Well, Bill, maybe you'd like to confirm (or refute) what my ag inspector told me: that so many APHIS inspectors have been assigned to other chores in Homeland Security that perhaps 5% of the shipments duly sent to them, under permits, actually get inspected. If this is true, the whole system is operating essentially by trying to create an atmosphere of fear rather than doing the job it purports to do. I'm not trying to engage in mudslinging, but I would love to see some solid numbers on what percentage of legal shipments actually gets inspected. ???? Ellen Ellen Hornig Seneca Hill Perennials 3712 County Route 57 Oswego NY 13126 USA http://www.senecahillperennials.com/ ----- Original Message ----- From: "WDA" <aley_wd@mac.com> To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2009 8:26 PM Subject: Re: [pbs] [BULBS-L] Importing Bulbs and Seeds > Some people believe that smuggling is like drug use. you start small and > it can sometime lead one to take more risks as you become comfortable that > you've beaten the odds of getting caught. Perhaps you'd like to tell me > more about how easy it is to get past the system. > You can email me directly: > william.d.aley@aphis.usda.gov > > I can discuss what civil regulations you might be interested in and the > penalties that can be levied against you when caught. > > Bill > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/