Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The Reptile Nation is a bunch of Grass Roots Warriors! The letter count now tops 45,000 letters. The phone calls have clogged the Congressional phone lines. We are the smallest constituent group and we have dwarfed the response of the pet industry and all the other affected industries combined. The Reptile Nation has turned Capitol Hill upside down with phone calls and buried them under an avalanche of letters!!!

We have been focused on the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans & Wildlife.... because that is where the fight is! USARK has led the charge and the Reptile Nation has had an impact never seen before! Others may try and take credit for your victory when it comes, but no one can take this from those that have worked so hard to force the Subcommittee to take notice. It will belong to the Reptile Nation.

We are now in the 11th hour. I know that many of you have worked tirelessly to make this happen. You have my gratitude and respect. We need one more big push to KILL HR669. USARK will not compromise on this fundamentally flawed Bill. Our enemies at the Defenders of Wildlife have been so threatened by what we have done that they sent out a slick propaganda piece to influence the Subcommittee, but it is to little to late. They are doomed to be crushed under the weight of the Reptile Nation.

I need one more day of intense calling to Subcommittee offices. Get everyone you can think of to call and OPPOSE HR669. Call all day long. Overwhelm Capitol Hill again! They are unbelieving that we have been able to engineer this feat, and are destroying their Bill. MAKE YOUR CALLS!

With the Greatest Respect,

Andrew Wyatt

President USARK

To make it easier here are just the names and the phone number of each member and what to say. You can copy and paste them into a word document and print it up.

1. Give your name.

2. Remind them that they are on the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs Oceans & Wildlife.

3. Tell them you want to put on record your Strong Opposition to HR669.

4. Thank them for listening to your concerns.

Madeleine Z. Bordallo (Ch)(NP-Guam)
202/225-1188

Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)
202/225-2726

Henry Brown (R-SC)
202/225-3176

Lois Capps (D-CA)
202/225-3601

William Cassidy (R-LA)
202/225-3901

Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)
202/225-7751

Donna M. Christensen (NP-Virgin Islands)
202/225-1790

Diana L. DeGette (D-CO)
202/225-4431

Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (NP – American Samoa)
202/225-8577

Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
202/225-2635

John Fleming (R-LA)
202/225-2777

Doc Hastings (R-WA)
202/225-5816

Dale E. Kildee (D-MI)
202/225-3611

Ronald James Kind (D-WI)
202/225-5506

Frank M. Kratovil, Jr. (D-MD)
202/225-5311

Douglas L. Lamborn (R-CO)
202/225-4422

Frank J. Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ)
202/225-4671

Pedro R. Pierluisi (NP-Puerto Rico)
202/225-2615

Nick Joe Rahall, II (D-WV)
202/225-3452

Gregorio Sablan (I- Mariana Islands)
202/225-2646

Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)
202/225-5456

Robert J. Wittman (R-VA)
202/225-4261

Donald E. Young (R-AK)
202/225-5765
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Andrew Wyatt
President USARK

The communication between the people who will be effected by this legislation and the people who oppose HR669, needs to be directed right at the sub committee members. An email sent to your congressman is good, but most congress members are not on the committee and do not know anything about it yet. Please do not comfort yourself with the notion that you sent an email and you did all you should. If that is all you did, you did do something, but a tiny fraction of what you should have done and you are a small portion of the voice that those committee members are hearing from those who sent their letters directly to the sub committee members through the USARK lobbyist, Tom Wolfe. Your email should have been followed up with letters to every single member of the sub committee! This is exactly why USARK has worked in the most effective manor to get the masses to communicate directly with the members of the sub-committee. Emails do count. However, they are not nearly as effective and weighty as a paper letter sent to the hill, but every little bit helps.

It’s not too late for you to make a meaningful contribution to the fight! Get on the phone and politely tell the sub committee members that you oppose HR669 in any form! Your Reptile business/hobby may depend on your call. Call now!

If this bill does not die April 23, we are not done! USARK is still leading the charge for the masses to send letters, and make phone calls until this is completely removed from consideration. Be prepared to continue the fight and do the right thing. If needed the next letter campaign will be even bigger! Even more meaningful and more of you can get with the program and give your support to USARK and the battle we cannot fight as effectively without your support and direct participation in sending in paper letters with your signature. The effectiveness and value of these letters cannot be overstated. Don’t take the lazy way out! Pick up that musket and get into the action!

Congratulations to all those that have joined the fight and contributed to the explosion that the 40,000 plus letters we are hand delivering last week and this week directly to the members of the sub committee. This is a direct result of the coming together of USARK and the thousands of people who have signed the letters that will be influential in the ultimate defeat of this fraudulent bill, that the extremists have tried to sneak through the congress.

Thank you!
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

Here is a copy of the 'form" letter i received back today from my consistently noncommittal congressman clearly illustrating the need to make direct phone calls to the committee members listed above.
From: "Congressman Duncan Hunter"
To:
Subject: Reply from Congressman Duncan Hunter
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:08 AM

April 22, 2009

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Goldbarg

2017 Willis Road

El Cajon, CA 92020-2250

Dear Michael:

Thank you for contacting me with your opposition to the Nonnative
Wildlife Invasion Protection Act. It's good to hear from you.

Like many Americans, I am aware of the damage foreign animals and plants
can have on American resources. However, I agree with you that it is
important to remember that while nonnative species can be a nuisance and
have a great potential to cause damage, the United States has also
greatly benefited from foreign species. For example, some are utilized
as an important part of our trade and tourism industries and nonnative
crops account for a large majority of our national food supply. It is
for this reason that I support a balanced approach toward ensuring that
the management of nonnative species is performed in a manner that does
not negatively affect our economic and ecological infrastructure nor put
in place burdensome monitoring procedures that could be costly and
unnecessary.

As you are aware, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Protection Act is
intended to establish mechanisms to assess the risk of all nonnative
species set to be imported into the United States which are not already
monitored. This would place prohibitions on an array of activities
involving nonnative species, such as interstate transport, permit
violations, possession, sale and release. Rest assured that as Congress
continues to discuss measures concerning the proper way to handle
invasive species, I will keep your thoughts firmly in mind.

Again, thank you for contacting me. If you should have any further
questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me.

Sincerely,

Duncan Hunter

Member of Congress

Please visit my website at hunter.house.gov to sign up for my
e-newsletter and receive electronic updates.