[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Monahans

Steven Schoner writes:
>Let's get real here.  "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" have nothing to 
>do with it.  

Hi Steven,

Sorry about taking so long in replying.
I had some difficulty in reading your message, as it didn't have
any carriage returns, and the entire message quickly scrolled off the
screen when I attempted to read it.  I had to save it to a file and then
hand edit it to read it.  Just thought you'd like to know.

>The fact is that it stands in the body of American Law that 
>meteorites belong to the person or entitity that owns the land upon which 
>the meteorite fell.  

Or more specifically, per the court ruling in the Old Woman meteorite case.

>If the landholder lays claim to the meteorite then the meteorite goes 
>to the landowner.  That is the way it is, and that is the "American Way".
>I can think of two cases where this was affirmed by the "Justice" system 
>and there are probably many more.  The first that comes to mind is the 
>Willamette Meteorite, and the second is the Old Woman meteorite.  
>In both cases the "Justice" system decided that the meteorite 
>belongs to the landowner.  

True.

>With the Willamette it was a private company, the Standard Iron Co., and 
>in the latter it was the Federall Gov. and or the State of California.  
>Though in both cases the finder laid claim to the meteorite, and even 
>though they had spent a great deal of time and money in the recovery, 
>the "Justice" courts ruled in favor or the landowner's claim.  And that 
>is the "truth" of the whole matter.  The finder has absolutely no claim 
>to meteorites unless: 1) it falls on their own land.; or 2) it hits them.; 
>or 3) the landowner relinquishes claim to said meteorite to the finder.  

Case #2 would be an interesting event.  With Monahans, it turned out to be
case #3.  

>So with the Mnahans meteorites-- they rightfully are the property of the
>City of Monahans.  That is the "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" of
>it.

I agree with you completely.  Fortunately, there were two pieces of
Monahans, and the city still retains the other fragment.

Ron Baalke