Policy change for FaunaClassifieds - IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!

Today was an unusual day.

I had two quotes running through my mind, one from an email an acquaintance sent me, and another from someone posting here on the BOI. Let me quote them here for you to read:

I am a little concerned with the unethical and unprofessional manner in which an issue has been handled by a site I have been visiting for years now. The issue, is the childish and non-adult manner in the situation between Jeff Barringer and Serpenco. This has really gotten sad. As people we are suppose to be above all things (sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will NEVER hurt me). As businesses we have to be. Actions speak louder than words and I am seeing some very bad actions in the way this has been handled by both parties. I am supporter of both parties but if things continue as they are I will have to go with party that 'Acts' with a bit of professionality. This is a business and one of the top ones at that. It should be above and beyond acts of childishness and or personal self-interest in all areas. This needs to washed down the drain and completely forgotten.
Sincerly Greg Wiens

And the next:

A few years back I used my traveling to herp shows in many different states as a way to get people to sign up for a non profit corporation that I filed here in Michigan to fight anti herp legislation. I did not get enough support and I let it die after a year. I got tons of people willing to support petitions, etc., but not to fund projects, legal funds, etc..

I don't have any desire to do that again, but I do have some thoughts. Would you register your name and address info/email/etc with me if I were to compile a database of herpers to be used nationwide to help fight legislation? The names/info would not be for sale and would only be for use if needed.

I was thinking, PIJAC only sends out info to paying members and only looks for support from members. What if I could be there to supply them with a list of people that would support their petitions in whatever state the fight is in. That would instantly strengthen their backing and keep you informed on your state.

If I did it this way it would not be so much work or money that I couldn't handle it without the occasional small donations for printing and mailing costs. I would just have people either mail or email me their info and I would basically archive it, stored away for when it would be needed.

Give me your thoughts on this. I think it may be worth doing. I talk to thousands of people each year about reptiles. It may be much easier to gather support than most think currently. Even a few thousand people registered would make a huge difference instead of somebody having to go out with a clipboard and start from scratch.

Please don't give me thoughts on how to make it more work or more expensive as I have no use for more work or less money. Thanks guys. Evan Stahl

These two quotes were two sides of the same coin spinning in my head all day. It took until later this evening for them to spin fast enough to become a single idea that I could finally grab a handle on and one that I feel is in due time.

Evan is talking about cohesion in our industry so we have numbers on our side against legislation that could sink us all if we are not united. And Greg so rightfully has pointed out that there is a responsibility in the hands of the people whom run sites such as mine and Jeff's to act professional and lead by example. There are an awful lot of new people coming into this industry on a daily basis and they look to these sites as examples of what they are getting into. How can we expect or ask people on our sites to act in a mature, responsible, professional manner if we cannot act that way ourselves?

This feud between Jeff Barringer and myself has to end. It has reached the point where I am talking with attorneys and he probably is as well. Both sides can certainly gather up an armload full of evidence, character witnesses, and legal opinions that would know no bounds. And what would be the result? Figuratively, blood would be spilled on both sides, and fat lawyers all around.

This would have a tremendous potential to put a fracture in our entire industry as people chose sides and then dug in with their opinions. Obviously, this is an emotion-charged situation which will have no middle ground until someone just takes a hard look around at the lateral damage being thrown about and takes a step towards the middle.

Recently I have heard both camps speak of boycotts. Are we all making ends meet so well with this economy that we can snub our noses at someone simply because they like one site rather than the other? What foolishness!

So I am taking the first step. This has to end. It's not about winning, or who is right and who is wrong. It's about putting this all behind us and getting on with what this should be all about. Our animals, our hobbies, our interests, and our businesses.

I will swallow my pride and admit that I let it go on too long and went too far. I could have let this pass into the past, but have obviously been a burr in the saddle. When I should have stepped back and taken a hard look at what is going on on my site and known when to say "enough", I set myself in concrete saying this is MY site and bugger off.

I came real close to calling Jeff on the phone tonight to talk this over, but my fear was that the phone conversation might go south, and things would be no better or even worse than before. In such a case, we would both be back in our encampments and nothing would likely bring a resolution closer again.

So I chose, instead, to post this here, to display publicly that I am tired of this and embarrassed that I have played my part in this juvenile and petty behavior. What Jeff thinks or does is immaterial to the path I am taking. I am just doing my part in ending this.

So I am backing down. Publicly and humbly.

Effective immediately, this site is NOT to be used for the discussion of what other web sites may or may not do. Or what the owners of other sites may or may not think or act. This site was intended from the beginning, and specifically the BOI, to help people reach resolutions to problems concerning their business dealings with other people buying, selling and trading their animals. I am now pulling that back into the track where it belongs.

I will be removing the Web Wars forum and all of the posts made within that section. And I will also be searching for any other posts of that nature that may be anywhere on my sites and removing them as well. Those types of discussions are no longer acceptable fare here. And this does not just mean those in relation to kingsnake.com. ALL other websites and their policies and actions are outside the focus and off the radar of this site completely from here on out.

I do not expect this to mend the rift, nor am I asking that it do that. All I am saying is that I am laying down my armament and putting my efforts into more constructive and worthwhile endeavors. This site was designed to help people from the beginning. On it's current path, I do not believe that this is true any longer.

To all of you that saw me making a fool of myself, yet never told me, I think you for your kindness. Perhaps your belief I would come to my senses eventually was well founded after all.

My apologies to all.

Rich Z.