Reptilweb

ON April 23rd 2009 The Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. Congress will hold a hearing on H.R. 669, a resolution that will in effect ban importation, interstate transport and the private ownership of most birds, mammals, reptiles, and fish as pets. Should HR669 be adopted as written only the following nonnative animals
would be allowed:

any cat (Felis catus)
cattle or oxen (Bos taurus)
chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)
dog (Canis lupus familiaris)
donkey or ass (Equus asinus)
domesticated members of the family Anatidae (geese)
duck (domesticated Anas spp.)
goat (Capra aegagrus hircus)
goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus)
horse (Equus caballus)
llama (Lama glama)
mule or hinny (Equus caballus x E. asinus)
pig or hog (Sus scrofa domestica)
domesticated varieties of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
sheep (Ovis aries)

Should this resolution be adopted into law as written it will have a devastating impact on every pet owner and business in the United States. Action is needed TODAY to protect your rights to keep your pets! To find out what you can do to protect your pets please click on the link below. Please note that the linked PIJAC PET ALERT requires that you have Adobe Acrobat installed. More info will follow as it becomes available...

- http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1676384,1676384

Kode: Merk alt

Reptile Nation,

I know that we are facing dangerous and confusing times for the Reptile Community. Our end is upon us if we don't take decisive action to save ourselves. We have the power to decide our own future if we will only wake up and do what needs to be done!!

Thank you to those of you who have taken it upon yourself to take action. I know it has been frustrating. Congress is not set up to be reached by email. We have experienced broken links, constituent filters, blocks and deletions. But our opponents at HSUS lobbying for the bill have faced the same setbacks; although they have shown up in much larger numbers. As for the groups opposing the bill, USARK has generated the most contacts according to congressional staffers. But we must do much better or we will fail.

I just returned from a trip to Capitol Hill. Our lobbyist Tom Wolfe set up meetings with both sides of the Congressional Subcommittee considering HR669. We also did drop in visits to subcommittee member offices to make our case. Support was split down party lines. The Republicans support us and the Democrats oppose us. The Democrat side can win with a straight party line vote. The good news is that since meeting with USARK the Ranking Republican Rep Harry Brown, SC contacted me and has made this bill a priority. He has given us precise instructions on how to most effectively contact the subcommittee.

The Reptile Community must wake up or all will be lost. This is a huge mailing list. Yet only a few are taking action to contact the subcommittee. If everyone on this list did their part we would avalanche the subcommittee and make our point. We could kill HR669. We need to get off our lazy asses and start writing and calling the subcommittee members. The Hearing is on the 23rd of this month. That is all the time we have to save ourselves from being completely destroyed... and make no mistake, if HR669 passes the Reptile Community will be decimated overnight.

Rep Brown's office suggests we focus on direct contact with subcommittee members. That means written letters followed up by phone calls. They are telling us that email and fax are the least effective way to contact members... they get lost and deleted. We need to call and write. They are also saying to send the letters directly to our lobbyist and have him deliver them in mass to the subcommittee members. If you are focusing on other activities STOP until after you complete this important task. Start calling and writing. The Key is IN MASS!!! It has greater impact that way. The time is now to fight for your life. We must convince several Democrats to oppose HR669 to prevail.

This is what we need to do:

1. Write a letter to each member of the subcommittee. Click this link http://www.usark.org/uploads/hr669sample.pdf for the sample letter from our archive and names and phone numbers for committee members.
2. Label each envelope w/ the committee members name and your name and return address.
3. Put all these letters in a large manila envelope and send to: Tom Wolfe, 6246 Lee Hwy, Arlington, VA 22205
4. Call each member of the subcommittee- you will be speaking with staff. Let them know you Oppose HR669. Be civil, but tell them how this will effect you and your family.
5. Check where members are from. If any of the members are your district representatives, or are from your state, make sure they know you are their constituent.

If we are not annihilated by HR669 be prepared to do this over and over again. From now on political action will be needed regularly to maintain our rights. Please post this letter on every forum and social networking site you can think of.

Sincerely,

AndrewWyatt
President USARK

- http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1679780,1679780
Kan følge innspillene til brevet fra linken.

topic: What might be going on behind our backs?
Just wondering: H.R. 669 is a big ugly monster that we're all focusing our energies upon. We know it's bad, really bad. But, since it has everyone's attention, might something else be slipped in quietly behind our backs while we're dealing with HR 669?

Katrina
- http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1681492,1681492

Topic: HR669
You see this legislation is a wolf wrapped in sheep's clothing. No one will argue that we do not need to stop the invasive species problems we have and to stop the invasive species that we may have in the future before they begin. This legislation is no the answer its is going to needlessly harm many companies and individual people in this country .
- http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1682711,1682711

Hopefully everyone has done their Oppose HR669 Letters. This morning is your last chance to overnight them to Tom Wolfe for morning delivery tomorrow. Tom and his staff will hand delivery ALL letters to the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife in time for the April 23rd Hearing. As of Saturday delivery we are nearing 20,000 letters received. We will report the exact final number of letters prior to the Hearing. If you didn't do your letters, shame on you.

The next step is to start phoning in to Subcommittee members. Here in the 11th hour leading up to the hearing we need to clog the phone lines with calls to Oppose HR669! The Reptile Nation really stepped up to the plate with the Oppose HR669 Letter Campaign. Now it is time to do the same with Oppose HR669 Phone Campaign. We have now created a Grass Roots Army that can have enormous impact if we just do what needs to be done.

This is very simple. All you need to do is the following:

1. Call every member of the Subcommittee. If the member is your Congressman call their District office. Otherwise call the Washington DC office.

2. Give your name.

3. Remind them that they are on the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs Oceans & Wildlife.

4. Tell them you want to put on record your Strong Opposition to HR669.

5. Thank them for listening to your concerns.
That's all you have to do.

***Remember you won't be speaking to the Congressman. You will be speaking to his/her staff. Be professional and polite.

Now hit the phones! Let's demonstrate the power of the Reptile Nation Grass Roots Army!!!
- http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1683173,1683173

Topic: We need to draft some bills
All,

I think many of us understand the worry about exotics but much of this has nothing to do with us. We were not invited to the table to work out a win/win bill. This needs to change. We must have answers for their concerns. Rather then being re-active we should be pro-active. Many acknowledge that the Lacey Act needs revamping and we should lead the charge. It might be good to come up with a bill that addresses their concerns but protects our rights. This is only the beginning so pay your cell bill and buy ink cartridges and envelopes.

Welkerii
El Paso, TX
- http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1684023,1684023

... The Reptile Nation was responsible for 49,229 letters delivered to the Subcommittee in less than two weeks. Congressman Brown's staff made sure they all got in the door. 38,000 of those letters will be entered into the permanent record. Thank you my friends!...

...Stay tuned... This fight has only begun!...

USARK

Les resten av innlegget og tråden på;
- http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1684446,1684446

Humane Society of the United States
2100 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037
Phone 202-452-1100 | Fax 202-258-3051 | Email wpacelle@hsus.org


Overview
Humane Society of the United States Despite the words “humane society” on its letterhead, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is not affiliated with your local animal shelter. Despite the omnipresent dogs and cats in its fundraising materials, it’s not an organization that runs spay/neuter programs or takes in stray, neglected, and abused pets. And despite the common image of animal protection agencies as cash-strapped organizations dedicated to animal welfare, HSUS has become the wealthiest animal rights organization on earth.

HSUS is big, rich, and powerful, a “humane society” in name only. And while most local animal shelters are under-funded and unsung, HSUS has accumulated $113 million in assets and built a recognizable brand by capitalizing on the confusion its very name provokes. This misdirection results in an irony of which most animal lovers are unaware: HSUS raises enough money to finance animal shelters in every single state, with money to spare, yet it doesn’t operate a single one anywhere.

Instead, HSUS spends millions on programs that seek to economically cripple meat and dairy producers; eliminate the use of animals in biomedical research labs; phase out pet breeding, zoos, and circus animal acts; and demonize hunters as crazed lunatics. HSUS spends $2 million each year on travel expenses alone, just keeping its multi-national agenda going.

HSUS president Wayne Pacelle described some of his goals in 2004 for The Washington Post: “We will see the end of wild animals in circus acts … [and we’re] phasing out animals used in research. Hunting? I think you will see a steady decline in numbers.” More recently, in a June 2005 interview, Pacelle told Satya magazine that HSUS is working on “a guide to vegetarian eating, to really make the case for it.” A strict vegan himself, Pacelle added: “Reducing meat consumption can be a tremendous benefit to animals.”

Shortly after Pacelle joined HSUS in 1994, he told Animal People (an inside-the-movement watchdog newspaper) that his goal was to build “a National Rifle Association of the animal rights movement.” And now, as the organization’s leader, he’s in a position to back up his rhetoric with action. In 2005 Pacelle announced the formation of a new “Animal Protection Litigation Section” within HSUS, dedicated to “the process of researching, preparing, and prosecuting animal protection lawsuits in state and federal court.”

HSUS’s current goals have little to do with animal shelters. The group has taken aim at the traditional morning meal of bacon and eggs with a tasteless “Breakfast of Cruelty” campaign. Its newspaper op-eds demand that consumers “help make this a more humane world [by] reducing our consumption of meat and egg products.” Since its inception, HSUS has tried to limit the choices of American consumers, opposing dog breeding, conventional livestock and poultry farming, rodeos, circuses, horse racing, marine aquariums, and fur trapping.

A True Multinational Corporation

HSUS is a multinational conglomerate with ten regional offices in the United States and a special Hollywood Office that promotes and monitors the media’s coverage of animal-rights issues. It includes a huge web of organizations, affiliates, and subsidiaries. Some are nonprofit, tax-exempt “charities,” while others are for-profit taxable corporations, which don’t have to divulge anything about their financial dealings.

This unusually complex structure means that HSUS can hide expenses where the public would never think to look. For instance, one HSUS-affiliated organization called the HSUS Wildlife Land Trust collected $21.1 million between 1998 and 2003. During the same period, it spent $15.7 million on fundraising expenses, most of which directly benefited HSUS. This arrangement allowed HSUS to bury millions in direct-mail and other fundraising costs in its affiliate’s budget, giving the public (and charity watchdog groups) the false impression that its own fundraising costs were relatively low.

les videre:
- http://www.activistcash.com/organizatio ... fm/oid/136

PIJAC Continues Leading Fight Against HR 669, Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act, As CEO Testifies Before Congressional Committee

If Passed in Current Form, 669 Could Negatively Impact Pet Businesses and More Than One-Third of the U.S. Population

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marshall Meyers, CEO and General Counsel of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), testified before a Congressional Committee this morning regarding HR 669, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act. Meyers, representing pet owners and the pet industry, spoke against the bill in its current form, explaining why, if passed, it could have devastating effects on pet owners and the pet industry.

Anyone owning pet fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, or invertebrates could be affected by this bill, as would companies selling pet products or services. This bill would ban nonnative species of wildlife not specifically approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Apart from dogs, cats and goldfish, virtually every species falls under the tarp created by HR 669.
. http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site ... ewsLang=en

Pet Owners Upset by Bill to Ban Exotic, Invasive Species

WASHINGTON (Gannett) - Pythons and lizards and tree snakes - oh, my! But hamsters, macaws and the family guinea pig?

A bill that would prohibit importing certain exotic species has sparked outrage among pet owners who fear the legislation could turn them into criminals. But the bill's supporters, including animal rights and conservation groups, say concerns over the measure have been blown out of proportion.

Under the "Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act," species deemed invasive by federal wildlife biologists would be barred from entering the country.
- http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.a ... 6&catid=14

H.R. 669 Hearing Update
What’s the status of H.R. 669 after the hearing?
By Benjamin Weiner
Posted: April 23, 2009, 9:45 p.m. EDT


On Thursday, April 23, 2009, the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife met to deliberate, investigate and revise H.R. 669, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act, and decide if it should go to general debate and move forward in the legislative process. The hearing record is being held open for 10 days for responses and to decide whether to proceed.

Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel for the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) Marshall Meyers testified before the Congressional Subcommittee regarding H.R. 669 as a representative of pet owners and the pet industry.
- http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-news/20 ... aring.aspx

Animal Services' Top Dog Resigns

Updated 2:30 PM PDT, Fri, Apr 24, 2009 Animal Services' Top Dog Resigns

Updated 2:30 PM PDT, Fri, Apr 24, 2009


The head of Los Angeles Animal Services, whose attempt to cancel free or discounted spay/neuter services led some City Council members to seek a "no confidence" vote on his leadership, resigned Friday.The head of Los Angeles Animal Services, whose attempt to cancel free or discounted spay/neuter services led some City Council members to seek a "no confidence" vote on his leadership, resigned Friday.

Ed Boks will remain general manager of the department until June 30. However, he will be out of the office until June 1 as he recovers from a medical condition. Kathy Davis will serve as acting general manager.

"L.A. Animal Services is finding its balance in an environment of severe budget cuts, unprecedented demand for expansion of services and a severe staffing shortage," Boks said in his resignation letter. "I am proud of the
department I am leaving behind."Ed Boks will remain general manager of the department until June 30. However, he will be out of the office until June 1 as he recovers from a medical condition. Kathy Davis will serve as acting general manager.

"L.A. Animal Services is finding its balance in an environment of severe budget cuts, unprecedented demand for expansion of services and a severe staffing shortage," Boks said in his resignation letter. "I am proud of the
department I am leaving behind."

- http://www.nbclosangeles.com/results/?k ... date&adv=y

Kode: Merk alt

Date: 2009-04-24, 9:06PM PDT


'Join the Crusade against HSUS+Pass it Forward'


CA AB1122: WHY HSUS DOESN’T WANT “TRANSFERS” OF ANIMALS
April 19, 2009 · 1 Comment
How does HSUS Work Against Pets+Owners?

HSUS passes laws (HSUS has almost 200 laws for this year) then uses those laws for cases it plans to bring forward, then uses those cases in their incremental process to bring down both interstate commerce and pet ownership, kennels, pet stores, dog breeders, along with difficulties for agriculture and other animals.
- http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/pet/1139044244.htmlhttp://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/pet/1139044244.html

ED BOKS RESIGNS AND LIES ALL THE WAY OUT THE DOOR!ED BOKS RESIGNS AND LIES ALL THE WAY OUT THE DOOR!



Below is THE announcement sent out by Ed Boks this morning to all LAAS employees:
GM Announcement

I am informing all LA Animal Services employees and volunteers that I am resigning as General Manager effective June 30, 2009.



I plan to take leave for a couple of weeks but will be back in time to help close out the current fiscal year and work with our management team to ensure a smooth transition. While on leave I am naming Kathy Davis as the Acting General Manager.( *Eww*) Your support of Kathy is appreciated. (You mean the bump on the log that hasn't done a lick of work for her salary? Yeah, right..she has our support while they try to force Barth down our throats...Cold...Day....In.....HELL!)

I want to let you know how proud I am of the work we were able to accomplish over the past three and a half years including, but not limited to, development of the most successful municipal pet adoption program in the nation (over 26,000 adoptions annually); successfully opening six new state-of-the-art animal care centers; embarking on the Department’s first Strategic Planning process; updating and standardizing policies and procedures to ensure a well-run Department; and building the finest animal care and control medical and executive teams in the nation. Gratefully, all of this, along with all your hard work and commitment, has
Below is THE announcement sent out by Ed Boks this morning to all LAAS employees:
GM Announcement

I am informing all LA Animal Services employees and volunteers that I am resigning as General Manager effective June 30, 2009.



I plan to take leave for a couple of weeks but will be back in time to help close out the current fiscal year and work with our management team to ensure a smooth transition. While on leave I am naming Kathy Davis as the Acting General Manager.( *Eww*) Your support of Kathy is appreciated. (You mean the bump on the log that hasn't done a lick of work for her salary? Yeah, right..she has our support while they try to force Barth down our throats...Cold...Day....In.....HELL!)

I want to let you know how proud I am of the work we were able to accomplish over the past three and a half years including, but not limited to, development of the most successful municipal pet adoption program in the nation (over 26,000 adoptions annually); successfully opening six new state-of-the-art animal care centers; embarking on the Department’s first Strategic Planning process; updating and standardizing policies and procedures to ensure a well-run Department; and building the finest animal care and control medical and executive teams in the nation. Gratefully, all of this, along with all your hard work and commitment, has

uccessfully contributed to the lowest three years of pet euthanasia rates in the Department’s recorded history; and we have every reason to expect continued improvement.uccessfully contributed to the lowest three years of pet euthanasia rates in the Department’s recorded history; and we have every reason to expect continued improvement.
les mer
- http://laanimalservicesboardwatch.blogs ... y-out.html

Update: Status of HR 669 still unclear, unconfirmed

I've been on the phone with the office of the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife and also that of Rep. Bordallo (D-Guam), the author of HR 669, where I spoke with Blake Androff in the communications office.

Both said that as far as they knew, HR 669 was not dead.

I mentioned the report from USARK that it is, and Androff asked me to wait and speak with Rep. Bordallo's press secretary, Matthew Mateo, who was out of the office until Monday.

I'm a pet columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate.com and I had hoped to have an article about this ready to be filed today, to run after the weekend. My deadline was 4 PM Eastern Time today, so he gave me Mateo's email address, saying that he was checking email on his Blackberry even though he was out of the office.

Nonetheless, I didn't get a response. I also left messages for a few other committee members, but apparently DC is a ghost town on Fridays.

I filed my originally scheduled column on a different topic, and will follow up on Monday and try to get an official statement or confirmation of the status of the bill from Rep. Bordallo's office at that time.

When I know more, you'll know more.
- http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1684800,1684800

I spoke with Marshall Meyers of PIJAC yesterday and he informed me that HR669 is not dead but severally wounded. We did a short interview with him yesterday hitting on some of these commonly asked questions. That interview will be aired tonight on the program..

We'll also get Andrew Wyatt's of USARK reponses to the hearing tonight...
- Larry
reptile radio

obeligz skrev:Sku ønske Team reptilweb var like effektiv.. så skulle vi åpna box of whoop ass og tatt tak i dyrevernalliansen. *drømme* ^_^