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Re: I'm late, I'm late...
If my words were not chosen with the most proper of care, then I apologize.
The point I was trying to make was that, given the current legislation
regarding fossil protection, and its dreadfully inadequate enforcement,
there is ALWAYS going to be some kind of smuggling going on. I do not
condone illegal collecting or selling of fossils, and have done a
considerable amount to try to ensure that others are aware of legal
situations. Have you done anything to try to solve these problems?
Until the laws change, fossil ownership in the US benefits the landowner,
and (for the most part) not the government. Science should be given first
consideration when it comes to fossil materials. I truly believe that.
Unfortunately, until that belief is law, science will lose valuable
specimens to private collectors, legally acquired or not.
Academics who are worried about this have two options:
1. Work to see that any fossil that comes out of the ground belongs to the
State,
2. Re-educate the collecting public, commercial or otherwise, to work with
science, and not against them.
I think the latter may be more easily accomplished to some degree.
Michael Schmidt
----------
> From: Peter Von Sholly <vonrex@gte.net>
> To: dmschmidt@sprint.ca; Danvarner@aol.com; dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Re: I'm late, I'm late...
> Date: Friday, September 25, 1998 3:02 AM
>
> Been reading the "exchange" between Dan Varner and Michael Schmidt and
was
> moved to comment. There's a troubling undercurrent here from Schmidt
that
> illegal fossil trading is something we should just accept because the
laws
> are not enforced and there's nothing we can do about it. If the
> "authorities" don't have the time, money, manpower or whatever to enforce
> the law, let's all just go crazy and ignore the fact that it exists. It
> seems to me that the fossil record is scrappy enough without losing many
> valuable pieces of it to collectors.
>
> ----------
> > From: Michael Schmidt <dmschmidt@sprint.ca>
> > To: Danvarner@aol.com; dinosaur@usc.edu
> > Subject: Re: I'm late, I'm late...
> > Date: Thursday, September 24, 1998 5:37 PM
> Most fossils from China are both collected
> > and exported illegally. These ones I suspect were, because I think I
> know
> > who is selling them. Don't like it, do something to change it.
>
> Speaking up about it and raising people's consciousness IS doing
something
> about it.
>
> > Don't like the fact that these things end up in the hands of private
> > collectors?Live with it.
>
> This is just plain rude.