Bob: I have enjoyed reading your posts for some time. I myself don't post
often, and I confess I speed read the "subjects" line on the table of
contents too fast sometimes, so if I am missing some key points you have
made before, please forgive me.
I want to give my personal opinions about the new national organization
movement which seems to be frustrating my mad right hand delete key tremor
lately. These opinions are based on my experience with the ferret "world"
since 1984. You seem to have some experience with the "old" national
groups, so let me clarify my intentions. I hope that our gentle readers who
share your long experience with ferret politics (at least I assume you do,
from your writings) will persevere with my ramblings about the ferret
"world" history. I know that you, Bob, and they, will agree with the
original author who stated that, "Those who do not study history are doomed
to repeat it." I write on the assumption that you do not want to be just
another chapter in the sad history of the ferret "world" organizations, and
I want to give my cautionary notes about the possibility of that happening
based on your call for yet another national group.
Where do I get the chutzpah to share MY opinions on this weighty subject?
This may explain my existing biases, which I admit, are many. **Member IFA
1985. **Member LAFF 1986. Founder original Baltimore Ferret Club 1987.
**Founder Metro Ferret Club, 1989. **Founder second Baltimore Ferret Club
1993. **Charter Member LIFE. **Chairperson, Maryland Coalition for
Rational Rabies Policies, 1995. **Nominee for Chair, AFA Legislative/Legal
Affairs Commitee, 1997. Accomplishments: legalization in Baltimore City and
County 1993, declaration of domestic status/quarantine/vaccination
provisions via House Bill 426, State of Maryland 1996. (I'm fuzzy on some
of these dates, don't go crazy out there if you actually have corrections to
my "resume", ok?)
How depressing to see that in print...all those years working for what seems
so little that was actually passed through the government ferret grinder.
On with the history lecture...In the early 90's the BFC got the sale and
ownership of ferrets legalized in the last 2 jurisdictions in this state
which didn't recognize our pets. We did this all on our own...we had
vociferously de-affiliated with first one national organization (IFA - based
on concerns about their ethical and financial posture) and then another
(LIFE - based on their anti-Marshall's Farms position). Bruised from the
battles of trying to affiliate with large national groups that didn't share
our viewpoints, we here in Baltimore just decided to go it on our own. We
got help from our local vets, the pet store people (anathema to many), and -
with a crummy little club of about 50 peopel (5 of whom worked pretty
consistently), we succeeded in breaking through the Baltimore City/County
barriers that had held for decades. We had no money, hadn't ever had a
show, no one had ever heard of us...etc., etc. (Was Horatio Alger a ferret
club guy? Is this sob story getting to you?)
Well, after we got our little local laws passed, there we were. Ferrets
legal, but still being killed right and left by the state health department.
You can own 'em, you can sell 'em, but if they bite...off with their heads.
The Maryland Coalition was born in 1995, after pet ferret Rasha's beheading
(Rasha was Maryland's Kodo, only we weren't Internet freaks then, so nobody
much heard about him). The group was formed mainly due to the initiative of
Fran Wiles/Diana Bachman/whoever's teensy AFA-affiliated club, Central
Maryland Ferret Fanciers. This club ponied up $1000 seed money from their
show prifits from a couple of years, basically bankrupting themselves, and
AFA hosted a kickoff meeting of ALL the Maryland ferret groups. Believe me,
it could have been a very difficult meeting. Relationships between some of
the participants verged on those at the 60's the Paris/Saigon Peace Talks,
where it actually mattered whether the table was round or square...I mean,
some of the people in this room hadn't spoken to each other in years.
But...there we were, mad as hell and we weren't going to take it anymore.
A year later, after hundreds of donated hours by AFA experts, and by STAR,
and by LAFF, and some letters written by LOS, we got our bill passed, but
let me tell you...it was a tremendous boon to have the AFA in our
corner...to get the expertise of Dr. Freddie Hoffman to testify at countless
meetings, and Sally Heber to share her experience in other jurisdictions,
and Jim Scott to donate hundreds of hours of lawyerly advice, and...well,
these goodies were just waiting there for someone to get them organized.
Personally, I had a long history of not exactly loving the AFA, but...there
we were, focused on the common enemy at last.
How foolish it would have been for me - representing the fiercely
independent BFC - to say, "Well, the AFA never does anything, and Pam Grant
doesn't get along with LAFF (or was it AFA - can't keep it straight), and
LAFF never does anything except give shows, and...well, whatever the rap for
that year was on all of them. There's always something funky to bug the
critical personality about all these groups...they are all majorly
imperfect, being run by humans other than myself.
But...am I a lawyer? NO. Jim Scott, AFA, is. Am I a doctor? NO. Freddie
Hoffman, AFA, is. Had I ever done anything with the USDA, Rhone Merieux,
CDC? NO. Sally Heber, AFA, had. Am I an Animal Control Officer? NO.
LAFF's Lynn Reid is. Do I have a big national network? NO. AFA and STAR
do. Am I stupid? NO.
So, we got our bill passed. Maryland's ferret community is tighter than it
has ever been. The newspapers and radio and tv stations, and particularly
the politicians and health departments know about "those ferret people".
Boy, do they.
So what am I writing about? It's this. Dont' wait for the new national
organization to come riding in on the giant white steed to save you. Get it
going at your local level. Call AFA, call LIFE, call LOS...call the CA
bunch when they get it done out there. There's a wealth of information,
experience, expertise, and good will out there. It's already there, waiting
for YOU (not you, Bob, but the people you are, with all good intentions, I
am sure, encouraging to spend time, money, and resources on this national
thing).
Don't be naive...if the Age of Aquarius hasn't happened in 15 years, it
ain't going to. Example: we put out letters to "giants" and national groups
about getting ferrets legalized in D.C. Most response was positive, but a
couple of responses were, "If X is going to be there, then I'm not coming to
the first meeting." Fatal? No, we'll just muddle through somehow, but what
a loss of resources and focus...maybe Maryland was Camelot? (Dont' ask me
who and what group...it's their business, and I'll never tell.) This is the
parable part of my lecture. National effort - HA!
By the way, Dog and Cat people aren't any different, and have you talked to
any Horse people lately? It's just not the American Way to unite behind a
single leader. We're a diverse group, reflecting our culture, which is
fiercely independent and just plain contrary a lot of the time.
Local initiatives can topple this situation everyone's all of a sudden
galvanized about one domino at a time. YOU can do it. Don't shut out
groups that can help you, no matter how they may tick you off. Call 'em
all, see who can help you without a stupid ego-driven agenda, and take
advantage of them. Get all the allies you can! Get money! Get support
from wherever you can, and don't wait to be saved by someone else.
Until we get a ferret Ghandi, stop focusing on the forest, and just log your
own little patch of trees. Want to learn how to cut those state health
departments down to size? Call the "national" tree cutters - Dick Bossart
in NH, Jim Scott or myself here in MD, Rick White in TX, that wild bunch in
MA...there's a wealth of experience out there waiting for you to join up in
the fight. Look at the score card...who's gotten results, and who's just
talkin? Go with all of them, if they'll sit down at the same table and give
you money, time, or experts.
Gosh, this will never make it to the fml, but BIG, I've never posted before
to you on anything of substance, so I hope you will consider this my quota
for the year...1998, too.
Bob...if you are our Ghandi, call me. I'll put on a loin cloth, but I won't
fast! If you don't wanna be Ghandi, be careful how you use your
considerable power in diluting the existing influence base we've worked so
hard to achieve for years amongst the "old" groups. Work with us...whoever
us is.
Diane Rogers (writing as herself, not as a member of squat)
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John and Diane Rogers - Baltimore Ferret Club
http://baltoferret.com/bfc000.htm
mailto:[log in to unmask]
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[Posted in FML issue 1977]
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