"It is so ironic that the liberal philosophy, the one espousing acceptance and tolerance, and to diversity; is the loudest and most persistent intolerant voice in this debate."

Maybe...

I still think this snake keepers are the enemy thing passes party grounds way too much to make generalized statements like that about it. Sure, the liberal (democrat) side of things is certainly being intolerant, and they seem very open to the applauding of animal rights agenda groups, but I personally know plenty of red blooded republicans who think I (and the lot of us) are mutant space creatures for keeping and breeding snakes, and don't feel there is any place for "our kind of people" here too.

I am aware it has been some of the Republicans who have stepped up to plate a little for us, but there are just as many who are for seeing this thing through, and those snakes gone.

I do think that the "liberal" side is usually a little more willing to accept what PETA and HSUS tells them as a fact without "checking".

I think the BIGGEST part of this right now is the strength of the humaniac/AR push, followed with a hefty dose of pure, unadulterated ignorance, and the way that the media, on all fronts is using that ignorance and making us and our animals out to be monsters.

The same sort of thing goes for other similar exotic bans. The AR crowds have been working on this sort of thing for years, it just happened that feral burms turned out to be too good of an opportunity to pass up. Check out http://www.rexano.org/ and read back...

The big cat & primates people & were among the first to be strategically attacked, not backed, and fall. For all of those reading this who are anti this current legislation who said "well, they really shouldn't be able to keep a tiger/baboon anyway" - well...shame on you. This is all part of the same ticket.

Simply said - Public opinion is everything, and right now, we have the same PR problems that our chosen pets have.

To quote David Martosko from CFCF -

"Eighty-three percent have a favorable view of HSUS. Seventy-one percent of Americans believe HSUS is an umbrella group for local pet shelters. Sixty-three percent believe their own local animal shelter is affiliated with HSUS. And 59 percent believe HSUS shares most of its money with local pet shelters.

They are all wrong, notes Martosko. But 25 percent of Americans still believe animals deserve the same rights as people."

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