It's interesting to see that Rick St. Hilaire's "Cultural Heritage Lawyer" blog is taking a stance against the Obama Administration's ivory ban because U.S. Customs may be targeting police bands with the confiscation of their instruments, such as bagpipes, that contain ivory.
Perhaps St. Hilaire, a former New Hampshire prosecutor who has been thoroughly hostile to the numismatic community's efforts against government overreach in the courts and in Congress, will rethink his views. Or, is government overreach only a problem when it hits home?
Very well stated. There are myriad tentacles to bureaucratic overreach and it's easy to ignore those that do not impact us directly. The problem is not isolated and it is heartwarming to see a dedicated advocate for bureaucratic control tasting the effects first hand.
ReplyDeleteThe Wildlife Conservation Society, which I am a member of, is calling for the closing of ALL ivory markets.
ReplyDeleteI joined the WCS so I could get into all the NYC city zoos. I don't actually have or want any ivory, but I'm dubious of this approach to saving elephants.
"But the unilateral administrative ban on the transfer of ivory, promulgated by the White House in February, remains an immoderate response that serves only to build public dissatisfaction since the ban covers more than just illegal modern-day ivory."
ReplyDeleteImmoderateness is in the eye of the beholder, as any collector of ancients will gladly point out to Mr. St. Hilaire.