I always am bothered by comments by people like Ben Stiller and Jennifer about ferrets - I have had / have a total of 5 ferrets and am in love with all of them (2 have died). But - all Ben is is a powerless actor with a soundstage. Sure, he is wrong and misguided, but in this country he is allowed to spout whatever he wants to. It doesn't matter if Jay Leno talks to Swartsintegger (or whatever his name is), because Arnold is a powerless figurehead. I am a firm believer that in the end, legislation will FREE FERRETS and legalize them. The reason will ultimately be for the WRONG REASON, but will yield the right result: You see, legislators are interested in supporting policy that does "good" (not so much) and also seems to keep them in office. Therefore, as a ferret owner, I feel our best defense is through economics. When a guy like Ben Stiller sends out a negative message, if we had a lobby with power over media, we could, the VERY NEXT DAY something negative comes out about our furry friends issue commercials and newspaper ads... I can see it now: ...a ferret is in jail overlooking a serene landscape of cats, dogs and horses playing. The announcer says: "ferrets are improperly designated in some states as a wild animal, although they are no more wild than your more popular household pets" ...then the dogs and cats get jailed also... "fair is fair"... then have a couple of cute young kids with their household dogs and cats have them taken away... "lets end this sillyness... contact <email address> to help. The email would have instructions on letters to send to legislators on behalf of ferrets... Mark h. [Posted in FML issue 4396]