The National Python & Boa Ban is soon to be scheduled for a vote on the House and Senate floors. This bill, while sold to the public and to Congress as a critical measure for protecting the country from an invasion of snakes is based on a lie. The sole justification for the passage of the ban is a United States Geological Survey (USGS) report claiming that the nine species to be banned pose a risk of being a threat to human health and wildlife in the United States. The report was written by two scientists and reviewed by a handful of people inside of the USGS but received no scientific peer review from either the academic or zoological communities. The entire basis for Congress moving this ban to a vote and potentially ending 30 years of the keeping of common boa constrictors as pets is the say so of these two government scientists. The tragic part is that it does not have to be done this way. There is already an existing regulatory process in place that allows the United States Fish & Wildlife service to perform a full, publicly reviewed analysis of potentially problematic species and if the scientific evidence concludes that they pose a threat, they are dealt with accordingly. In this case unfortunately, Congress has decide to ignore the existing regulatory process and without one word of testimony from any experts in the fields of biology, herpetology (the study of reptiles), or environmental science on this issue take science into their own hands and tell Americans that there is no room in our countries future for pet boa constrictors.

As a result, if passed this ban will put thousands of professional and semi professional python & boa breeders out of business and bankrupt their life's work overnight. Their employees will be laid off, their suppliers both locally and nationally will lose business and possibly be forced to downsize themselves. All this in a time when Congress and President Obama are supposed to be creating jobs, not ending them.

It's understandable that if you don't like snakes or are afraid of snakes, that a ban on snakes might sound like a good idea. But that's the ironic part, because this ban still allows people own their pet snakes. It still allows them breed them and make more snakes, and it still allows them sell their babies. All this ban really does is prevent people from moving snakes across state lines. You may be asking yourself how that helps anything? It doesn't. All it will do is create more unemployment and leave responsible python and boa constrictor owners without options. It will take away peoples freedom to move from one state to another, it will take away their freedom to choose a veterinarian that might practice in another state, it will prevent college students living away at school from graduating and returning home with their pet boa, and worst of all it will prevent our American active duty service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan from being honorably discharged and moving back to their home of record with their pets.

Tell Congress to stay out of existing regulatory processes that require thorough scientific study and debate. If they can ignore science and existing processes to ban pet snakes, what will they decide to ignore next?

Go to http://www.nosnakeban.com/

and click on the link to the "Take Action Now". Follow as many steps as you can to make sure Congress gets the message.

When you get done or if you'd rather not take those steps, please take a second and forward this email to all of the people in your address book. It's time to start getting our Country back on track.