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An Apology to My Government
December 13, 2009
Dear United States Department of Agriculture, Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service:
When cleaning out one of my inboxes this morning, I found the “Dear Citizen” letter you sent me this past summer, requesting my help in determining if the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) had spread to my community and was attacking my trees. Given how many trees were lost in my neighborhood as a result of the emerald ash borer, it was reasonable to assume that I would have been sensitized to the issue of insect infestation and motivated to discharge my civic duty in the arboreal realm. There were five steps you wanted me to perform no later than September 1, 2009. I am chagrined to report that I only completed one of them (“review the enclosed material to become familiar with ALB and host tree identification”) before putting the documents aside and forgetting about the whole thing until the envelope resurfaced today. I am sorry for my lapse, and hope other citizens were more responsible in following through on your request.
On this date in 2008: S.O.G. with P.I.P.
2007: WDW Episode IV: A New Hope
2006: What a Difference a Day Makes
2005: 10 Things
2004: Will My Skis Fit in the Overhead Bin?
2003: No entry
2002: Weight Wait
