[meteorite-list] Warning to armchair fireball chasers

[MeteorHntr at aol.com]

Hello List,

I have just had some great  off list correspondence with Dave Ghessling 
over at FallingRocks.com.

He,  like a gentleman, expressed off list with me a concern that I had 
mistakenly  lumped the Georgia Fireball of this year in with the group of events 
that has  revealed some of the so called "armchair fireball chasers." 

I want to  state on the record that I was mistaken.  That it seems I was 
wrong, and  that the only offers made in Georgia were by people on the ground 
in Georgia and  not via others long distance.  And in no way did I intend to 
implicate him  personally in any wrong doing.

In fact, I want to go so far as to say  that I personally don't think there 
is anything wrong with people going public  with making purchase offers.  
Of course I don't think one should claim to  offer, for example, $10,000 for 
the first one pound rock, unless they are indeed  willing and able to follow 
through with such an offer.

I know different  people have different opinions on this topic.  I agree 
that those types of  public offers can create problems in the field, but not 
making those public  offers can also create problems (namely, fewer local 
people out  looking).

I personally don't currently make those kind of offers, but I  don't stand 
in judgement against people who do.

My whole intent of that  post was to just let people know, when they do 
talk to people, such as the  person who talked to Mike Hankey, long distance 
and over the phone, and asked  him not to share his information with anyone 
else... those kinds of things can  get repeated, and in the case of the 
Baltimore Sun, they can make the front page  news.

That's all.  My post wasn't in opposition to or in support of  chasing 
meteorites from home. 

I hope this clears this up.  My  apologies to Dave and to anyone else that 
might have taken my comment of the  Georgia event incorrectly.

I also want to thank Dave for being a stand up  guy and talking to me 
directly about this and not going behind my back and bad  mouthing me to others.  
And I want to thank Dave for taking this to me  personally first instead of 
taking the opportunity to post publicly something  that was so easily taken 
care of privately.  

I appreciate gentlemen  like him in this business who act as such.

Steve Arnold
of "Meteorite  Men"
(ha, what are you looking for this time Mike?)  

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