dahut
Hero Member
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2004
- Messages
- 809
- Reaction score
- 54
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Lee's Tavern Road
- Detector(s) used
- 21 years behind a coil
Fisher F70
Bounty Hunter Lone Star
Tesoro Tiger Shark
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
I had a little time between appointments today, so I jotted on over to the local high school. This site was once a former plantation home, then a school was built there in the early 1950’s. Everything from Barber coins to common clad has come out of there. And while finds have diminished over the years, it has always offered a restful place to detect when school is out. Until today.
I was working along some trashy sidewalks with my sniper coil, when I looked up at the sound of a car going by. This was at the back of the school, where interim classrooms are sited. It was an odd place for a car, so I was not really surprised to see it was a cop car prowling along. My next thought was that they had seen my truck parked nearby, under the trees.
“Uh oh,” I mumbled. “This can't be good.“
So I clicked off and went to talk to them. Better to go to them, than to have them come looking for me.
As I rounded the classroom building, a cop was standing next to my truck, looking around nervously - looking for me, no doubt. She had her walkie-talkie microphone in her hand and was speaking into it.
I hollered and waved, smiling broadly as I approached. "Looking for me?" I called.
At the sound of my voice the policewoman spun around and made a bee-line for me.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded. Few good encounters start out with that phrase.
So, I held up my detector and pointed out the obvious to her.
"Oh, well... you cant do that here!"'
"Why?" I asked.
"Only students and faculty can be on school property," she declared smugly. Without asking, she was certain I was neither.
It didn’t matter that both of my children graduated from that very high school. Nor was it known that I knew most of the teachers at one time, and many of the students, too. And I pay my taxes to keep the place in operation, like everyone else. It didn’t even matter that I had known this very policewoman personally, for years.
"Now Penny, you can see I’m not up to any harm, can’t you? How long have you known me?
What if I told you I returned a high school ring to its owner last year - a ring found on these very school grounds? This is my hobby.”
"Well, that’s nice of you Mr. H. But you can’t be here, doing that sort of thing. We’ve had break ins…"
So there it was, the "The Unassailable Break-in" excuse. I had been waiting for that. When all else fails, use the threat of security.
I mean, when has a school not faced the threat of break ins… and how can anyone muster a rally against that? I knew, then, that the jig was up.
About that time the second cop car arrived and stopped a little too abruptly, swirling up a big cloud of dust for effect.
The summoned back-up had arrived!
I felt kind of important actually, a middle aged detectorist that rated backup. The new cop jumped from the car and made straight for the other officer. The two of them talked quietly amongst themselves, never once speaking to me. I might have not been there for all the care they showed me.
Back Up Cop finally turned and said officiously, "You can't do that here; you can do it anywhere else you want, just not here."
"So that’s how it is, eh?" I retorted politely.
"Yes, sir, we’re just doing our jobs."
Again, how does a decent citizen argue with that untouchable statement?
Controlling authority figures have relied on it for compliance down through the ages for good reason.
I suppose it is a sign of the times. The sad thing is, it will be hard to drum up support for my high-school detecting case, when I mount my inevitable protest. See, most other people will blindly accept it, parroting the New Age line, "The cops are just looking out for the kids, you know."
So what am I, chopped liver? I also have a stake in protecting my neighborhood school and would turn in anyone I thought was suspicious.
In fact, once it was learned that I am a decent citizen with nothing up my sleeve but my arms, these authorities ought to say,
"Oh, you’re alright, Mr. H., and you know - it‘s good to see you.
By the way, if you see anything suspicious, please let us know. There have been break-ins, after all..."
But I'm dreaming, aren't I? Perhaps in another time, it might have happened that way.
Today, the Great Collective Mind kicks in, and slips on it’s smiling mask. Much frowning goes on behind that mask, however, over anything that smacks of independent activity. The New Agers can’t relate to you being alone within their realm of authority, pursuing some harmless activity.
Suspicion is their by-word, "We need to pass a law!" their motto.
Once it is known that you are within their sphere of influence, yet out of their direct control... on school grounds, no less... well, something must be done about that. It is just that simple, for them. We have rules, you know.
"Go somewhere else, sir,” they'll say. “And remember - you can’t do that here. Oh, and have a nice day.“
I was working along some trashy sidewalks with my sniper coil, when I looked up at the sound of a car going by. This was at the back of the school, where interim classrooms are sited. It was an odd place for a car, so I was not really surprised to see it was a cop car prowling along. My next thought was that they had seen my truck parked nearby, under the trees.
“Uh oh,” I mumbled. “This can't be good.“
So I clicked off and went to talk to them. Better to go to them, than to have them come looking for me.
As I rounded the classroom building, a cop was standing next to my truck, looking around nervously - looking for me, no doubt. She had her walkie-talkie microphone in her hand and was speaking into it.
I hollered and waved, smiling broadly as I approached. "Looking for me?" I called.
At the sound of my voice the policewoman spun around and made a bee-line for me.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded. Few good encounters start out with that phrase.
So, I held up my detector and pointed out the obvious to her.
"Oh, well... you cant do that here!"'
"Why?" I asked.
"Only students and faculty can be on school property," she declared smugly. Without asking, she was certain I was neither.
It didn’t matter that both of my children graduated from that very high school. Nor was it known that I knew most of the teachers at one time, and many of the students, too. And I pay my taxes to keep the place in operation, like everyone else. It didn’t even matter that I had known this very policewoman personally, for years.
"Now Penny, you can see I’m not up to any harm, can’t you? How long have you known me?
What if I told you I returned a high school ring to its owner last year - a ring found on these very school grounds? This is my hobby.”
"Well, that’s nice of you Mr. H. But you can’t be here, doing that sort of thing. We’ve had break ins…"
So there it was, the "The Unassailable Break-in" excuse. I had been waiting for that. When all else fails, use the threat of security.
I mean, when has a school not faced the threat of break ins… and how can anyone muster a rally against that? I knew, then, that the jig was up.
About that time the second cop car arrived and stopped a little too abruptly, swirling up a big cloud of dust for effect.
The summoned back-up had arrived!
I felt kind of important actually, a middle aged detectorist that rated backup. The new cop jumped from the car and made straight for the other officer. The two of them talked quietly amongst themselves, never once speaking to me. I might have not been there for all the care they showed me.
Back Up Cop finally turned and said officiously, "You can't do that here; you can do it anywhere else you want, just not here."
"So that’s how it is, eh?" I retorted politely.
"Yes, sir, we’re just doing our jobs."
Again, how does a decent citizen argue with that untouchable statement?
Controlling authority figures have relied on it for compliance down through the ages for good reason.
I suppose it is a sign of the times. The sad thing is, it will be hard to drum up support for my high-school detecting case, when I mount my inevitable protest. See, most other people will blindly accept it, parroting the New Age line, "The cops are just looking out for the kids, you know."
So what am I, chopped liver? I also have a stake in protecting my neighborhood school and would turn in anyone I thought was suspicious.
In fact, once it was learned that I am a decent citizen with nothing up my sleeve but my arms, these authorities ought to say,
"Oh, you’re alright, Mr. H., and you know - it‘s good to see you.
By the way, if you see anything suspicious, please let us know. There have been break-ins, after all..."
But I'm dreaming, aren't I? Perhaps in another time, it might have happened that way.
Today, the Great Collective Mind kicks in, and slips on it’s smiling mask. Much frowning goes on behind that mask, however, over anything that smacks of independent activity. The New Agers can’t relate to you being alone within their realm of authority, pursuing some harmless activity.
Suspicion is their by-word, "We need to pass a law!" their motto.
Once it is known that you are within their sphere of influence, yet out of their direct control... on school grounds, no less... well, something must be done about that. It is just that simple, for them. We have rules, you know.
"Go somewhere else, sir,” they'll say. “And remember - you can’t do that here. Oh, and have a nice day.“
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