As reported by the UK Daily Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ ), June 16, a couple living in the town of Sarnia, Ontario, while digging post-holes in their back yard, dug up a human skeleton.
Naturally, they called the police. The police had a look-see and decided the skeleton was that of an aboriginal woman who died some 400 years ago.
Imagine the homeowners’ horrified surprise when they were informed that they would now have to pay $5,000 to hire an archeologist to study the site. Wham! Five thousand smackers up the spout–not to mention endless paperwork, and endless wandering inside the bureaucratic labyrinth. They’re probably lucky the skeleton didn’t belong to a more recent murder victim. They will also be deprived of the use of their property until the archeologist is satisfied he’s learned everything he possibly can from the site, which could take years.
And what do we learn from this cautionary tale?
Simply that, these days, the government is your enemy, and will twist and turn any event imaginable into an excuse to take your money. They will never pass up an opportunity to harass and torment you.
So, if you’re digging your garden or putting in a swimming pool, and you should be unlucky enough to unearth a human skeleton–well, now you know what not to do.