I know some of you have read the rather heated discussions about the archeological police force here in texas known as the THC. Well this morning the governor announced he plans to eliminate it altogether. Now that it might actually happen I have mixed feelings. I just wanted them to chill and be more progressive and open minded. Not go away. We still need someone to protect and upkeep historic sites. Also no archeology happens in texas without the thc so clearly they will have to rewrite a lot of codes. Hopefully not for the worse....
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Texas Historical Commission
- Thread starter Bell
- Start date
You're right: there's a "mixed bag" in these purist archie public dept's. As much as md'rs love to hate the purist archaeological community, and the over-protective rules they bring to our public land (can't even pick up a seashell, if you want to get technical, etc...), however: If you've ever gone to Mexico, and seen the utter ruin on beautiful old churches, historic sites, etc... you come to appreciate the protectionism we have up here. Only in some bigger tourist cities down there (Mexico city at the basillica, perhaps the pyramaids, etc...) do they have any sort of protection and enforcement. But out in the smaller towns and backcountry, people just dynamite out walls, and dig nilly-willy and no one cares or protects them. People just dump trash next to old walls and such that ....... up here ...... would have been turned into historic monuments. So when you try to detect down at the ruins down there, they're just plumb full of trash, dozed over, in rubble, etc.... Kind of makes a person appreciate our network of preserved historic sites up here 
But on the other hand, while we can all agree to save the alamo, Bodie, ghettysburg, etc... yet ...... the unfortunate thing is, these same rules get applied to all land, even when no one really cares (beaches, turfed parks that aren't necessarily historic, blah blah blah).
I'll bet that even if budget cuts did away with well-staffed well-policed archie depts, it wouldn't spell the end to preserved archaeological monuments, beauty, etc.... Just an end to busy-bodies nosing around.
We're sort of looking at the same thing here in CA: the newspapers had some articles of how our state parks are cutting back, and will no longer have resident caretakers at a few remote ones, eliminate ranger positions, etc..... And a part of me looks at the list of cuts, and smells some detecting sites now
But on the other hand, while we can all agree to save the alamo, Bodie, ghettysburg, etc... yet ...... the unfortunate thing is, these same rules get applied to all land, even when no one really cares (beaches, turfed parks that aren't necessarily historic, blah blah blah).
I'll bet that even if budget cuts did away with well-staffed well-policed archie depts, it wouldn't spell the end to preserved archaeological monuments, beauty, etc.... Just an end to busy-bodies nosing around.
We're sort of looking at the same thing here in CA: the newspapers had some articles of how our state parks are cutting back, and will no longer have resident caretakers at a few remote ones, eliminate ranger positions, etc..... And a part of me looks at the list of cuts, and smells some detecting sites now
[size=large]Bell / Tom, i see agreement on the need for limited protection from both of you. and i too agree with that. the Archies as well as greedy grave robbers
have been responcible for too tight of laws. get lax and the greedy turn this country into mexico. we already see the greedy archie effects. as usual our gov't agency take a very long time to find the good middle ground. it would seem registering at fed lands would not hurt. not banning but knowing who was digging or searching might keep the trashing the place in check. what ever the case we know balance is needed to protect everyones rights and the historic places also.
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have been responcible for too tight of laws. get lax and the greedy turn this country into mexico. we already see the greedy archie effects. as usual our gov't agency take a very long time to find the good middle ground. it would seem registering at fed lands would not hurt. not banning but knowing who was digging or searching might keep the trashing the place in check. what ever the case we know balance is needed to protect everyones rights and the historic places also.
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I know from first hand knowledge that some of these THC guys are avid collectors themselves. Thank goodness we still have private property rights in Texas. We are kinda funny about gov tellin us what we can and can`t do on privayte property. I say to heck with the THC. Good riddance ! They came snoopin around me wanting to see my arrowhead and artifact collection back in the 80`s, all of which were obtained by personal hunting and digging, and by legal means. they wanted to know some of the sites, which my brother and I showed them on a map. They were friendly enough and not threatening in any way, but I still did not trust em.