It’s veganism; a lifestyle. We are living human animals. What we are is not defined by our actions.
Johnny is not a bad boy. Johnny did a bad thing.
John is not a doctor, John practices medicine.
The truth is what is important. This is the root of this cause. We cannot dismiss the truth anywhere if we are to do the most good. Which, of course, is the only worthy goal.
In another light….
We are all truth. Even the lies we tell are truthful lies. There is truth in all we do. When we look upon a new born baby we can perceive perfection. We are good. The reason to call no man good is because it is not compassionate to those that are not being called good. Compassion is truth manifest. In looking to compassion we find the light of the truth in the darkest places. By calling ourselves a vegan we indicate that we may better than another person who is not called a vegan. This is uncompassionate to the ones that are making the most mistakes and need the truth (compassion) the most.
I hope you reflect on these words that have been learned though many mistakes and help stomp out these lies of labels upon others. Your understanding is requested to further this cause.
Those of us that embrace compassion (truth) tightly and then mistakenly throw it down, go down with it. We don’t need that extra problem that is destroying the minds of those trying to do the hard work that needs to get done. We must stay rooted in the truth if we are to do the most good.
The truth is where each individual is who they really are and where we get the proper guidance in reality.
Take care,
Dave
March 10, 2013 - 7:31 pm
Points taken for reflection…definitely some things to think about. One point of clarification…the name of the weekly column is Being Vegan here in The Las Vegas Informer…the name of the particular week’s article comes afterwards. That is just the way that it is set up. I am an animal advocate as well as an environmentalist and this is a very big part of why I am a vegan…and I simply share my thoughts every week on conscious living and conscious eating. It is a lifestyle and I don’t see it any other way than that. I don’t like to put labels on things…it just happens to be the name of the weekly column. Thanks for taking the time to read the article and post Dave…
March 10, 2013 - 8:35 pm
Hi Paul,
Thanks for clarification. It seems it would be better to change the name of the weeks article then.
“I am an animal advocate as well as an environmentalist…”
“… I am a vegan”
None of these are true Paul. You do advocacy work, as well as environmental work, as well as attempt to live a vegan lifestyle.
You are a living human animal, same as the rest of us, no better or worse than the next person. Your choices though, are good choices, but those are your choices, not you.
While this may sound like semantics, it is indeed very important that we get everything correct asap. Think about it.
Thanks,
Dave