|
11-19 of 19 messages
|
Previous
Page 2 of 2
|
|
RE: How does your ownership help/enrich your commu
|
Reply
|
|
by FLherp on February 16, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Karl,
What I wrote was not a criticism of your contributions, merely repeating the arguments that I have heard used against the keeping of animals. I think that live animals have a greater impact as well, however there are those that believe otherwise. It is best to be aware of the counter-arguments as it allows us to be better prepared for debating the claims of some of these folks.
|
| |
|
The Pursuit of Happiness
|
Reply
|
|
by FSB on February 17, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
"4. Psychologically I am a happier person when I am around reptiles."
Timothey, for me personally, this is the bottom line, and it's all about our inalienable right to Life, Liberty and THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.
I don't know, or care to know, why it is that reptiles make me happy, and I just don't question it, nor will I attempt to justify it. I made that dreadful mistake as a musician many years ago. I became too introspective and self-evaluating and wondered too much about WHY playing an instrument made me so happy, to the point where it was practically all I wanted to do. Guess it was the scientist in me.... I began systematically wondering whether it was the tactile element of touching the strings, or the aural element of what I was hearing, etc., and all I ended up doing was taking all the fun out of it. Thank God I still had reptiles to fall back on, and I know better than to wonder about such things now... just do it.
I have long engaged in each of the five very rewarding activities outlined by Karl, and for much the same reason.... they all make me happy too. Giving live reptile presentations is just fun, and you meet lots of different people and hear a lot of interesting stories. Same is true of snake removal... it's always interesting to see what turns up, and occasionally, it's even something really nice. Plus, it's a great feeling to save any snake from the hoe, and who's to say that Buddha isn't correct in saying that whoever saves any living thing acquires merit?
I also agree 100% with Karl that photos (or even videos) just aren't enough.... nothing makes a more lasting impression than a live snake. I ran into someone, an adult now, who was in fourth grade when I gave a snake talk at their school and he said it was the one day of school he will always remember.
Made me feel good... old, but good!
|
| |
|
RE: How does your ownership help/enrich your commu
|
Reply
|
|
by xvenomx on February 20, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Hey FLherp, you are failing to recognize all the vast amounts of revenue the medical/law enforcement industry could reap. First, the 911 dispatcher, who calls it in, then the waaambulance personnel, the po po, & fish or famine officers for invesigating the occurance, the nurses and doctors of the E.R. for treating OLE Jack Mayhoff, for his urutu bite. (he aint too bright, but he has good insurance)Now after paying his $100.00 permit,$45.00 per month health insurance,(for the last sixteen years) $2000.00 deductible, his insurance company now pays $150,000.00 into the grand system. All of it taxable to the state and federal peeps. so how in the hell is it not profitable for everyone except poor Jack Mayhoff(who doesn't care about the cost, because snakes make this imbecile happy) ? P.S. Happy people are more productive than unhappy ones.
|
| |
|
RE: How does your ownership help/enrich your commu
|
Reply
|
|
by Buzztail1 on February 20, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Just as an interesting aside...
Notice that the phrase is "the pursuit of happiness..." and not "the attainment of happiness" or "the right to be happy".
We can pursue happiness all we want through applying for permits that are never issued, moving from state to state trying to stay ahead of the banning curve.
That is pursuit.
The fact that keeping venomous snakes makes us happy is not something that is guaranteed by anything.
R/
Karl
|
| |
|
RE: How does your ownership help/enrich your commu
|
Reply
|
|
by CharlieO on February 20, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
To those who are wondering about whether this is something they should be required to do in order to keep...
When I posed the question, I was really looking for answers (and there have been many good one) that could be used strategically to go on the offensive as effective arguments when any community (up to and including national levels) is being or about to be presented with animal rights legislation efforts.
It just seems to me that if you have the ability to showcase keeping as something that enhances the community as a whole, you will stanf a much better chance of fending off ill-conceived legislation and arguments that you are making others unsafe.
So *should* you have to justify keeping and make arguments as to how your community is better off by permitting it? Absolutely not...
Is it a smart thing to do? It would seem so to me, since people's perception *is* their reality...
If others perceive keeping to be of benefit to them, they will be much less likely to be swayed by alarmist arguments from the other side...
|
| |
|
RE: How does your ownership help/enrich your commu
|
Reply
|
|
by FLherp on February 20, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
If you count the loss of income and potential debility resulting from a bite, then I don't think it is a money maker. And that is provided you receive appropriate care. If the victim is no longer able to work and needs to seek public assistance or is uninsured, it adds to the costs to everyone else. Insurance companies like to collect premiums, but really don't like to pay out claims. There is also the potential that the insurance company would seek to indemnify themselves against such claims by not covering snakebites to keepers. Statistically, keepers are a minute fraction of snakebites annually (I think that is a good thing). Hospitals have plenty of patients to deal with without having to deal with snakebites. Perhaps if doctors encouraged amputations for patients who have been bitten by snakes, we could add money to be made by orthotics and prosthetics manufacturers. However, I think I added the caveat in my intitial post about not including benefits that would stretch credibility or something to that effect.
|
| |
|
RE: How does your ownership help/enrich your commu
|
Reply
|
|
by FSB on February 20, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Gary is absolutely right. The first time I got a call from the Patrick County sheriff's office about a snake in someone's house, it looked like a major disaster when I got there... the house was completely surrounded by emergency vehicles of every type and a young girl who had reportedly been bitten was being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. In about ten minutes I had located a 9" long baby black rat snake behind a bookcase and they radioed the ambulance and called it off. I bet that little snake cost the taxpayers a good 30 grand. After that, the sheriff's office forwarded all snake calls to me.
|
| |
|
RE: How does your ownership help/enrich your commu
|
Reply
|
|
by tigers9 on February 20, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Last Year Dunkin Donutes had a YouTube contest " How do you keep America running?"
We had to keep it under 2 minutes, so if you want to read it you might have to pause it, but here is visual explanation how BIG animal owners keep American economy running:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL80jxnjt_o&feature=channel_page
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Check our help page for help using
, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the
Manager.
|
