On July 4th, 1776, the Founding Fathers of
America signed the Declaration of Independence, henceforth declaring the United
States an independent nation from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day
is commonly celebrated with fireworks and cookouts, each of we American
citizens basking in the glory of our freedom, just as our forefathers intended.

Last year, another campaign for liberty was launched. It was
noted that four individuals were not receiving the basic right of every living
being: freedom. It has become common sense in modern society that no one should
be denied the right to make their own choices and choose their own path for
their lives. A small group of individuals acknowledged this and sought to free
these four lives from oppression, possibly thinking along the same lines that
our predecessors were over 200 years ago. The striking difference between these
two movements was this: these four beings are a different species.

Ranier, Khyber, Calvin, and Malabar are four dolphins that
are currently held captive at Disney World’s Epcot Park, in a dark tank filled
with murky water. Day after day these dolphins are subjected to screaming
crowds, loud music, and constant stress whilst being displayed to the public
under the guise of “research”.  This
moniker for the program may be more convincing if Disney bothered to mention
how poorly cetaceans like these dolphins do in captivity.

If you’ve been following the Blue Freedom movement for a while,
you already know the whats and whys of the opposition against cetacean
captivity. For those of you who are just getting involved, feel free to visit
the campaign website for more information here.

A year has passed since Katie Emmons discovered the plight
of the Disney Dolphins and launched the movement to free them. A website was
created, a petition was formed, and a crusade was begun. Since then, 34,797
have joined the cause and we thank each and every one of them for their
support. However, a little over 5,000 more names are needed on the petition to
reach the goal of 40,000 signatures by the deadline of July 4th,
2013.

That’s where you come in.

We need your help to set them free. If you have not already
added your name, please sign the petition at this link. Once you have signed, don’t hesitate to share the cause and its petition with
your friends. If you enlist five of your friends to sign the petition and they
recruit five of their friends and they
commission five of their friends and
so on, the remaining 5,000 signatures will be reached in no time.

Time is running out and we need your support now more than
ever. Don’t let another Independence Day go by with these dolphins left sitting
in a pool, unable to feel the liberty that only the ocean-their natural habitat-can provide. What a gift it would be to
reintroduce these creatures to the freedom of the sea. By signing this
petition, you are offering them a chance to let their hearts beat to the pulse
of the waves, to not be confined to the stresses of captivity, to escape a
premature death, to offer them something every living being deserves: free
will.

Many of you were fortunate enough to be born in a free
country. No one dictates what you can and cannot do. We have all accepted this
as a basic human right. It is time that we realize that this courtesy does not
only belong to humans, but to all of the creatures that we share the earth
with.

Don’t let Rainer, Calvin, Khyber, and Malabar die before
their time, still incarcerated at the Epcot Park.

Spread liberty and justice for all.

Sign the petition.

-Blue Freedom Foundation

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