To David's attackers I have a very honest question to ask: have you considered that there is even the slightest possibility that you might be wrong about him? The reason that I ask is that you seem like generally decent people with relatively well thought out arguments, but you've conducted this thread like you know something the rest of us don't... like you have conclusive proof beyond all doubt that David and Brian Smith are the same guy. The trouble is that you haven't shown it. You've detailed a vast number of matters of opinion (many of which I disagree with you on) and to sum it up you say that there's just too much that doesn't add up. A collection of small arguments that may or may not be correct in the first place, no matter how many, does not add up to proof... and the burden of proof is on you the accusers, not David. Imagine that he is not Brian Smith, and that you are in his shoes. Would you offer specific rebuttals to some of the extreme accusations about him just because someone you've never met demanded it? I wouldn't. If I barraged the general public with 16 pages worth of "evidence" of how you were this reincarnated monster from the past who cheats fellow herpers, beats women, and whatever other crimes Brian smith is guilty of, would you then readily tell me what state your business is registered in and why a friend built or hosts your website? Would you post pictures of yourself and your animals for me? Probably not. And that isn't even the extent of the allegations that you've thrown at David. You've chastised him for saying that he has a closed colony while in the same breath saying that he regularly purchases and trades for new animals. Have you considered that he might have an elaborate quarantining procedure in a completely separate facility that allows his collection to be "closed" until he deems an animal fit to enter it? He does. You also accuse him of claiming to be larger than he is and posting pics of mainly young animals and very few older ones. Look around; breeders sell snakes... most often baby snakes... these are the pics that they post to entice the public. Sure there are many pics to be seen in all the forums of adult snakes, but that doesn't obligate anyone to be completely forthcoming with every single animal in their collection just to prove that they have them. David has sent me dozens of pictures of various breedings and breeders because he and I are friends and I asked him about them out of pure interest. What I didn't do was attack him and then demand that he send me pictures of his animals to prove his identity. I imagine that wouldn't have gone very well. None of you has seen the majority of my personal collection, if you've seen any of the pics I've posted at all. Does that mean that I don't have those animals? Does that mean that if we had a conversation about them that you'd accuse me of claiming to be bigger than I actually am? You accuse him of not existing until his website was built. Did it occur to you that he might have been in business prior to going online? I have bred and sold and purchased snakes and I won't have a website for at least a year. Does that mean that I don't exist? You find it troubling that he and Brian Smith share an interest in the same animals. When you consider that the animals that David breeds and sells include the vast majority of the boids and morphs available today excluding ball pythons, and even some colubrids it would be difficult to find a snake enthusiast anywhere that doesn't share his interests. I'm into Retics, Burms, Bloods, and Boas, and I think his albino hybrids are simply breathtaking... does that make me Brian Smith? You tried to bait him in to a fight by saying that you are a legitimate business and can supply anyone with your EIN and asked if he even know what an EIN is. I suppose you were trying to indicate with this that his business is in some way not legitimate. Well I have a legitimate business and I have no EIN. I have an IBT (Illinois Business Tax) number but do not require a federal EIN as I don't have any employees. Does that make my business illegitimate??? Does that make me Brian Smith??? You also attacked a picture that he posted of an enormous albino granite saying that she is grossly overweight and kept in an enclosure that is obviously way too small. I've come to kind of "know" that snake through correspondences with David. He loves that snake like a daughter. She has a name. She's a proven breeder. If you've tried in the past I'm sure you'll agree with me that unhealthy and unhappy snakes don't have large, successful clutches. That albino granite does. The fact is that the picture he posted shows about 1/3 of the entire cage that she's in. It goes back to the left (in the picture) for several feet. I know this because I keep all of my retics and burms in almost identical cages... cages I got the designs for from David. In addition you claim her to be grossly overweight and unhealthy. She just ate a 60lb. pig... he says this himself in the post. Without starting an entirely new argument, huge snakes eat huge meals and consequently have huge lumps. This is a burm that is over 20 ft. and over 200lbs. A 60lb. pig is less than 1/3 of her body weight and not an unreasonable meal. I feed 4-5lb. meals to 15-20lb. retics with the same proportionate results. They aren't obese, they just ate a large meal. Am I abusing this animal??? Is he grossly obese??? Does this picture make me Brian Smith???
I'm not trying to pick a fight or add fuel to an already unnecessary fire, I'm just asking you to consider that there's at least a chance that you're wrong. If you had this conclusive evidence that David is not who he says he is I'd be the first one to apologize to you and join the witch hunt. The fact is that I believe what he says as he's never lied to me and in fact gone drastically out of his way to help me with absolutely no personal gain of his own. Consider that you might be hurting a man who you've truly never met and has truly never done anything wrong to you. If you are wrong about him wouldn't the bad that you are doing right now far outweigh the good done if you are right? If he is Brian Smith or Damon or whoever, it will come out sooner or later... until then or until you can prove that why not just let the man be. If you don't like him fine, don't buy from him. But don't throw enormous accusations about what a monster he "might" be if you happen to be correct about some inconsistencies that are largely a matter of opinion. Like I said he owes you no explanations for anything. You as the accuser owe him and us the public proof of what you say. So if you don't have it, please stop.