Solidarity.

[JspecR6]

WOW..... if you guys sent your replies to the editor, i can only imagine what the editor is gonna say to Mr. Vest? All these negative replies don't show good journalism on his part eh?
JspecR6 [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img]
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[impermanentrage]

Egads J. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] Fantastic! Sometimes i believe i would get my point[s] across with greater efficiency and/or acceptance if i were to use logic over emotion. There are intances however, when my passion for a particular subject tends to replace any semblance of sanity. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
Thanx though, I enjoyed reading it while it was simultaneously quite therapeutic.


Entropy,
Alex
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[impermanentrage]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> Good God Living in Florida how does this guy leave his house everyday? </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>


Sadly, most of the herpetofauna of the state of florida have been decling for years. In part due to habitat destruction, but also due to folks who immigrate from other states and have no concept of peacably co-existing w/ wildlife. Also from readin' his article he likely lives in one of those gated communities that use various chemicals to control invertebrate and rodent populations, which inadvertantly causes problems for herps that feed on said animals.
I do get your point however. I can remember fondly all the snakes that actually found their way into my house as i was growing up. An EDB on the driveway, yellow ratsnakes everywhere (no exageration here), ringnecks eating tadpoles in a puddle of the yard. You didn't have to look for them, they came to you. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]


Entropy,
ALex
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[impermanentrage]

Mr Vest's most recent column has a disclaimer at the bottom of the article. Funny, in a sarcastic ,caucasion ,suburbanite sort of way. It mentions his letters from &quot;us&quot;.



I think a few statements were directed towards you J Riley.


Entropy,
Alex
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Hurray!!! Mission accomplished! 83 angry e-mails! Guess we got on the radar screen huh? I would love to see the other 81 e-mails.

I still wish they'd print a few of the letters. I didn't think mine was particularly angry, afterall I managed not to curse [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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[rainbowlishiss]

If there's one thing that I can't stand.. It's someone who Patronizes myself or others around me. Thats exactly what this guy did.

Well, atleast we know he read them to some extent. Good job everyone!!
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[Ophiophagus-hannah]

Kudos to everyone involved in this!
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[JuliusSqueezer]

lmao...J told me about this post on the camping trip...sorry I missed it...his disclaimer about the 83 angry emails made me spew ginger ale all over my computer desk....good work guys!
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Don't mess with the snake community, we'll bust your chops with facts and e-mails!

I'm writing another one to the Maine department of fisheries and wildlife, due to the fact that they have a trapping season proposal on common snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina serpentina that will pretty much guarantee their extinction, at least in Maine, the northern most part of their range.

As an aside, did you know the beer Natural Light is a sponsor of The Conservation Fund? Get drunk, support conservation! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

In case you guys haven't noticed, I'm kind of a conservationist for herp wildlife, not just pets.
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[impermanentrage]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>In case you guys haven't noticed, I'm kind of a conservationist for herp wildlife, not just pets.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>


Heh man, you ain't alone! In fact, if i thought that by given' up my snakes would actually preserve herpetofauna i'd be the first to give em to the authorities, but, it wont do a thing but cause the deaths of well cared for captives.
On the other hand? I am against imports. Now that doesn't mean that i've got anything against proper and ethical importation of animals with a healthy population, but their are some that are heavily exploited and we shouldn't be adding fuel to the fire by accepting them.
First ones that come to mind are BP's. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img]
[addsig]

I think what gets me is China. They have utter disregard for their wildlife, all of it. So many of their snake species are extinguished by, of all things, the human FOOD market!! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img]

With out wild populations, we wouldn't have pets. Imports are necessary at intervals to bring fresh, genetically unrelated bloodlines into the mix, I just thing ecologists should make the call on what is sustainable for a particular species in a particular region and then allow 1/2 that, and the smugglers will at least make up the other half.

Man, there were at least 2 stupid shows misrepresenting snakes on TV last night. Silent predators, about EDB's with super potent, super yield venom that chased people, give me a break! The kicker was the other show, most dangerous animals, and snakes were #1.

*overdramatic voice* snakes attack over 100,000 people a year!
*quiet voice* only 1% actually die from the bite.

Dumb asses...
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	Eastern Diamondback Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

[impermanentrage]

Agreed.
I understand the concept behind the importatioon of healthy individuals from healthy populations. I just think it should be heavily regulated.
And in the case of China? They'll protect what animals they recognize as having an economic benefit. Such as the panda. Of course at that will be confined to zoological gardens and not much else. Also, the more asia emulates the standards of the &quot;West&quot;, the harder it'll be for them to have a sustainable eco-system. Simply put, Asia doesn't have the environmental resourses at their disposal to live on cheeseburgers, and SUV's. If China(and the rest of asia for that matter) is to protect what's left of their natural heritage, it'll take a great deal of work and sacrifice. One of those sacrifices would have to be determining exactly what it is that they, as a society , want to become. Either an industrial super-power, or a sustainable culture w/ zero population growth, coupled with a keen environmental conciensce.
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[bigred]

some thoughts on this topic - I had a chat to a guy in the pub the other night. He was studying for his doctorate in environmental sciences, and we got chatting about Greenpeace and other supposed &quot;environmental action groups&quot; His views on the topic were pretty interesting:

he reckons that it is pointless demonsrtating against the japs whaling, the chinese torturing bears and snakes, the south americans destroying thousands of acres of rainforest daily. You should find someone with enough money who REALLY cares about what is going on, and then train a dedicated group of individuals, and conduct full-scale bin-laden-type environmental terrorism.
screw buzzing the whaling ships with rubber ducks-sink the f@#$%ers, hit the chinese govt until it protects species, take the Congo away from people who are destroying the last remaining gorilla's, take the amazon away from govts who refuse to see beyond the next dollar, conduct full-scale environmental colonialism.

I thought it a bit too 12Monkeys-Fight Club, but some of the things he said were worth a second thought or two.
I mean, who wouldn't want a few moments alone with one of those Thai snake sellers, or a chinese bear bile factory, or a rattlesnake round-up organiser
[img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img]
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Although I agree, I got 2 words - International incident. Personally, I don't think this is a bad thing. With any luck it might lead to another war and give this planet the one thing it needs most - a decline in the human population.

The source of nearly every problem (environmental) is humans.

Sick as it sounds, environmental terrorism appeals to me.
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[bigred]

environmental terrorism does have a certain appeal- when I read or see something particularly disturbing I console myself with fantasies of a major nature fightback (meteor,poles flipping etc) that wipes out 95% of the worlds population, letting the planet rebuild itself without us.
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