| Contrary to the Hobbesian prediction of | | | | is aggravated by a spreading notion in |
| anarchy (freedom) and brutish or unproductive | | | | Western society that all opinions should be |
| results in the event that elites (often | | | | given equal weight and are valid until proven |
| termed 'beneficent paternalism') aren't | | | | wrong. In this Post-Modern democratization of |
| fostered: we find lots of evidence that team | | | | ideas, utter speculation by the uninformed |
| play and open organizational structure | | | | ranks alongside the reasoned hypotheses of |
| actually creates more civilized and | | | | scholars and other experts in the |
| productive governance. Lincoln Electric in | | | | field."(9)The Midwest Archaeology Conference |
| Cleveland is a well-documented example of how | | | | held at the Radisson in St. Paul, Minnesota |
| sharing the wealth and responsibility builds | | | | in the November before this article was |
| communication and profit. A Brazilian city | | | | printed found a completely different and more |
| named Porto Allegro that opened itself to | | | | complete investigational answer. They had |
| citizen involvement and socialist ideals is | | | | only one 'debunker' dissenter who thought |
| flourishing as corruption wanes. It was | | | | Wiseman might be right. The historian with |
| predicted they would fail financially but | | | | the records from the royal court of Norway. |
| more than a decade of good results has been | | | | The top linguist who showed the flaws in |
| the outcome. Singapore reduces government as | | | | earlier scholarship. No one alive at the time |
| a percentage of GDP and is fully modernized. | | | | this stone was discovered could have known |
| Instead of 'expertise' being the solution, it | | | | what information was held within the syntax |
| might well be these technocrats in | | | | and vernacular usages of the time it actually |
| bureaucracies are the problem.Archaeology | | | | was written or inscribed. It was shortly |
| Magazine has a frequent contributor named | | | | thereafter that scholars saw these things yet |
| Professor Wiseman who comes under our | | | | it has been a hundred years and many books |
| critical gaze for all his fine 'expertise'. | | | | have been written. Three questionable |
| He truly has struck a sore spot in our view | | | | witnesses have said their father or |
| of what is real about the Runestone at | | | | grandfather forged the stone. I guess you |
| Kensington. Most importantly he did his duty | | | | could liken them to jailhouse confessions but |
| just after he was proven wrong in a | | | | why did they need three different |
| conference of 'experts' from many of his own | | | | 'confessors' when only one did it in each |
| colleagues as well as other disciplines. It | | | | case? The chemical engineer and all the other |
| was February, 2001 when we read his 'Camelot | | | | archaeologists present at this meeting were |
| in Kentucky' attack on the most speculative | | | | engaged in "utter speculation by the |
| of all articles that hit the newsstands in | | | | uninformed ranks" according to Prof. Wiseman |
| early 2001, about Europeans in America or | | | | and Archaeology Magazine.There are people |
| Diffusionist History. Shortly thereafter this | | | | today engaged in ridiculing Farley Mowat |
| organ of the gods of archaeology had a piece | | | | because he is showing how the Scots of St. |
| on the natural landforms of the desert that | | | | Albans came here before the Norse (if there |
| became the Sphinx and Pyramids. No credit due | | | | is any difference between Pictish Scots and |
| to man and science in ancient times is | | | | Gothic Norse) who settled L'Anse-aux-Meadows. |
| allowed, it seems. In fact all of us are mere | | | | You would think these people would know when |
| 'post-modern speculative' trash as he would | | | | they are beat, but the BIG LIE affects a |
| have it. We hit the ceiling and laughed | | | | large percentage of people who never really |
| simultaneously. Let's allow his own words to | | | | evaluate the facts. Mowat was a key factor in |
| prove our point (again)."Perhaps unwittingly, | | | | the battle to get the Norse point of view |
| Stengel follows in the footsteps of the | | | | across in his book Westviking. One such |
| hyper-diffusionists, raising old hoaxes | | | | ridiculer or paid hatchetman said Mowat has |
| exposed long ago. He brings up once again the | | | | no experience in the north of the Canadian |
| Kensington, Minnesota, Rune Stone with its | | | | Arctic. My oldest brother's first wife's |
| account of Scandinavian visitors in 1392, | | | | father was a missionary in the Arctic before |
| which over the past century has been | | | | becoming a Chartered Accountant. He lived |
| repeatedly rejected as a forgery by scholars, | | | | with Farley for two years there. Farley came |
| most recently by Stephen Williams, a curator | | | | to our lake and visited, but I never met him. |
| emeritus of Harvard's Peabody Museum, in his | | | | Let me assure you the experts often have no |
| book Fantastic Archaeology...Refutation of | | | | integrity. Their example is part of the |
| baseless speculation {That is YOU, if you are | | | | reason why our kids lie and cheat (on tests |
| thinking!} and repeated resurrection of | | | | in American schools, Reader's Digest said 78% |
| previously exposed frauds and forgeries is a | | | | ADMIT cheating.) or grow up to be lawyers and |
| seemingly endless task. So it seems to the | | | | politicians.Author of Diverse Druids |
| teachers who must explain year after year to | | | | |
| new groups of students that reports of Celtic | | | | Columnist for The ES Press Magazine |
| inscriptions in the Precolumbian Midwest or | | | | |
| Phoenicians in Brazil are false. The problem | | | | Guest 'expert' at World-Mysteries. |