AMEN
 
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> From: Ross Mayhew - [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: An Active Defense!
> Date: Wednesday, December 02, 1998 12:45 PM
>
>     Kim hit several nails directly on their heads with
his call for US
> (ie, organized, active collectors) to start fighting
back, before the
> last beach is closed to shelliing, and owing a collection
is a Fedeal
> offence!!   I must admit, i thought the COA was already
quite active
> with lobbying, at least on the state level, and local
clubs certainly
> sposor educational programs about conchology.  However,
it seems we are
> not being heeded.  A question was asked "Don't
politicians read?"  Well,
> the DO read letters- especially handwritten ones which
are obviously not
> "form letters".   A few good letters (or a few dozen!!)
can cause many
> polititians to reconsider their position, or at least
check out some of
> the references to research and such, included in the
letters.
>     I agree with Kim that an ORGANIZED, active resitance
to the current
> tendancy of legislators to view collecting bans as an
easy, cheap way of
> appeasing environmentalists who haven't done their
homework, while doing
> very little to diminish the still-accelerating rate of
habitat
> destruction and degredation which is the true cause of
virtually  all
> population declines worldwide (and often, as with this
"beach
> renourishment" misadventure, actively and severely
damaging habitats
> themselves!!!).  This may sound like a cop-out, but i
will ACTIVELY
> support anyone who wishes to take up the ball and get the
campaign
> going.   Vive la resitance!!! (once it gets properly
born, ie!!)
>
> Resisting the death of Conchology,
>
> Ross M.