Marty Hahne is a
magician in Missouri. He has been putting on magic shows for kids for almost 30
years under the nom de guerre Marty the Magician. Back in 2005, he got
in trouble with the USDA. Turns out he was using an unlicensed rabbit for his
grand finale of pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Hahne quickly found out that the
USDA’s regulations for magicians’ rabbits, in force since 1966, are both strict
and extensive.
Eight years
later, the agency is still harassing him. Here are some of the
indignities the USDA is inflicting on Hahne and his animal assistant:
Hahne has an
official USDA license, No. 43-C-0269, for Casey — a three-pound Netherland
dwarf rabbit with a look of near-fatal boredom. The rules require
Hahne to pay $40 a year, take Casey to the vet and submit to surprise
inspections of his home.
Also, if Hahne
plans to take the rabbit out of town for an extended period, he must submit an
itinerary to the USDA. The 1966 law that started all of this was four pages long. Now, the
USDA has 14 pages of regulations
just for rabbits. Now…..Hahne are
required to file written disaster plans to the USDA covering
at least 21 types of disaster, from broken air conditioners to hurricanes.
Hahne’s disaster plan for Casey is 28 pages long…..To Read More…..
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