davesfiles
New member
I am posting this, in this forum, because this forum seems to be about pythons, and has a lot of views.
I have no pythons or boas. I've never started a thread like this. I hope it is not my personal suicide within the reptile community. I read a lot on this site. It's kind of scary, in an often informative kind of way. Lybia, Population 6,355,112. Egypt, Population 81,121,077. Syria, Population 24, 446,609. Total: 111,922,798. United States of America, Population: 311,591,917. If nations the size of Egypt & Syria & Lybia can topple their government using Facebook, yet my fellow Americans are only able to pony up 6000 of a required 25,000 signatures on the python ban petition at https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/overturn-python-ban/4wGFbc4Y.........
So I am typing this dribble in hope of helping my fellow Americans Facebook advantageously. This is lengthy because I feel the need to explain what the flawis, we Americans seem to be unaware of.
Many of my friends on Facebook have big snakes. I've never met most of them. I sign in during the morning, and read the news feed. I have something like 400 friends on the site. I see the news feed. I scroll to the bottom and click "older posts" a few times. I am subscribed to all updates from USARK and President Andrew Wyatt.
If I see something from USARK, I click "share". With 400 friends posting "send a lucky mafia farm adventure chicken feed charm" and "random dopey text imbedded in a silly image", I may (often) miss something interesting, or even miss something genuinely important. Different people check in to Fb at different times of the day, so what is posted to the news feed at 9 am EST is likely going to scroll off the news feed for persons who check in at another time of the day, especially if they (you) have a mess of friends posting regularly.
So I copy what is on the USARK page and post it to my news feed for all to see. And then 3 friends click the "like". The End. So I decided a new route. I would copy the USARK news item of the day and post it on friend's walls who had big snakes. And then, according to how each friend has their settings set, sometimes only that friend would click "Like" on my post on their wall. (Their settings only allow for them singularly to see what their friends post to their wall). Or else if they have their Fb settings to allow friends to see friends posts, then 3 or 4 people might click "Like", and there might even be a share. Sad.
So here's the deal you Python People:
Check the USARK Fb page daily. Share the hot issue of the day, If a friend of yours posts it to your wall, click the "Share" link, so the info appears in the news feed You publish to your friends news feeds. Go back and Share it periodically throughout the day. Moderate the intervals which you Share it at, do not get all Spammy, you might get blocked, reported, or worse. Ask your friends to share the info link. Keep spreading it around regularly, for as long as it takes.
Preaching to other python people is necessary. They probably already know what to say to their congress persons, the President of our great country, Senators, &c.
Perhaps you have friends who are terrified of a picture of a snake. They have seen the slanted truths in the mainstream news, televised wildlife reality series. How do we illicit their positive actions to our mission of ensuring Python Peeps Freedom, Personal Pursuit of Happiness, & so forth? I have found that using a few key phrases & a compelling, dynamic attention getting introductory paragraph can help with this aspect. For it is not only the 'reptile community' that needs to be making calls and flooding the politicians; it is also the voices of all my countrymen which should be considered & included in this war against us little people to Preserve The Rights We Take For Granted.
Some of my Fb friends who are scared senseless of non-hairy pets signed the Python Ban Petition. I try to remove any personal feelings for the big non-native snakes from my attempts at gaining support. After all, I have no big snakes. This is not about me. This is about my fellow Americans who are having their rights and freedom eroded. They have invested a lot of time and money in their pets. Their pets are often domestically produced, their pets cost a lot to procure, to feed, to house; these pets, just like all pets, contribute to a lot of cash exchanging hands every day. Money which is being circulated within our own country, not leaving our country. Some of these pets are imported from outside our country. Many of these pets ate also exported. Many American Jobs have been exported. And now our government wants to kill fancy pets produced in America by Americans. Get dramatic. We need to make suggestions to our snake-fearing friends of what to say to their politicians. Simply re-posting/sharing the USARK news release of the day is not enough. If they are not provided with reasons to preserve captive bred pythons as a legal pets, then they may not be able to figure it out on their own.
1. I do not know everything. I, and perhaps others who read this mess, need suggestions of key words, key phrases, which when read, trigger a thought, which triggers an emotional response, which triggers friends who don't like snakes, to help in favor of keeping pythons as pets.
2. When these pets become illegal, what will happen to them? Is this wise legislation? How will banning all pet pythons and boas nationwide help the situation in the Everglades?
3. Yes, it is unfortunate that 2 infants in the last 5 years have been killed by pythons. It is also unfortunate that 35 persons last year were trampled to death by horses, and that 40 persons in the last year were killed by dog attacks. Please make cars illegal. And nursing homes too. And get rid of all of those national parks where persons get gored by herd animals which do not behave the way cartoon movies indicate they should behave. In fact, please pass legislation ensuring the birthing of human babies is illegal, as this will prevent the most deaths in the future.
4. The last USARK news release I read stated that this current ban would affect 1,000,000 Americans and $104,000,000.- of the economy, or something like that. I have poorly developed math skills, so I need some help understanding this seemingly conservative statistical demographic. First, please, someone, provide me with links to the sound scientific data which proves this information, so if asked, I don't say "I read it online so it must be true". I would like the factual site where it is shown. Not a blog, not a forum post, and preferably on a Website other than USARK. So there will be no conflict of interest. I ask this because when I see that statistical demographic, and take into consideration that the first clutch of python eggs to hatch in North America (at an alligator farm type place in the 1940s in Florida), it seems to me that a lot more pythons and boas are in captivity then the 6000 signatures on the Python ban Petition would indicate. Secondly, the silica is mined, the soda created, the lime is mined, it is transported, fuel is made into energy, to create glass. The glass is made into an aquarium or a part of a vivarium. The iron is mined to be smelted to construct the tractor which is purchased to plow the land to plant the seed to grow the crop to make the harvest to process the harvest to sell the food which is used to produce the captive grown animals which are shipped to feed the snake. I seem to have gotten off track.
4a. I am therefore assuming that 1,000,000 boas and pythons showed up on the doorsteps of Americans, looking all helpless and needy, they were taken in, for free, their housing and accessories and heating bills and veterinarian expenses were all subsidized by the federal government, and they each consumed $100.00 in food for the course of the year. Because this is how my mathematical mind processes the demographic of 1,000,000 Americans and $104,000,000.00. Frankly, I think someone dropped a zero before the period in $104,000,000.00. There are far likely more persons who never have seen the end of the production line they are working, but those pythons and boas have ensured some work and income and livelihood for many more people than the number of individuals who realize it.
5. The Big National Pet Store Chains. Eek. I've read the bashings on multiple herp forums. Please stop alienating the big chain pet shops. They sell lots of stuff which is purchased by people who have pet pythons. We need them on our side. They can help us, or not. They often have mall frontage, an excellent place to provide notices to encourage their customers of important issues. They also stand to lose something (income) if these bans pass. Why can't we all find common ground?
6. Dear Mister WebSlave, Thank You for sending me an email asking me to sign the Python Petition Ban. This is how I first learned of it. I have been looking at, and trying to understand the reasons why it failed. Which has brought me back here, to this place, the central nexus of herpland. Hoping to make a difference.
7. After I post/share something to a friend's wall who has the big snakes/ROC- , I add the comment:
FriendName, when I post something on your wall, only you and any friends who visit your wall see it. If you, however, copy/paste/re-post it, then all of your friends will see it. However, there is another angle to consider; the 'shared' info will scroll off of the general news feed within an hour, maybe less if your friends have lots of friends. So if you re-post it often, then it will get noticed by a lot more friends, and possibly really get the ball rolling. Personally, I do not have many friends with big snakes. And I don't have any pet pythons or boas. But I'm trying to do what I can for friends like you.
--------------------------------------------
In closing, I am not a professional wordsmith. I want to help. I do not know all of the tricks to get people into action. Real Action. Sure, I donate something here and there to the USARK cause. Thank You ZooMed for dollar-for-dollar matching donations at numerous fundraisers for USARK. I like to learn new things. USARK needs help, but more correctly, this is a pie we are all in together. I like pythons and boas, but do not want one of my own. I hope some of this is useful somehow. I would like to improve my abilities of encouraging non-herp-persons to do the right thing on behalf of fellow Americans. Please provide me with some feedback as to how I can become a better helper in this struggle to keep our personal freedoms intact.
Thanks in advance for any considerations.
dave partington.
I have no pythons or boas. I've never started a thread like this. I hope it is not my personal suicide within the reptile community. I read a lot on this site. It's kind of scary, in an often informative kind of way. Lybia, Population 6,355,112. Egypt, Population 81,121,077. Syria, Population 24, 446,609. Total: 111,922,798. United States of America, Population: 311,591,917. If nations the size of Egypt & Syria & Lybia can topple their government using Facebook, yet my fellow Americans are only able to pony up 6000 of a required 25,000 signatures on the python ban petition at https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/overturn-python-ban/4wGFbc4Y.........
So I am typing this dribble in hope of helping my fellow Americans Facebook advantageously. This is lengthy because I feel the need to explain what the flawis, we Americans seem to be unaware of.
Many of my friends on Facebook have big snakes. I've never met most of them. I sign in during the morning, and read the news feed. I have something like 400 friends on the site. I see the news feed. I scroll to the bottom and click "older posts" a few times. I am subscribed to all updates from USARK and President Andrew Wyatt.
If I see something from USARK, I click "share". With 400 friends posting "send a lucky mafia farm adventure chicken feed charm" and "random dopey text imbedded in a silly image", I may (often) miss something interesting, or even miss something genuinely important. Different people check in to Fb at different times of the day, so what is posted to the news feed at 9 am EST is likely going to scroll off the news feed for persons who check in at another time of the day, especially if they (you) have a mess of friends posting regularly.
So I copy what is on the USARK page and post it to my news feed for all to see. And then 3 friends click the "like". The End. So I decided a new route. I would copy the USARK news item of the day and post it on friend's walls who had big snakes. And then, according to how each friend has their settings set, sometimes only that friend would click "Like" on my post on their wall. (Their settings only allow for them singularly to see what their friends post to their wall). Or else if they have their Fb settings to allow friends to see friends posts, then 3 or 4 people might click "Like", and there might even be a share. Sad.
So here's the deal you Python People:
Check the USARK Fb page daily. Share the hot issue of the day, If a friend of yours posts it to your wall, click the "Share" link, so the info appears in the news feed You publish to your friends news feeds. Go back and Share it periodically throughout the day. Moderate the intervals which you Share it at, do not get all Spammy, you might get blocked, reported, or worse. Ask your friends to share the info link. Keep spreading it around regularly, for as long as it takes.
Preaching to other python people is necessary. They probably already know what to say to their congress persons, the President of our great country, Senators, &c.
Perhaps you have friends who are terrified of a picture of a snake. They have seen the slanted truths in the mainstream news, televised wildlife reality series. How do we illicit their positive actions to our mission of ensuring Python Peeps Freedom, Personal Pursuit of Happiness, & so forth? I have found that using a few key phrases & a compelling, dynamic attention getting introductory paragraph can help with this aspect. For it is not only the 'reptile community' that needs to be making calls and flooding the politicians; it is also the voices of all my countrymen which should be considered & included in this war against us little people to Preserve The Rights We Take For Granted.
Some of my Fb friends who are scared senseless of non-hairy pets signed the Python Ban Petition. I try to remove any personal feelings for the big non-native snakes from my attempts at gaining support. After all, I have no big snakes. This is not about me. This is about my fellow Americans who are having their rights and freedom eroded. They have invested a lot of time and money in their pets. Their pets are often domestically produced, their pets cost a lot to procure, to feed, to house; these pets, just like all pets, contribute to a lot of cash exchanging hands every day. Money which is being circulated within our own country, not leaving our country. Some of these pets are imported from outside our country. Many of these pets ate also exported. Many American Jobs have been exported. And now our government wants to kill fancy pets produced in America by Americans. Get dramatic. We need to make suggestions to our snake-fearing friends of what to say to their politicians. Simply re-posting/sharing the USARK news release of the day is not enough. If they are not provided with reasons to preserve captive bred pythons as a legal pets, then they may not be able to figure it out on their own.
1. I do not know everything. I, and perhaps others who read this mess, need suggestions of key words, key phrases, which when read, trigger a thought, which triggers an emotional response, which triggers friends who don't like snakes, to help in favor of keeping pythons as pets.
2. When these pets become illegal, what will happen to them? Is this wise legislation? How will banning all pet pythons and boas nationwide help the situation in the Everglades?
3. Yes, it is unfortunate that 2 infants in the last 5 years have been killed by pythons. It is also unfortunate that 35 persons last year were trampled to death by horses, and that 40 persons in the last year were killed by dog attacks. Please make cars illegal. And nursing homes too. And get rid of all of those national parks where persons get gored by herd animals which do not behave the way cartoon movies indicate they should behave. In fact, please pass legislation ensuring the birthing of human babies is illegal, as this will prevent the most deaths in the future.
4. The last USARK news release I read stated that this current ban would affect 1,000,000 Americans and $104,000,000.- of the economy, or something like that. I have poorly developed math skills, so I need some help understanding this seemingly conservative statistical demographic. First, please, someone, provide me with links to the sound scientific data which proves this information, so if asked, I don't say "I read it online so it must be true". I would like the factual site where it is shown. Not a blog, not a forum post, and preferably on a Website other than USARK. So there will be no conflict of interest. I ask this because when I see that statistical demographic, and take into consideration that the first clutch of python eggs to hatch in North America (at an alligator farm type place in the 1940s in Florida), it seems to me that a lot more pythons and boas are in captivity then the 6000 signatures on the Python ban Petition would indicate. Secondly, the silica is mined, the soda created, the lime is mined, it is transported, fuel is made into energy, to create glass. The glass is made into an aquarium or a part of a vivarium. The iron is mined to be smelted to construct the tractor which is purchased to plow the land to plant the seed to grow the crop to make the harvest to process the harvest to sell the food which is used to produce the captive grown animals which are shipped to feed the snake. I seem to have gotten off track.
4a. I am therefore assuming that 1,000,000 boas and pythons showed up on the doorsteps of Americans, looking all helpless and needy, they were taken in, for free, their housing and accessories and heating bills and veterinarian expenses were all subsidized by the federal government, and they each consumed $100.00 in food for the course of the year. Because this is how my mathematical mind processes the demographic of 1,000,000 Americans and $104,000,000.00. Frankly, I think someone dropped a zero before the period in $104,000,000.00. There are far likely more persons who never have seen the end of the production line they are working, but those pythons and boas have ensured some work and income and livelihood for many more people than the number of individuals who realize it.
5. The Big National Pet Store Chains. Eek. I've read the bashings on multiple herp forums. Please stop alienating the big chain pet shops. They sell lots of stuff which is purchased by people who have pet pythons. We need them on our side. They can help us, or not. They often have mall frontage, an excellent place to provide notices to encourage their customers of important issues. They also stand to lose something (income) if these bans pass. Why can't we all find common ground?
6. Dear Mister WebSlave, Thank You for sending me an email asking me to sign the Python Petition Ban. This is how I first learned of it. I have been looking at, and trying to understand the reasons why it failed. Which has brought me back here, to this place, the central nexus of herpland. Hoping to make a difference.
7. After I post/share something to a friend's wall who has the big snakes/ROC- , I add the comment:
FriendName, when I post something on your wall, only you and any friends who visit your wall see it. If you, however, copy/paste/re-post it, then all of your friends will see it. However, there is another angle to consider; the 'shared' info will scroll off of the general news feed within an hour, maybe less if your friends have lots of friends. So if you re-post it often, then it will get noticed by a lot more friends, and possibly really get the ball rolling. Personally, I do not have many friends with big snakes. And I don't have any pet pythons or boas. But I'm trying to do what I can for friends like you.
--------------------------------------------
In closing, I am not a professional wordsmith. I want to help. I do not know all of the tricks to get people into action. Real Action. Sure, I donate something here and there to the USARK cause. Thank You ZooMed for dollar-for-dollar matching donations at numerous fundraisers for USARK. I like to learn new things. USARK needs help, but more correctly, this is a pie we are all in together. I like pythons and boas, but do not want one of my own. I hope some of this is useful somehow. I would like to improve my abilities of encouraging non-herp-persons to do the right thing on behalf of fellow Americans. Please provide me with some feedback as to how I can become a better helper in this struggle to keep our personal freedoms intact.
Thanks in advance for any considerations.
dave partington.
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