RE: "Cleaning Up the Burke"

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> MICHAEL SCHMIDT
>
> strange....I wonder why there is no mention anyhere in the article about 
> charges being levelled against John M.
> Rensberger???  As I understand this, he illegally collected fossils for 
> DECADES, and the administration of the museum
> knew about it and essentially did nothing to stop it from happening.
>
> Didn't Mr. Larson of the Black Hills Inst. go to prison for less than this?
>
> Academics scream bloody murder everytime some commercial collector collects 
> the smallest fossil illegally, yet here you
> have an example of an academic who has behaved reprehensibly, yet no legal 
> action (apparantly) is being mentioned in
> these articles.
>
> Why is there such a double standard, I wonder.....

There seems to be some revisionist history going on here. If memory serves, 
Pete did NOT go to jail for any issues regarding
collecting fossils. The conviction was for violation of international customs 
law.

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
        Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
        Mailing Address:
                Building 237, Room 1117
                College Park, MD  20742

http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796