Got an e-mail today from the President of the AVAR, Nedim C Buyukmihci at
U.C. Davis.  It was obviously a personal opinion.  Have not seen anything
(since Teri's early e-mails) which were delivered in a way that seemed to
be depicting anything but personal stances, although this vet does say a
very scary statement:
 
>Be aware that there is nothing that Teri has written that is incorrect
>with respect to representation of AVAR's position on various subjects.
>As far as I am concerned, the matter is done.
 
Well, it may be done as far as he is concerned but if their AVAR employee
keeps publicly saying things in AVAR correspondence just off-the-cuff
which call for the destruction of an entire genetic group (She talked
about sterilizing all domestic ferrets and letting them die out in one
generation and ignored that they are genetically very different from wild
polecat/ferret species.), opposing legalization in FFZs, etc.  then I
figure that the membership of AVAR had better become aware of this, because
from letters I have gotten from vets and from people who discussed the
assorted statements with their vets (See the back issues of the FML with
these letters when they become available.) it sure appears that a lot of
their members and donors are unaware of this.
 
This could be handled so EASILY.  All they need to do is to impose what so
very, very many boards have written right into their rules of conduct or
which later add them to avoid or halt problems: any employees and board
members must be careful that any statements they make reflect issues which
are current and which the board has voted upon.  When stating personal
opinions these must be clearly explained to be personal opinions rather
than board stances.  Straightforward, isn't it?  It's STANDARD and just
plain good legal sense.
 
If you are a vet, if you are a donor of member of the AVAR, if you are a
vet student, if your vet may be a member of the AVAR, please, discuss this
and urge the AVAR that they follow this simple guideline in relation to
public statements.
 
Meanwhile, do NOT think that the statements of Dr. Buyukmihci or Teri
Barnato necessarily depict the stance of the AVAR board; she is an employee
and he is one board member -- not the board as whole.  In one of the most
recent letters from Ms. Barnato she said that there is no current position.
It is NOT in the least necessary that they even have a position, but it is
ESSENTIAL that they no longer disseminate falsehoods and extreme
conclusions from those falsehoods.
[Posted in FML issue 2929]