Get ‘im, Lassie, get ‘im!

Get ‘im, Lassie, get ‘im!
: My colleage Peter Hauck says, look for PETA to join anti-war protests. This from a CNN story:

The U.S. Navy will bring in trained dolphins this week to hunt for seaborne mines in the waters around Umm Qasr, Navy officials said. The animals will seek out floating mines and mark them for Navy divers to inspect.

: More news for PETA: Morrocco is said to be supplying monkeys to disarm landmines.

: Update: PETA has a statement! (Surprise). From the Smoking Gun:

“Our troops deserve the best defense possible, but PETA opposes the use of dolphins, sea lions, or any other marine mammals. The project is cruel and cannot provide a reliable defense or surveillance for our troops. The Navy claims they are not putting these animals in harm’s way, but they’ve removed these animals from their homes, relocated them to foreign waters in the Persian Gulf, and are forcing them to not only inspect the waters, but to actually swim up to potential terrorists under the water, clamp a cuff on their leg, and deploy a floating marker. How can anyone say these animals are not being put in harm’s way?”

:More on the patriotic dolphins here.

:And let’s not forget the valuable role of — sniff, sniff — canaries.