Must say that the past several days or so have been exciting times
here on the FML.  An awful lot of the credit has to go to BIG for keeping it
all together, focused, interesting, and very readable.  The special issue
last Thursday was a stroke of genius which not only kept us from being
bogged down on one or two issues, but most importantly got inforamtion out
the door when it could do the most good.  Beyond that I am continually
amazed by both the depth of information as well as the good sense and humor
of so many who share their experiences here.  It really is fun to read.
 
        Rudy, thanks for your comments re Globe article.  I think that I
said it was 'fairly well balanced' rather than fair.  Your right about the
end being rather 'ragged' (I'm being chairitable again here.), but I wanted
to give credit where it was due and 60 bite cases over ten year period
nationwide isn't REALLY a lot to be worried about.  In fact given statisical
inaccuracies you could probably round it to zero.  It really fades away when
compared to the 44,000 serious dog bites a year, which they should have also
included in the article, but what the hey, we got the exposure and the
problems can be cleared up 'on redirect' as a lawyer might say.
 
        The CBS story on the other hand IMO was pretty vicious in that the
"senior correspondent" presented incomplete as well as unstubstantiated
information, used this information to create an erroneous impression, and
then made unwarrented and very harmful comments based upon it.  These
comments were then added to and amplified by the host of the show, rejecting
reality completely, (as I know it anyway).
 
        Perhaps CBS didn't go after all the information that they should
have, perhaps the State of California gave them a better story this time,
perhaps the CFA is just worn out from ten years or more of wrangling with
some really entrenched bureacrats and their ideas.  I've seen some of the
CFA's stuff and it is truly excellent, they should have seen this ban lifted
a long long time ago folks.
 
        But no matter.  The point is that it is going to take a change of
public opinion before these little fuzzy folks are really accepted and we
all have to help.  Domestic ferrets are a HUGE amount of fun to those who
are willing to put up with a little extra, and are certainly no danger what
so ever to society, (or the environment).  Keep those cards and letters,
ferret frollics, and everything else you can think of coming.   Do have fun
with it, but don't hide in the closet, it only makes it more difficult for
the rest of us.
[Posted in FML issue 1216]