What to do?

[roger@arkansas.net (Roger A. Stphenson)]

Hello all,

I've just read Larry's not so glowing report about the AMHN, and the
continuing "debate" surrounding the comercialization of our dinosaurs. Does
anyone out there get the feeling that this revived interest in diosaurs is
doing more harm than good? One of our young (12 years) dig participants was
so sure the "stuff" he was getting from THE movies was factual he kept
quoting them as one of us might the Dinosauria. A local 4-H club visted our
Triceratops skull site and I overhead him spreading this misinformation to
childeren in his age group. He was telling them about the actual size of
Velociraptors in term of hieght. When I suggested a better judgement of
size might be weight or length, all of the kids gave me that "What the hell
do you know about it, we've seen the movies", look. I was not too upset as
this was just one example of many such episodes involving the failure of
this one kid to listen.

Granted, I'm not an authority on the level of some of our other
subscribers, but it's sure tough to fight these planted seeds even with
facts, or proven methods. It seems all it takes to become an authority is
the viewing of a movie or two, and the defiance of youth. The same
shortcuts that lead to the cloning of diaosaurs seems now to be applied to
the study of them. Maybe I'm just upset that all of the effort I have
personally spent seems to be a fools errand, and digging those fragile
bones a waste of energy. Even so I'll stay my course and pay my dues.
There's no fool like an old one.

Don't get me wrong about LW. I really loved seeing the dinosaurs look so
alive. I think we can all agree there was some real shortfalls in other
areas.

When those that never chisel away at superhard matrix, never walk for hours
in the desert sun, or worry about fossil looters ruining it for the rest of
us, can gain so much profit from the sweat of those of us that do, where is
the justice? When some of us give up a paycheck (or several), suffer the
hardships of being away from our families, and never keep a fossil much
less sell one, where is the justice? When already stinking rich people
become even richer because of the fascination we have about dinosaurs, and
never return even a pittance to further the science they exploit, again
where is the justice? When supposedly prestigious institutions allow their
facilities to be a launching pad for even more profiteering and
exploitation where is the justice?

You have all read my rantings before, and have flamed me , sometimes
justly. I would prefer real answers to these questions or futher insight
I'm to close to the subject to see. If you feel the need to defend any
portion of the exploitation I am upset with present your facts, not
opinion. As I've been labeled before Joe Friday's only interested in the
facts.

Roger A. Stephenson
"Is it bone yet?"