Happy Ferret Freedom Day to All of You! A group of Massachusetts Ferret Friends and their friendly ferrets converged on the State House in Boston yesterday to hear March 7th proclaimed as Ferret Freedom Day in Massachusetts. As Governor Weld is out of the country this week, Lt. Gov. Paul Cellucci read the proclamation, after a short speech in which he compared the absent Governor to a ferret (both tend to be hypoallergenic, so you don't sneeze when they sit in your lap; both have roots in Massachusetts extending back over 300 years). After the reading, the press had some questions for the Lt. Governor regarding the legalization of ferrets in Massachusetts, as well as why he knew why one wouldn't sneeze when holding the Governor in one's lap. The Massachusetts Ferret Friends did their best to provide deep background for the the Lt. Governor in answering the press. MaFF President Sharon Burbine then presented the Lt. Governor with a T-shirt designed by Jeanne Carley of the Californians for Ferret Legalization. The shirt sported an adorable ferret in prison garb with CA DFG 50001 on it. Ms Burbine explained to the Lt. Governor and the press that it is still illegal to own a ferret in California and said that the reason Ms. Carley had the shirts printed in the Bay State was (in addition to our technological superiority in t-shirt printing) was that ferrets are legal here. The message should not be lost on any governor, Republican or Democrat: Ferrets Equal Jobs. While the shirt was presented, Lt. Gov. Cellucci offered to hold Ms. Burbine's ferret Wolfie. Of course the photographers went mad to capture that shot. Wolfie on the other hand was quite interested in checking out Lorraine Denicourt's sprite Fancy, who was being held on the other side of the Lt. Governor. The coverage of Ferret Freedom Day made four of the six local news shows and one of the two local papers. All of the coverage was positive, although MaFF and our brand-new rabies quarantine were not mentioned. Oh well. You can make the news, but sometimes you can't direct it. With the rabies quarantine policy, establishment of a rescue and shelter network, and a lot of hard-working people dedicated to owner education and the welfare of ferrets, Massachusetts ferret owners have a lot to be thankful for this year. MaFF is celebrating our first annual Ferret Freedom Day this Sunday at the Veronica Smith Senior Center in Brighton. Anyone who lives in Massachusetts or near here who still would like to attend, please let us know and we'll get directions out to you. HAPPY FERRET FREEDOM DAY EVERYONE!!! P. S. Thanks to everyone who came out to the State House such short notice. Lorraine Denicourt, Jan Fleury, Ronnie (Scoop) DiComo, Joel & Mary Cohen, Maureen Harvey, Tracy & her friend, and Nancy Wright. A big thanks also to Nancy for opening up her home for Channel 56. They did a great story on the 10 O'clock news. A big thank you also goes to Bud Jackson, Jackson Communications for his help once again. Also, we got a pleasant surprise visit from Tom Kemper, Major Burns daddy, from Texas who was in Boston on business. Have a safe trip home Tom. Apologies if anyone was left out. HAPPY FERRET FREEDOM DAY EVERYONE!!! [Posted in FML issue 1865]