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Readers Column
Regarding the Documentary
One of the people giving feedback about the documentary has mentioned that ferrets have lost the hunting instinct. However, those who have done rescue know all ferrets are different - some like to hunt, some don't. Some ferret owners have been greeted by a dead mouse before. However, ferrets usually will not hurt larger prey, like rats, and at the beginning of the 20th century, "ratters" had to train the ferrets to hunt them.
Even ferrets that were set "free" to control pests had to be fed back then with the standard milk and bread of the time. We should focus on the fact that hunting doesn't mean eating. How many cats eat what they kill? How many cats come starving into animal control or shelters? They certainly can kill things, but they are not conditioned to eat them or survive on them. Ferrets are also so small that they can be overloaded with fleas, become anemic, and die in short order when loose outside.
I believe that showing ferrets as the same as stray cats is key to our success. Denying that some ferrets do like to kill mice and small animals is denying their nature. Some really like "mousing". However, ferrets imprint on kibble during the first 6 months of their life - after that, no ferret is going to get outside, and hunt down wildlife and survive.
Pat's Note - Stray/feral cats have been very detrimental to many species. There are no stray/feral ferrets. I don't thinks this is exactly where we wish to go.
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 Ask Jerry Brown to Support Ferret Legalization in California!
Jerry Brown is the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor of California. We invited him or a representative of his campaign to meet with us at our September 25th event in Concord. Within 4 hours after sending an email invitation his campaign called to say "not intersted." Lets get 10,000 Facebook fans and then ask him again!
To be a fan of this page please please click here.
To become a fan click on the "I like" button. It's right up by the header title" Ask Jerry Brown to support ferret legalization in California".
Please ask all your friends to do likewise! We simply can't be ignored now, or we will be ignored by the next governor (regardless of who it is - at this point I'm not going to make a prediction).
Meg Whitman, the presumptive Repubican nominee sent us a much more professional brush off. We will contact her campaign again as we get closer to September 25th. We will contact all candidates for state assembly and state senate after the June primary.
In the meantime - feel free to contact the Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman campaigns and ask they support ferret legalization or at least become familiar with the issue.
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Meg Whitman for Governor
20813 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Suite 150
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408)400-3887
Support@MegWhitman.com |
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Please forward to us any responses you get! Remember - stay positive, we don't want to make enemies!
Update on Our Video
Todd Dayton of Fallout pictures made my job easy. In our contract this is what he wrote:
LegalizeFerrets.org has contracted Fallout Pictures to deliver a 8-10 minute video on or before Oct. 25. The video will contain footage from one full-day shoot at the Sept. 25 event, a separate one-day shoot of visits with up to 4 Bay Area ferret owners, and the editing of this footage into an 8-10 minute video.
This video will explore the goals and objectives of LegalizeFerrets.org, as presented at the Sept. 25 event, as well as personal testimony from ferret owners and friends.
Fallout Pictures will be responsible for filming, editing, and delivery of the finished video. LegalizeFerrets.org will be responsible for developing and presenting and outline and/or script for the video, and Fallout Pictures will help in this process. LegalizeFerrets.org will assist in the coordination of ferret owners for the additional shoot in order to have that filming take place during a single day.
Notice the part in red - any ideas? This sounds like a whole lotta fun. Another reason to keep the September 25th date open and come to Concord. We will be looking for some volunteers to be filmed shortly.
About the September 25th Event
We're having another LegalizeFerrets Revival, Saturday, September 25th at the Holiday Inn in Concord (SF Bay area). It is going to be a little different than previous ferret meetings in California. So far, confirmed speakers are:
Melinda T - What to expect from your first ferret
Jeanne Carley - Photo presentation done for the International Ferret Congress
Bob Church - Explaining the New Zealand "ferret" situation
Dr Rene Gandolfi - Favorite ferret diseases
And more!
Jerry Brown, Meg Whitman and Arnold Schwarzenegger (well they might not all show up)
More info coming!
LegalizeFerrets.org Postage Stamps too Subversive for Zazzle
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| One of the rejected stamps |
We can say "Joe" just not "Legalize" | Our postage stamps designed for Zazzle.com were rejected. The words "legalizeferrets.org" were deemed a violation of their standards. Reminds me when we first started and couldn't open a checking account at Wells Fargo.
So we did a postage stamp for Joe Ferret - and they've been selling pretty good. So far we've made $5.38!
Calendar Update
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| 2010 Calendar. Click here to view entire calendar. |
I hope to have a date set next week for a calendar photo shoot for the second legalizeferrets.org calendar. We gave away a lot of calendars - but we also sold a lot and netted a profit of $2,200 on calendar sales.
2011 is going to be a crucial year. I'm thinking of a theme of "2011 - Isn't it about time ferrets were legal in California?" or "Isn't it about time...' for short.
Last year we had stories from 12 people about how the ferret ban effected them. For 2011 I would like stories on "The Joy of Ferrets" - how have ferrets positively influenced your life? Think of those stories so we can include them in the calendar. Please send them to me along with photos. We plan to use thumbnails like we did in the 2010 issue. I do have a location for the photo shoot - San Diego area. Last year's ferret photo shoot was one of th most enjoyable events we've ever done.
In Conclusion -
So much going on. Having worked on this issue for so long I understand the obstacles: lack of attention and interest from politicians and the media. Uninformed opposition from the Sierra Club, Audobon Society, California Waterfowl Association, Farm Bureau and others. The Fish and Game Commission won't even answer our letters (so much for government of the people, by the people...) And let's not forget Michelle Bowers - who actually I've come to admire, but she is the poster child for a tragic ferret bite incident (and the only serious injury in thirty years.)
 But we continue to grow. The truth is on our side. As reported by a blogger for the San Francisco Chronicle, one of Arnold's Hummers has done more environmental damage than all the ferrets in California.
And perhaps momentum is on our side as well. We seem to be a pretty coherent group. There is still a lot of opposition and ignorance regarding ferrets in California - but c'mon, they're legal in 48 states and none of the terrible things mentioned in California has happened. So how can you help?
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Send a letter or email to Jerry Brown and or Meg Whitman. All you need to say is you wish they'd support ferret legalization and would they be willing to attend - or send a representative to the September 25th Legalize Ferrets Revival?
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Think about how ferrets have added to your quality of life. Send in the brief story and a photo of you and your ferret for the 2011 Calendar. We want to put a human, and ferret face to this horrible ferret ban.
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Send in $5 or $10 for the third quarterly EIR Report.
Thank you !
If you're in the market for stuffed ferrets...
We've added Stuffed Ark to our list of affiliates. We get a percentage of the sale and these looked pretty neat.
Please use the link below so we get credit. Thank you!
Hi, everybody. Just wanted to let you know that I now have my Avon website up and running. To access it just click here go to. You can shop 24/7 and your items will be delivered directly to you. 20% of all cosmetics, perfumes, body lotions, shower products, etc or 10% of all jewelry, clothing, household items or other non-cosmetic items will be donated to the shelter/cause of your choice. Just shoot me an e-mail to let me know that you have placed an order and which shelter/cause you wish the donation to be sent to. I think that Avon lets me know who placed the order, but since I just signed up for this, I'm not sure. Donation percentages do not include taxes, shipping or processing fees. Even if you do not use Avon, please tell your friends since the more I sell, the more your rescue gets. Donation checks will be sent to your shelter once a month to make it easier on me. If you can put a free plug in your newsletters for me (Marylou, I know you can't) that would be great and would get the word out to more people. If you have a newsletter that requires a paid ad, let me know and I will try to do one up.
Before you say 'no' to my offer, please remember that Avon has quality products and it's not just about make up or perfumes. The body washes and shampoos are great and they have a lot of great gift ideas. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thanks!
Mary Van-Dahm
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Third Report on EIR is Done!
to see
