The gov't image of us is we are the bad guys.

[John 'n' W.Va]

[attachment 65161 7-26-07cwfort.jpg]
It is evident everywhere I go.
This is a picture of a Union fort I visited two weeks ago. This is part of the wall coming into the fort. It is in the middle of the national forest. There are no buildings around, just trees. It is in the middle of nowhere and there is no one around. I could commit murder here and no one would find me. There are 1000's of acres of battle field. You know what would happen if I took a metal detector and dug a 6" hole.

Yet, across the road, maybe a 100 ft. away, there was a strip mine. The whole mountainside was torn away. I wonder if any artifacts was destroyed. How deep did they dig? They can run dozer's and timber the land. I wonder if the dozer is digging a hole more then 6" deep. It doesn't make any sense to me. They don't mind destroying it, but they want to make sure I don't get any of it.

I went into a museum 30 miles from the fort. They had a display on the evils of metal detecting. I let them know I participated in that evil.

Near where I live there is a state park. I can't MD there. Yet they flooded the whole valley to make the reservoir and destroyed who knows how many artifacts.
I am just sounding off!!

 

[DavHut]

... and my two cents is: "Money talks and shit walks"

Send your vent and the responses you get (edited!) to your Congressperson(s) and tell him you expect he or she to NOT vote for further anti-detecting legislation. Include lots of pictures.

He works for you, too, after all.

 

[awhitster]

Yuppies, treehuggers and (sic) do-gooders have ruined more than just MDing

 

[draaiorgel]

Here here guys,
We have the same thing on this side of the pond as well,
laws and bye laws dreamed up by nobody's trying to justify their jobs and also trying to make a name for themselves. We need them like a hole in the head.
Guess what their doin'?

Just gettin' up everyones noses.

 

[DavHut]

[No message]

 

[Uncle Willy]

I hear ya bud. It's the educated idiot bureaucratic way of life. If there's a way to screw John Q.Citizen up and make his life a living hell they will do it, and enjoy every sorry minute of it.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Congress no longer looks upon us as employers but as peasants. They, along with their corporate handlers, have formed a group dictatorship, completely ignore the voter, and do as they damn well please.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Most of all what they do is just take up space and draw a paycheck. Most have the IQ of a retarded amoeba. I drove by a city street project today and there was one guy working and six guys standing around watching with their thumbs up their rears - all knocking down $20 an hour or so. Our taxes at work. Our City's motto displayed on all vehicles is, " Portland, The City That Works." What a monumental crock.

Bill

 

[pizzacoil]

The agencies in charge of enforcing the laws on federal land reflect years of "concerned" citizens' outcries: The interests and concerns brought up by people, such as archaeologists and historians, are basically at the root of these laws. In order to substantiate their arguements, someone must be vilified, thus the "amateurs" are labeled "looters". I personally think that we can start dismantling people's negative impression of us by association and participation with entities that have official status, such as historical societies, etc.

If we can show that we can give to our communities as much as we "take out", perhaps attitudes will change. There's not much we can do about the laws, but at least we will have shown that we can contribute as much (if not more) than some of the under-funded groups that partake in archaeological and historical research.

The key is to become involved - Put yourself out there, donate items to schools, historical societies.

 

[OzarksMike]

Exactly right! Congress, activist judges, tree huggers, etc. all think they know more and that we aren't capable of taking care of ourselves or making decisions without their help. They just keep chipping away at freedom a little at a time with their seat belt laws, helmet laws, anti-smoking laws, and all the other B.S. laws and regulations they come up with. You can complain, but no one listens and it seems there are not enough people willing to stand up and say enough is enough.

 

[WolfdogIa.]

I agree with you bill 100%%%.

 

[WolfdogIa.]

AA--MEN

 

[jackintexas]

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area last week we did another crime scene. This time for the Texas Rangers. I and many others have been helping on many crime scene investigations. That should say something for our hobby.

 

[DavHut]

... to US. But preaching to the choir does little good. Your good works need to be told to the folks in Washington and the fascist academics who think being smart gives the right to control what we do.

 

[Uncle Willy]

Good going bud.

BIll

 

[Uncle Willy]

Not smart, just educated. There's a vast abyss separating smart from educated. THere are no books written on how to be smart and the finest universities in the world offer no courses in how to be smart. Education is just a tool that teaches one how to memorize things - it doesn't make them smart - hence my favorite term, " educated idiot." One can acquire all the education this world has to offer but it doesn't make one smart - just educated.

A shining example is our very own Congress, educated all, but the biggest gaggle of dummies on the planet. They couldn't find their way out of a paper bag with a roadmap and a guide dog.

Bill