Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
Coins From the Nuestra Senora de las MercedesThe edited photo is from the following linked CBS story.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-502927_162-57385741/spain-rejects-peruvian-claim-to-shipwreck-treasure/
As you might know, coins like these recovered by Odyssey Marine from what appears to be the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes in 2007 have just arrived in Spain. You might think that is too bad for Odyssey. Truth is, it is too bad for each and every citizen that values freedom. It is just one more sign of Big Government's growing appetite.
I am no conspiracy theorist. I don't belong to any political interest group, but I can't help noticing the growing expanse of government at the expense of individual liberty and freedom.
At nearly the same time that those coins were arriving in Spain, Florida Senate Bill 868, Archaeological Sites and Specimens, sponsored by Senator Alan Hays (R-Umatilla), passed unanimously in the Government Oversight and Accountability Senate Committee and is now waiting to be heard in the Budget Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, Economic Development.
I have not personally studied the Bill sufficiently to give details with a high degree of confidence, but I have received numerous emails (Thanks to many including especially John R.) about the new Florida Bill. Heated discussion of this Bill is currently taking place in the treasure hunting community.
We all need to be informed. Here is a link that will help you learn more about that Bill.
http://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=florida+state+bill+868&s_it=tb50-ie-aolmail-ab-en-us
I encourage you to look into the subject and how it will affect you and treasure hunters everywhere.
I hesitate to get into politics here, but considering the hot topics these days I can't totally avoid it.
Here are a few comments about the Odyssey Marine decision.
Some of the discussions of the decision that I've seen have made it about America versus Spain. In my opinion that is a mistake. It appears to me that the real issue is about freedom and Big Government. Citizens of both countries will lose freedoms in the long run.
America and Spain agreed. The governments agreed. Odyssey Marine lost. It was an issue of government versus private concerns - not America versus Spain.
That misdirection appears to me to be something like how class warfare is used by those in government to divide the rich and poor so that the ruling class can feed off of the productive and satisfy the poor with a few benefits, while both the rich and poor lose freedoms and government expands.
The point I want to leave you with is that you need to be informed and active in local and state as well as federal government. I highly recommend that you become familiar with the legislation that will affect you and your interests and contact your representatives. It might be a good project for detecting clubs to organize efforts to contact their Florida State representatives. Make your feelings known before it is too late.
Off my soap box now.
A wallet that a man lost 35 years ago was recently found and returned.
Here is the link to that story.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/27/gean-brown-jr-gets-wallet_n_1304089.html?1330362178&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D138822
That story made me think of some of the rewards that I've received after returning lost items. But I was most surprised when I returned valuable items and no gratitude at all was shown - not even a thank you. I could never understand that. Of course there is the other side too. Sometimes just seeing how happy people are to have their item again is reward enough.
Anyhow, I'd like to hear stories of how people responded when you returned an item - either way. I'll do a poll on that someday. Didn't want to start it now because I have another poll planned.
Treasure Coast Beach Detecting Conditions and Forecast.
The seas have decreased on the Treasure Coast and will continue to decrease until around Saturday. After that there will be a slight increase again.
The swells are hitting pretty much from the east.
I wouldn't expect any improvement until after this weekend.
I'm downgrading my Treasure Coast Beach Conditions Rating to a 1(poor) again.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
