The Whales head back to the ocean

Thank goodness the whales have finally headed back and are almost clear of the San Pablo Bay. If you're one of the thousands of people who flocked to the delta to harass the whales, I hope you can ask yourself honestly "Was it necessary?" Was Discovery Channel not good enough? These poor whales got lost and while we'll never know, probably stayed lost due to human intervention. Noise, boats, pollution, even porta-potties could have stalled the whales' return to the open ocean.

Those of you who ran out there dragging your kids in tow, are you the same ones that bought organic foods, canvas bags and environmentally friendly lightbulbs because Oprah said so? I'm fairly certain that driving your gas-guzzling SUV out to the unpaved delta roads, was not what she had in mind for conservation. I was appalled at the amount of trash, the greed-grubbing entrepreneurs who made is easy with water and snack sales, the security and manpower required to contain the crowd.

Worse, it appears that local news seems to have forgotten we're in the middle of a war. While I like a happy story now and then, the obsession with the whales has somehow overpowered the reason of the news directors. Do more than about 50 Americans know we are in talks with Iran?

Wayward Whales in West Sac

Two humpback whales have wandered up the delta to the Port of Sacramento in a repeat of the Humphrey the Humpback story of 1984 when Humphrey got lost in the same waters. Vets and scientists are gathering to try to figure out the mystery and help the lost mom and calf get back to the ocean. Unfortunately, both whales are showing signs of injury, probably from a run-in with a boat propeller. Because May is the beginning of feeding season, both whales are running low on reserve blubber and need food pretty fast to be able to survive. Hopefully the scientists will be able to get them back to saltwater quickly.

Now gets to the puzzling part... several hundred people (some reports say 800) have been lining the banks of the levies, bridges and riverbanks to see the whales. If you were a wayward humpback whale, would the screaming of schoolchildren encourage you to head on down the river toward the ocean? I hope the scientists can turn their underwater mics up and play the humpback song louder than the crowds. In the meantime, give the whales and scientists some room!