Food for thought

[VBDave]

That's why I titled the thread "food for thought". Not trying to make a rule,and not tallying "thumbs ups". I'm simply stating my viewpoint from the position of someone who' s had the unique opportunity to witness many unsuspecting folks pay unfair consequences for conversations that they never thought would be made public. And the possibilities encompass far more than just an unlikely chance of prosecution, I agree those chances are slim. Our circumstance comes with the prexisting caveat that our actions and motives are routinely misunderstood by the public. Not recognizing that is naive, IMHO. Every individual here should decide for himself if the entertaimnent value of show and tell is worth the risk to the future of metal detecting. I didn't post to decide that for anyone. Only to provide food for informed decision making.

[mcscs]

Originally Posted by VBDave

The majority of us are middle age and older, and this whole computer thing is still new (and amazing)to us. It is nice to be able to live vicariously through another hunter's success when you can't get out yourself. But many of us really don't appreciate the power of the information that can be gleaned from the internet in the way that young professionals do. As a retired cop, I've seen my share of good natured internet banter used against innocent defendants, both criminally and administratively, by mean spirited humans who don't deserve their positions of authority. Young professionals. Cops, lawyers, judges, politicians, activists, scam artists. Cyber mining for information valuable to their pursuit is now second nature to all. There WILL come a time when forum information is used to prosecute one of us unfairly, or to close areas to hunting.

The internet is open for inspection by the general public. Our hobby is misunderstood by most and viewed as next to larceny by many. We can't even reach a general consensus amongst ourselves , as witnessed by the recent 10 page debate over the UVA honker. In that debate, there were even a few close brushes with offense and anger between some of us. We good naturedly call each other "pirates" and "looters" and put it in print for the world to see. WE know we're doing nothing legally or morally wrong. But we need to be cognizant of the fact that this is not a private conversation, and we have no control over who eavesdrops, nor how they use what we say against us.

Feel free to dismiss this line of reasoning as the musings of an old cop harboring a siege mentality. I promise I won't say I told you so.

Excellent post VBDave. The Internet is a powerful tool .the simple fact remains that if you conduct yourself within the law you'll have no problems .basically if you feel you are doing something questionable you probably are .

I'm uncomfortable quoting part of part of the post because it may be taking out of context but in this case


Bigpopa makes an excellent statement:
Bottom line is I don't hink we need to be paranoid about posting our finds..
If the item is so questionable as in an easily identifiable class ring, well then maybe that should be kept close to the vest..However if you think you shouldn't be posting a pic, then maybe you already know that you should be trying to find it's owner..It's all what we believe inside is our moral responsibility...




I joined forums for the information provided I see nothing wrong with sharing your finds with others.
And after the reaction I got from describing an area. I had to rethink my position on that.
Just to keep harmony amongst the different cliques on the forum I don't give details of conditions and area.
I don't agree with it I feel the more detail the better to help others. But I'm not here to argue.
Dave's post as many legitimate concerns. But again if you have nothing to hide there should be nothing to worry about.
As far as the reference to pirates I agree completely I have no desire to be portrayed as a murderer rapist thief or kidnapper. I fully realize anyone that uses this moniker has nothing in common with that description.
Pirates have been glorified as swashbuckling heroes or playful pranksters in movies and place.
I think it would take a warped individual to think of a metal detectorest. As anything remotely associated with a real pirate.
The Internet has opened a "whole wider than you can ever imagine in your privacy.

[OZARKS]

Prosecuted and convicted are two different things. Unless the person stole some precious treasures while commiting another crime....good luck with a conviction based on assumptions of an alias that are based on words on the internet that they may or may have not made.

You need more than a picture posted on the internet. There were tons of assumptions made in the casey anthony case, and if we learned anything from that , it is that you need more than an accusation to get a prosecution.

[dewcon]

goodmore i hear what you are saying about the count. When i was in the military i got a chuckle every time i saw some old SGM's i love me wall with all his awards and certificates. The point for me here was these finds are POSITIVE.... some of our posts dont reflect positively on our hobby and add to areas being restricted. Its amazing some of the finds being found without an at-a-boy from the general public. Some of the most valuable treasure like coins and relics are being found by US.... not people that are to lazy to get out and produce these finds.... but quickly want to grab up the site as being historically significant and keep us out. Even the government put most sites off limits and these relics will just rust away without people like us having an interest in history.

Dew

[oldbeechnut]

From A OldeBeazeers Point of View, just owning a computer with a hardrive connected to the internet will put anyone in jeopardy........

Will I stop posting, Nope ..enjoy it to much, Sharing, reading, learning and seeing finds posted..I Love it........The Pirate term, guess I'm a OldeBeazeer now..

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=64931

[Burbank Bob]

I get tired of looking at dirty clad too and bottlecaps and seldom post that anymore.

Still it makes me smile to see the new people post that because they are stoked about the hobby.

There ARE snakes in the grass lurking online tho.. I also don't post everything I find for that very reason.

No clad counts for me either, or ring counts. I just dump the container when it gets full and take whatever it rings up as.

[Burbank Bob]

Originally Posted by VBDave

That's why I titled the thread "food for thought". Not trying to make a rule,and not tallying "thumbs ups". I'm simply stating my viewpoint from the position of someone who' s had the unique opportunity to witness many unsuspecting folks pay unfair consequences for conversations that they never thought would be made public. And the possibilities encompass far more than just an unlikely chance of prosecution, I agree those chances are slim. Our circumstance comes with the prexisting caveat that our actions and motives are routinely misunderstood by the public. Not recognizing that is naive, IMHO. Every individual here should decide for himself if the entertaimnent value of show and tell is worth the risk to the future of metal detecting. I didn't post to decide that for anyone. Only to provide food for informed decision making.

I appreciate the time you took to look out for others. I'm ex Dallas PD.. had hair then...

[mcdoogal]

Ad-hear to the code of ethics, use common sense in your posts. In this PC (politically correct) environment that we now live, it would benefit the hobby if we curb our good natured references to "looting", pirates and the like. However, it is a free society and each of us may do as we choose. I also have a law enforcement background and know our honest and legal actions may be used against us civilly and may be used in criminal prosecutions. Admittedly the likely-hood is low for these actions. However, no one protects us better than ourselves. Each of us is the primary person responsible for our own safety, both physical and legal. Food for thought is a great title for this thread. Choose wisely & HH.

[foreverRich]

After having my Facebook page hacked and my credit information stolen, my posts on here are the least of my worries. But I understand where VBDAVE is coming from. There are those on the internet that make a living out of making it hard for the rest of us to enjoy life. It never hurts to use a little common sense when giving out information. I will continue to enjoy interaction on the forum as long as it exists. I will continue to be open minded about all opinions stated here. Thanks for providing us with this forum!!

[OZARKS]

Dave said:

"WE know we're doing nothing legally or morally wrong." "

That's all you need to know. If you have done nothing legally wrong then there is nothing to worry about. They can eaves drop and use it however they want to, but that still doesn't negate the fact that we are doing nothing wrong.

[Aquaman]

at heart sorry! Cost of detectors, time, gas money, car/detector maintenance...I'm in this for personal gain or at least break even, not to return what I find.
Now if someone approaches me and asks if I'll hunt for their ring, I consider it a challenge. I've yet to take someones money... I've returned 5 so far. A smile/hug is really all I need If your dumb enough to wear something really valuable in the water and I just happen to find it in the bottom of "my" scoop...hello ARA.
Anyone seen me post a find lately? Eventually you begin to feel the effect of kicking yourself in the head

[VBDave]

[QUOTE=
Anyone seen me post a find lately? Eventually you begin to feel the effect of kicking yourself in the head[/QUOTE]

My point, in a nutshell.

[joeb1999]

Way to try and put fear and paranoia in the forum. IMO...the post is off topic and could/should be moved. HH -Joe

Originally Posted by VBDave

The majority of us are middle age and older, and this whole computer thing is still new (and amazing)to us. It is nice to be able to live vicariously through another hunter's success when you can't get out yourself. But many of us really don't appreciate the power of the information that can be gleaned from the internet in the way that young professionals do. As a retired cop, I've seen my share of good natured internet banter used against innocent defendants, both criminally and administratively, by mean spirited humans who don't deserve their positions of authority. Young professionals. Cops, lawyers, judges, politicians, activists, scam artists. Cyber mining for information valuable to their pursuit is now second nature to all. There WILL come a time when forum information is used to prosecute one of us unfairly, or to close areas to hunting.

The internet is open for inspection by the general public. Our hobby is misunderstood by most and viewed as next to larceny by many. We can't even reach a general consensus amongst ourselves , as witnessed by the recent 10 page debate over the UVA honker. In that debate, there were even a few close brushes with offense and anger between some of us. We good naturedly call each other "pirates" and "looters" and put it in print for the world to see. WE know we're doing nothing legally or morally wrong. But we need to be cognizant of the fact that this is not a private conversation, and we have no control over who eavesdrops, nor how they use what we say against us.

Feel free to dismiss this line of reasoning as the musings of an old cop harboring a siege mentality. I promise I won't say I told you so.

[Cfmct]

Originally Posted by joeb1999

Way to try and put fear and paranoia in the forum. IMO...the post is off topic and could/should be moved. HH -Joe

Its a relevant post... people have different opinions so its all good

[dogpound]

does this mean the little pirate smilie() will be taken off the list

there's a good reason why i don't post all my finds......... i don't find any

[Schuetzen]

I guess I better not post a photo of the bottle caps I found today.

[chad27]

Oh come on. Nothing like high res bottle cap pics

[scoundrel]

Just for the record, every story about every find that I have posted on this forum has been purely fictional. And furthermore, every ring, necklace, watch, and bracelet that I have presented as a find, and posted a photo of, was actually bought by myself at estate sales, garage sales, and pawn shops.

[Kansas Dave]

So............ I guess that holding an annual event for members of the forum wouldn't be out of the questions as long as it's stated that the event is being held to Clean the park! Yes that's right, clean the park! Removal of as many pollutants as possible. Aluminum scrap, tin, iron, and a variety of other metals as well as plastic and litter. The way I see it, we are all doing our part in a small way to clean our parks and to promote lawn aeration which gives the soil room for expansion, this reduces stress on the roots and helps with the overall beauty of our public spaces.

[Patton]

I was in Law Enforcement also for many years as a reserve officer. I have read and re-read all the posts on this thread. One thing you notice is how passionate the posts are, and how much each person believes in what they are saying. I'm no judge as to whats right and whats wrong. We all have a right to say what we believe. I just know that Metal Detecting is a way for this middle aged diabetic to not have to take 5 shots a day and get out, exercise, and enjoy life a little bit. This site had proved to be an enormous help and I have to thank KansasDave for steering me to it. I simply want to sit back and enjoy all the stories on here. Some may be bogus but they sure are entertaining.
If a person fears prosecution for finding a particular treasure then guess what? Don't post it. That's a decision that individual has to make. Please keep posting your stories and finds everyone. I will go to my grave defending your right to do it.... if that's your choice.