To All Treasure Hunters - Our Legal Rights are at Risk! WE NEED YOUR HELP!

[lobsterman]

Hi Robert,
i just saw your post and imediately copied your text / comments and tried to post them, but when i got to the states website, i realized that the time for comments had expired last year , i guess i should have known to check the date of your original post.

but i was just curious how did you make out ?, unfortunately i can guess .

as a commercial fishermen, while attending public comment hearings, we were told by a gov. official that although they were required to hold the public hearings and request comments, they were not in any way required to listen to them or allow any credence to any of our comments what-so-ever. and they were going to do as they saw fit. ( after he said that to the group of angry fishermen, i thought he was going to be lynched, we probably should have lynched him, they wouldn't be able to ignore that comment ).

i am afraid that we are all the victims of the "we know whats best for you" policy making procedures, that goes on all too frequently these days, it seems that our votes and voices don't mean a thing anymore. they are going to do what they want to, regardless of what we say.

 

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[Carson Coin Master]

Well thanks to all the BS "change" from the new democratic senate we have to give up a great and important hobby because now the government has no money left Obama bin laden needs those spots so he can have more money to spend he already gambled away our kids futures.

 

[seekthenfind]

There is always that one person who has to bring politics into the discussion. Carson-Wreckma lets not forget about the debt our last president got us in

 

[Carson Coin Master]

There is always that one person who has to bring politics into the discussion. Carson-Wreckma lets not forget about the debt our last president got us in

Don't forget that debt was inherited by the Clinton administration.

 

[seekthenfind]

Last comment I will make on this.

 

[goldeagle]

I WOULD LOVE TO HELP!what can i do to help i tried opening up the sight and cant find were to sign?we as a people need to help put a stop to this crap we are law abiding people we make the laws,of the people for the people its time for us to take action!

 

[Marcus Aurelius]

This is the reply I e-mailed to the State of Florida....

To whom it may concern,
I am deeply concerned and appalled on the interference of the state of "BIG" government involvement in the hobby of metal detecting and private historical preservation over Florida beaches and waters. Why does the State need to intervene in private matters with regulation to an area outside its normal scope and range of authority. I can understand land mass and waters of ecological preservation and habitat for species and plants but not relic recovery or preservation by hobbyists or citizens who come to find artifacts in public areas that 1. The State has NEVER recognized until recently, bothered or intervened until private citizens were discovering relics of value and 2. Did nothing for decades knowing these very same artifacts were lying in and around Florida shores for centuries with its citizens discovering artifacts for decades. This is of grave concern to me, you are depriving me of a hobby that harms no one, most of the citizens abide by all laws and follow preservation protocols. There are no pirates or buccaneers in the destruction of the waterways and ecology. No one here is stealing, robbing or depriving someone else of their civil liberties, however the State of Florida in their infinite wisdom is considering depriving me of mine through unwanted and imposed legislation voiced against by the people. Why is the State so concerned of the affairs of private citizens conducting such activity on public lands, waters and beaches. Rest assured the citizens of the State of Florida and the rest of the country will not take this lying down. This is a socialist movement by the State to control its citizens and the power of BIG government over the people. You are treading in shark infested waters my friends !

V/r
My Legal Name

If there is a petition out there, contact me I will sign it. This is what happens when you vote in BIG government, once they are in your lives, you depend on it and getting rid of it is like a cancer, it just won't fully go away.

 

[DOGMAN ( U.K )]

I'll forward mine if they accept one from the U.K and good luck from England.

 

[Bum Luck]

Best thing to do to the archies is cut their funding.

Some one in state government is their enemy - find them and work with them.

 

[czechdetectingtours.com]

I have posted on here before concerning the onslaught of "greenies", idealists, and far-left agenda individuals who want to rid us of this great hobby, but I'll do it again just one more time anyway:

Our rights are being threatened by those individuals and causes who and which wish complete government control over our lives, be it economical, social, emotional, religious, or political. We can only continue our perseverence in fighting off with diligence and fortitude those and that which threatens our freedoms and our rights to enjoy things in a reasonable way that pleases us. Even to this day there are still unread and unstudied ballets sitting in the hallows of the government's Socialistic halls which would cause us to be fined or even imprisoned if we even so much as entered a public school ground or park etc. with a metal detector, when using it or not. Additionally, there have been several attempts to even stop the manufacturing of personal and private (non-government) metal detectors too. In such cases the US legislature would mandate "only the use of metal detectors by government or business", and all else would be excluded by law.

In my view, much of this problem has been instigated and even exacerbated by the simply moronic methods in which certain metal detector manufacturer's advertizements are "pushed" encouraging buying their products while stating ideologies as facts, when in fact they are primarily fantasies and nothing more. It gives us all a bad name.

This will be a continual battle for us until allHades freezes over. You can count on it.

LuckyLarry

Larry, I doubt Barrack Obama gives this subject of metal detecting much thought. However, you can always contact Gov. Crist at his Republican office, I'm sure he'll give you a sympathetic ear......NOT

 

[Bum Luck]

I guess I'd have to agree.

If Obama put the present state of the economy and terrorism, two wars, and etc in perspective, how can he care if someone digs up some metal somewhere?

I know a lot of 'greenies' and don't know any that even know what we do - or care.

It's the archies. Find out who their enemies are in state government, and work with them to cut their funding. You're not going to see these lazy so-and-sos out there with detectors, due to the simple fact that if it remotely paid off, everyone would be doing it. I spent a day on the Jax beach and found a nickel. But I did have a good time. That's what Florida's selling.

I am not against preservation, but in this case it seems like these guys are too strong, and you have to go for the throat until they back off.

I would love to come to Fla in the off season and spend maybe a couple of thousand bucks to detect on the beach for a day or so (as well as hit the local shrimp temples), but I'm not going to come if I can't detect.

 

[KonaKustoms]

Maybe im wrong but the way I see it, The little amount of things we find as a hobby would have never been seen again by anyone ever so we are doing good not bad, and I agree with the blow holes and unsafe conditions sometimes caused by boats recovering stuff and I agree with everyone that our rites are being slowly taken away...........I think there should be a law for big finds and a law for smaller finds and we can all be "Legal" with our finds! Like I said before, If we don't find it havin fun then nobody would ever see it!!
This crap gets real deep and is almost scarry because the law can get ya for havin fun with a product (metal detector) sold to the public but seems to me is like owning a gun anymore if ya pull the trigger on it and find something!
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

However there is always a way around everything. Is there a organization for us like the NRA for gun owners to protect our rites to use a metal detector and not get a big fine or even go to jail It is all greed in my eyes and if the government could tax what we do and the state's could tax us or make money it would be all good to them.......SAD!

 

[AlaCoinSil]

The authors of all of these comments are correct; we are slowly losing all rights to any kind of treasure hunting --- in the water, on land, or wherever. And, since the states are all in need of funds, we will find that the authorities are tightening up on every aspect of treasure hunting, where it will result in more fines being paid into state treasuries. We sell White's Metal Detectors, and also are in the Indian artifact business and we are hearing more and more comments from the lifelong hunters who are being fined for hunting or diving. I have always asked the question, "Just who are we saving all these items for that are laying on the ground or are a few inches deep in mud"? No reasonable answers are forthcoming. The states just continue to make more and more knee-jerk laws to suit whoever complains. I was once told by a historical society member that we just "must" save these priceless relics. For WHO??




Gene in AL.

 

[cillosis]

Yeah the government has been "saving" priceless relics for years by burying them under parking lots and skyscrapers never to see light again purely for financial reasons. And they want to pretend treasure hunters, who in part are amateur archaeologists preserving history, are the bad guys? Yeah ok.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Gene in AL: I'll be the "devil's advocate" and give you the archaeologist's answer to your question. While it may seem silly to prohibit the recovery of an item that's buried in the ground, and no one knows is there, they have their logic. Even though it's doing no one any good there, and won't be missed, since it basically (in your mind) "didn't exist" since it was un-known, and (in your mind) never to be seen unless dug, yet here is their logic: Someday, even if it's hundreds, or thousands of years from now, some FUTURE archaeologist *might* do an archaeological pit right there. And if Gene in AL, back in the year 2010 dug up that mercury dime, then you have "robbed" it from future generation's abilities to have it to interpret their past.

Yup. I kid you not. This is what they would say. And if you do the math at the size of the average archaeological pit (a few feet square around) and the time it takes them to do a few pits (all summer long for a few test pits in a single spot), you can see that it would take MILLIONS of years for them to do even a single square mile, much less even a single national park. You simply can't dig up every square inch of land. Even the most aggressive well-funded university archaeology dept's scarcely do a few pits, here and there, at just a few sacred spots. Why would they even begin to do boring campgrounds, or just remote back-country, etc....? They won't. But in their way of thinking, 10000 years from now, someone in the future might want to, somewhere on public land.

And while this still seems silly, to them (a lawmaker on ANY subject) it's like the old camel with his nose in the tent story: If they agree "well gee, shucks, it certainly can't hurt if you do it over there, but just don't tromp around this one little historical part of our park", you can guess what will happen: They will spend all their time negotiating over exactly where, and where you can't, detect. So guess what the easier solution is? To just say "no detecting at all".

But this is all so silly. Although you can find dry dusty rules to tell you such things, my experience is that most of the time, as long as you're not nosing around archaeologically sensitive historical monuments, no one cares. For example: If you were to read the state of CA's state park's rules, or ask enough Q's of enough archie's here, I'm sure you could find some "no's". But oddly, I know of state parks here that are routinely detected, and no one cares. But I bet if you asked around enough, you'd be told "no" (some ranger who previously never gave the matter thought, would be forced to look up your "pressing question" I suppose). I've also hunted at old abandoned military bases (federal property) right in front of MP's and BLM people, and they never seemed to care. And this reality makes me wonder if this isn't the same in other states. Ie.: sometimes no one cares till you ask (barring if you were being a nuisance, or snooping around obvious historical monuments.)

 

[architecad]

To be honest with everyone here, I believe with this President and politics, we, the treasure hunter won't have any justice from Fed, at least, in Florida. I don't detect in Florida but I see how the Fed got in posession and turn in National Park all those place with history about pirates, caches and shipwrecks. I believe it is not coincidence, it a purpose.

Also I believe, America is coming in a Fascism since Obama got power.

Arch

 

[skuldigger]

I JUST SENT MY LETTER TO FLORIDA FOR THIS, I CAN'T BELIEVE THE ATTACKS ON MDING,DIVING I'M SEEING, I JUST STARTED MDING IN APRIL AND AM HOOKED,THANKS FOR PUTTING THIS OUT

 

[Sgtrock]

You are not able to comment yet..

"COMMENTS: From 9/26/2008 To 10/17/2008 (21 Days)
The public comment period for this notice has already expired. "

Has anybody contacted the state representatives ??

 

[srf2112]

I tried to add my comment but as SgtRock posted, the comment period is over. As far as I'm concerned I think the simplest option, as stated earlier, is genius. We should ALL call up the appropriate agency EVERY time we find a 50yr old penny ("accidentally, I was only looking for legal coins") and DEMAND that they send someone out to retrieve this "National Archaeological Treasure" from the hands of a lowly, ignorant tax-payer before it's lost forever. If they want to pass a sweeping law without any regard for common sense, force them to pay for it in the man-hours it will require to actually follow-through and enforce it. NOTHING'S free (that's the govt's own credo and they LIVE by it) so make them pay the price. Let the bureaucracy's own inherent myopia and nonsense destroy itself. Either that or we storm the gates..both work for me.
HH
Scott (MD'er and Archaeological Plunderer)

 

[BloodyBelle]

I tried to add my comment but as SgtRock posted, the comment period is over. As far as I'm concerned I think the simplest option, as stated earlier, is genius. We should ALL call up the appropriate agency EVERY time we find a 50yr old penny ("accidentally, I was only looking for legal coins") and DEMAND that they send someone out to retrieve this "National Archaeological Treasure" from the hands of a lowly, --deleted-- tax-payer before it's lost forever. If they want to pass a sweeping law without any regard for common sense, force them to pay for it in the man-hours it will require to actually follow-through and enforce it. NOTHING'S free (that's the govt's own credo and they LIVE by it) so make them pay the price. Let the bureaucracy's own inherent myopia and nonsense destroy itself. Either that or we storm the gates..both work for me.
HH
Scott (MD'er and Archaeological Plunderer)

I like this idea.

And I like the idea of searching some sites I know in the UK even better.