The permit does not put any size limitations on the corals taken and Lauri email recalling an alleged conversation in which she directed Eric to not take any corals over 20 cm took nearly a year for her to remember and bring up. And, she is the same person that asked him to inventory how many he took that were < 8 cm, 8-15 cm, 15-20 cm, and > 20 cm. Why would anyone ask how many were taken over 20 cm if they had specifically directed that person to not take any that large? It defies logic.
I use leading questions all the time in government work to get information.
For example:
How long have you been feeding the neighborhood strays?
(It is a ticketable offence to house cats outside here. If a person answers with a period of time, they have admitted to maintaining strays)
I'm not saying that is the reason the inventory request is worded thusly but if I were an agent charged with getting the correct information I would not ask "how many illegal corals do you have." I would ask how many under 5cm, how many under 10cm, how many over 50cm, etc..
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I can remember once being stopped by FWC (Floridas fish and Game) and the officer asked me if the oysters in a bucket were mine. The bucket was mine but there were no oysters in it. I had New Zealand Mussels in it. If I had simply answered yes then I would have given him just cause to search my vehicle without my permission. I gave it to him anyway as I did not have anything illegal but you get the picture I hope.
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Assuming that motivation, why wait so long to spring the trap? As you said, you answer a loaded questioin from a cop the wrong way and you get in trouble immediately. They don't wait years to act.
Actually, if they are the Feds, they do. I can give examples from personal experience. When it is a crime of paperworkk error or omission, it takes the government (heretoafter called "Gummint") awhile.
I got a letter last month that I did not do my taxes right in 2004 from the IRS. BTW anyone able to loan me $1,800?
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The thing is though, the government is still not looking into this. The person that created this website is not a government agent. This is all just a personal vendetta (I hope that is not pushing the boundaries here too far).
You are polite Steven and I don't think the boundy has been crossed. As long as we ask questions and stay nice I don't think there is a problem talking about "the past." Vendetta or not - the issue is valid. Vendetta is a tough thing to prove and so it is going to remain a "I believe so and so no matter what." There are enough who think EB has an agenda as well. That is not so much the issue as #1. What exactly was done; #2. Why was it done; #3. Will it hurt the hobby when dealing with governing authority; #4. How do we, as a community help ensure that this won't happen again.
If I think you push the boundry too much - I promise to let you know. Despite past thread troubles, I respect you and think that you make good arguments.
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