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    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

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    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

In regards to legislation please read

E

evansnakes

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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
 
You could set up a listserv through yahoo I believe this is the right url http://groups.yahoo.com/
it's free and then people could sign up for it on their own and if they change their minds they could just go and delete their names

and good luck : )
 
Sounds like a wonderful idea, Evan. I think if there was a primary magnet to pull in people from all the fragmented tangents here and there, it would be an impressive number.

I'm sure many people would agree to put a link on their websites, and maybe even sites like Fauna could add it to their registration, such as "Check this box if we can share your name with herp legislation organizations" etc., with a disclaimer that their info would not be sold, etc.
 
Evan,

I have had a Legislative Alerts forum on this site for a while now, but I guess most people couldn't find it. I just moved it into the General Discussions category, right below the General Business Discussions forum.

Hope that helps.
 
Rich, I am such a creature of habit, some times I forget to look at anything other than the BOI and classifieds. Sad really. I will check it out. Is it OK if this stays here for now? I still think it is the best place for a fledgling concept.

Thanks everybody. I will do some tire kicking on ideas this week and talk to my friend Bob who raises money for PIJAC each year at his shows and get some thoughts. I'm also going to talk to my guy doing my sites and see if maybe we can't just slap something together for the cause. I will post anything new here. Please don't worry about donations right now. The most important thing is just support. It is an old cliche but it is the most truth we can find in government, "United we stand, divided we fall." Evan Stahl
 
Evan,

Sure, but bear in mind that I do not want the BOI to get too cluttered up with inappropriate material. Makes it too tough for people to find what they are looking for.

If you get something worked out and want a separate forum dedicated to it, let me know what you have in mind.
 
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
 
I'm in as well Evan, sounds like a great idea!! Just let me know what I need to do....
 
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