From: The National Association of Ilk Fanciers

To: Whom it may concern

It has come to our attention that a number of posts made to this thread have made less than complimentary comments regarding our friend, the noble ilk. As the acknowledged world authority on the ilk, we at the N.A.I.F. would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight.

In the very first post to this thread, a Mr. khandu makes reference to "Tweed, Spaw, Carol the Sailor and their ilk." Pleased be advised that we at the N.A.I.F. maintain exacting records regarding the breeding, sale, and ownership of ilk worldwide, and neither of the three persons Mr. khandu mentions own nor have applied for a license to own an ilk. If Tweed, Spaw or Carol the Sailor are claiming to have ilk, they are prevaricating.   Trust us. As rare and valuable as ilk are in today's world, if either of them had an ilk, we would know about it.
Furthermore, the overall tone of ilk-related posting to this thread is just plain disrespectful. You people act as if ilk were a joke. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Ilk were once a thriving species held in high regard by kings, queens, emperors and others with more money that sense. Ilk have a long history of being the pet-of-choice of the privileged few and the ilk-breeder was often a person of high esteem at court. But then came the decimation to the ilk population brought on by the ravages of such despots as Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and Khan. At the end of the Cold War, there were less than a dozen ilk left in the world, all carefully hidden away in mountain hovels or disguised as Manchester Terriers (no mean feat sense a fully-grown ilk is over six feet tall). Through the concerted efforts of our members, we at the N.A.I.F. have brought the ilk back from the brink of extinction. The world ilk population is now slightly less than one thousand. All ilk are currently under private ownership, though plans are in motion to donate a breeding pair of ilk to a suitable zoological park. Several such parks have submitted plans for their proposed ilk habitats and a decision will be made by the N.A.I.F. governing body based solely upon the welfare of the ilk.

We at the N.A.I.F. are requesting that you people of The Mudcat Cafe treat the ilk with the respect to which it is due. If you do not honor our request, you may look forward to whatever legal action we see fit to take to put an end to your libelous statements.