"Reasonable People"

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With regard to a recent ACCG action and the response, Doug Rocks MacQueen now reckons:

the ACCG has been quite reasonable after I explained that their first press release regarding the AIA and Open Access misrepresented Open Access Archaeology and confused the issue with importing coins. They have re-written a new press release that should be out sometime this week. I am very happy with their response to the whole issue [...]. I look forward to our conversations about the antiquities trade.

Wonderful, he even adds: "and the majority of collectors I have been in contact with have been very nice people". I am sure they are, all sweet and cuddly. That does not make the damage that artefact hunting and collecting does to the archaeological record any the less or any the more acceptable. And of course, there are those of us who assert from closer acquaintance with it, that the ACCG, despite the name, is not really a collectors' organization at all.

I really think Mr Rocks-MacQueen has got the wrong end of the stick saying that the  ACCG "confused the issue with importing coins" when it is clear that in the original press release the lobby group was talking about archaeologists making information available and the issue of coin imports was only mentioned in the final paragraph explaining who the ACCG is and what they do. Anyway, in their revised press release ('very happy with their response") they do not say who they are, just say they are on the same side as the "Open Access Archaeoilogy" group. that's nice. Now we all look forward to a good old open access discussion about the no-questions-asked antiquities trade. Over to you Doug...