AFTER THE DC RALLY WHAT DO WE DO?

[WAHOONBOX]

WALKING AROUND IN FRONT OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING PROTESTING AND TALKING TRASH IS GREAT AND ALL THAT...

BUT WHAT HAPPENS ON FEB 25TH/ AND 26TH...AND IN MARCH AND THEN MAY...JUNE...DEC...2011...2019..2024 AND SO ON

WE WILL FALL THIS RALLY GIG IF THERE ISN'T A FULLTIME CONTENGENCY PLAN TO LOBBY WASHINGTON AND CONGRESS AFTER FEB 24TH....

ON FEB 25TH...MOST PROTESTERS WILL GO HOME AND THATS THAT...IT'S OVER...DONE

DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU....IT TAKES MONEY TO WIN IN WASHINGTON....SO BEAR THAT IN MIND

I NOTICE THERE ARE SEVERAL THREADS ON SFC SAYING SIGN THE PETITION...I HAVE SIGNED ONE...I HAVE NO CLUE AS TO HOW MANY THERE ARE....BUT THESE PETITIONS ALONE ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN....

MOST GUYS WILL NOT EVEN POST UP A REPLY TO THESE THREADS THAT BEGGING FOR RALLY ATTENTION AND SIGNING PETITIONS....NOW THAT IS SCAREY....

[dunn6253]

Does anyone know where our money is best spent? I read on the internet that these groups that want to take our fishing and hunting rights away "buy" politicians to enforce their agenda. How do we do the same thing? Where do we start? Who do we buy? Scott Brown? Is it tonight, tomorrow, the 24th, three years from now?

[SNAKE EYES SPORTFISHING]

well me personally, i cant go to DC without walking thru the vietnam war memorial. i aint scared to say the first time i went i ended up running out. and yea there were tears, alot of them.Hell it almost choked me. now I will say I in no way can make the march. sorry im finally back to work after almost a year. i sure hope everyone can understand that. but those that go are fighting for there rights. the right that many, many great young men and ladies fought for. and not just in VN. I have learned to walk thru the memorial with my head up. If you have 5 minutes , do our americans justice. then go find a beer or a diet dr pepper....peace...dave

[Ponce]

At the very least vote, and let your representatives and senators know were you stand and that you do vote, at the local, state, and federal levels. Write letters and e-mails to them.

Trying to find a group that is truly above board and represents your intrest is a little harder. There have been some strange bed fellows made to fight some of these battles.

Maybe a unified groups or groups will truly come from this that will be a strong voice in numbers and dollars. There are a few out that at this point I don't know much about, maybe someone that does know could post some information on them.

I beleave the steady unwavering pressure will end in the end, I think as a group we need to keep out eye on the end result we want and press towards that. The problem is we can't always agree.

[saltwaterbucks]

Lobbying must continue..... even after the rally and it must be organized and an organization.....

[Deep C]

Here in lies the problem. Yes we need continued representation in Washington. That can't be debated. The biggest problem I see id "Fragmentation". Each group wants to be in charge and they each have slogans saying they're the "best" or what ever.
Do you know that down here we actually have groups , yes fishing related groups (FRA comes to mind) , trying to poison the public support for the rally cause they didn't think of it first? Threatening members with banning if they support this? Personal issues cause somebody wasn't given special recognition had them switch teams and now all that RFA does is bad? Or that their group has already made the inroads so don't bother? That friends is horseshit!
Hell I see infighting from chapter to chapter of the various groups we have already in place. I have said it a thousand times over until we are one one page we are screwed. I have an idea. Before donating a single cent to one organization or another ask them what they think about the efforts of the others. If they bash the others... walk away. Its evident that they are not interested in working WITH others to achieve goals.
Until the flounder man gets tight with the billfisherman who gets tight with the bass brother who joins hands with the tuna dude or the grouper grabber or snapper smacker we're spinning wheels. Right now individuals all seem to have their own agenda they are concerned with, screw the others. That can't go on and the Washington gig is a great start in getting all on board for ALL of the problems we face as a WHOLE.
Yeah we need rep or reps there full time. We need to flood our elected officials emails and mail boxes and ring their phones off the hook. For this to really work though all groups must unify. RFA, CCA, all the local organizations need to come together as one unit.

[JIG JERK]

YOU KNOW MARTY, AS BIG AS SPORTFISHERMAN.COM HAS BECOME AND SO MANY PEOPLE READ THIS SIGHT AND IT IS THE THE BEST AND BIGGEST SIGHT ON THE WEB. THEY MUST ENJOY FISHING. WELL ITS ABOUT TO BE TAKEN AWAY BUY SOME TREE HUGERS AND SOMEBODY THAT HAS FLAWED INFO
THAT WORKS FOR OUR GOVERMENT AND THE BAD THING ABOUT IT THEY KNOW THEY HAVE BAD INFO.IF WE DONT STOP THEM THERE GOES FISHING . I HAVE TALKED TO MANY AT THE SOUTH AND MID ATLANTIC COUNCIL. THE ONLY THING WE WILL BE FISHING FOR IS CROAKER AND SPOT. THERE HANDS ARE TIED. THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT CAN FIX IT IS CONGRESS AND SENATE.
I HAVE GOT OVER $150,000 THOUNSAND IN BOATS AND FISHING GEAR. I WONDER HOW MUCH I CAN SELL THIS FOR IF THIS GOES DOWN. ILL BE LUCKEY TO GET HALF.
EVERBODY TAKE THE TIME AND GO TO UNITED WE FISH .COM AND THEY MAKE IT EASY TO WRITE TO YOUR SENATOR AND CONGRESSMAN. IT TOOK ME ONLY 15 MIN TO WRITE ALL THREE. THAT THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THEM!!!!!!!
I KNOW MOST PEOPLE SPEND 15 MIN READING THIS SITE. SO TAKE THE TIME AND DO IT . IT WILL WORK IF ENOUGH PEOPLE WRITE OUR GOVERMENT.
I WANT TO THANK YOU MARTY-WAHOOINTHEBOX AND SPOTFISHERMAN.COM FOR EVERYTHING THAT YALL DO . THIS IS WHY YOU ARE NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD.
THANKS DONALD

[RWW]

Couldn't agree more with Deep! But to add to that until the fishing and marine industry community as a whole comes together we will have trouble gaining support on the hill. The commercial verses recreational verses long liner verses netters etc needs to stop being a "verses" and start being unified in the fight for the greater cause otherwise there won't be a "verses" anymore. I would assume this will be a tough pill to swallow given what the RFA has accomplished against the commercial industry and the years of bashing back and forth.
As back wards as the marine industry appears, after reading with amazement the troubles that admin has getting support for this site alone proves gaining support from marine and fishing manufactures will not be easy to accomplish.

The point is between all of the infighting between commercial and recreational fisherman combined with the infighting from the marine industry will make having a unified voice that is powerful enough to make changes and influence DC bureaucracy will be all but impossible.
Just look back through the posts on this website, there are posts from admin speaking of the lack of intelligence of the marine industry (SFC sponsor excluded ), there are posts bad mouthing commercial fishermen and long liners, hell there are posts badmouthing a new lure maker because he copied whoever...there does not seem to be much unification as a group.
Unification to have a powerful voice is what is needed. It has led to the success of any lobbyist organization such as the NRA, the auto industry, the tobacco industry, the oil industry, and defense contractors. This is exactly why the anti's are gaining the ground that they are... they are united against the entire fishing and marine industry.
I don't know how to create the unity within the fishing and marine industry that seems to be constantly infighting but I believe it is the only way to have any long term success.
Perhaps as SFC we can be a unified group as a start...just my 2 cents - Rob