Hi Everyone- Maybe I'm not the most abstract thinker in the world, but I just do not get why this veterinary group would oppose ferret legalization. Their responses to Sukie and Alicia make absolutely no sense to me. I thought about addressing this note to the AVAR, but to me it seems it would be falling on closed-minded ears. But this is what I do get: I am one of the many people that is directly harmed by the CA ferret ban. My fiance lives in California. My family is from California and about half of them still live there. While I would more than readily agree California has many many other problems besides ferret legalization, living there is still one of my goals. But I refuse to move until they've legalized my ferrets. I *adore* my ferrets. I've nursed Saffy through two insulinoma surgeries, an adrenal surgery, and spent countless nights crying over the thought of losing her. I lost my sweet Marshmallow to a mystery kidney problem last January, and even now almost a year later I still tear up at the memory. I can't tell you the days and hours I've spent enjoying, loving, petting, and worrying about my ferrets. I simply cannot fathom life without them. Thusly, living in California is out of the question until this asinine ban is repealed. It annoys me to no end that a ban whose only leg to stand on is one of ignorance and bureaucratic egotism is keeping me from my pursuit of happiness. I am never going to breed ferrets. For a group of bureaucrats (and from what I read today, a group of veterinarians) to tell me that I can't live my life where I choose because of something I'll never participate in is maddening. I, and many thousands of people in and out of California are being restricted by that stupid ban. If the AVAR thinks that the ferret ban isn't affecting anyone (or affecting the medical care ferrets do or don't get in California), they're out of their bloody minds. One more thing: I checked out the AVAR's webpage, and I'm about 95% sure that one of the board of directors practices where I live. It's so comforting that someone who belongs to a group that perpetuates that kind of idiocy actually lives near me. *sigh* Sorry for the long rant folks. Laura Ellis [Posted in FML issue 2914]