Good idea Sherri!  This is exactly the type of thing I think you
Californians should do, as I mentioned in posts to Pat W.  and Gail and
Terry.  Go a step further and gather up stories like Ilona's and contact
anyone in the media that you can until someone bites.  Don't stop at local
news directors and producers and the local newspaper editors.  There is a
lot of human interest in these stories that the rest of the country would
want to hear, so get in touch with the producers of 20/20, 60 Minutes,
Primetime Live, Dateline NBC, Oprah, etc.  Get the idea?  Don't give up
until you get on the air, and then still pursue it with the others!  As I
have noticed through personal experience, the guy that turned you down
before will jump on the bandwagon for your story once a competitor runs it.
 
You might not end up with just some jokes about the ferret laws on the Leno
show.  One of you Fish and Game Gestapo victims could end up with a guest
appearance!  Legislators out there will really wake up when they see
California being compared with the rest of the country by some investigative
reporter.
 
It is easy enough to find out the address for these shows (Jay's is given
after the Headlines segment every Monday).  You can usually call your local
affiliate for the network phone #'s and addresses or you can do a search on
the Internet.
 
Get going you guys!  Call these places in droves with your stories and get
the media's attention.  Use them to your benefit!  Maybe Ferret's Anonymous
could head up a mass write in campaign with your personal horror stories!
The more people that a producer hears from, the more likely he or she will
figure that the story has a lot of merit and deserves attention.  Make sure
you include proof on how the ferret is actually a domesticated animal!  Come
on, this is not unlike the big piece that was done about the bully tactics
of the IRS a couple years ago!
 
Good Luck!  You have the support of we fellow ferret fans in the rest of the
country!
 
Gaye & The Weasel Women
[Posted in FML issue 1827]