HR 669: What Are the Chances?

It's ok. I kinda had a WTF? look on my face when I saw that. lol. I made a facebook event and invited everyone to it. Just need to know who to contact so I can add that to it.

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Originally Posted by Little B-Py

who do we contact if a rep for our state is not on the list?

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Contacting your own Representative in congress is by far the most effective way to stand up against HR 669. Emailing AND calling ... I have my Congressman's phone number programmed into my cell phone and I call his office every single day and ask his aide to please have him help me oppose HR 669.

In the next couple of days, www.nohr669.com will launch with information about who to contact, how to contact them, and even what to say with a couple of simple clicks ... please use it every day until HR 669 is dead.

-adam

I emailed my congressman, Greg Walden. Is there anything else I can do?

I would love to join USARK and PIJAC but I can't afford the membership fees. I hate being broke:mad:

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Originally Posted by gp_dragsandballs

I emailed my congressman, Greg Walden. Is there anything else I can do?

I would love to join USARK and PIJAC but I can't afford the membership fees. I hate being broke:mad:

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Starting Friday, check out www.nohr669.com for information about what other things you can do to help. Each bit of help that we can get puts us one step closer to ending HR 669.

-adam

Don't know how many of you know about the actual bill page, but you are allowed to post questions there. Be very careful and don't try to make it reptile specific (just a suggestion). Watch your spelling and grammar and be respectful.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-669

Here is an e-mail I jsut sent to Mr. Jenkins. Not that it will do any good, but nonetheless, he got the point that I'm not happy....

Mr. Jenkins,

I have been following your most recent push for legislation regarding eliminating the import and raising of exotic reptiles into the United States.
I would like to bring a few points to your attention if I may. While I understand there are some irresponsible reptile owners in this country, the same can be said for dog and cat owners as well. How many stray canines and felines are overcrowding our shelters today because owners tire of their responsibility to them and just decide to abandon them? How many pythons, constrictors, iguanas, etc. do you see being abandoned in the same fashion? The ratio of abandoned cats and dogs to reptiles is astronomical in favor of the reptiles being kept by their owners.
Reptile owners are also some of the most intelligent, educated keepers of these wonderful pets. Herp owners spend countless hours educating themselves about their pets so they can give them the best home possible and ensure a long, healthy life for their pets. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for cat and dog owners, or even owners of livestock. How many news headlines do you see daily about animal cruelty to domesticated pets such as cats, dogs, horses, etc. Now, compare that to the number of stories you see or read about reptiles of ANY kind being abused, abandoned or neglected. Again, the ratio is HEAVILY in favor of reptiles receiving the best care from their owners.

Next, an argument about the ferociousness and aggressiveness of reptiles has come to light and an argument is trying to be made that reptiles are too aggressive and temperamental to be kept in captivity. Hmmmm...how many Pit Bull dog bites and attacks do hospitals treat across this country vs. snakebites from captive pets? How many cat owners get bit or scratched daily and end up seeking emergency medical care because of a simple scratch that gets so infected by the germs and bacteria a cat carries. I work in an emergency department and I can tell you right now the ratio of cat and dog bites to reptile injuries is astronomical, to put it mildly. Your argument regarding the aggressiveness of snakes and reptiles simply doesn't hold water. Do your research and you'll see for yourself.

I have a question I would like to pose to you and your posse of legislators. With today's economy in the slump it's in, what do you think will happen to the small pet stores who deal in reptiles, or even the large chain stores? What about the reptile supply companies? What kind of effect do you think your legislation is going to have on them? How many stores will go out of business, how many employees added to the unemployment lines... Think about that as your proposed legislation makes it's way across the desks of the lawmakers in this land.

You brought the situation in Florida to light regarding reptiles that have been turned loose in the wild by irresponsible owners. You are making a case against huge snakes, such as Anacondas and Burmese Pythons preying on endangered wildlife. Well, Sir, what about the population of Alligators in Florida that not only prey on animals, but also children and people enjoying the waters of Florida? How many stories have you read about an Anaconda dragging a child off to be eaten? I can think of several stories of alligators preying on children for food. A certain airbase in Florida immediately comes to mind where an alligator dug under a chain link fence and preyed on a 2 year old in her playpen in a "secure" backyard. I don't see any legislation trying to curb the population of the alligators though.

What about the pets that are already in millions of homes across this country? How are you going to eliminate them? Are you going to do a house-to-house search to rid this country of every iguana, python, bearded dragon, etc.? There are ways to regulate who does and does not have the right to own reptiles as pets. How about having potential herp owners register for a permit? Maybe if a person was forced to pay a REASONABLE fee to obtain a permit to own a reptile, he or she would think twice before turning it loose in the wild when they tire of the responsibility. At least that's a step in the right direction.

In closing, what I see you doing is captilaizing on the paranoia and fear so many people have of reptiles. You are portraying reptiles as viscious beasts that will attack anything in it's sight. On the contrary, the majority of wild reptiles like to be left alone and will go to extreme lengths to avoid human contact. It's only when they are badgered, cornered and harrassed that they defend themselves, and that's EXACTLY what they are doing, defending themselves. I do not agree with your petition, your view and your blatant twisting of facts in the hopes of achieving your political agenda. There are far more pressing issues concerning the wildlife of this country other than trying to eliminate every reptile being kept as a pet in this country. Your extremist views regarding this issue is clouding your judgement and sense of rational thinking. You are making an example of ONE region in this country where you have deemed it a "crisis situation", and in turn, are trying to punish the entire country and reptile owners across this country for an ISOLATED problem in Southern Florida. Maybe you would do good to educate yourself with the reptile pet industry before going off an a crusade such as this so you can HONESTLY make rational judgements regarding a problem that is affecting a tiny part of this country. By taking the position you are currently taking, you are doing nothing but causing undo panic and only further deepseating the fear so many people have of reptiles in this country. It's not only a disservice to every reptile owner in this country, but it's also a severe disservice to the reptiles being raised successfully in this country.

Sincerely,

Brian S. Batease

The passion in your letter is excellent, but it would be much more effective to wait a few days and send a second email that is much shorter and to the point.

A couple of things to remember ...

1. Your Congressperson isn't the actual person that reads the emails. The emails are read by aides to the Congressperson that are simply tallying "for" or "against" any given piece of legislation.

2. Long emails full of detail might not even be read from start to finish. If you lose the attention of the aide, they will just move on to the next one and your position won't even be considered. (As a matter of fact, I had a hard time getting through what you wrote just due to the length).

3. Two or three short paragraphs of a couple sentences each stating that you are against HR 669 and a couple of brief sentences why is going to be the most effective type of message sent. It will allow the aide reading the emails to quickly identify the issue and put another check in the "against" column without losing interest.

4. Make it personal ... tell them how it will affect you, not the country. Tell them that you spend money on pet supplies at the local pet store named XXX and how that store will lose income.

5. Persistence is key ... don't just fire one off and hope it does the job. Once a week, or even once a day send an email. You can even say something like "Hi, it's me again".

5. You alone are not going to sway the opinion of your Congressperson, so a long email trying to convince them why HR 669 is bad doesn't matter ... and quite frankly, they really don't care. They just need to know if the people that they represent are for it or against it. At the end of the day, whichever "check box" has more (for for against) is how they will most likely vote.

Another couple of helpful idea are phone calls and in person visits. Phone calls are more effective than emails and/or letters ... call once, call twice, call every day ... tell them that you're a constituent and that you are against HR 669. Congress is now on spring break, so your Representative is likely in your area for the next week or so. Find out if you can stop by their home office for a visit and express your concerns in person ... even if you only get 5 minutes with an aide, face to face visits are GOLDEN!

-adam

That e-mail actually went to the Director of International Conservation/Defenders of Wildlife.

I have a completely seperate letter for my congressman, of which New York really doesn't have one as of yet due to such a close Special Election between Tedisco and his opponent.
The letter I have for my elected official is much more personal than this. I worte this letter to give this guy the "big" picture of the overall effect his legislation will have should it get passed. ;)

What can YOU do? Let me tell you what I did today. I printed the document that you can get by clicking my signature button from Pijac. I then wrote at the top - www.nohr669.com - Starting Friday, April 10th!

Today I stopped by two pet stores on my way home. One sells just tropical fish, the other sells birds and reptiles. Both owners were SHOCKED to hear of this bill, and both plan to tell all their customers.

I plan to go to as many local mom and pop pet stores in metro Atlanta as I can this weekend and talk to the pet store owners/managers and get them fired up as well.

The two pet stores I stopped at today said that I can drop off flyers on Friday, and one is going to give flyers to his rodent distributor to pass out to even more pet stores.

It doesn't take much effort to walk into the store, ask them if they've heard of this bill, and tell them about it. Spread the word!

I've also e-mailed co-workers that own small animals, birds, fish and told them about it - they all want more information and want to know what they can do.

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Originally Posted by grammie

I did send one to my rep. I also posted this on my local Craigslist pet section.

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I did as well. I got flagged and also told I was crazy and should wear my tinfoil hat to protect me from the voices and the goverment. Stupid G D people. Really, I am so ticked right now.