Wow - so much to reply to in this thread...
First of all - agreed! And thank you for keeping this info front-and-center.
To sum up: Don't get it if you're too much of an idiot to know what you're in for. Spay and neuter ALL your mammalian pets unless you have a RESPONSIBLE breeding program (as it is, even if you do, we certainly don't need any more of them, so be sure of your reasons). Don't EVER put anything into a natural system. Period.
As for established populations vs. recent bans: in population biology we describe two types of pops as "source" and "sink". The source pops are self-sustaining, given current conditions remain stable. The sink pops are not sustainable, usually because of deficits in available resources, and only exist because they are fed by immigration from a source population in nature, or from artificial supplementation. By US. So, in order to control an established population, you also have to ensure that no more idiots are going to be acting as a source.
Regarding private ponds: Have you noticed the weather lately? You know that big thing that happened down south a year and a half ago? And in Houston in '01? And in St. Louis in '93? And, to a lesser extent, in a dozen other places around the country on an annual basis? It's called flooding. And it means your nice little "private" lake is no longer private. NOTHING in nature exists by itself. Even something we put there. All of the natural cycles (nutrients, water, etc) still happen and whatever you add just gets incorporated into your local and regional system. And you may not realize that many fish species have developed very elaborate ways of dispersing that you can't control. For example, the eggs or fry (not sure which) of our local sunfish will attach to the legs of wading birds and get deposited in whatever waterways the bird visits next. I can almost guarantee that many of our favoite exotics have equally ingenious ways of getting around.
I totalaly dig the gorilla-vigilante solution. Give me a 270 and lemme at 'em!
And I think another solution has been presented by this thread: go collect your non-natives from your local populations!! You guys down in FL - want to start a business? Collect that s#$t and give them to responsible fish owners!
Another good point was raised in another thread but I think applies here: understand how your choices as a consumer can affect the species you love so dear. If you REALLY agree with the ideals presented here, do the same for those in the countries where your fish ARE native. Know where the fish you buy are coming from, and whether the people who have brought them to you have been responsible about it. In the same regard that people here in our country are irresponsible about dumping non-natives, people in those countries can be irresponsible about collecting their natives to sell to us - do some research and give your support to the ones who are doing it RIGHT!