"Iris Cohen" wrote in message
...
Ah, yes, I know all about this mess. It has been discussed and rehashed to
death in my orchid newsgroup. Mr. Kovach was also indicted, but I haven't
been
able to get hold of all the newspaper articles, so I don't know exactly
what
happened to him.
First of all, the main reason for the hoo-ha was that Eric Christenson
sicced
the federal government on Selby to get revenge because they fired him.
Secondly, remember that all the paperwork regulations in the world, both
US and
CITES, do not save species, especially plants, as long as habitat
destruction
continues. All the regulations do is to encourage smugglers to collect the
orchids illegally.
Third, the rules of taxonomy are independent of politics, & I hope they
stay
that way. Phragmipedium kovachii was legally named according to the
International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. I very much doubt that the
botanical authorities will change the name. Are you going to change the
name of
Blighia becuse Admiral Bligh was a convicted sadist?
Bottom line: why is the US government wasting the taxpayer's money on
nonsense
when our meat is inadequately inspected and the No Child Left Behind Act
is
underfunded?
Iris,



I am sorry that your meat is not being adequately inspected; but mine is,
and I'm gratified.

As to the "No Child Left Behind Act", "underfunded" is a hideously loose
term open to broadband interpretation. Would you care to express what you
would consider "funded" to be? You may use either dollars and cents or
percentage ratios of budgeted indices to place your assessment. --Or any
other solid index you choose, as long as it does not induce flowery images
(note botanical connection) which are themselves open to wide
interpretation.

Thank you.

--Geno