Hi Everybody... the text below is my reply to the letter recently posted in the fml on Pat Wright's behalf.. I was the Historian/Archivist for FA for over a year. I liked Pat Wright a lot.. and had nothing but respect for his efforts to see ferrets legalized in Calif. My opinion of Animal Shelters in California is about like my opinion of Murder Inc. as they both do the same thing. Kill everything in sight. They are government paid animal assassins nothing more. I rarely get angry but this murder of a trusting little fur child has me enraged! Unless you live in California and know the principals involved you are not in a position to judge anyone involved.. I knew the participants and the position of the California Animal Control Officers, the Fish and Game Dept. and the Governors office first hand as well as Pat and Rocky. You may not agree with my analysis, that is your privilege. I am too busy grieving for poor Rocky to waste the time to reply to any flames you may wish to direct my way so save the bandwidth... ********* Hello Pat... I will keep this short.. On the one hand you have my sympathy.. but on the other hand it's a good thing I no longer live in Calif.. Rocky died in pain and terror.. no question about it.. His look at you asking 'How could you do this to me?' is a very good one.. You took a huge risk with that march.. but knowing Rocky nips and exposing the public to him is criminal on your part.. However.. there is no doubt about what 'should' have occurred the instant that bite happened.. You had one and only one option.. grab Rocky and RUN for the Calif. border.. then fight it all out from a safe state. You didn't take responsibility for a thing. You handed Rocky over to an agency you KNEW couldn't be trusted..EVER!! To a government controlled agency with a history of cruelty and lies. If you had really taken responsibility for what happened to Rocky it wold have been YOUR head they cut off not Rocky's! ******** Do I sound harsh?.. hard on an econically impoverished and grieving Pat Wright? You bet I do! I took risks every day in that state. but I was locked and loaded at the same time.. Oh they would have had their public incident all right.. The coverage of a SWAT TEAM prying me out of my little shelter would have made every news station and paper all over the country! I made the decision that they would get my ferrets only by extracting them from my dead hands! I have ample witnesses to that stance while I was in Calif. So if I seem to have little pity for you Pat because you can't eat or sleep well .... your right! I don't! This may be the turning point for legalization of ferrets in Calif. Maybe.. But at what price?? So now California has it's little martyr.. Rocky.. poor little fuzzy.. If you want to help the legalization effort in California then send in a little of your tax return this year.. BUT send it to Jeanne Carley who can and does get the job done without slaughtering ferrets in the process! Jeanne gives every dime of the profits from her Calenders and other creations and every minute of her days she can squeek out and has done so for years. She is level headed and very very effective in everything she has done toward legalization of ferrets in California. That this post is my opinion is obvious. That I have little use for anyone who holds 'ferrets in attendence' public ferret meetings thereby playing Russian Roulette with their lives is also obvious! If you want to 'kick some butt' in California, then send the support to Jeanne Carley, the little Lady with the biggest pair of 'butt kicking' boots you ever saw! If my language offends anyone, you have my apology. If my opinions and conclusions offend anyone, that's also a matter of opinion and your certainly entitled to it. ask yourself a few simple questions: would YOU invite a bunch of strangers into your home and have a known biter running loose among them?.. would YOU neglect to find out what that bunch of peoples union rules are concerning a bite incident if it should occur? would YOU allow anyone to place a VERY expensive video camera on the floor just inviting a curious fuzzy to investigate it? would YOU mop up the blood and bandage a bite then go blindly off to a march with a ferret that had bitten one person already?... would YOU return home and blissfully go off to sleep knowing the knock on the door was due any time?.. would YOU turn over the ferret to known liars and killers or even let them get in range to seize it? .. would YOU set up a march of this type with no attorney present to represent anyone who had an incident such as this one occur?.. would you refuse to RUN for the nearest border with your ferrets to make sure they were safe after a bite incident in a state known for it's ferret hatred?.. and on and on.. This was not one small case of poor judgement! this was programed self delusion!!! dayna and the woozles of the MMOMM rescue/shelter [We love you Rocky and we miss you] [Posted in FML issue 2188]