LisetteLu writes:
>Go to the Excite search engine. Type www.Excite.com
>Then type in Special Report: The Marshall Farms Story.
>Lots and lots and lots of stuff for anyone writing to their Congress
>person or gathering a petition.  It is reprinted from The Independent
>Voice by the Humane Affairs Editor.
 
This is the exact same September 1994 animal rights report that has been
quoted over and over, not new factual information.  This is the same report
that makes a big deal of seven USDA violations and conveniently ignores the
fact that by February 1994 all seven of the USDA violations had been
corrected.  In other words, seven months after the USDA reported that all
of the violations had been corrected, the Independent Voice article was
outdated.
 
Using different sources for the same information does not mean it is
different or new.  Repeating outdated information multiple times does not
add up to multiple sources.  It adds up to one story, and one story only,
repeated many different times.  This is yet another example of repeating
the same inaccurate information over and over, using a different source
to try to create the impression of truth.
 
>Dr. Brown, our ferret expert, apparently seems to believe that Marshall
>Farms may well be responsible for Adrenal problems in its' ferrets.  But
>I am really tired guys.  Please read it and correct me on that one if that
>is not correct.  I could not believe what I was reading there.  The rest
>was straightforward and pretty depressing.
 
What Dr. Brown suggested is that there is something different between
American ferrets and ferrets elsewhere in the world.  The evidence she
cited were differences in reported life spans, increased reports of adrenal
disease, and increased reports of other health problems.  No scientific
evidence was presented that indicated a causal link between Marshall Farms
or any other large breeder in America and the observations made by Dr.
Brown.  The writer for the Independent Voice drew the conclusions he/she
wanted to validate their argument against Marshall Farms.  Others have
different opinions as to the causes of the health differences between
American ferrets and non-American ferrets.  They include diet, exercise,
and photoperiod cycles.  Some even believe that there are no actual health
differences, only that ferrets in America are seen by vets on a more
frequent basis and thus health problems more easily identified.  All of
those opinions could have valid points, but without accurate, unbiased
scientific evidence, they are only opinions and not facts to be used for
or against any individual or organization.
 
Could you please clarify exactly what you mean by the phrase "our ferret
expert"?  Whose ferret expert is Dr. Brown?  She certainly isn't the
official ferret expert of the FML.  She isn't my ferret expert.  So to
whom is Dr. Brown a ferret expert?  What group or organization claims
Dr. Brown as their own expert and why are they not identified clearly?
 
Deliberately sharing half-truths, misinformation, and outright lies is not
a noble cause.  Those who continually engage in that practice should be
ashamed of themselves.  They prevent the creation of meaningful dialogues
between the ferret breeders and the ferret community.  Another FML reader
wondered about independent outside visits to Marshall Farms and lamented
the fact that MF is closed to outsiders.  That should not come as a
surprise to anyone.  With the amount of deliberate misinformation being
presented against them, why should anyone expect MF to open themselves to
even more misinformation and lies?  Their experience is that regardless of
the actual facts, information will be twisted and misrepresented.  They
would have no way of knowing whether a visitor is going to be objective or
a part of the secret, unidentified animal rights "we" that has so often
been referred to, but not once identified by name.  Evidence indicates
that there are those who are not above misrepresenting the truth.  Instead
of building bridges between the breeders and the ferret community,
impenetrable walls are being created by a group of extremists whose agenda
does not necessarily have the interests of the ferret community at heart.
It is long past the time to put an end to the lies and misinformation.  It
is time those who persist in disseminating the deliberate misinformation
feel some shame for the harm that they are doing.
[Posted in FML issue 3180]