Backstory on Ohio's SB 310 - Legislature's Rush To Judgment. Not So Fast; Watch This!



I've learned even more over the past few days about the impetus for Ohio's bill SB 310. There were facts the Ohio legislature failed to take into account; very disturbing questions still unanswered, things about this case that just don't add up.

Please watch this video filmed and produced by Joe Schreibvogel, a former police chief himself who now manages a similar exotic animal park. The evidence he's unearthed about the suspicious death of Terry Thompson points to some major and organized corruption the depths of which is still unknown.

Watch and evaluate for yourself...and share this around;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jazsdy__k8w

Joe himself has been targetted by some of the same tactics.

http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/152763085.html

I wonder how many others around the country have as well.

The FBI has launched a full, ongoing investigation of these events.

Outcome of SB 310; "Dangerous Animals and Restricted Snakes" Bill

Tuesday, May 22nd Ohio state legislators convened to decide the fate of "exotic" animals and it passed 87-9.

There were three speakers for the bill and only one speaking against.

Rep. Terry Boose (R) District 58-Norwalk (Opposed);
1) Pointed out that the bill discriminates against the poor

2) Encourages a black market

3) Not enough teeth in the bill to really be effective anyway

Rep. Brian Hill (D) District 94-Zanesville (In Favor);
1) Stated that the bill would include an "Animal Emergency Team"

2) Will promote proper caging requirements

Rep. Tracey Heard (D) District 26-Columbus (In Favor);
1) Stated that she had a pet monkey as a child and supported exempting those from the bill's scrutiny because they "make good pets, and serice animals" (side note: Opinions are like ***holes, everybody has one. So where's the research sources proving monkeys are better and safer pets than snakes???)

2) Stated that the bill "makes provisions" for those who can't afford the various fees and must "relinquish" those animals. Feels they are "reasonable". (side note: How big of her. Is she offering to adopt all these displaced pets, and cover the costs of their care? No detail given on just exactly how much these fees are, and where this money for their future care is supposed to come from. Are the people who can afford those fees supposed to foot the bill for all those people giving their pets up who can't?)

Rep. Andy hompson (R) District 93-Marietta (In Favor);
1) Stated that the "First Responders" for animal emergencies proposed by the bill is an important feature.

Well, I must say that the impression I was left with after watching this session was that the whole hearing was merely a formality.

There are so many constitutional issues here that this is bound to end up at the Supreme Court level. Perhaps animal-lovers have lost this battle, but we will win the war.

History has borne out again and again that prohibition doesn't work; not in a country that was built on acceptance of individual choices. The original settlers left Europe because they didn't want every aspect of their private lives dictated to them by their government and wanted to be free to pursue what made them happy.

Sure, there are instances when government needs to step in and intervene to level the playing field, prevent people from killing each other, or to make sure society has what it needs to serve everyone in it, there are times when that's appropriate, but not in telling people what pets they can keep.

USARK offered reasonable alternatives, and who better to be involved in the writing of standards for and about snakes than people who have been doing it for years? Who better to write the standards for large cats than people who have made a career doing that.

Society recognizes this in fields such as medicine in which boards are formed to set the standards for their peers, and in fields like medicine government hesitates to let state or Federal legislators decide what is best for doctors and their patients. The reason? Because they recognize that legislators (and along with them, other special interest groups) lack the knowledge, experience, and expertise to dictate "best practices" to doctors, tell them how they should do their surgeries, what drugs to prescribe and not prescribe, and what tests they can and can't do on their patients. (Private insurance companies try to do that, but at least the government in this instance, takes a pretty much hands-off approach).

Life is full of both risks and benefits. There are people who have died from working with animals, but in the grand scheme of things the number of people who have died does not reach the level that requires government intervention. Overall the joys of working with animals far outweighs the risks, and as we become more familiar with a whole range of different species we come to understand them better (just as different races and nationalities of people get better at relating as they are allowed to communicate and meet in the middle). All of these individual differences take time to work out.

Just like people who speak different languages, animals have their own "languages"; different ways of communicating, and different ways of interpreting the actions of species outside their own.

If people are restricted from keeping certain species they will never have the opportunity to get to know them at close range and to work through those language and cultural barriers. That in itself will keep whatever dangers there are ever-present and unpredictable. Wouldn't it be better to be able to predict and prevent those incidents and move past them than to merely table the interactions that will reduce those risks?

Just as in any relationship, humans and other animals need to meet in the middle and learn from one another so that they can successfully achieve a relationship that is mutually beneficial to both species. Money should have no place in such relationships. It is a matter to be worked out between each particular animal and each particular human.

I know that with each dog I have had the relationship and what defines it is unique. We learn along the way how to treat each other, we have special routines between us that are specific to just that relationship, certain special ways of relating that don't necessarily apply to all dogs and all humans. Relationships, whether they are human to human or human to other animal involve compromise, respect, trust, regard for the other, kindness, and most of all, the willingness to work on that relationship to make it better and richer with time. Those objectives cannot be achieved by distance. Those principles are universal and can be applied across the board, regardless of species.

Update on Snake Bans

Things have been heating up in Ohio, and we in the hobby are on the cusp of another bout of knee-jerk legislation as follow-up to the Lacey Act. The outcome of that original act amendment was that at least there was going to be a 2 year maratorium on adding any more than the 4 species of snake that were proposed. Now comes an amended version on the state level that seeks to undermine those few protections put in place and threatens to open it wide up and without a vote!

This new piece of legislation in Ohio; called SB 310 in its current version would be one of the most restrictive on reptile keeping of any in existance Nationwide.

Representative Jim Buchy proposed some changes recommended by USARK (United States Association of Reptile Keepers) which were rejected by Governor Kasich, Senator Balderson, and others. These changes included a proposed $25.00 registration fee instead of permitting of animal facilities, would institute safety and secure housing protocols instead of requiring cost prohibitive surety bonds and liability insurance.

Although the conterproposal was supported by several in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, it was rejected by the above mentioned leaders.

HSUS, the Columbus Zoo, and Jack Hannah oppose USARKs suggested alternatives, and with elections coming up in November for all House Committee Members, alot of them are under pressure to hurry this bill on through just so that it doesn't interfere with their campaigne plans.

This comes down to a vote today! Please write one of these people in the Ohio legislature and ask them to vote no on SB 310 .

We need to nip this in the bud before this type of extreme restriction comes rolling into all our towns, States, and cities.

I wrote Representative Debbie Phillips and asked that she write back to keep me informed on the vote. She has a background in mediation, so I figured that she would be more likely than some of the others to see the logic in working with USARK and the alternate solutions they proposed instead of the current version.

If this does not work, and the opposition gets its way, many people would be financially unable to keep their beloved pets due to inordinate fee requirements, (and that seems to be the bill writers' objective in adding the requirements). This would be a real shame.

Imagine a child crying because he had to give up his favorite snake he has had for years. And imagine there is no shelter that can take this snake that up until now has been loved and cared for, safe and secure, and a part of the family just like the dog and cat that share the home with it. It gets shuttled around from one temporary place to another where nobody really has experiece with snakes, it gets stressed out, stops eating, and tragically dies.

All this unecessary turmoil would be because of some bureaucrats who are trying to get re-elected, because of political power games between people fighting over money, many of whom have no idea what kind of added problms this legislation will cause snakes like this, little children, and taxpayers, and worse, they could care less! These are people who see snakes as nothing more than vermin to be reviled and driven out of our communities and the eco-system. They are ignorant people who insist on keeping their ignorance; sucking on it like a mother's teat.

Earlier I saw a video on Youtube that really took the cake showing to what lengths HSUS and PETA will go to further their anti-animal agenda. From all the warm and fuzzy TV commercials the general public would never guess that these "animal rights" organizations resort to such militant and unethical tactics. It has truly reached a new low and has gotten way out of control! It is long but please watch the whole thing. It is done in several segments put together;

Stop The Exotic Ban (SB310)

Save animals by protesting this travesty!

Southwestern Style and Popular Culture

I can remember back in 2005 there weren't alot of Southwestern style items represented on Etsy. That has changed in recent years. With more and more sellers joining Etsy and a broader customer base to match, the number of Southwestern style items has grown exponentially! Once considered to be somewhat on the periphery of Etsy's "in" styles, it has since earned a significant portion of the market share and garnered a respectable position in the Etsy marketplace.

With its rich cultural mix of Native American, Mexican, and Cowboy/Cowgirl the style is really coming into its own.

I have seen alot more Treasury lists dedicated to the Southwestern way, for the most part very uplifting. As of this writing I pulled up 2,183 search results with the search term "Southwest". I have included a few such treasuries below;

As those of you who read my blog regularly probably know I have recently been very involved in the plight of snakes villified by the Lacey Act because of constrictors found loose in the Florida everglades.

All this turned the Herp Community's consciousness toward yet more atrocities against snakes, also born of ignorance, prejudice, and irrational fear.

This got me thinking about how culture and tradition intermingle and what that means. Sometimes culture has a darker side.

The Rattlesnake Round-up, an annual festival held in Sweetwater, Texas, organized and run by the Jaycees gives a view into this seemier side. According to an article on Kingsnake.com similar events are held in about 6 US states, but the one in Sweetwater is the biggest and most well-known.

Nearly 20,000 Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes are collected for the Sweetwater event, the rationale being that people don't want them around, and that the venom can be used for potential cures for cancer and other diseases, but these stated reasons are suspect because as  Carl Franklin, a herpatologist says, "Venom collected at the round-ups is not collected in a sterile environment".

In addition, at the 2006 round-up revenues were projected in excess of 5 Million dollars! States use these events to draw in tourists and tourist money.

Snakes are often not collected in areas where they'd pose real danger to humans; instead they're extracted from deep rocky dens in remote areas that really take some effort and time to get to. It is a real shame that such beautiful animals are hounded and hunted so intrusively when all they're doing is trying to raise their young in peace. These animals are not going out to bite humans. All they want is to be left alone, minding their own business.

Once taken from their dens (in some cases by putting gas fumes down a hole), many of these unlucky snakes are stored in inhumane conditions before being exploited before crowds of attendees, milked of their venom (for shock value), used in dare-devil type freak shows, and finally, as if that weren't traumatic enough, beheaded,  skinned, cooked, and some of them served to the blood-thirsty crowds alongside french fries.

Not only does one have to wonder about the morality of what this does to the Rattlesnakes, but what kind of message such displays send to children who are in attendance with their families, who really should be taught to preserve and respect wildlife, not revel in killing it.

Sure, it's a tradition, but not a very nice one. The Southwest has so many wholesome and beautiful attractions to offer. Why should this kind of cruelty become one of the attractions that tourists associate with the Southwest?

At the rate these round-ups are going we could see Diamondback Rattlesnakes, and other native rattlers in various Southern and Southwestern States reach endangered species proportions in our lifetime.

Like the Seguaro Cactus, the lizard, and the Coyote, these beautiful and powerful symbols of strength are an important part of what makes the Southwest special.

Watch this video made by National geographic with real footage of the Rattlesnake Round-up;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkiA4Hhrjuo

and thisone shows footage of two representatives of Urban Jungle Radio being served a restraining order preventing them from entering the round-up, although it is publicised as being open to the public. This goes to show just how entrenched the local police department is in seeing the event continue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ8JHZdkesU&feature=youtu.be

You can protest this barberic practice by going to the Jaycees Facebook page and asking politely that they change the format to one of public education about these animals; one which teaches humane respect and appreciation of these reptiles instead of the gratuitous slaughter that currently goes on. Many thanks to the Herp Center Network for the link.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet...p/253049219648

My beadwoven bracelet, Diamondback pays tribute to this beautiful and majestic snake of the Southwest. I fashioned it after the intricate pattern on the skin.

Purchase this bracelet or anything in my store with a price of $65.00 or more (not including shipping), and the first few customers will receive a really nice genuine leather zippered pouch free with your jewelry. I have one that I use as a coin purse, but it can just as easily be used as a little travel case to put some of your jewelry in when you go on trips or even to keep in your purse or in the car's glove box. The picture below shows the same pouch but different views. Yours may be black (like this one) or dark brown depending on which remains at the time of purchase. Supply is extremely limited, so don't delay. The first buyers to meet the criteria get one!

Customer Feature; Terryfic Arts; Using Silver in Unexpected Ways

Terry Wilson of Ojai, California makes jewelry for an untapped niche market; musicians, especially oboe and bassoon players! An Oboist herself, and realizing that there was no fine jewelry made with these musicians in mind, she decided to fill this need with her own line of specialized Sterling and Fine Silver jewelry carved from wax and cast from her own mold. Most of these are reeds strung on satin cord, some wrapped in colored thread, or earrings on sterling silver earhooks.

Bassoon Reed Earrings, Sterling Silver

In addition to this line of jewelry, Terry has an assortment of other pieces in her Etsy shop, Terryfic Arts including this Bass Clef;



Fine Silver Bass Clef Pendant with Jewels

Terry recently bought some beads from my supply shop and sent me some pictures of her finished piece and the Peppercorn tree that was her inspiration. The likeness is quite close and I just had to share this with my readers!

 

If you have a shop on Etsy and you purchase supplies or jewelry from me, send me a picture of your finished product (or you wearing my finished jewelry if you bought that from me), and you just might get a feature here in my blog!



Free Bead Contest

Just a short break from the snake news to let you know that I'm entering a bead giveaway called "Blog Buddies" sponsored by Magpie beads. She will be giving away some beads to a lucky winner each month, who will then show what was made with them or do a review on the beads after placing the banner above with a link back to her website. I look forward to seeing how this goes. It could be alot of fun! 

Update on "Python Ban"

Reposted (so as not to rewrite) from what I wrote on the Diane Rehm radio show site; I am saddened by just how out of control this mass banning has become. What kicked this off was an issue taking place in the Everglades and it has now been totally blown out of proportion to involve the entire country, and drawn into it way more animals than its original intended target.

If people are concerned about giant feral pythons in the Everglades those individual snakes should be contained/removed; not the snakes kept in captivity that are not hurting anyone, are happy and healthy.

I don't know where people are coming up with this "animal abuse" angle from this. What abuse? Breeding? Keeping in captivity? Is that what is being considered "abuse"? If so, then that's really stretching it.

The fact of the matter is that for many years non-native animals have come to the United States and have assimilated to life here either in captivity or in the wild. Are we to start exporting all those animals that originated from other countries? And if so, then from how many years ago? What should be considered native species? Animals have been brought over with settlers, shipped in, etc ever since this country began, even domestic breeds of cat or dog, but they're here now and we can't put Pandora back in the box. It's done.

I received an e-mail today about legislation being proposed currently which takes all this "animal control" even further. It said that there are restrictions being proposed against adding to the endangered species list even when it would be warranted. What ever happened to animal rights groups promotion of conservation? That seems to have gone out the window in a matter of weeks or months.

Looking at the big picture it sure appears as if there are those who would like to see animals become extinct because they really just consider them pests and believe they interfere with their lifestyle, as if they were competing with man's very existance. That is not a solution.

If Florida wants to get big snakes out of the Everglades and prevent more from getting loose there are more effective ways to do that intead of a Federal and then state by state ban. Why not for instance Spay and Neuter the feral ones.

HSUS would make better use of its time and resources doing that than in waging this nationwide war and dragging every species into it that resides in this country.

If Florida wants to restrict or limit the number of big species of snakes going into that state, that's one thing, but the whole country should not be penalized, when these snakes cannot live in the wild in cooler climates anyhow.

**************************************************************************
Yesterday while reading on one of the snake forums, I found yet another disturbing piece of legislation; this one introduced by the state of Rhode Island, and this one includes Ball Pythons, these very gentle and often shy snakes who aren't even capable of delivering more than a few small superficial puncture wounds (in the worst case scenario); certainly not vicious man-eaters by any definition!

Here is a link to the bill below;

http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText12/SenateText12/S2033.pdf

To oppose S2033 go here: http://usark.org/campaign.php?id=31

I recieved a few responses to letters I wrote to legislators asking that they oppose this ban and overturn it. Senator Saxby Chambliss told me he'd pass on my thoughts to Fish and Wildlife and keep me posted on their response, and the Senator V. Susan Sosnowski of District 37 said my comments were very interesting and that she'd remember them when she addressed the issue in Environment and Agriculture Committee for a hearing. I read that as positive but I wish she'd told me where she stands on the issue so I'd know for sure.

Keep reading, everyone, please leave comments, and follow if you aren't already. I'm sure this topic will be interesting to alot of people, and there will be lots of new developments to come. Together we can make a difference so that people can continue to enjoy these beautiful and graceful animals.

In honor of the Python I'm offering a special deal for 20% off on finished jewelry purchases $60.00 and up for a limited time only. To get this price reduction you must enter the coupon code PYTHONDEAL during checkout and the amount of purchase must be at least $60.00 not including shipping. I don't do this very often, so I hope lots of you readers will make use of it while it lasts. Here's your chance to get some of my more substantial pieces for a great price!

And yes, this lovely snake bracelet with emerald eyes is still available.

Giftbearer

Mass Hysteria; Stop the Bans...Virginia Follows Florida's Lead

As if the Python Ban in Florida isn't bad enough now Virginia has followed suit! HB 1242 Takes SB 477 even further and bans a whole laudry list of animals considered "exotics", and it strictly regulates even the temporary moving of animals through the state.

The Ball-Pythons.net forum lists the legislators who are introducing this bill and those on the committee it is slated to be heard in; Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources.

In addition to many types of snakes, this list includes, primates (except for humans, LOL), wolves, african wild dogs, elephants, bears, Aligators, crocodiles, caimans, gharials, all cats except domestic and hybrid domestic.

If it weren't so crazy I'd think it was a joke! Now come on; how many people are really going to keep most of those animals in a state like Virginia!

I think this was probably done because the state doesn't think the Federal ban coming from the situation in Florida is going to get shot down eventually.

I watched President Obama's State of The Union Address tonight and from what I could glean it doesn't look like he supports such bans. In his speech tonight he clearly stated that there are some things government should not regulate (those issues citizens can handle themselves), and he made a point of saying that he did not support standing in the way of "American ingenuity". I certainly interpret that to mean that he would not go along with these kinds of blanket bans.

He clearly is in favor of businesses that provide jobs, income, and bring money into the US from other countries, and the reptile industry does bring in alot of revenue.

For the most part breeders in this industry aren't in it purely for profit. They do care about preventing these animals from escaping, and they do alot of education on how to take proper care of them.

Prohibition never works, and it is not a solution to the world's problems.

Even if you don't have pet reptiles this trend to ban more and more species should bother you if you own any pets because then where does it end? Where will they draw the line if legislators begin to see this as the way to handle animals they fear and don't identify with.

It seems a mass panic is sweeping the country. Please pass this information on and get involved by writing, calling, and speaking to elected officials.

Follow-up Letter To Legislators Opposing Python Ban

The other day I wrote my legislators about SOPA and PIPA, and tonight I sent a letter to President Obama and my Representative and Senators and signed a petition to oppose the Python ban. This is my letter;

January 21, 2012

Dear President Obama:

Dear Representative Johnson:

Dear Senator Chambliss:

Dear Senator Isakson:

I am an animal lover and it has long been a dream of mine since I was a child to have pet snakes. Finally after doing alot of reading up and talking to experts I am ready to realize that dream and now I find out that it may just be a matter of time before I lose that opportunity because several of the constrictors are being legislated against, and I hear that still others (including the one I want) are on the chopping block yet to come.

The reptile industry is a needed American Industry for which there is a huge market. It has developed and grown exponentially over the past two decades and most breeders promote responsible pet ownership through public education and one-on-one support. There are many working in that field who depend on it to feed their families. Restricting interstate stransport of their "product" will only result in putting these people out of business and placing them in debt as well as ultimately adding to the National debt.

The reptile industry creates jobs and employs and provides the necessary income to many people by serving people like me, and it contributes to our national economy, important functions which are about to be put in jeopardy. I want you to be aware of the potential impact this bad precedent will have because it strikes at the ability of Americans to maintain their jobs, family life, and this industry's contributions to our American education, enjoyment, and work ethic.

I suspect you have been approached by special interest groups that would like to end animal ownership and kill the industry that supports it by pushing enactment of the Constrictor Rule as proposed by US Fish & Wildlife Service. This rule making has failed at every turn to make the case that 9 constricting snakes should be added to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act. The science is questionable and Fish & Wildlife has failed to do a cost benefit analysis. The rule has been pushed along by mid level bureaucrats with no regard for information quality or due process. If enacted this rule would put more than 1 million Americans in jeopardy of becoming Lacey Act felons.

The Constrictor Rule, if passed will be the beginning of the end of such industry. This rule will not solve the problem that is its purported purpose (protecting the Everglades from Invasive snakes). It will hurt American business and my family. The alleged science being used to justify the rule has been called out as biased and fatally flawed by scientists from around the country, including; University of Florida, Texas A&M and the National Geographic Society. The rule was so poorly constructed that it was recently the subject of a hearing conducted by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee examining this rule as an extreme example of government overreach negatively impacting a $1.4 billion cottage industry.

It looks very suspicious that the rule says it prohibits importing but not exporting. That tells me what's really behind it is more about the fear of breeders outsourcing to obtain their breeding stock thus sending American money overseas to the snakes' countries of origin. The initiators of this rule clearly have a hidden agenda. Any such fear is an overreaction because enough of these snakes exist in the US for breeders to obtain them from other breeders here (if allowed to ship across state lines), but such a rule would make doing so difficult if not impossible. In addition, people wanting a pet snake may not be able to obtain them in our own state, so would be unable to get one. I live in Georgia and do not know of any local snake breeders, for instance.

You yourself own a pet and I'm sure you believe vehemently in your right to keep it, so I hope you will instantly identify with my position. In these uncertain times pets of many kinds bring many of us comfort when little else does. Please make certain that I and millions of Americans can get back to work free from fear of the consequences of the Constrictor Rule.

I know that you will want to do the right thing not wasting government time and money on unecessary new laws that only restrict Americans' persuit of happiness so that our government can attend to more pressing national and international matters.

President Obama please ask the Office of Management & Budget to reverse this rule due to the failure of Fish & Wildlife to adhere to mandated guidelines and procedures required for a rule making. Policy should be based on facts and science, not opinion or partiality. This rule is in violation of at least three of your own executive orders. It is inappropriate on many levels and if passed it will reflect badly on you and your administration. Hold the writers of the rule to their stated agenda of sound science and be the voice of fairness and reason. Please stand up and refuse to let such bad decision-making stand.

The Constrictor Rule is a prejudicial, economically damaging, and ineffective. It is very similar to the bans proposed by certain states and other municipalities targeting Pit Bulls "breed-specific legislation".

This is not the way to solve the problem in the Everglades. Thousands of innocent snakes and those who keep them should not be penalized for a few errant ones that are on the loose.

Instead of making this a Federal rule/law this should be treated as a Florida problem and remedies designed only for those particular problem animals such as spaying and neutering those feral snakes to prevent their reproduction/any risk of overpopulation. This should not involve restricting the whole country from breeding, shipping, or owning these species as pets.

In addition, all stakeholders should be included in designing the solution to the problem in the Everglades; not just those who drafted this legislation. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,


Pippit Carlington

**************************************************************
If you are an animal lover please let your voice be heard, sign the petition, and send a letter of your own by clicking on the badge in the sidebar of this blog. That will take you directly to the site through which you can contact your political officials.

You can also sign this Whitehouse petition;

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/overturn-python-ban/4wGFbc4Y

 25,000 signatures are needed by February 17th  in order to get the job done!

Extreme Legislation Threatens Individual Freedoms

This week has been one of great uncertainty with 3 new bills looming which would significantly limit some of the freedoms US citizens have enjoyed for a long time.

In the misguided knee-jerk attempt to prevent the perceived peril to human life and liberty these 3 bills actually cause or worsen that which they seek to prevent.

The first two are SOPA; the Stop Online Piracy Act (House Bill 326) introduced on October 26, 2011 by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and PIPA; Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 (Senate Bill 968) introduced on May 12, 2011 by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), proposed to address internet piracy and intellectual property violations, the driving force coming from the film industry, led by 20th Century Fox's Rupert Murdoch, The Motion Picture Association of America and NBC Universal. Edward Sheperd, a guest writer for About.com points out that the intended target of these was originally overseas sites making a profit from US copyrighted merchandise, but that the impications could even impact bloggers in that it could require them to adhere to impossible requirements.

Unfortunately the nebulous wording of the bill draws in alot more than just those committing true internet piracy and copyright infringement. It could block customer access to selling sites such as Etsy, Ebay, and others if the government even suspects anything of that sort is going on, and umbrella sites which house alot of small businesses could be unfairly targetted without due process or recourse. The effect on the small business/microbusiness owner such as an artist could be catastrophic if he or she relys on that income for a necessary part of their income with which to make ends meet.

Such websites should be doing everything they can on their end to get rid of those businesses from their website who are infringing on intellectual property, but on a large umbrella site it is virtually impossible to clean that up completely, and it wouldn't be fair to the rest of us honest proprietors creating original works for the government to come in and restrict customer traffic to us via a large umbrella site like Etsy because of the rogue actions of a few.

What is particulary concerning here aside from the obvious risk of lost future income is that although public protest may have slowed these bills down, it seems the proponants have not given up, that they come armed with bigger bazookas than all of the big internet players combined and that they are more united in their beliefs than are those on the side of internet commerce.

Microsoft for instance may have competing interests although it does tend to fall into the same category with Google and the rest of those who generally oppose these bills. It is just this lack of unified voice which is often the fatal flaw in any movement.

Says David Tere Schchuk of the Huffington Press "The digitally-based newcomers can no longer be seen as strangers to the lobbying game, especially not now with Facebook's most recent hires, Joel Kaplan and Myriah Jordan, both previously in George W. Bush's White House. And Facebook is joined by Google, Yahoo and Amazon in a representative grouping called NetCoalition, which has dug itself in well, now moving from North Capitol Street to the heart of lobbyville, K Street. Google itself is spending $6 million a year, now to be rocketing higher, we can be sure, on D.C. lobbying efforts in its own interests.

But all this pales compared with the amassed forces and sheer weight of dollar numbers brought into play when Hollywood, network television and the recoding industry all join forces, as they have over this issue.


Among the bills' industry supporters there's greater unity (and even richer lobbying clout) born out of having an overriding common interest -- i.e. profits -- to defend."


According to Adam Dachis of Lifehacker, President Obama has apparently tabled SOPA indefinitely, but January 24th is the date PIPA comes up for a Senate vote and so appears for at least the forseeable future to be the bigger imminent threat.


The internet blicking clauses were removed from both of the bills because a number of sites have workarounds to render such blocks useless, but "The other, still-active measure present in the SOPA and PIPA bills would allow rights holders to cut of the source of funding of any potentially infringing web site. This means any other companies doing business with this site would have to stop. Whether that means advertising, links in search engines, or any other listings would have to be removed."


According to Mercurious blog this funding clause would include restricting payment processing systems such as Paypal to any site the deem as being in violation (a vital service many artists rely on to recieve most online payments through as well as purchases made online).


That would in effect render any business (and and businesses it houses) defunct at least as far as their internet presences are concerned. Even though many artists also earn income from shows and brick and mortar stores, finding enough stores/galleries to replace the internet profitshare is not always feasible and shows' entry fees can be prohibitive for alot of artists.


One could theoretically start one's own website, but again, the cost of creating one and its ongoing maintenance is not always a realistic option for many artists.


It is anybody's guess how all this will turn out once details are reviewed and adjusted or thrown out, but it is not something to assume others will handle. Every voice counts. I contacted my Representative at the Federal level yesterday in opposition of these bills and hope every one of you will do the same. (I'll leave a link at the end of this post so that you can easily contact the powers that be).


As this these two assaults on our personal freedom aren't enough, now there is a snake ban; a re-make of (Senate Bill 373) originally sponsored by Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL). It has failed to be passed for the past 3 years but has now been re-worked and presented again, much to the dismay of many who love these species. If you would like to tell him how you feel on this issue here is where you can call.


Phone: 202-224-5274


Fax: 202-228-2183


(Source; Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society ) regarding the banning several types of Pythons from crossing state lines (those of you who have kept informed on all the breed specific legislations levied against Pit Bulls will be painfully familiar with this sort of thing already).

The current version is HR2811 is referred to as the Lacey Act, and the Committee on the Judiciary, The Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security claim they have "research" proving that these 9 constrictors; pythons, boas, and anacondas pose a danger to humans and to the ecosystem.


Posted on the above herpetological forum is a letter written by several experts disputing the legitimacy of the research on which the act is based. Apparently the study was not peer reviewed and departs from a number of best practices required in good sound research. They make some very good points that should really make people think twice about whether this is such a good move!


I am primarily a dog person but have always had a special place in my heart for reptiles and have in recent months been gaining an increasing interest in snakes. I would like to get a pair of Ball Pythons and have been liesurely looking around planning to take my time and really do my homework in choosing just the right ones, but this bill is disturbing in that its introducers appear to be starting with just a few species as a means to gain a foothold in order to ban more and more species in the future. I may have to get my Ball Pythons alot sooner (while I still can), as I do not know of any breeders in the Atlanta area or even anywhere in Georgia.


I don't like the precedent this bill is setting because its stated purpose (to address the growing problem of non-native species loose in the everglades) is not the only affect it would have and there looks to be deeper hidden agendas inherent in its inception that will only hurt related industry jobs and the enjoyment of these beautiful animals. I can't help but think that some of these hidden agendas are connected to the panic about outsourcing and money leaving the US (because Pythons generally originate from other countries) because the wording prohibits interstate transfer, breeding, and "importing" but not "exporting". It could be that some in Congress feel that American snake breeders are draining American money by purchasing breeding stock from these originating countries. Even so, such worries are probably unfounded because these species have been here in captivity long enough that there are plenty of US sources now from which breeders can obtain their breeding stock.


Apparently Interior Secretary Ken Salizar achieved this ban in sort of a backdoor way bypassing the need for the usual due legislative process;


"By enacting a rule and declaring the snakes “injurious,” Salazar bypassed the need for congressional approval of a ban. It goes into effect in 60 days and does not affect current snake owners.


Read more: http://www.cbs12.com/articles/snakes-4738118-everglades-banned.html#ixzz1jxE52Zf4


CNN U.S Kim Segal reports that the species currently covered by the ban are the following species;


Burmese Python
Northern Python
Southern Python
Yellow Anaconda

While some Parks and Wildlife people are in favor of this ban, I think they fail to see that it misses the mark and is based on alot of faulty assumptions.


A much better approach to the problems in the Everglades would be for everyone to work together to solve those specific issues (in Florida). Breeders and snake enthusiasts should not be left out of the decision-making process. This is not a Federal problem and should not be treated as such, yet since those who have introduced this ban have now "gone there" it has pulled the rest of the country into it and made it our business.


The focus should be on capturing the loose snakes in the Everglades and/or possibly spaying/neutering them to prevent them from reproducing out of control. That would be a much better solution than resorting to this buckshot approach of an overall ban on those species, because the problem is not with the ones in captivity.

As a pet owner I see the far reaching ramifications of this type of extreme legislation. It is like using a sledgehammer when a scalpel would do and it causes way too much collateral damage.


Even if you don't like snakes or are disinterested in them people should have the right to keep them responsibly just as they would other animals. We cannot allow fear to dictate laws in this country. If we do then we run the risk that any of our favorite pets might one day be deemed illegal and that would be a tragic day in America.


To write your Representative in Congress about either or both of these issues go here;

Write Your Representative Now!

Look What My Customers Have Created with Items from GiftbearerSupply !

The New Year is the perfect time to feature some of the work created by some of those who have purchased from my Etsy supply shop! I hope these will inspire you and give you some examples of how these supplies can be incorporated, and for those of you who don't make your own, maybe you can find some finished items in these shops that you can use and wear!

Clear Sugar QuartzCluster Organic Copper Winter Fashion (6.5-7)

(SOLD on December 29th, 2011)

Samantha Pirok; PIROK
used one of my clear quartz crystals in a one of a kind ring she electroplated and patinaed. (As you will see it promptly sold). Her work has a very ancient feel to it, like buried treasure, full of texture and rich in color and shape. In her shop you will find many natural stones set in custom settings designed to mold around these unworked rough gems.

Tudy Smith created this medicine bag OOAK Anasazi Pottery Shard Medicine Bag or Cell Phone Case Neck Pouch Ancient Ones using one of the ancient Anasazi pottery shards that are sold in my shop to embellish the front. She opted to continue the pattern from the shard on the front of the bag below the flap on which it has been attached in a striking diagonal design. It is currently for sale in her Etsy shop for $32.00 and along with many other beautiful medicine/possibles bags, knife sheaths, and art pieces would make a wonderful gift for somebody special or for you to wear and/or keep meaningful items in. See more of her tribal inspired pieces here;

MissTudy 

 Citrine & Black Onyx Crystal Necklace - "Lemon Fizz"From SunnyCrystals

$25.00

Dalmatian Jasper & Black Onyx Crystal Necklace - "101 Magic Moments"

$35.00

 
Susan Mayoux of SunnyCrystals created these two necklaces above using these silver-plated ball headpins from my shop. In addition to finished jewelry Sue also carries handcrafted greeting cards and tumbled gemstones.
 
Purchase supplies from me, send me a convo with a picture of your finished piece made with my supplies, and you might get a feature too!

Thanks all and have a very happy and prosperous New Year!

Giftbearer

and

GiftbearerSupply



Dog Brings Possom Into The House

My dog, Carmella is the ultimate exterminator. She catches squirrels, bugs, birds, and tonight when I let her outside in the backyard and left the door open for a few minutes I heard her come in and go back out again. I decided to go back and close the door because it was getting cold in the house. The light in that room was off but I saw something on the floor that looked at first like a towel. Thinking that Carmella had taken something out of the laundry hamper I turned on the light and walked over to pick it up when I saw that it was not a towel at all but instead it had a snout, eyes, ears, and a tail! Upon close inspection I saw that it was a Possom. Its tail had a bit of blood on it and so I looked carefully to see if it was dead or just pretending to be.

It was breathing, so I knew it must be playing dead, and as I stood there a little while its eyes began to follow me and it moved its ears slightly. This is the second one Carmella has caught and tried to bring me. There was another about one year ago that she'd dropped on the back porch.

Tomorrow I finally have someone coming to address the squirrels in my sophets that have been chewing ravenously at the wood interior, so I guess this is the best time to have found this Possom. Maybe he can take it to a rehabber on his way out tomorrow and it can be re-located somewhere way out in the country.

I scooped it into Carmella's old carrier that she's grown out of, keeping my hands far away from its mouth and closed the latch on the gate as quickly as possible. It looked at me warily, opening its mouth slightly. It has a set of needle-sharp teeth, so I didn't want to leave it outside where Carmella or another dog or person could potentially get bitten, or for it to make its nest and start breeding in my attic.

It will be interesting to see what shows up over the next few days when the Atlanta Squirrel Removal company starts their trapping. I wonder whether I got the only one tonight or whether there are more Possoms in or around the house in hiding.

Animal Planet Donates Money To Villalobos Pit Bull Rescue Facility for Each Person Who Watches the show Pit Bulls and Parolees tonight at 10:00 PM EST

The reality show Pit Bulls and Parolees features Tia and her kennel staff of parolees located on 10 acres of land in the foothills of California, and a group of approximately 150 Pit Bulls rescued from all types of adverse circumstances, all in need of loving homes.

Villalobos is the largest facility of its kind in the world and its operation requires $600-$800/day to feed, house, and care for its residents. It goes through 2100 Lbs of dog food a week, and adopts out approximately 5 dogs per week to new homes! The dogs they rescue include former fighting dogs and other abused and/or neglected dogs from a variety of places. At the sanctuary all are spayed, neutered, and given love, training, and the veterinary care they need.

The vet bills alone average $30,000.00, and the monthly operating costs have increased to $15,000

The center is closed to the public except for Saturdays, but welcomes potential adopters. Those interested in adopting one of their Pit Bulls are asked to call for an appointment before coming though. Their phone number is (661) 268-0555. An e-mail form is available on their site;
http://www.vrcpitbull.com/dog/

They also have a live stream here on their Facebook page;
http://www.facebook.com/VillalobosRescueCenter?sk=app_142371818162

Although there are a number of Pit Bull rescues out there this one is particularly unique in that it has the dual purpose of offering opportunities for employment to people with a criminal record who otherwise would have a hard time finding jobs. Thus, while these parolees are being rehabilitated so are the dogs, and this meets an important need in the community. Through the exposure the television show has garnered the parolees and dogs are offered a unique chance to build back the public's trust, and go on to live happy and productive lives.

The parollees' rehab program is called The Underdawgz Inc.

Very soon tonight Animal Planet will be airing a special episode which will act as a benefit for Villalobos, partnering with ROAR; for each person tonight who watches the show Pit Bulls and Parollees Animal Planet will give a donation to the Pit Bull rescue.

So if you love Pit Bulls, or dogs in general, get your family and friends together, post this on your facebook page, tweet it, and get as many people to watch as possible, and if you can't be there at that time set your TV to tape the show. That counts too!

I know Carmella and I will be watching tonight's episode!

I will leave you with this very moving video;
http://www.youtube.com/user/vrcpitbull#p/u/9/60bA5jiPQYQ

Dog Saves Woman from Rabid Squirrel

Sometime between 5 and 5:30 PM yesterday I heard Carmella barking and clawing at the kitchen window which leads to the back porch. I knew that neighborhood dogs sometimes passed through on either side of my house but this didn't seem like something just passing through, as she continued to bark and claw at the window sill for over 10 minutes, so I came in to see what was out there. I looked out the windows in the back door next to the kitchen and saw a squirrel latched onto the screen on the outside of the wooden framework of the porch. It was making quite a fuss, and strangely did not make a move to run when it saw me just a few feet away. In fact it strained forward on the screen as if to meet the potential threat of a larger predator head-on, riveted to my every move. A former roommate's dogs had torn out the screen from the panel just below but it clung there right where it was, the only thing preventing it from hurling itself in my direction; that it didn't seem to see the open area just beneath. Despite the barrier it just kept making these staccato raspy chirps, the kind squirrels make to other squirrels to challenge another, and staring me down. I have had a problem with squirrels chewing through my fascia boards at the perimeter of my roof overhang for some time now and now hear them gnawing on the wood for hours every day for the past few months, and this must have been one that had been making its home inside my overhang and just popped out one of the holes.

I thought maybe if I got a little closer and scared it off with a stick it would dissapear into the woods, but no such luck. It just seemed more intent on me and Carmella. I let Carmella out to scare it off and rather than going the other way and making its easiest escape up any number of trees it scurried horizontally across the the screen, then turned upside down, head first, and jumped onto the back porch floor and ran straight at me! People think of squirrels as benevolent, innocent, sweet little harmless creatures, but not this one! This monster had come straight from the bowels of hell! It was the stuff that nightmares and horror movies are made of.

I yelled for Carmella to get it and she ran to my side and intercepted it just as it was a few inches from my left foot. That's when I knew for sure it had to be rabid because as she snapped it up it was snarling like an angry cat, as if it really thought it could take Carmella on, unaware of their difference in size. Lucky for Carmella she is up to date on her rabies shot. I wouldn't have been so lucky if I'd been attacked since humans are not vaccinated for rabies. At first snap, Carmella took half its tail clean off and then grabbed hold of the middle of its body. It seemed crazed, almost posessed. Normally Carmella's strong jaws killed  a squirrel in just two bites but this one seemed to keep going and going. If she didn't kill it the backyard wouldn't be a safe place for either of us to walk in. A few more bites from Carmella's powerful jaws while shaking it violently and it finally was dead.

Despite all its carrying on it had not bitten Carmella. Carmella had been quicker, Thank God. There may be more rabid squirrels as the disease can spread from one animal to another and I heard one this morning at 6 AM again chewing on the corner of my house, so today I am going to see if I can find out who to report the animal I saw to. There are children living in the neighborhood, so I don't want any more of these to endanger the people on this street.

Thanks to Carmella, I avoided a trip to the ER and a painful rabies series. She amazes me with her loyalty and protection every day and I consider her a hero. But I think if you were able to ask her she'd tell you that's just what friends/family do. They are there with you when threats cross your path, right in there with you to fight that which could be your undoing in one form or another. If not for her I don't know what I would have done.

Giftbearer

GiftbearerSupply

Day 7 of Carmella's Snake Bite Recovery, and Day 1 of EvoraPet Oral Probiotic

Carmella's skin color is getting better each day and the scab on her toe is healing. She still wants to sleep alot but when I take her outside she bounds around like she usually does and no longer avoids putting weight on the leg that was bitten by the snakes.

As you can see below, the bruise on her stomach is gradually shrinking in size and the edges are more defined.

The medications are doing their job. The only thing I notice out of the ordinary is that she's peeing alot more and more frequently than she usually does, and I'm not sure whether she's always aware of when she has to go. She slept on my bed agan for most of the day and when I left the room for just a few minutes to go to the kitchen I thought she had gone back to sleep but when I came back she was still on the bed but I saw a big puddle on my rug. Carmella looked at me guiltily and jumped down to leave the room. She has been housebroken for a long time and usually whines when she has to go to the bathroom. I don't know if the urge came on suddenly this time or what was wrong but she can usually hold it long enough for me to get her out the door in plenty of time.

I had to use a big towel on the rug and then spray some enzyme on it so that my room wouldn't stink. The enzyme is left to air dry over a 24 hour period while it dissolves the urine and any bacteria in it. It's a good thing I had almost a full bottle left because I've rarely had to use it. If any of you have puppies this stuff is good to have on hand and works better than bleach, Pine Sol, or most other commercial cleaners/disinfectants because it gets right to the root of the odor rather than covering it up or using potentially toxic chemicals. Most brands of enzyme are biodegradeable and just dissipate once they've done what they're designed to do. You can ask for it at just about any pet supply store.

Well, speaking of pet products, I put a scoop of that EvoraPet on Carmella's food tonight. The company says it's tasteless but she managed to weed the majority of it out and shove that part of her food aside after eating the rest. They must have forgotten that a dog's sense of smell is way stronger than ours! I had worried that might happened and wondered how one could be sure the animal got the full dose that way.

Luckily Carmella can't resist the juice that seperates from yogurt and I had some in the refrigerator, so I poured that over the pieces of dog food she'd refused and the flavor of that disguised the flavor or smell of the probiotic powder and then she licked the bowl clean of every last particle.

Before her first dose I took pictures of some of her teeth so that I can do comparisons over the next few weeks. Her teeth are fairly white but she does tend to get tartar around the gumline, especially around her molars. I think this is due to her strangely proportioned head which is about half as long as it should be for her size, and her teeth are set way back into her head. Although she chews on bones and dog biscuits daily those molars are too far back for these to scrape off the plaque, and it's next to impossible to stick a toothbrush back that far. Her molars nearly reach the back of her throat! When you open her mouth wide enough to see it kind of looks like the jaws of an alligator except that her snout is not proportionally as long.

Photographing her teeth with one hand while keeping her mouth open (and still) with the other was hard to do but I got a few really good shots. You can see that she has some yellow in the grooves of her molars that are hardest to reach. Probably being on antibiotics for the Copperhead bites has actually already helped her breath because I could stand to get near her mouth which I can't do when it's at its worst, but the yellow areas in her teeth will serve as a good baseline, and it's possible that her breath will be even better once she's been on this a little while. Her mouth is still rather slimy (which it isn't after her teeth have recently been cleaned) so if that goes away that is likely an indication it's working also.

Left upper molar

I'm not sure whether the little black dot in this molar on the upper left side is a cavity or some sort of particle.

Left lower molar

Right side upper molars and lower teeth (Close-up)

Right upper molars and lower teeth

Upper right Canines and Bicuspids

The teeth closer to the front of Carmella's mouth have less visible plaque. There's only a little bit right at the gumline. Her chewing of bones and dog treats has definitely prevented alot of it from forming on these teeth.

Cuspids and Left Side Canine (Upper)

I'll take more photos of her teeth periodically to compare with these.

Here are a few cute shots I took of her in the kitchen today.

Carmella licking her healing foot

 Carmella playing with big bone

 Carmella walking and turning around

Carmella with front foot tucked under chest and ears at attention

In the morning the man from Rid-a-Critter is coming to look around for any possible snake dens and I hope, will be able to tell me if there are snakes living on the property. Maybe he can let me know the best methods for keeping them from using my backyard as a hiding place or throughway so that Carmella will be safe to go out there without being bitten again. I took her out on the leash tonight and since it was too dark for me to see what was on the ground I didn't go very far from the driveway or let her get close to any bushes or high foliage of other types. She kept wanting to go into the back yard and seemed to hear something back there. I don't know what it was but was too leery to go look since it was around the same time of night that she was bitten. There's no telling what ghastly things might have been creeping (or slithering) around in the dark. (Cue spooky music).

Despite the fact that snakes can be pretty bad-tempered and defensive I think they are nonetheless beautiful animals. I've even got a few wearable snakes available for purchase in my jewelry shop on Etsy. These make wonderful gifts! Click on the photos for more details on each piece.

Sterling Silver Snake Bracelet with Genuine Emerald Eyes (Strong Medicine)

Abstract Snakes Intertwined Ring - Argentium Sterling and Fine Silver