I Attended the HR2811 Hearing on July 29th

[Skiploder]

Obviously you do not know much about the environments that carpet pythons inhabit. Better do your research and then pack those babies up and ship them to someone else.



There is not one. We all know that. (Well all of us except him it seems...)



It is ironic. What I find more ironic is that the young lad here lives in Texas where road cruising is illegal and yet he actively practices the habit and posts pics on every forum he is on about it and then defends his actions when called out on it. And here he is telling all of us what ought to be illegal in other states...



Like I said above, he needs to learn a little bit more about the native habitats of the carpet python he keeps



Well I posted a link to a scientifically valid peer reviewed paper. You might want to read it and get yourself properly educated on the matter before you run your mouth off.



Yes, we have educated opinions and you have propaganda-based ignorant opinions.



Based on what you said there, then by your own words you ought not be keeping any pets. So, box them up and ship them out.



I agree but I would add that it is also a battle of emotions. Fear and scare tactics are big power in this fracas we find ourselves in.



They are doing that up in the Carolinas right now.



You are correct, it is not enough support to ban them. There is no justification for a ban, a ban is not going to fix the problem. What is needed is regulation. Something that works to keep impulse buying down and responsible, educated buying safe.

Congratulations. You have just continued an argument that does nothing for this community. Have you checked your state government site to see what bills may be coming down the pipe that will affect your hobby? Don't rely on the USARK and PIJAC websites, in some cases they have been several months out in warning people about upcoming legislation.......

Enjoy your point-by-point debate with Dutchherp. In the meantime, a sensationalist media, a gullible public, a reactionary political system and well-organized and funded machines like PETA and HSUS are nibbling away at your rights. Let me give you all a pointer here: they don't care about facts. You can e-pontificate until your fingers fall off and counter every point they make..........people outside this hobby (in general) don't care - it doesn't affect them and they don't like reptiles.

As large as this hobby may seem, we are still on the fringe. Joe Sixpack and his Suburban driving ex-prom queen wife don't care to be educated on the potential migratory routes of pythons in Florida and they sure as heck don't care about whether all those man-eating burms were released on purpose or on accident. Most people support the HSUS - they save cuddly kittens and puppies with big mournful eyes - right?

At what point does the fact that USARK and PIJAC are now passing legislation and working on amendments to these bills clue you in to the fact that these laws are something that can't be argued away?

While USARK did an admirable job in writing law in NC, the provisions for enforcement that they helped pen should worry everyone here. How many of you have given USARK and PIJAC feedback about the work they are doing? How many people actually know what your defenders are doing? How many of you know what legislation is coming down the pipe in your state that may affect your hobby? How about neighboring states?

Don't you think addressing those things, or better yet educating yourself on these points, helps the cause more than debating each other point by point?

Let me clue some people in here - there are quite a few of us that have seen this coming for awhile. This hobby has arrogantly assumed that we could keep whatever we want, anyway we want and in general, act irresponsibly with no consequences. Well, the bill is now coming due. USARK and PIJAC are having to deal with steaming pile of crap that WE made. Some of the most vocal supporters of USARK and PIJAC are the same arrogant jerks who indiscriminately sold giants and hots to people who had no business owning them......it makes me sick.

We've had years to organize to self-regulate and we did nothing. Now we have had to organize to save ourselves from the consequences of our actions.

While I don't keep giant pythons, I do keep rear-fanged colubrids, some of which have already made the banned lists in, for example, Connecticut. It's a matter of time before legislation surfaces that will affect my ability to keep my beloved pets in my state. I will work as diligently as possible to assist USARK and PIJAC in crafting legislation that may require other keepers to house, transport and account for their animals in a more responsible way.

More importantly, I continue to keep my eye on legislation occurring in other states and provide feedback to the defenders of my rights so that we have a future model for preventing what is now happening in Florida.

I am not gong to waste my time trying to educate a deaf public to the fact that my thelatornis or rhabdophis pose no threat to the them. They don't care about delivery systems of venomous reptiles, they don't care about three-finger toxins - they've already made up their minds. As Quiksilver stated - it's too late to change the minds of people. We all have differing opinions on what should be done, but the reality is that the focus is now on dealing with, heading off and amending legislation.