Posted on 02/23/2009 4:38:30 PM PST by Joiseydude
WASHINGTON – A land management bill that swept through the U.S. Senate last month and is headed for a House vote this week punishes rock collectors and paleontologists with arrest and expropriation of their cars and other equipment for even unknowingly disturbing fossils on public land, say critics.
In the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, a "forfeiture" provision would let the government confiscate "all vehicles and equipment of any person" who digs up or removes a rock or a bone from federal land that meets the bill's broad definition of "paleontological resource," says a report by Jon Berlau of the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
Clear violation of the 4th Amendment brought to you by the war on drugs.
What about illegals coming in over the border? Are they exempt?
Glad this wasn’t around in 2007!
The Fed own too much land. The want us concentrated in cities where they can control and tax us better.
It’s always been unlawful to take rocks from government lands but confiscating your vehicle is taking things too far.
So where did you steal rocks from?
Nothing new really. When I was in the upper penninsula last July we had to be carefull about collecting agates on the beaches. Between state and federal lands you really have to be carefull. It’s been that way for years.
I could see someone walking out with a rock stuck in their shoe tread...
hmmm..could that now extend to any private property owned/mortgaged with the soon to be nationalized banks?
You bet your arse! I love collecting rocks and fossils! This is ridiculous!
“for even unknowingly disturbing fossils”
I always get a kick out of this . . . the average slob has to KNOW ALL THE LAWS THAT ARE PASSED, but a common, two-bit criminal has to have his rights read to him (ala Miranda) because he might NOT KNOW THE LAW, and will be freed if he wasn’t informed of his rights (that he didn’t know).
What am I missing?
Well...uh...I .....Never! But I did take a #1 and #2 on government land.
These rules have been around for a while. Sounds like they are increasing penalties.
My wife and I were at Fort Jefferson National Monument at the Dry Tortugas, a group of islands 70 miles west of Key West by boat. We were boarded by National Marine Sanctuary personnel who wanted to snoop around the boat some, checked fish for size limits and then came across a bucket of dead shells we had gathered beachcombing, they really flipped out when they saw we had some small pieces of dead coral that we found on the beach.
Got ticketed, fined, wasted half a day dealing with 5 different Federal agencies.
A nightmare.
13 seconds
“Beware politicians writing law in a hurry.”
Drop the last three words and it be more accurate.
Yep, rural cleansing.
Welcome to the New Direction Amerika, comrades!
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