Dolphins: ‘the rapists of the sea’

Telegraph blogger Tim Stanley, a conservative historian of the US, has taken issue with the American Catholic college Fordham University over their decision to include bioethics professor Peter Singer in a panel discussion. Especially since Fordham "effectively barred the conservative, pro-life pundit Ann Coulter from speaking on campus" - a woman who is, presumably, more to Stanley's tastes.

So what is so objectionable about Professor Singer? "The aged hippie is also on record as lamenting the social 'stigma' attached to having sex with animals. Folks, lock up your dolphins."

While failing to actually cite references to dolphin sex in Obama's election manifesto, Stanley does imply that this concern is particularly close to the hearts of "good conservatives".

"That sick feeling that you're getting in the pit of your stomach as you read this is a symptom of an outrage that is far more potent than a mere evolutionary process...If you feel it strongly enough, you might just be one of those social conservatives whose days are so often said to be numbered."

Moreover, while conservatives tend to side with the rich and powerful on economic issues, "when it comes to sex, centuries of tradition usually favours the interests of the vulnerable."

This despite the acknowledgement that dolphins "are also known as the rapists of the sea - and have even molested human beings."