I was sitting here this afternoon looking through a huge pile of mail to be answered, jobs to do, and bills to be paid, and I came across one of the many requests for money that the Sierra Club sends out about every month or so. Now the ferrets were about, it was a real nice day, and I got to wondering why it was that the California Sierrans (?) were against such wonderful and environmentally friendly creatures. I remember pondering what could be done. Looking over the letter, I saw that it took "just a few cents a day" to renew my 'membership'. I saw words like "most powerful" and "most effective voice for the environment" "century of achievements" "monumental challenges" coming up, and I read that through my gift I would be "able to play an active personal role." Suddenly it hit me! Why not contribute Five Dollars and a note of explanation? This would get their attention, (it is much less than the $35 membership fee), it would keep me on their mailing list,my name in their records, support the environment [okay just a little bit], and hold out a challenge. Then it must have been Squeeker's voice in my ear saying "Why not tell lots of people about your idea? If enough people joined in, it could make a big difference.... " Anyway here is what I wrote: Dear Mr. Pope, This is a token amount which I'll give each year on the month that it was made legal to own Ferrets in Massachusetts. It is given in memory of a wonderful ferret friend named Squeekers and would be much larger if the Sierra Club actively supported the legalization of ferrets in California. - Bill Williamson [Posted in FML issue 3001]