Amen, SH.

I have never posted on this forum before, but this thread deserves a response.

Congress is moving at lightning-fast speed to consider this bill. This is no accident. This is an effort which has been years in the making, and is just now seeing the light of day.

Pombo and a number of other Congressional Representatives have realized that now may be our best chance ever to acheive some ESA reform, and are striking while the iron is hot with a bill that makes modest, common-sense reforms and was authored in a bipartisan manner.

It amazes me that some ranchers will spend hours on this forum and elsewhere griping about NCBA, R-CALF or whatever the issue of the day is, but won't take ten minutes to contact their Congressional Represenative and Senators about an issue as critical as this one.

Every cattle producer has an obligation to make their voice heard on this issue. I can tell you that state cattlemen's associations and farm bureaus (especially in key states like TX and CA) have long been waiting for this moment, and have been working this issue HARD in the past few days. They can't do it alone though.

Even if your Congressional Representative supports this bill, give them a call and let them know you appreciate their support. Then call your Senators - doesn't matter how liberal or conservative they are. The Senate is where this battle will ultimately be won or lost, and we need to energize our supporters and get the fence-riders on our side.

BLH