Post your letters against HR 669

[icygirl]

Hi all, I hope that you are all going to fight HR669, and hopefully some people have written letters/emails to your state reps already. Post 'em here so that others can get ideas of what to say in their letters!!

Here is the website where you can get addresses and send emails automatically:
www.nohr669.com

[icygirl]

Here is mine...

"No HR 669" has a generic letter, but I added my own part to it...


Representative Olver, I want you to understand that, even though you yourself may not own animals, or perhaps you only own ones that are "safe" on this bill, keeping animals such as reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, fish, birds, and small mammals is something that is near and dear to the hearts of many Americans. I have kept snakes and lizards since I was in high school, and raising them was one of my biggest hobbies. I did this in a very responsible manner and was always quick to tweak my animals' husbandry so that they were perfectly content in their enclosures. It has meant so much to me to raise lizards and snakes and watch them grow and thrive. I keep them because I find them beautiful and fascinating; some people keep reptiles, amphibians, fish, or invertebrates because they want a pet, but cannot own mammals due to allergies.

To rip this joy from the hearts of many pet owners - and to destroy the livelihood of countless pet breeders, suppliers, and retail stores - would be extremely detrimental to this country. The reasoning the proponents of the bill give in favor of banning the sale and transport of these animals are fabricated, and NOT based on scientific studies! These are simply strong lobbyist groups that hope to someday prohibit the keeping of ALL animals as pets. They have simply left "safe" those animals they believe are the most popular (such as dogs, cats, and farm animals), so as to generate as much support as they can for their ridiculous cause.

If you haven't heard about "herpers" (people who keep reptiles and amphibians) I suggest you take a look at some of the increasingly popular social networks and forums based around the keeping of these animals! This hobby has exploded in popularity in the last few decades! Here are some examples:
www.reptilegeeks.com
www.iherp.com
www.ball-pythons.net
www.cornsnakes.com

I'm going to be writing another one, and probably a handwritten one too... I might change some things for next time. Polite constructive criticism welcome.