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I emailed the message below to Martin
Topletz directly, but in view of Andy's remarks impugning my judging
qualifications, without bothering to check facts as usual, I am appending it and
submitting it to the general OGD readership.
No, I am not an accredited AOS
judge, but no such requirement has ever been stipulated by the
WOC. I am an accredited judge of the South Florida Orchid Society, the
group controlled by Robert Fuchs, and he himself wrote a testimonial to the
judging committee of the last WOC that established my qualifications for
judging [how fickle we are!]. Furthermore, I have judged at four of the
Miami International Orchid Shows, which are organized by the very same Robert
Fuchs, and I have directed their multifaceted educational programs during
these years as well. Needless to say I have since severed support
for all functions sponsored by Robert Fuchs, which
might explain the motivation in part for his unethical behavior.
I have attended, and been welcomed at, all of the judging sessions of
the Florida-Caribbean AOS judging center for a number of years, but I have
declined to enter their rigorous judging program because of my age.
Nevertheless they often seek information from me concerning evaluation of rarer
species and their hybrids. In addition I judge, or do the exposition of
the members' plants, at five other local orchid clubs. In passing I can't
help comment that Robert Fuchs failed to earn accreditation at our local
regional AOS and had to seek his accreditation at the Atlanta Judging
Center where he is less well known. One of his satellite WOC objectors, his
partner Michael Coronado, is himself not an accredited AOS judge; so much
for Fuch's consistency.
Some years ago Robert Fuchs prevented an
accredited AOS judge from AOS judging at his Miami International Orchid Show
[contrary to AOS regulations for an AOS judged show] and he [or the Show]
ultimately had to pay legal damages, but he is a slow learner. These are
the facts I will lay out to the WOC Directorship in the expanded complaint
I intend to submit to them.
A few comments directed to Andy: Who
appointed you as the ultimate judge of judges? Judging is subjective
and judging judges' qualifications is subjective. I am reminded of a line
of "Jenny's Song" from the Three Penny Opera where she fantasizes herself as a
pirate strolling down the street pointing to the innocent passersby, "That one
lives and that one dies." In science we garner all the facts together and
then we search for a comprehensive hypothesis, subject to test.
Conclusions based on opinions for which facts are irrelevant belong
to the realm of Religion. At the very least my background in
Science provides me a discipline that appears to be lacking in many of
Andy's vituperative posts.
Bert
Pressman
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