Sam LaBudde Tribute: Earth Shaker Video on Vimeo
In 1989, I went to hear a lecture by Sam LaBudde who was the man who single handedly took the action that changed dolphin welfare in one fell swoop. What he did, similar to what Hardy did, took so much courage and intestinal fortitude because to accomplish his goal, he had to not react to hundreds of dolphins being slaughtered in front of his very eyes. He knew footage was necessary to show Congress what is happening when tuna fish are hunted in a kind of net fishing that traps dolphins by the hundreds and upwards. Sam passed himself off as a “crazy gringo with a video camera looking for an adventure” on a Mexican tuna boat in the South Pacific. He got the coverage he needed, and he paid a huge emotional price, having to act indifferent to what patently horrified him. But he got the video footage and went before Congress with it. Long story short, all the major tuna companies committed to only buying tuna with no dolphin casualties after this story got out. This was a first environmentally, that large companies were willing to make such a shift. Sam received the highest of environmental recognitions for this contribution, The Goldman Award, and he has gone on to continue his activism and undercover filming “for the animals” always putting himself at risk.
“The Sam LaBudde” story is out in Vimeo now and easy to find online. I spoke to him after he spoke at the lecture. I had written him a note about how hard what he did must have been on him and he let me know that he did get the note and appreciated it and . . . yes, it did really get to him to witness what humans do in their ignorance. This is a man who is as vulnerable today as he ever was, would be my guess, and yet he keeps on doing what he can to expose what we need to know. He goes to all this trouble so that the more awake ones can start calling the shots. I am in deep appreciation with this man.
“The Sam LaBudde” story is out in Vimeo now and easy to find online. I spoke to him after he spoke at the lecture. I had written him a note about how hard what he did must have been on him and he let me know that he did get the note and appreciated it and . . . yes, it did really get to him to witness what humans do in their ignorance. This is a man who is as vulnerable today as he ever was, would be my guess, and yet he keeps on doing what he can to expose what we need to know. He goes to all this trouble so that the more awake ones can start calling the shots. I am in deep appreciation with this man.