Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been away on "business" and unable to defend myself here.

Just for the record, I absolutely support business and progress of mankind. I'm a friggin' businessperson myself.

I don't know why I can't be an advocate of conservation of critical habitat as well however. Fact of the matter is...the best way for us to preserve spices is to allow them habitat.

So...allow critcial habitat to remain. That doesn't mean land can't be developed. There just has to be a balance. And I think that there are some areas that should be set aside and not be developed. Ever. Period.

I don't think that means I care more about snakes than humans.

But...they have a right for a CHANCE at survival. Take away all the habitat...that chance is gone.

Who the hell are we to think we are the only species that deserves a chance to survive?

Sure I beleive in survivial of the fittest...but we have evolved to a point that no other species on this planet has EVER eveloved. To the point that we can feel compassion for other species.

...and as for the religious stuff...I'm agnostic...
Can you prove there is a god? Of course not.
Can you prove there is NOT a god? no way.

to me...if it can't be proven...I gotta shrug my shoulders and say anything is possible.

yeah, and we developed into the most destructive species on the planet too. WE'RE worried about formosa termites?? HAH! how about the nuclear waste stored and ticking on the bottom of the world's oceans!!! what we've done to this planet is unreal!! those 'savage' indians knew better than we in respecting and caring for mother earth. 'the way the animals go, so does man'. Sitting Bull said that over a hundred years ago......and it's true. we are digging our own [and future generations] grave......ok, i'm done. sorry. ;-] btw dean, god is spelt God. haha. j/k.

When refering to God as the first person singular (sorry grammar), God is correct (I love God". When refering second person "is there a god?" lower case is appropriate.
Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

You paint a very bleak picture of the most "advanced" species on earth. Since only yourself and Sitting Bull seem to know our demise, maybe you could share your secret with us. Do I have time to drink one last brewski, or will I be dropping dead from the nuclear waste poisoning before this evening?

you have to be kidding me!?! are you really that short sighted? if you don't know that we [humans] are destroying this planet at a pace that KILLS then i suggest you switch off the cartoon channel and take off the tunnel visors. EXAMPLE: there are 110 tons of nuclear waste submerged in concrete and steel less than 50 miles off the new jersey coast just east of atlantic city. EXAMPLE: when asked what a major paper company in louisiana was doing about the havoc it was reeking by pumping waste into a local river, the company ceo responded, 'we care about our local enviroment! so we built a pipeline that now takes it straight to the gulf'. that was THEIR solution!! these stories were broadcast at primetime on 60 minutes not too very long ago. you won't see them on nick at night. that's just for starters......want to hear more? there are MOUNTAINS and MOUNTAINS more.....and none of it is good. toss it around w/ popeye and spiderman then get back to me. i can hardly wait to hear. maybe superman or catwoman can reverse earth's orbit or something and fix things back again huh? don't bet on it. do you know what IRREVERSIBLE means? your grandchildren will......all too clearly. so drink your little brewski tonight and party on garth....things seem so safe and snug in your basement don't they? SO START READING THE PAPERS YOU LINE YOUR SNAKE TANKS WITH! and maybe you won't sound like a spoiled 10th grader for a change. btw, 60 minutes is on on sunday nights at 7. i sincerely hope it's not opposite temptation island, survivor or one of those 'very successful shows' so you don't miss too much. LOL! i'm not kidding, you need to SNAP out of it junior!!! it's your world too you know.....do something about it!!!

Actually no, I am not kidding. I apologize for making you so angry. I didn't think my post would strike such a nerve in you. Hmmm, interesting. I meant no offense, I was simply making light of the "gloom and doom" picture you paint. Now as far as your childish accusations about cartoons and such, I do enjoy "Merry Melodies" although I haven't watched them in quite a while. I do not watch "reality TV" such as the shows you mentioned. I don't use newspaper for reptile bedding but I do buy the paper every day. I don't believe everything I read there or see on the news especially in light of the fact that ONLY negetive and biassed issues seem to make it there. That's not to say that everything we are told by the media is false. I just take it with a grain of salt. Uh-oh, better hope EVERYBODY doesn't think that way, lol. Anyway, I will not bring myself DOWN to your level of posting as much as that probably disappoints you. I don't need to. I am not angered by your silly, juvenile comments about superheroes and cartoons, and the "snap out of it junior" comment is testament that you are quite an angry little man yourself. Oh, and I know it's my world too, lol. What do you have in mind regarding your comment that I should "do something about it"? Should I do what You're doing about it? By the way, what are you "doing about it"? LOL! It sounds to me like maybe you're building a shelter to protect you and your future generations from the likes of destructive people like me, lol. Just think, if only your kin survive, you can start a new race and do it right next time.

yawn.

I didn't know that I was supposed to "have" anything, lol. I'm sorry if you didn't get all the information that you were looking for from my post, so maybe I should elaborate. I don't watch Popeye either. Happy now? As far as your "the end is near" and "it's all humanity's fault" mumbo jumbo, I didn't feel the need to entertain such hogwash. Tell someone who gives a hoot. By the way, you forgot to tell me what it is that YOU are doing about YOUR world (our world?)

When you get off the phone with Bernstein, check all those newspapers you read (the ones you line your cages with) and see if they use capital letters to start their sentences.

There have been far too many stories that they have done that have been proven to be frauds. I just can't take them seriously anymore, and I am ashamed that I ever did. Some of their stories have almost destroyed companies because the public believed them before the real truth came out. Funny what lies can do if they sound serious enough. (Like Audi and unintended acceleration--what a load of cr**). Anyone with an ounce of gray matter that has ever driven a car or worked on one knows that engines can't suddenly have so much power as to overpower the brakes! Numerous car magazines and other news shows have shown what a fraud it was. I wish I could buy a car like that, but even the super cars that cost over a million dollars can't produce that kind of power.) As a great motorcycle enthusiast once said, "too much power is never enough!" That applies to cars too.

As for the nuclear waste--think it could have been dumped there because environmentalist made it so hard/impossible to dispose of properly? Uranium comes from the ground and that is where we should replace it when we are done with it!

Rodney

I find it hard to believe that Mr. Felice would use a show that tells lies as a reference. That's preposterous, lol.

I don't find it that hard to believe he uses them for a reference. He thinks that nuclear waste ticks at the bottom of the ocean! He is probably hearing things too. OR, does he think they put detonators on the containers before they sink them just for fun!

Rodney

That "critical habitat" may be more "critical" to you than it is to the average "joe" since you happen to be in the business of selling snakes. Your opinions are hardly objective.

You say below: "Education of the masses. And try to get them to care. Most people just don't understand the signifiance of this habitat. Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers."

Significant to who? What significance is an Indigo snake to a retiree, who busted his but all his life, and wants to enjoy the short time he has left in sunny Florida? Is he "STUPID"? Is the Indigo snake more important than he is?

Face it, eventually zoos may be the only public place where Indigos can be seen. It's unfortunate, be they happen to live in the wrong place at the wrong time. People are in enough competition with each other, trying to enjoy life, without having to worry about taking a back seat to a snake.

Public awareness isn't the answer to the Indigo snake's problems. Privately buying property to preserve "critical habitat", as you mention below, is a good solution. Guys like you, who have a self-interest, should band together to spend your own money for your own ends. But please, stop calling the rest of the human race "STUPID" because our own self-interested agendas don't jive with yours.

Charlie

I think that most people don't realize that homo sapiens are a species too, and as such, also need habitat. (not like we are close to extinction or anything.)

Rodney

It's all in how you look at it. We are easily the most successful species. Probably too successful. It's kind of ironic when you think about it. All species try to procreate and take over their environment--basically war with competing species. If a species doesn't try to do this, another species moves into that niche and makes them extinct. When one species becomes very successful, like roaches, ants, flies, rats, humans, we then think of them as pests and destructive. If those species couldn't compete as well as other species, we'd be trying to save them instead of trying to control or kill them! That's one time when winning can be a real negetave! We treat successful species like the plague (which they often can be) and unsuccessful species like they are very valuable just because of their low numbers. Sucessful species would be even more successful if it weren't for us, and unsuccessful species probably extinct (unles we are the reason that they are successful or unsuccessful). Considering that, are we really that destructive? We are, after all, the only species on the planet that tries to regulate the populations of other species to promote diversity. Know any other species that purposly do this?

I must admit though, I tend to think the same way. The rarer something is, the more we should try to help it. The more common, the less deserving of our help. But if there were just 2 ticks or 2 snake mites left on earth, I wouldn't want to save them! That might have some other bad consequences down the road, but I can't think of any.--Maybe I think that way because they are, in fact, very successful and thus meant to be killed!

Rodney