Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been reading all the recent discussion/anger with some interest. I too am angry/dissappointed that this turned out this way, but I think we might be missing an opportunity here by focusing our energy on Hildebrand, et al.

Respectfully to all who worked so hard, it may make us feel better by sending off angry letters and emails and even stopping his efforts to get reelected, but that isn't going to help us as a community. It isn't going to get the law changed.

Why not take all this motivation and focus it on a positive outcome?

Why don't we stop burning our bridges and take the positive we gained from this experience and use it to our favor. There were several representatives that were very supportive of our cause in this case. Through the dedicated efforts of many here, we have gained the ear of several allies. Why not focus our attention on them and work with them to fix the problem rather than wasting our energy on "enemies".

I think if we could come up with a properly worded bill for one of our new allies to submit at the next session, we have a reasonable chance to achieve something positive rather than getting ourselves labeled as a bunch of sore losers. (Let's face it, we don't intend to abide by this new regulation anyway, so why spend our time fighting yesterday's battle?)

I would suggest a bill that makes it legal to hunt non-game species along right-of-ways. I think that gives us a more powerful bargaining position and more allies than taking a herps-only focus. We could also recruit Jaycees and other interested parties to lend support. I think such a bill could be passed and protect our rights in the future.

But if we piss everyone off right now by venting all our frustrations, we may lose the limited credibility we have gained over the last few weeks.

Just an opinion.

Chris
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

of why I read all your posts Chris!

because we will have two years to work on the positives.

Hilderbran has 17 years tenure, and it might take a while to get him unseated.

We DO NOT want him around when one of our friendly Reps introduce an amendment in our favor. He obiously has too much power for his own good, and for our good.

Chris,

I agree with you in part. While I too think that Hilderbran needs to be publically exposed for his underhanded shaddy politics...we are not going to be able to change the law by spending all of our energies on him and his cronies. We would be much better served building on some of the positive relationships we have built during these trying times. Yes, we do need to craft new legislation to exempt the collecting of non-game species from public roadays and right-of-ways for the next legislative session and get a legislator lined-up to carry the bill for us. But we also need to be offering up other considerations for the next legislative session that do more than just protect our own right to collect...perhaps some reasonable and sensible conservation proposals. And we do need to closely monitor all proposed legislation throughout each and every session. But before we do this we need to make sure that we have some credibility established. Right now we are just seen as a bunch of individual renegades that most politicians and agencies are not going to take seriously. We need some form of organization that is structured and we need some spokesperson(s) who speaks for the organization. We need to begin educating our state and local elected officials about the likes of the HSUS, PETA and API. We need to secure a source(s) of funding for our efforts. We could also probably help our credibility if we established some type of code of ethics that we all commit to subscribe to relating to our herpetological pursuits. We also are not helping our credibility by boldly and blatantly announcing that we are not going to abide by the new law. You can bet that those declarations are going to come back to haunt us next session. Yes, I agree with you about not using our slang terms and scientific names when dealing with people outside of our community.

I think that there are some of us that still have hopes that by some miracle if we keep kicking and screaming loud enough that this new piece of legislation that just got passed is going to go away. I'm afraid that that is not going to happen. We really do need to get our act together now and begin laying the groundwork for the next session NOW.
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Gerald Keown
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research
www.southwesternherp.com

we will have a hard time getting a favorable amendment passed next session with Hilderbran in office.

Joe,

I agree. Hilderbran and his cronies do need to be exposed to the voters especially in their respective districts and we need to do all we can to support "whoever" happens to run against him next time. I think we just need to focus a little more of our energy on building our own credibility and developong a sound game plan for 18 months down the road. We can't wait till the last minute to begin focusing on what we need to do before the next session. And I am afraid that some of our poorly thought out remarks will come back to haunt us next session. Yeah, we may do the same things we have always done, but I don't think we need to be publicly announcing it.

Actually during the next election, I think we do need to create several thousand bumper stickers that read "I'd vote for a snake before I'd vote for Hilderbran" and get them distributed throughout his district.
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Gerald Keown
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research
www.southwesternherp.com

And I am afraid that some of our poorly thought out remarks will come back to haunt us next session. Yeah, we may do the same things we have always done, but I don't think we need to be publicly announcing it.

I agree that it is unwise and counterproductive for anyone to publish an intent to lie to LE in order to avoid this law. I think we should defy it openly and honestly. Doing so, puts the burden on them to justify their actions.

I believe that all citizens have an obligation to obey just laws. I also believe that all citizens have an obligation to openly defy unjust laws as a means of protest. Nothing exposes bad laws or law enforcement as effectively as open civil disobedience.

If they ticket me, I will put the ticket in my pocket and continue road herping while before they pull away. They will be forced to either allow me to continue herping or stop me by arresting me. If they allow me to continue herping, it is tacit acceptance of my right to road herp. If they arrest, it will be great publicity for us and terrible humiliation for them.

I have cringed myself at one or two post showing past and future indifference to situations.

I would rather fight it than hide from it...

We need to work on our relationships with some of these organizations and we may need to look back at some of this and change our ways here and there. If we are thought of as a bunch of lying cheating scumbags already, why would we want to fuel that? It is that perception from a handful of people that make it harder for the rest of us, that perception may very well be why we have to fight these battles all the time.

We need to let them see more of the way we really are, not make angry post about how to beat the system we do not like. We need to make our efforts on changing that system so that we do like it.

An important part of what we need to change, more than just the laws are the perceptions people have of us.

Lance

>>If we are thought of as a bunch of lying cheating scumbags >>already, why would we want to fuel that?

Make ourselves look like Politicians? Not a good idea!

>>>>If we are thought of as a bunch of lying cheating scumbags >>already, why would we want to fuel that?
>>
>>Make ourselves look like Politicians? Not a good idea!