Re: The Falcarius story by a non-science reporter

[Phil Bigelow <bigelowp@juno.com>]

Since this story broke, I wonder if Dr. Kirkland is beginning to notice a
drop-off in the number of contacts with the general public (such as fewer
phone calls, drop-ins, etc.).

<pb>
--

On Fri, 13 May 2005 18:36:38 -0600 frank bliss <frank@blissnet.com>
writes:
> I do not condone midnight raids on government land but!  Not only all 
> 
> of the above but the standard is now set.  Any midnight collector 
> will 
> now never tell a professional paleontologist of any ilk about his 
> work. 
>   They could find the missing link and will never tell us about it 
> now.  
> It will just go into the junk pile.  Don't expect a case of morals 
> to 
> suddenly crop up because apparently doing the right thing will get 
> you 
> jailed.  A right after a wrong does not a good thing make but it 
> does 
> make a better thing. Now there will be only wrong behavior.  We have 
> to 
> make these midnight guys work with us not against us.  Any 
> legislation 
> that keeps anyone from doing the right thing is stupid period.  
> Paleontologist definitely should not take on the interrogation role, 
> 
> they should take on the conservation role and somehow save the stuff 
> we 
> are forcing the bad guys (who will always break the laws) to throw 
> away.
> 
> Frank Bliss
> MS Biostratigraphy
> Weston, Wyoming
> 
> 
> On May 13, 2005, at 10:02 AM, Phil Bigelow wrote:
> 
> >
> > On Fri, 13 May 2005 09:48:12 -0600 Cliff Green 
> > <dinonaut@emerytelcom.net>
> > writes:
> >> Dear List,
> >>
> >>     The short blurb plays fast and loose with the facts. Jim
> >> Kirkland had
> >> nothing to do with the prosecution of the fossil thief. Jim Told 
> the
> >> guy
> >> that if he showed were the site was, gave all bones back, and 
> made
> >> restitution for all the fossils he sold, Kirkland would do his 
> best
> >> to see
> >> that he didn't do any jail time. After the person agreed, The 
> BLM
> >> decided to
> >> prosecute anyway.
> >
> >
> > While I agree with most of your other comments, that particular 
> point
> > really bothered me.
> >
> > I think it was inappropriate for a State Paleontologist to try to
> > convince a criminal suspect to give up information in return for 
> the
> > possibility of prosecutorial leniency, particularly when the case 
> was 
> > not
> > under his jurisdiction (the theft occurred on BLM land, not on 
> state
> > land).  As soon as he suspected that a crime had occured on 
> federal 
> > land,
> > the state paleontologist should have stepped aside and let the 
> BLM
> > enforcement boys do their job.
> >
> > Although I'm not a lawyer, I suspect that it was perfectly legal 
> to 
> > have
> > that *particular* conversation with the suspect.  But IMO, it 
> wasn't
> > proper to do so.  Kirkland probably knew that he had little clout 
> with
> > the enforcement branch of the BLM.  This story also illustrates 
> how
> > chaotic and arbitrary the regulatory agencies act when it comes 
> to
> > dealing with fossil theft.  Paleontologists should not take on the 
> roll
> > of interrogating criminal suspects.
> >
> > The suspect turned out to be as guilty as a hungry flea on a lazy 
> dog.
> > But the end doesn't always justify the means.  In the public's 
> eyes, 
> > this
> > type of manipulation gives professional paleontologists the 
> appearance 
> > of
> > being untrustworthy and unethical when they deal with the public.  
> And
> > with the new vertebrate fossil protection bill pending in 
> Congress, 
> > that
> > is an impression of paleontologists that the voter/taxpayer 
> shouldn't
> > have.
> >
> > <pb>
> > --
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> 
>