The Poll: yet another response

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On  2 Feb 96, Stucky, Richard wrote:
A point of clarification about public opinion in the US.  It is because of
public opinion that the first ten amendments (Bill of Rights) were amended
to the US constitution to ensure the protection of both individual and state
rights.  Without public opinion, the antifederalists wouldn't have been able
to force the issues of religious freedom, 5th amendment rights, freedom of
the press and other rights which we now believe to be given.  Perhaps the
questions about fossils should have been asked that Larry brings up, but I
suspect those questions will be raised if any bill ever gets into committee.
Cheers,
Richard K. Stucky, Denver Museum, rstucky@csn.net


Richard,
I'm not certain how much the average illiterate rural U.S. landowner 
had to do with the adoption of the Bill of Rights, but I'll assume 
you're correct. However, it is precisely because public opinion is valued so 
much in this country that people (like me) complain when so-called 
public opinion is held up and called the real thing (when it isn't). 
If I thought that the poll were valid and truly represented public 
opinion, I'd shut up.

The Paleontological Society, SVP, and Dinosaur Society CANNOT
legitimately talk about public opinion with respect to the regulation 
of invertebrate and vertebrate fossils. Public opinion has not been 
accurately measured. We do not know what public opinion is.

My concern is, and always has been, that this poll would be used to 
support the introduction and/or passage of legislation that would 
make the regulation of fossils uniform -- be they vertebrate, 
invertebrate, plant, or microfossil. Such sweeping legislation would 
be (1) wrong and (2) unenforceable.

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that this poll won't be used in an attempt 
to take away my right to collect invertebrate fossils on federal land 
without a permit -- which is perfectly legal in most areas now. Tell 
me this poll also won't be used to support the restriction and regulation 
of fossil collecting on state lands.

Maybe you won't use the poll this way, but several individuals who 
post on the Net regularly certainly would, based on things they've 
said during the past year.

You also said, "Perhaps the questions about fossils should have been asked
that Larry brings up, but I suspect those questions will be raised if any bill
ever gets into committee." Why should those questions be raised if 
the sponsoring congressman has a poll taken in cooperation with the 
Paleontological Society, SVP, and Dinosaur Society? The very fact 
that these prestigious groups have lent credence to this poll surely makes 
my objections futile.

If anyone can show me, point by point, that I'm wrong, I'll shut up. 
If anyone in a position to do so can publicly declare that this poll 
will not be used to influence legislation at the state or federal 
level, I'll shut up. Until that time, don't expect me to go away.

Larry