I fully endorse Ellen's position and do not think that this is "bickering". The term "bickering" diminishes the importance of the subject. I have been critical before of APHIS during this administration, and expect to be again. But they do seem to be getting their act together. The work is important, but it will only be through a back and forth exchange of ideas and criticism of ideas and procedures that the system will be improved. At present, there are NO foolproof methods for ensuring that potential pests can be stopped at our door. And the nature of the problem is such that it CANNOT be made fool proof. Organisms mutate. Wind blows. Pests from China ride the winds around the world 6 miles above our country, and pollution is not only from "those foreigners", but from every country in the world, including ours, all mixing in the "soup" of viruses, molds, bacteria, excreta, metal powders, radioactive particles, etc. that we all live in. I am absolutely for an open exchange of ideas including criticisms. It is the only way to improve our common welfare] A few days ago, I was annoyed about the repetition of "old" ideas and their repetition, and posted my annoyance-- because apparently, some folks had not yet learned about the ongoing restrictive conditions for importation. But some people come late to knowledge that may be "old hat" to others, and room needs to be made for newcomers with tolerance for repetition of old information I note in passing that Mr Aley may not be aware of how threatening his arrival, coupled with his eMail address, on this list was-- to some people. He probably regards himself as benign, and his workplace as equally benign. but,..to others it had the effect of a comment such as (Hmmm... You have relative in Odessa? No? Minsk? Is all right..Ve can check.) The implied threat could also be rendered in more clearly defined Cyrillic or Germanic overtones. The Department of Homeland Security and its nearly unlimited power under the PATRIOT Act is not viewed as altogether necessary nor benign. So, Bill, I'm old enough to be a vet of WWII, and may therefore have a longer view of certain kinds of events, including the forcible overnight removal of my Japanese friends to places we didn't even know about for a quite a while. Having the USDA under Homeland Security is downright spooky even though it may be logical if one thinks only in terms of apparent effiiciency and economy in a Table of Organization. It remains to be seen whether it will be. Also, it's hard for the military aspects of DHS to be reconciled in many minds with peaceful little flowers. Not ham and eggs, but ham and chocolate truffles, with mayo on the side as an analogy--or worse.} Regardless of the utility or necessity of certain government moves undertaken by the recent past administration, or one's view of them politically-- politics affects bulbs, and diseases of geophytes, and their survival in out of the way locations. I note the fact that military bases have been havens for many threatened and endangered species, in California for the kit fox, in Israel (The Golan Heights for oncocyclus irises ). I mention this because there is a tendency in this group to set the boundaries of acceptable topics for discussion wa-a-ay too narrowly. Down to the species level and below for taxonomic distinctions of no use to anybody except a taxonomist, and the connoisseur who wants to be sure that s/he has the "true" species, when there may be no recent agreed-on picture of the entity in question. PBS works to supply it. Sometimes annoyance follows close on the heels of such concerns being voiced...but rarely. And Mary Sue does a magnificent "presidential " job of moderating the discussions. If she wanted to drop my entire presentation here, I'd understand--and accept it . But I think that in order to advance the case of the PBS, and its future without its becoming hidebound or calcified, we need to work out ways of easier importation and distribution so that we continue to have samples of what we talk about. If Bill Aley (WDA) and his associates can help us do this, I'm for welcoming him. Maybe he could even help simplify some of the rigmarole of getting registered as an importer of small samples. Do we really need a 10-letter password composed of 2 symbols from the top line,... etc?. Sincerely, Adam Fikso, Ph.D.,(psychology-- not one of the botanical subspecialties.)