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USARK & Reptile Nation Save 5 of 9 species from FWS Constrictor Rule!

Metachrosis said:
When the USARK Godhead specifically stated said actions are a waste of time ?

is all I'm saying . . . .
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I don't happen to believe that anyone knows what is best to do at this point. If anything, the petition will perhaps show whether or not this industry can even GET 25,000 people interested in overturning that decision. Apparently the White House is saying that if you can't, then don't bother them. You don't have enough people on your side to make it worthwhile for them to take the time to address. Perhaps they are right about that.....
 
Metachrosis said:
When the USARK Godhead specifically stated said actions are a waste of time ?

is all I'm saying . . . .
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im glad to see people are not listening to usark and still doing the petitions. no there not going to over turn a ban but it is making some noise and it will halp show how many people are concerned with this. and it mite be used as evidence in court to help show our numbers.
 
WebSlave said:
I don't happen to believe that anyone knows what is best to do at this point. If anything, the petition will perhaps show whether or not this industry can even GET 25,000 people interested in overturning that decision. Apparently the White House is saying that if you can't, then don't bother them. You don't have enough people on your side to make it worthwhile for them to take the time to address. Perhaps they are right about that.....
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really nobody knows what to do now. well let me think, if i was the head of and organization thats fighting for our rights to keep reptiles, i would file a class action suit. but if i was an special interest lobbying group pretending to be an organization that represent the reptile industry, i would try to spin the ban as a win and if that didnt work i would try to raise even more money and keep pretending like im fighting until everybody finally catches on and then i would just shut down the organization and walk away with some cash. thats what i would do.

cant you people see usark had no intentions of trying to fight this. thats why they have no plan to offer up to everyone.
 
crotalusadamanteus said:
Dude, we get it already.
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dude no you dont get it.

usark most likely compromised for this ban. they claimed a victory when it wasnt. never set up a plan to fight the ban or set aside any money to fight it.

and when they say give us $150,000 to look into fighting it( keep in mind they never had any plans to) everyone says ok here you go, heres some more money for you to spend and not tell us what your doing behind closed doors. or tell us how they got the 5 snakes taken off. or why gary bagnall (zoo med) that is anti big snakes, was allowed to by a seat on usark's broad for $100,000. or why they wont even come out and talk to anyone about this. all they have really done is ask for more money, and people are giving it to them, without question.

you dont get it at all
 
rodneynboalich said:
usark most likely compromised for this ban. they claimed a victory when it wasnt. never set up a plan to fight the ban or set aside any money to fight it.

and when they say give us $150,000 to look into fighting it( keep in mind they never had any plans to) everyone says ok here you go, heres some more money for you to spend and not tell us what your doing behind closed doors. or tell us how they got the 5 snakes taken off. or why gary bagnall (zoo med) that is anti big snakes, was allowed to by a seat on usark's broad for $100,000. or why they wont even come out and talk to anyone about this. all they have really done is ask for more money, and people are giving it to them, without question.
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I think you misunderstand the political process and conflict resolution. Sometimes one has to compromise in order to set some common ground. USARK undoubtedly had to compromise, but think about the other side as well. The politicians no doubt saw the removal of several species from that bill as a huge compromise and concession. All things considered, especially the deep pockets of our snake-phobic opposition, I think USARK did remarkably well keeping several of those species unlisted.

I was actually quite surprised to realize that USARK only spent $150,000 on this lobbying program. That is remarkably cheap for the results they gave us. You can't expect USARK to go to Washington and pay for their hotel rooms, transportation, and other costs out of their own pockets. That is beyond generosity considering they were fighting an uphill battle to begin with.

Although I have mixed feelings about the law that was passed, I am quite satisfied with the performance of USARK during these very taxing three years. I certainly feel I got my money's worth out of my donation and membership.
 
rodneynboalich said:
dude no you dont get it.

usark most likely compromised for this ban. they claimed a victory when it wasnt. never set up a plan to fight the ban or set aside any money to fight it.
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First there was a compromise. Then it went to USARK never intended on fighting.

REad the links or quotes below Rodney. READ IT

http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2012/01/constrictor-snake-news.html
So when USARK and its lobbyists made a jobs argument, it struck a nerve at OMB. OMB appeared ready to kill the whole thing, until lawmakers from Florida on both sides of the aisle started demanding action.
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Even our enemies thought we were going to be successful in defeating the WHOLE thing.

http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2011/09/constrictor-snakes.html
there’s a lobby, led by the U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers, that’s been fighting this reform at every turn. The group has temporarily succeeded in blocking federal legislation to crack down on the trade, and they’ve at least slowed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from adopting a rule to stop the spread of these injurious species.
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If you get your enemies to cry and whine about you, you must be doing something right.

Rodney you keep crying that USARK lost this fight for us. What was your organization doing? After all Terry has been successful at fighting these things for 30-40 years. So he either lost too. Or he did nothing at all.

I am not saying USARK is the best there is. I am just saying quit spouting off things that you made up out of thin air.
 
crotalusadamanteus said:
I'll give you my understanding, as best I can. But this is a monster of a web they have spun, so not that easy to understand.

Sugar companies are directly responsible for much of the destruction of the everglade, through over development, some 6 million acres are used for sugar plantations, and they are polluting the waters with their phosphorous fertilizers. Almost all of the destruction that Florida has spent billions on attempting to fix, is a direct result of fertilizer run off. Yet they can do nothing about it, because the sugar companies have also bought the federal government, and contribute way too much in tax revenue, and political contributions for the feds to intervene. (I should say sugar company, as in singular, as in Flo-Sun inc.) They simply have way too much political influence. Something Clinton had a chance to stop in 1993, but political contributions kept him quiet, while VP Gore was suggesting the opposite. Meanwhile, over the next 10 years, the price of sugar in the US, right where it was mostly grown, doubled that of the global market. DOUBLED!

Florida wants the sugar companies gone, but cannot accomplish that with the company having so much political sway. You get the money coming from PETA and HSUS involved in the form of contributions, and now buying the sugar company out, since they are in a weakened state due to the shortage of the same phosphorous that's polluting the waters, is the easiest way to do it, securing 187000 acres of land for expansion. 1.75 billion spent to do so.

But, HSUS and PETA do not just GIVE their money away, they want favors in return. Enter the Python ban. Now they have to come up with ways to ban the pythons, in order to secure those large donations to accomplish their ultimate goal of everglades restoration. What better way, then to blame the people, even though they know full well the entire thing is blown way out of proportion, that the problem isn't near as bad as they've made it to be, and knowing full well the Burm population is the direct result of a natural disaster, and not from the people who will suffer directly from the passing of this law.

Yes, I know, I'm a conspiracy theorist. I always have been.
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It is NOT a conspiracy. Unfortunately what you have illustrated is EXACTLY the way our government works. From the Federal, to the states, to the counties, to the Municipal, even our local school boards work this EXACT way. Deals are brokered. Compromise is made.

Our politicians do not just vote yea or nea on a particular subject or bill. That subject or bill usually have all sorts of Pork and other useless spending attached to it.

So when a particular president votes against a "military spending" bill. He did not do it because of hatred for the military. He did it because of all the pork and other extra attachments that have been added to the bill. It was the extra pork that he was against and not the military per se. Unfortunately the other side will always spin it as hatred for the military.

The "military spending" example is just an example. Many Many other bills come with all sorts of pork attached.
 
People need to understand that votes are the currency of our representatives. They use their votes as bargaining chips to get what they want. In other words, they approach other representatives and offer their vote for a bill if they get a vote in return for their own bill. And obviously these votes can be purchased by outside interests as well. If someone gets voted into office via "big money" being spent for their election, certainly it doesn't end there. That "big money" EXPECTS something in return, otherwise that representative can kiss those funds goodbye when re-election rolls around. That money will go to whoever is running against them the next time.

Apparently from this quote, it does tie together quite interestingly the quote concerning HSUS, PETA, and the sugar lobby having a hand in all this:
So when USARK and its lobbyists made a jobs argument, it struck a nerve at OMB. OMB appeared ready to kill the whole thing, until lawmakers from Florida on both sides of the aisle started demanding action.
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Why else would those "lawmakers in Florida" demand national action on what is obviously (to people with a brain, anyway) a LOCAL Florida issue? Does anyone really believe that Burmese pythons will get a population established in Montana? :rolleyes:
 
WebSlave said:
People need to understand that votes are the currency of our representatives. They use their votes as bargaining chips to get what they want. In other words, they approach other representatives and offer their vote for a bill if they get a vote in return for their own bill. And obviously these votes can be purchased by outside interests as well. If someone gets voted into office via "big money" being spent for their election, certainly it doesn't end there. That "big money" EXPECTS something in return, otherwise that representative can kiss those funds goodbye when re-election rolls around. That money will go to whoever is running against them the next time.

Apparently from this quote, it does tie together quite interestingly the quote concerning HSUS, PETA, and the sugar lobby having a hand in all this:


Why else would those "lawmakers in Florida" demand national action on what is obviously (to people with a brain, anyway) a LOCAL Florida issue? Does anyone really believe that Burmese pythons will get a population established in Montana? :rolleyes:
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I could not have said it better. :bow01::bow01::bow01:
It was already banned in Florida after all. But they needed the cash.
And here ladies and gentlemen is the way the government works. Many young senators and governors may think they will go to the hill and change things. They are sadly mistaken.
 
The real sad part is, those politicians will take that sugar contribution money, knowing full well that those same sugar companies, operate with slave type labor on plantations outside the CONUS.
 
HerpVenue said:
I could not have said it better. :bow01::bow01::bow01:
It was already banned in Florida after all. But they needed the cash.
And here ladies and gentlemen is the way the government works. Many young senators and governors may think they will go to the hill and change things. They are sadly mistaken.
Click to expand...

do you just follow webslave around from thread to thread kissing his ass.
 
You should just go away for a while. Richie has chewed up and spit out more bad guys in this industry then you can ever hope to do. He's proved himself numerous times to be a trustworthy and ethical person. His opinion is valued around here.

Not looking that way for yours though.
 
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