Hi All,
First, let me apolgize for rising to Jim's bait, and allowing the discourse 
perhaps stray from being as civil as I prefer.
I think the world of Jim, and feel that he is one of the most intellegent 
people I've known.
I also sometimes totally disagree with him.  This is one of those instances.
I have spoken with people who were in Washington last week at the hearings, 
and they paint a very different picture than Jim does.
I am researching now to clarify the facts, and will share what I find, 
whether it supports Jim's criticisms, or puts the lie to them

Jim, please allow me to civilly reply to some of your statements.

> In the case at hand, we were slowed down for 2 crucial months
> when evidence was still fresh.
I'm trying to confirm whether or not this is true.


> I don't see why the oh-so-powerful and oh-so influential folks
> that claimed to be helping us hadn't already gotten all the
> legislation they needed prior to the appearance of CCD.
As I understand it, they had.  I believe that national pollinator week was 
in the works before CCD.  I'll confirm this, too.

> Could it be that they saw our problem as a vehicle to get
> some attention for their own agenda?
Or could they have generously tried to help us, since we would both benefit 
from being included in the farm bill.

> I think that this shows that our elected representatives had
> a great deal of awareness MONTHS ago, and needed no prompting
> to listen to our plight.  They needed to only read the
> newspapers to hear about the problem at issue.
> They promptly requested justification for funding.
Yes, but the congressional staffers who do the actual work are begging for 
information about the bee industry, and wonder where our lobbyists are.

> What delayed the Senate?  In April, they were fully briefed.
> The change in focus clearly indicates that they were lobbied.
This is exactly what I intend to find out.

>> Then I suggest that the beekeeping industry not stand with you.
>> Instead, we should contact our representatives, and ask them to work
>> hand in hand with the native pollinator people...
>
> I agree!
I glad that we found something to agree on!  : )


> What other choice do we have at this point but to
> support the proposed legislation?  We have to merely
> hope that our simple "emergency funding request" is not
> lost and forgotten among all the added environmental
> conservation language!
I invite the List to read the "added conservation language."  I've read all 
three bills, and my impression is that any references to habitat or native 
bees are minor, and likely to make the passage of the bills more likely. 
I'll let the readers decide for themselves.


> Nope, I can't wish that upon anyone.
> Not even you, even though it would teach you a lesson.
You're right Jim, I wouldn't wish CCD on anyone.  But I don't know what 
lesson I'd learn.  I'm not a politician, but the congressional staffers are 
more aware of the reality of how to get laws passed.  I'll know more after I 
speak to more of them.
>
> For valuable information without any vanity or
> horn-tooting at all, just go to "RandyOliver.com",
> and pay $5 to read reprints of articles already
> paid for by a magazine.  Its a lot like Bee-L,
> or a blog, but without the ego.
Hey, thanks for the plug, Jim!  You know damn well that the $5 goes to pay 
for my website administrator, so that the many beekeepers who don't 
subscribe to ABJ or Bee Culture can read the information. I'm not retired, 
nor well to do.  The payment by the journals doesn't nearly cover the time I 
spend in research and writing the articles, as you well know.  I'm a 
hardscrabble beekeeper who makes a living at beekeeping, and the time I put 
into research and sharing the information in articles is direly hurting my 
bee business.  Indeed, the time I'm spending right now in trying to help the 
industry to avoid political damage from overstated criticism of our allies 
is taking up my valuable bee moving time.

Talk's cheap.  Hard research, clear writing for practical application, and 
website setup and maintenance are all expensive.  Jim, if you (or anyone 
else) want to donate some of your profits from your high-paying bee removal 
job to pay off my web administrator for the work he's done in getting the 
site up, I'd be more than glad to put up all the info totally free of 
charge!

Respectfully and fondly yours,
Randy Oliver

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