Ken wrote:
>Hidden cameras recording the people at the show?  Undercover agents
>watching the behavior of owners/ breeders?  Shall we go find a direct
>descendant of Herr Heinrich Himmler to head this group?
 
Whoa!  Think maybe you did some real "reading-into", Ken.  Can't recall
anyone talking about the stuff being secret, though I might have missed
that.  Having the cameras or humane officers with name tags, or both be
OBVIOUS not only would catch abuse situations, it also would discourage
abuse and maybe get abusers to think twice about their actions (thus making
them more aware of abusive behaviors and maybe discouraging those actions
away from the show, too).  Posted, clear rules also would help have this
effect and would help teach those who don't know ferrets.  Personally, I
don't think that ignoring abuse protects anyone, ferret or human, but
finding constructive responses does.
 
Maybe what is needed is to have another ferret group slip into the void
by creating standards, approaches, humane officer observation, etc. and
posting these things.  After all, SOMEONE has to take the high ground and
improve the general standard.  Right?
 
Over the last 18 years I have seen a number of ferret groups crash and
burn, and in EVERY single case these groups have had one individual who
acted like that person WAS the organization, and that one person directly
led to the demise of the group (though having ways for the membership to
remove dictators could very possibly have saved the organizations).  (Have
read of this being called the "Aquarium Club Syndrome" because it has
happened in so many small aquarium clubs; don't want to see it become
"Ferret Organization Syndrome" in the literature because of happening in
so many large ferret organizations.)  When sharing of power goes away and
respect for other ferret people and their differing opinions goes away then
the groups fail -- big time -- over and over and over again -- name after
name after name -- group after group after group -- demagog after demagog
after demagog.  I don't want to see that happen to the AFA and hope that
people on the AFA board will think carefully about having the board
consistently be responsive to members, letting there be a way for members
to vote out bad board members (and vote in the ones they want), discussing
suggestions from any quarter, and striving for constant improvement.  If
that isn't done then the AFA will crash and burn, too, in it's own
spectacular fashion, echoing the others (Boom, boom, boom, boom...).  When
these big groups spiral into the ground it is a major event.  So far, the
AFA has gotten better than any of the other groups I've seen and losing
that would be such a horrible waste.  Wouldn't it be?
 
If the AFA follows the other groups then another will step into the void
over time, but let's hope that it has regulations in place to prevent
autocrats next time around or to remove if they occur anyway, and to have
board members elected by the general membership, or we'll just all go
through it yet once more.  Personally, the AFA has done so very much and
achieved marvelous things, so I would hate to see it fail now.  Does anyone
here have access to the exact AFA regulations or ways to give feedback that
reaches the entire board, or both?  I'll ask some friends who recently left
the board in case they retained all their own old files (a situation which
had made me wonder if it was just coincidence or what...).  I really hope
that this is just a false alarm; what will tell us will be if the AFA
becomes responsive to the excellent and balanced suggestions made by so
many.
 
The discussion over the last several days on this topic has been excellent,
with some marvelous comments and a LOT of opportunities for all of us to
learn so that the shows put on by ANY group can find ways to better educate
the public while PROTECTING FERRETS from abusive treatment.  THIS IS AN
OPPORTUNITY AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH!!!!!!!
[Posted in FML issue 3009]