In regards to legislation please read

I think that is a great idea. What a good way to use a valuable resource like the membership of fauna.

Great idea!! You can count me in as well.

Another great idea Evan, let me know what I can do.


Craig Kade

im in anything i can do let me know,,,,,thomas davis T&S reptile farm

Evan
Count me in on this as well, also what more can we do

Thanks very much to everyone. John, the most important thing to do first is just like any group that is going to be successful is start at the beginning and just organize support. Volume is what it is all about. The only things that politicians respect are money, votes and volume. 500 people may not be enough to get anything done in Vermont for example, but I bet you that 10,000+ people are. No politican at the local, county or even state level will be able to vote on a bill without thinking about that many people actively campaigning against them if that is what it takes.

Here is my thinking:

1) I will put together a website with my developer.

2) on the site we will have ways for people to register and donate

3) on the site I will also have a page for show promoters, show vendors, pet store owners, etc. On this page will be a downloadable/printable flyer with all the important info to get people to the site or sign up by mail.

4) get the site out there, make people aware. word of mouth, print adds, fliers at shows, pet shops, etc.

5) then I start compiling names here in a database for every state that is ready to be emailed, snail mailed or whatever very quickly as needed.

I am a student of our society and one thing that I really was impressed by over the past couple decades has been the conservative movements success at going grass roots. We can really learn from this. If you are lost don't worry, I will explain. In the 1960's and 70's the conservative portion of the United States population was for the very first time in the history of this country really threatened with extinction. The war in Vietnam had turned into such a terrible black eye along with the Nixon Watergate fiasco. So instead of just assuming that the majority of the country was conservative, those segments (please nobody get offended by this and understand this is just a comment) went back to grassroots politics. Back to basics. Talking to one person at a time. Phone and mail campaigns, etc. Organizations like the NRA (national rifle association) are a perfect example. The NRA gets 50,000 people at every national meeting and has millions of paying members in a time when we can't get 40% of the country to vote in a presidential election. Why? They are smart. They are organised.

They have local, state and federal organizers that handle informing the membership, mobilizing the membership and collection of money to grease the wheels of government and make their voice heard. Same with the AARP and other groups.

I mean think about this, regardless of what you believe or who you support, if it were not for the NRA, guns would pretty much be gone in the USA, for good or bad (please do not debate that here, I beg of you). Just like any powerful lobby be it auto manufacturers, oil refiners, teamsters, etc. So that tells you something simple. What they do is working and the way they do it is through pushing around collective weight. We obviously will never have that many people, but regardless, thousands of people keep reptiles in every state of this country. You can drink, you can smoke, you can drive, you can have guns, you can travel... we have many freedoms in this country. Why the hell should they be able to tell us we can't have the pets we want? They can't go after dogs, cats, horses and others because they are too well supported. We are much smaller a group. So I guess we will just have to be louder, right? Evan Stahl

Count me in as well, Evan. I've been waiting for someone like you to do something like this for some time now. I will contribute in any way I can, including financially. Keep us posted!

Tom Burns
Upper End Exotics

If you need any help with the website, let us know! I am sure me or Marcy would be able to help get things together.
Thanks
Justyn

I'm in as well Evan, sounds like a great idea!! Just let me know what I need to do....

I'm there, Evan. Just tell me where to be and what you need me to do!