Reptile & Amphibian Forums

All week on NPR they've reported some govt commitee bashing the White House for it's reporting of the Gulf Oil Spill.
Their complaints:
The "scientist" who figured out the rate (5,000 barrels a day) had no expertise in this field.
Other expert scientists claimed the figure was closer to 50,000 barrels a day.
The expert scientist said the nonexpert was'nt peer reviewed.
Obama promised a more open atmosphere with scientist.
Promised not to let politics get in the way of science.
After capping the well then the govt claimed there was really very little oil left( after the cleanup). Once again expert scientist have proven this to be wrong.
This is exactly what has happened with the Burmese python. Only reversed.
With the oilspill the govt downplayed it and with the Burm they blew it way out of proportion.
Even after all the experimental Burms died in SC they STILL would'nt admit they were wrong. Instead their report was full of "ifs and buts".
Ifs and buts are'nt science, science is facts.
As far as keeping up with AP. I try to. I do educational reptile shows for a living it is my only job and has been for 10 years.
Any venue that has adults I am constantly trying to set the record straight. It is difficult, for some reason once it has been said on tv it is gospel.
I tell them just like when something is to good to be true, it usally is'nt. If it is to stupid to be real, it usually is'nt.
I tell them I use to just have to discredit movies(Anaconda, Lake Placid,etc) now I have to discredit the media and the govt.
The media has the same goal as the movies, sell product and entertainment. The govt is more convoluted and quite frankly underinformed and giving to much creditability to special interest groups. Tired of typing. D.C.

"Any venue that has adults I am constantly trying to set the record straight. It is difficult, for some reason once it has been said on tv it is gospel."

And from the looks of it is going to get harder, and that should really scare anyone who values your animals. Animal planets programs like fatal attractions and the animal hoarding shows are very deliberate - they are saying, these people (exotic owners and people who keep exotics) are sick and disillusioned, (our friendly doctors and experts say so, again and again, and here, look, people have died too!) so, don't listen to them if they try to tell you otherwise. You see, loyal viewer, they (exotic keepers) will do anything and endanger anyone to get their "fix" - its an addiction, and they will willingly put you and your family at risk to pursue it!

Now when I tell people things I could have told them years ago, like how the man was not killed by his monitors, simply scavenged, and it might have had impact, more and more I am hearing, well, of course you would say something like that, you keep these animals and are one of "them" (again "them" being the exotic keepers).

That's REALLY bad for us especially if we don't try to combat it - it makes us look guilty, and it makes us look like criminals. I feel not having any positive TV/media presence makes us look even more like like "deviants".

"I tell them I use to just have to discredit movies(Anaconda, Lake Placid,etc) now I have to discredit the media and the govt."

Its getting harder to not come off as a "nut" to people who are uniformed about what is going on when talking about these subjects. Talking about the ties between the HSUS & other animal rights groups, Animal Planet and the Gov make us look like kooky conspiracy theorists.

Movies at least some of the people would say, "its a work of fiction" BUT because for years animal planet was so pro-reptile, or at least so it seemed, with Steve Irwin, and Corwin and such, that NOW many people DO take what is said on it as being programs with "educational" value.

I'm lucky as far as TV goes, we get National Geographic and National Geographic Wild - both channels have been much better then Animal Planet with providing factual information in their entertainment. It still unnerves me that the HSUS runs adds begging for money of these channels though...

BTW, all three episodes of the Python Hunters is available from NatGeo video for about $15. All 3 are on one dvd, wide format. A nice present for yourself??

I know a few people who might be interested in copies.

It's all about spin. Are you dizzy yet? Advocacy and obfuscation to promote one's own agenda/interests. Most always driven by economics if you dig down deep enough to get at the root cause.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

John,

Yep...

Have you checked out the board of directors for Nat Geo and Animal Planet? If you do, you'll not be shocked to see why their programming and "special interest" advertising is what it is...

Today they're called "special interests" but back in the time of the Founding Fathers, they were known as "factions"...Madison wrote about their "threat" to liberty in Federalist #10...

They are the enemy within as they are a state within the state and their leadership is not loyal to America...Rather it's to their own political self-serving interest as provided to them by the professional politicians of a political party(s) to achieve a political agenda...

The classical scientific method is not permitted but its virtues are lauded when connected to political pseudo-science under the banner of "consensus"...

Just my ten cents worth...

Later,
Jim.
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CSRAJim

Go to this link and scroll through it to see who Animal Planet has partnered with:
animal.discovery.com/roar/partners/partners.html

To come up with some good adds pointing this out.

I'd be great to see things out there letting people know that they ARE partnered with an extremist animal rights org.

This is the best I could come up with in a pinch, but stuff like this would be GREAT IMO - they are coming after us by scaring people with misinformation & by various incidents, WELL, then lets go after them - we have TRUTH and FACTS on our side.

While the average TV "sheeple" who believes what they have seen on AP as word and gospel, I have a feeling they also for the most part like at least one of the activities I have included in my little "poster" (I used a snake to keep it reptile-y, but just about any animal would work)

Now all we need is a plan to fund this advertising.

I'd totally fund the whole thing. Unfortunately I do not, and like many others in this economy, I am just trying to "stay afloat" myself. I give what I can, when I can.

It would be a great benefit to the community/hobby in general, especially for those who make significant and serious profits from their animals (I don't, unfortunately, and know many other "small time" exotic keepers don't) as I think it would help give us some positive "public" face time, and at least let these and other people know we are a presence that CAN defend themselves, are willing to step up to that defense, and will do so with logic, facts and and reason.

Eric,

Not shocking...Every one of them are "special interests" and in partnership with the "movement" via money (tax-payer or philanthropy grants), employees (former bureaucrats and politicians), political agenda, etc, etc, etc...

HSUS, NWF, ASPCA, AZA, etc...

Later,
Jim.
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CSRAJim