At 06:12 PM 5/22/01 -0400, William Williamson
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>Well thought out and balanced summary, wish I was there.  Was wondering
>if anyone brought up the point that seemed quite effective in Mass, that
>ferrets were already there and freely available from nearby pet stores
>and so on.  The question really is one of whether veterinarians would be
>able to treat them, and whether owners would be encouraged to learn about
>ferrets, seek medical care when necessary, and get their pets vaccinated.
>Issues of both animal cruelty and public health.
 
Thank you.  Now that the pictures are on the site, you can see a picture
of the setup during the hearing.
http://www.modernferret.com/pressreleases/
 
Mayor Giuliani was flanked by the Una Clarke on one side and Dr. Neal Cohen
on the other.
 
From the NY Times article on the hearing:
>the mayor described the ferret-legalization effort by the other side of
>City Hall as "akin to the City Council deciding unilaterally that tigers
>are no longer dangerous and should be legal pets in the city."
   and
>The city health commissioner, Neal L. Cohen, then backed the mayor up,
>saying that "ferrets are known to be escape artists," and detailing what
>he described as unprovoked ferret attacks on children that he said have
>been reported in medical journals.
 
Una Clarke is the Council Member who called us all "evil ferret lovers"
before she voted against ferret legalization during the City Council vote.
 
There was no intent on Mayor Giuliani's part to do anything but veto the
bill.  The people who spoke all did very well and covered a very broad
range of reasons why ferrets should be legalized.  Mary's testimony is
also available on the web site.
 
There was no lack of information or other problem on the part of the
ferret owners.  There are a select few people in positions of power who
want ferrets to not be legal.
 
- Eric
Modern Ferret Magazine - For ferret owners. By ferret owners.
Mary & Eric Shefferman & the Fuzzies:
Trixie, Balthazar, Cauliflower, Koosh, and Gabrielle
http://www.modernferret.com  -  http://www.modernferretstore.com
[Posted in FML issue 3427]