If, God-forbid...

[BWSmith]

Originally Posted by dhonaker

its against shipping but dose this mean i cant drive 45 min south of me to indiana or 45 min north to wiscosin and buy one

It does mean that you can't do that. Shipping does not just mean FedEx, it basically means you can't take them across state lines.

[Jane]

I think this was a good reminder of the seriousness of the thing. I'm not one to follow every single law if it doesn't harm other people. Don't get me wrong, I know the value of kindness and academic integrity, not stealing etc. But I'm sure there are people who jaywalk, or Californians who have ferrets. This is different though, as Morti mentioned, a serious, serious offense with a penalty of more than confiscation. I was forgetting the fact that it was a federal issue.

[ChelsyC]

I see this law as just stupid. I liken it to the ban on pit bulls and the law against ferrets in California. Which I didn't know about until after I moved here and walking into a pet shop looking for ferrets. That was an experience...

Hopefully if we all write enough letters and make our collective voices heard, it won't be a problem to get around because it won't be a problem at all.

And off topic, how weird is it that the only state (that I know of anyway) that you can legally smoke weed in is the only one you can't buy a ferret it?

[Jane]

I thought marijuana being illegal was a country-wide thing, like all other drugs.

[boaterr]

Originally Posted by lasairfina

I see this law as just stupid. I liken it to the ban on pit bulls and the law against ferrets in California. Which I didn't know about until after I moved here and walking into a pet shop looking for ferrets. That was an experience...

Hopefully if we all write enough letters and make our collective voices heard, it won't be a problem to get around because it won't be a problem at all.

And off topic, how weird is it that the only state (that I know of anyway) that you can legally smoke weed in is the only one you can't buy a ferret it?

lol, you have a point. I just think it is insane that with all the problems facing America ( Globilazation, Saudi Oil Money, Gas Prices, Dependence on money from China, The War on Drugs, The War Against Terrorism, The Fall of the Media, and the Housing Market About To Tank) the federal government is concerened with snakes? Can't they think of a better way to waste my tax dollars?

[ChelsyC]

Originally Posted by Jane

I thought marijuana being illegal was a country-wide thing, like all other drugs.

You can get a medical marijuana license in California. I have one for having migraines, but really it's a technicality. You can say anything and get one for like $50. Then you can go to a clinic (weed store) and buy weed.

[VexalUntil]

Originally Posted by RevMojo

If people would have kept what was in their home in their home, and not in the swamps of S. Florida, we wouldn't be staring down this barrel.
If we all began accepting responsibility for how our actions reflect on the groups we represent...heck, world peace could break out.

From what I have heard from someone who's active in the political scene here in FL is that this is all backlash from the South FL Water Management District and the Federal gov't fighting over funding to "restore" the Everglades. The state of FL has been trying to get Federal funding to fix the watershed of the Everglades for years and as of yet hasn't gotten what they want (I can't remember if they have gotten no funding or just severely limited funding). It's not because of people releasing burms. From what I heard the WMD is using the burm problem as an excuse to get funding so the FWS responded with the proposal. He told me about this the day the proposal was put forth so my facts are probably a bit fuzzy.

FL already has the Reptiles of Concern Law passed that requires everyone with a burm, retic, african rock, anaconda, scrub and/or nile monitor to apply for a $100 annual permit to keep said species.
Copied from FWC: nonnatives: Rules & Regulations
Reptiles of Concern

Reptiles of Concern (ROCs) are nonnative reptile species that have the potential to become established in Florida and can threaten native wildlife, cause economic damage or pose a threat to human safety. Rules for Reptiles of Concern (ROCs) go into effect on January 1, 2008. ROCs require a $100 annual permit for personal possession, and any ROC that is 2 inches or greater in diameter must be permanently identified by a microchip (also called a PIT tag). Microchips can be implanted by local veterinarians who work with nonnative species. Any person who possesses an ROC that is 2 inches or greater in diameter before January 1, 2008 will have until July 1, 2008 to get their animal microchipped. Any ROC greater than 2 inches in diameter purchased after January 1, 2008 will need to be microchipped immediately. The following are the Reptiles of Concern:

1. Burmese python (Python molurus)
2. African rock python (Python sebae)
3. Amethystine python (Morelia amethystinus)
4. Reticulated python (Python reticulatus)
5. Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
6. Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus)

It's only been 6 weeks since this rule became effective, so IMO I think the Feds will wait and see what happens from this ruling before making a nationwide law. Additionally the only reason there are breeding populations of burms in the Everglades is because the academic community prevented the destruction of the animals under the pretense of "monitoring" their effects on the environment. The first sighting was in the 80s for crying out loud! http://myfwc.com/nonnatives/exotics/....asp?SPPNO=46) And so why are we hearing so much hub-bub about burms in the Everglades now 20 years later? Because organizations like PETA and Humane Society are pushing to take our animals away from us and set them free in the wild where they think they should be. Plus the drive-by media has jumped on with the photos a couple years ago in the papers to scare the uninformed. Now the population of burms has expanded to Key Largo and eaten two native Federally Endangered wood rats. If every burm sighted from 1980 to the present was destroyed like it should have been we wouldn't be in this mess! Wildlife biologists "monitoring" a problem is just some fancy cop out phrase for "we're just curious about what will happen if we sit by and do nothing." I know Adrya Webb is a wildlife major and so am I. For any others out there don't let your professors lull you into a false sense of security to stand by and watch some populations/habitats circle the drain just to monitor the effects of interactions between invasives (or another harmful species) and a native species. "The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few." Sometimes a you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette. If that means eradicating the pest to fix the problem so be it! I think we all need to grab a machete and head to the Everglades to kill some burms.

(holy crap didn't think I wrote that much...)

	In My Opinon IMO = In My Opinion and IMHO = In My Honest Opinion

[boaterr]

Originally Posted by VexalUntil

From what I have heard from someone who's active in the political scene here in FL is that this is all backlash from the South FL Water Management District and the Federal gov't fighting over funding to "restore" the Everglades. The state of FL has been trying to get Federal funding to fix the watershed of the Everglades for years and as of yet hasn't gotten what they want (I can't remember if they have gotten no funding or just severely limited funding). It's not because of people releasing burms. From what I heard the WMD is using the burm problem as an excuse to get funding so the FWS responded with the proposal. He told me about this the day the proposal was put forth so my facts are probably a bit fuzzy.

FL already has the Reptiles of Concern Law passed that requires everyone with a burm, retic, african rock, anaconda, scrub and/or nile monitor to apply for a $100 annual permit to keep said species.
Copied from FWC: nonnatives: Rules & Regulations
Reptiles of Concern

Reptiles of Concern (ROCs) are nonnative reptile species that have the potential to become established in Florida and can threaten native wildlife, cause economic damage or pose a threat to human safety. Rules for Reptiles of Concern (ROCs) go into effect on January 1, 2008. ROCs require a $100 annual permit for personal possession, and any ROC that is 2 inches or greater in diameter must be permanently identified by a microchip (also called a PIT tag). Microchips can be implanted by local veterinarians who work with nonnative species. Any person who possesses an ROC that is 2 inches or greater in diameter before January 1, 2008 will have until July 1, 2008 to get their animal microchipped. Any ROC greater than 2 inches in diameter purchased after January 1, 2008 will need to be microchipped immediately. The following are the Reptiles of Concern:

1. Burmese python (Python molurus)
2. African rock python (Python sebae)
3. Amethystine python (Morelia amethystinus)
4. Reticulated python (Python reticulatus)
5. Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
6. Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus)

It's only been 6 weeks since this rule became effective, so IMO I think the Feds will wait and see what happens from this ruling before making a nationwide law. Additionally the only reason there are breeding populations of burms in the Everglades is because the academic community prevented the destruction of the animals under the pretense of "monitoring" their effects on the environment. The first sighting was in the 80s for crying out loud! http://myfwc.com/nonnatives/exotics/....asp?SPPNO=46) And so why are we hearing so much hub-bub about burms in the Everglades now 20 years later? Because organizations like PETA and Humane Society are pushing to take our animals away from us and set them free in the wild where they think they should be. Plus the drive-by media has jumped on with the photos a couple years ago in the papers to scare the uninformed. Now the population of burms has expanded to Key Largo and eaten two native Federally Endangered wood rats. If every burm sighted from 1980 to the present was destroyed like it should have been we wouldn't be in this mess! Wildlife biologists "monitoring" a problem is just some fancy cop out phrase for "we're just curious about what will happen if we sit by and do nothing." I know Adrya Webb is a wildlife major and so am I. For any others out there don't let your professors lull you into a false sense of security to stand by and watch some populations/habitats circle the drain just to monitor the effects of interactions between invasives (or another harmful species) and a native species. "The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few." Sometimes a you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette. If that means eradicating the pest to fix the problem so be it! I think we all need to grab a machete and head to the Everglades to kill some burms.

(holy crap didn't think I wrote that much...)

All this fuss over some burms. I don't see people going nuts over Zebra Mussels who cost America over $5 billion each year from cost associated with economic losses and control effort. The Federal Government is once again proven how useless it can be, just when you think they hit a knew low they have a way a diging a deeper whole and becoming even more useless.

	In My Opinon IMO = In My Opinion and IMHO = In My Honest Opinion