Well I'd say that the unelected branches of government that can't be held accountable and hardly ever see an effected member of the populous are the ones that don't have much reason to care and frequently don't. The elected members do and frequently pander, like FL Senator Nelson. But I believe that silence isn't translated into agreement but as acquiescence. If you don't care to speak up, then you just don't care and aren't a danger.

My frustration at the beginning of this was that, unlike myself, many herpers didn't need or have a license. For them, just standing up to say something brought them out of anonymity. It may be unfounded to worry about that, but it bred some insecurity.

If this USFWS action does end in a Lacey addition, then FL can take away ownership of pets. This is something I was trying to have talked about on the Kingsnake USFWS panel discussion but that whole panel turned out to be a disappointment to me.

Anyone who thinks the USGS invasion maps are anything at all is ignoring the fact that they were released early and incomplete. The study isn't going to be finished for another year or two. Maybe the scientific community thinks they are a farce but the public does not. Far from being a laughing stock, these researchers haven't been criticized outside of the infringed herp community.

We shall see, we shall see...............

[ Show Entire Thread ]