Man! The USDA is really burning my hide!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Even with proper paperwork that they "need to see", they still "destroyed" or "confiscated" my flask.

According to them the flask didn't even break!

Wth!

What's their deal?! Are they bullies or what?! I just don't get what the hell they're trying to do.

Are they "confiscating" plants that are of interest to them monetarily? If there's any life lesson that stuck, it's, "money talks" (a hell of a whole lot). I mean, they have people from the monstrosity of an agricultural-biotech firm, Monsanto (and it's greedy tentacles - oops, I mean, bazillion affiliates) filling seats in the USDA and FDA.

Is some under-the-table profit or secret interest involved with this flask or what?! They inspected and didn't even want a flask full of Dendrobium seedlings. But when it was a rare Vandaceous plant, they not only inspected it, they had the courtesy to send me an empty box with their b.s. paperwork that says I'm missing paperwork, when there was.

I have a difficult time believing this is about "the protection of our native plants, or our crop plants", when this kinda crap happens.

No wonder Hildegard Crous refused to send me flasks from South Africa, no matter how much I begged, and no matter how much I was willing to cooperate with her to get through the "correct channels" to ensure their safe arrival here in the states! That's because there's no such damn thing!

Man, I'm beginning to think the USDA just arbitrarily "enforces" whatever they want, however they want to.

I have strong opinions and words about and for those jokers, but I can't say them here...

Wow! I'm just fumin' right now!!!

If anyone's got answers, I sure as hell wanna hear em'...