Ownership of antiquities: We are looking at the fundamental right to ownership of personal property in Anguilla , and the exceptions recognised by the Anguilla Constitution. The fourth exception to our fundamental right is a little more obscure. It says that a law which makes provision for taking away property that is being removed from Anguilla in contravention of the law is legal.
So, if a law says that if you attempt to remove one of the old cannon from Anguilla , it can be confiscated, that would be a constitutional confiscation. If we find an old Amerindian carving in the sand at Rendezvous Bay , and we try to take it out of Anguilla , and the law says that is illegal and the carving can be confiscated, that would not be an unconstitutional confiscation of our property. It is an attempted removal from Anguilla in contravention of our law. The law which makes provision for taking away property that is being removed from Anguilla is provided for. Sorry!
Honestly, Don, why bother with a blog about antiquities and the law? Based on the state of Anguilla's priceless archives, no one gives a damn. At least when antiquities are stolen and sold on the black market, they end up in the hands of collectors who truly appreciate and care for them. Albeit, under a cloak of secrecy.
ReplyDeleteIn view of this article from the Barbados Free Press:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/279vvs8
I have to agree with the first poster. The article begins:
Hubert Hughes Of Anguilla Says “To Hell With History. I Could Have Saved The Cotton Gin But I Don’t Care, So I Threw It In The Garbage”
One Hundred-Year-Old Machinery Had A Bale Of Cotton Stuck In It For Sixty Years
Hubert Hughes - Stupid, Uncaring or Both?
And then just three weeks ago, our lunatic CM spoke about the Heritage Trail which marks ten historic places, including The Factory.
"He stressed that young people needed to have a deeper knowledge of the heritage sites and the role they had played, and continue to play, in the historical, social, economic and cultural development of Anguilla."
http://www.anguillian.com/article/articleview/8387/1/140/
There was a time--in the early '80's--that Hubert talked about making a museum around the old cotton gin. I remember having that conversation with him and encouraging it, since I was really "into" learning all I could about Anguilla's history. But, then he got serious about getting into government... Money and power trump history all the time.
ReplyDeleteTo hell with history. It's quite the same here in the U.S. for some. Just ask the Seminoles. They currently bring in well over a billion dollars a year from gambling operations. You think they really care about their ancestors at this point? You think they give a shit about Chief Osceola? Hell no. An Escalade in every driveway, a politician in every pocket. - Scotty
ReplyDeleteScotty tells a fact of society’s desire to get something for "free". But it is not free; they pay for it with their self-esteem and worthless ambitions. Depending on how much a "pure-breed" Indian you are in the USA the gov pays you, each $800 month and less of you are less “pure”. So you are encouraged to have 10 kids and raise them like rats in a trailer on the reservation. Then you can live the American dream and drive a Hummer or Escalade. The rest of USA is paying for them to be lazy and a drag on society. They have no more ambition or desire to carry their own water, they are like tics just sucking the blood out of their host and getting fat.
ReplyDeleteSo it’s becoming for Anguilla, everyone wants the services - no one is willing to cut back and the politicians just keep pandering for your vote. Get involved! Don’t talk about it – be about it. Otherwise just look to the sky open your mouth and wait for your politician to drop something in it for you.