[meteorite-list] -2 arrested update (Dude-- Where's My Car edition)

From: MeteorHntr at aol.com <MeteorHntr_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 2009 17:20:46 EDT
Message-ID: <c0d.4e07afe8.3706862e_at_aol.com>

List,

I haven't talked with either Sonny or Mike yet, but some of this story
smells a little fishy.

Not that you can believe anything you see or read in the media, as stories
seldom get confirmation before deadlines have to be reached, and stories tend
to get sensationalized for sales and ratings purposes. After all, the first
story just gave the teaser info and for only $28 more you can read the rest
of the story on the paper's website.

One thing that sticks out in the second story, was that it was reported that
Honorable Judge Jerry M. Daniel told the guys to each pay their $2,000 fine
then told them "to get out of dodge.? Now, if he actually said that, isn't
that a bit strange? I mean, after child molesters pay their debt to society,
even they still get to move back into their old communities. Does a judge
actually have authority to ban people from an entire county from the bench?

Does this imply that meteorite hunters are worse than child molesters?

It was mentioned that there often is a "good ole boys" network that
supercedes the rule of law in many places. I would never imply that this might be
the case here, but it makes one wonder.

Of course, I can understand someone not wanting people on their property.
And that is why it is always good to get permission to hunt, and if that
permission is in writing, all the better.

I had an "Aha" experience when I was driving with a fellow meteorite hunter
at West a couple of weeks ago as we drove up on a land owner and I stopped,
got out and introduced myself, and asked for permission to hunt on his ground.
 The man said quite plainly "No." So I asked him "Why not?" And he could
not (or would not) give me a reason. We talked a little more, when I asked
him if he was planning to look himself, and he said he was too busy to do it
himself. Again, I asked him why I couldn't look.

He did not say "I don't want you spooking my cattle." Or "I don't want the
liability if you get hurt." Or "I don't want you making money off of
something that I would just as soon let rust away."

He didn't offer a good reason or even a bad reason for that matter.

When it was obvious I wasn't going to get permission, I excused myself and
went back to the car to go find another land owner down the road to ask. When
I got in the car, my friend asked me: "You know why he doesn't want to let
you hunt don't you?" I said "No, why?" He stated matter of factly: "He
didn't want you to find his Marijuana Patch."

Aha!!!

Of course I don't know if that was the real case, but if it was, it made a
lot of sense, and it would explain why he couldn't give me a logical reason on
why he didn't want me on his ground. If he had a $500,000 cash crop growing
out there, only bad could come out of someone wondering around his land.

I am not saying that Sonny and Mike almost stumbled onto a secret garden in
Georgia, or that the judge and other law enforcement personnel might have
been partners in some "Southern Mafia" where they would want ALL meteorite
hunters to stay out of the ENTIRE county and away from their retirement fund.

I am just saying something seems a little fishy with this story. I am sure
we will never know the full story.

Steve Arnold
Arkansas (some day soon I hope I can drop the "Arkansas" tag for good)


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Received on Thu 02 Apr 2009 05:20:46 PM PDT