<Alicia wrote> >As for your comment" look at the whole Jen Morrision deal... Animals >lots of them lay DEAD in their cages, most so sick they couldn't stand >up etc.. and this was witnessed by a lot of people.".... I cannot >begin to tell you how ferret community has caused the outcome of this. >Hat, emotional letters DEMANDING the atty, prosecutors etc to take an >action will only cause this type of reaction. You MOCK they system >with disrespect. While I too was upset that the punishment did not fit >the crime- we caused the whole thing to happen. The ferret community >cannot act like rednecks and expect any respect from local justice >systems plain and simple! While we have this mentality there will be >no justice for ferrets- they will be a mockery and WE AS A WHOLE need >to understand that. The fact that NO witnesses ever make these >inflammatory overstated cries and please is another issue all together- >we hear third hand, fourth hand and fact get distorted. The emotional >pleas get overblown and facts get blown out of proportion. I have >received several reports that the reports we received via this list was >NOT accurate rather overblown and reactionary - say what to this? Were >you there? - did you see? ----------------------------------" Standing ovation Alicia,!!" I could not have said this better, and it needed to be said, to many people, want to help so much and so fast, and most of these disasters are in critical states and require quick response, and those who help at these times and others should be applauded, no crime of animal cruelty will ever get the proper punishment in my eyes, its a cowardly act to a defenseless animal. I don't think there is a day that goes by that I don't see a yahoo group or message board run with the keyboard, it seems they go faster then their brains, (example), they see an animal for sale on e-bay, yes against policy and also in a lot of ways wrong, then you see them run to the key board send them nasty e-mails telling them their "opinion" and then the auction is removed and then they sit there happy then in the same breath say- " I wonder what will happen to the ferret now" well now we will never know, will we!, there are a lot of people out there thinking they are doing the "ferret community" a service by posting some things and making accusations of acts that they get off the rumor control mill, that is hurting the ferrets also, try sitting and thinking before you act, that would be more helpful to the ferrets and legal system then taking you keyboard and stating what you think are facts, no judge, District Atty, wants to here from someone behind a keyboard or phone that lives 3000 miles from a situation with there assumptions of what they think happened or what they think should now happen I mean really, think about it ,, do you really think that you screaming from the top of a building across the country with a keyboard in your lap makes you heard because you know more about ferrets than a judge or DA, no sure does not, so next time you see an auction on E-bay, you want to see it off E-bay, BUY IT!!! or throw some honey on yourself and just inquire some information on the ferret(s) and see if you cant help get them re-homed and give a small donation to help the person out, or here is something even better, the animal is not abused being on E-bay so leave it be, what's the difference between E-bay and the newspaper, I will tell you, well with E-bay the ferret listing will at least get seen by people knowing about ferrets, the newspaper will get seen by people knowing how to thumb through it sipping morning coffee, nothing irritates me more then people throwing themselves all over something they think will make them a better person cause they got it to disappear, People get away with murder everyday of human life, why is it so hard to except the fact it happens in animal cruelty, it does! and the more you people post the chain if events of court appearances and how we are on the look out for so and so and get on the keyboard express, you have just weaken the case and leaves the judge to throw it out, and who is to blame, the "ferret community": all the time spent on the Internet chasing after people you have not witnessed the crime of is time you can spend chasing and wrestling with your kids or animals. Alicia, god bless you for taking a stand and saying out loud what people usually only think, or say under there breath because it goes against the grain, and do n't want to get famed by the holier than thow!! [PB] [Posted in FML issue 3927]