RE: paleonet Burgess Shale Fossil Theft

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It is a shame that someone has to overact to a report concerning a shale fossil theft.

On the scale or drugs versus fossils then clearly the emphasis must be the war on drugs - no question.  I can also thing on many other crimes/social ills etc that I would put ahead of a stolen fossil.  I have no doubt that the vast majority of people have the same priorities when considering drugs verses fossils.

So should we ignore this stolen fossil?   No, clearly not.  What sort of message would that sent to prospective thieves? That they can steal with impunity?

I suggest that we should be concerned with this theft and that action should be taken.  However, the action taken has to be commensurate with the seriousness of the crime.

To ignore it would be a crime in itself (albeit a very, very small one!)

Happily we can campaign against drugs and other social ills yet still take an interest in other aspects of life.


Bob Keeley



-----Original Message-----
From:	Pristis@aol.com [SMTP:Pristis@aol.com]
Sent:	04 September 2001 21:14
To:	paleonet@nhm.ac.uk
Subject:	Re: paleonet Burgess Shale Fossil Theft

 << File: ATT00000.htm >> This is such silly-business.  It constantly amazes me how self-important 
paleontologists can be!  This is just a rock that is missing from a 
mountain-top.  How many of these worm impressions does it take to make this a 
"tragedy"?  Get real, guys, get some perspective!

Think of this loss of a worm impression, if it is really a theft, as an 
analogy for the "war on drugs" in our society.  You publicize the stuff, you 
glamorize it, then you make it off-limits.  What does any clear-thinking 
person expect at that point?  Nawww, forget that analogy.  The war on drugs 
is a real tragedy; this missing worm impression is just too piddling a matter 
to make the comparison.

        ------Harry Pristis

<><><><><><><><>

In a message dated 9/4/01 8:47:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time, Dan_Chure@nps.gov 
quotes:
(snippage)> 
>           A curator with the Royal Tyrrell Museum in
>           Drumheller, Alberta says the thefts are
>           shameful.
> 
>           "It's kind of a tragedy I think to think that one of
>           our key sites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
>           is open to pilfering of this sort," said Paul
>           Johnston.
> 
>                     Written by CBC News Online staff
>
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