SeaWorld Supporters Take on OB Rag and Frank Gormlie

Homepage of SeaWorld supporters’ blog.

There is a small group of SeaWorld supporters (apologists?) who have directly taken on the OB Rag and editor Frank Gormlie. They have a blog and posted a recent article calling out Gormlie by name in a headline refuting his claims about SeaWorld.

About a month ago, Gormlie wrote an article entitled “Why SeaWorld Can’t Build a Hotel at its Location on Mission Bay“, citing the proximity of the old Mission Bay landfill which is known to contain toxic materials.

The article must have touched a nerve somewhere; it did anger the SeaWorld supporters, who have a small blog called Orca Action Network who has the following slogan:

Join us in fighting the agendas of animal rights activists.

Just below the blog’s name is a giant poster advertising various well-known San Diego hotels owned by the Evans family. And, of course, it’s Evans who has pledged to SeaWorld to get them a hotel. Any connection between this “action network” and Mr. Evans? You think?

The SeaWorld supporters came back the other day and slammed Gormlie and the OB Rag with their post entitled: “Sorry, Frank: SeaWorld’s Future Hotel Isn’t Affected by Toxic Waste“. The opening paragraph takes us on:

Lawyer, OB Rag founder, and self-proclaimed “grassroots activist” Frank Gormlie recently posted an article on his opinion website OB Rag on “Why SeaWorld Can’t Build a Hotel at its Location on Mission Bay“. He argues that because of SeaWorld’s proximity to a former toxic waste dump site, the hotel project which SeaWorld announced recently will not be able to go forward. Luckily, this claim is not true.

Differences of opinion or fact?

One thing immediately should be known. The site that sits at South Shores Park and other areas – including the SeaWorld east parking lot at the very least is STILL a toxic waste dump site. Even the Orca Action Network folks admit it was a “toxic waste dump site”. It was never cleaned up. The City study over a decade ago found that everything would be okay as long as the site was not disturbed.

The other issue is the “proximity” of the old landfill site to SeaWorld and any future hotel diggings.

The OB Rag stated that it was too close to call.