H. 3777 Geocaching
H. 3777 Geocaching
The subcommittee will meet on Tuesday, May 31 at 10 AM in Room 207 in the Gressette Building in Columbia. According to Senate rules, subcommittees are the only venue in which the public is allowed to participate. I encourage all Geocachers to attend this meeting if possible.
Recently, I have discussed the hobby of Geocaching with several friends and constituents. In the near future, I plan on taking up the activity with my wife, three children and of course our dog, Cookie.
Our society is desperate for any incentive to get us away from our TV sets and video games. Geocaching is a new activity that encourages families to obtain much needed exercise and renews our enjoyment for God’s creation. Geocachers are folks that enjoy the outdoors, our beautiful parks, and significant sites of history. Geocachers use a Global Positioning System, or GPS to find these sites by the use of coordinates instead of maps. There is a program called CITO (Cache In, Trash Out). CITO is responsible for tons of litter picked up by Geocachers each year. Geocaching is part of school and scouting lesson plans all over the country. Corporations, such as 20th Century Fox, Jeep and Magellan, have sponsored contests based solely on the hobby.
The problem is that the hobby has a few “bad apples” that are determined to outlaw this creative hobby. Our committee has viewed pictures of individuals performing disrespectful acts specifically on gravesites however the positive benefits of Geocaching by far outweigh the negative impacts.
H. 3777 as written is much too broad and will have far reaching negative effects. I would compare this legislation to the outlawing of baseball because of a few broken windows. For these reasons, I will not support this bill, unless it is amended with reasonable limitations.
July 5th, 2005 at 7:25 pm
I echo Ms. King’s statements above. Many of the photos that have been distributed in connection with H3777 have been taken out of context, mis-represented, or are non-issues. Several photos that have been shown to me as “evidence” of disrespect have actually been innocent photos of something else. One photo shows “trinkets” on a headstone. Actually, the “headstone” is a historical marker on the College of Charleston campus at the end of a tight alleyway where there is plenty of foot traffic. Other photos are similar markers and not gravesites or headstones. While there are pictures of folks touching or leaning against headstones, I again echo Ms. King in these are no different than a miriad of other photos taken by an everyday tourist. As for the allegations of other disrespectful acts, all have been shown to be innocent statements taken out of context or completely unfounded. We are family-friendly group pursuing a harmless pastime. We welcome anyone to join our ranks. May 30 8:10:57 AM
Published by: Ken Jones (CoyoteRed)
July 5th, 2005 at 7:25 pm
I echo Ms. King’s statements above. Many of the photos that have been distributed in connection with H3777 have been taken out of context, mis-represented, or are non-issues. Several photos that have been shown to me as “evidence” of disrespect have actually been innocent photos of something else. One photo shows “trinkets” on a headstone. Actually, the “headstone” is a historical marker on the College of Charleston campus at the end of a tight alleyway where there is plenty of foot traffic. Other photos are similar markers and not gravesites or headstones. While there are pictures of folks touching or leaning against headstones, I again echo Ms. King in these are no different than a miriad of other photos taken by an everyday tourist. As for the allegations of other disrespectful acts, all have been shown to be innocent statements taken out of context or completely unfounded. We are family-friendly group pursuing a harmless pastime. We welcome anyone to join our ranks. May 30 8:10:57 AM
Published by: Ken Jones (CoyoteRed)
July 5th, 2005 at 7:26 pm
“Our committee has viewed pictures of individuals performing disrespectful acts specifically on gravesites” Unfortunately, your committee has been misinformed. The “evidence” you were shown was erroneous. Cache logs were taken out of context, bending the truth about the actions taken by geocachers. The photos you saw are innocuous; they’re no different than any photos that a local tourist would take. However, when viewed along with the “doctored” cache logs, an uninformed person might be convinced that cachers possess no reverence for grave sites and cemeteries. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Geocachers have adopted the CITO (Cache In, Trash Out) creed, doing their part to make the areas in which we cache more enjoyable for everyone…not just cachers. There is NO evidence of disrespect of or damage to grave sites caused by geocachers. May 30 7:37:21 AM
Published by: Tee King (aka Pyewacket)
July 5th, 2005 at 7:26 pm
“Our committee has viewed pictures of individuals performing disrespectful acts specifically on gravesites” Unfortunately, your committee has been misinformed. The “evidence” you were shown was erroneous. Cache logs were taken out of context, bending the truth about the actions taken by geocachers. The photos you saw are innocuous; they’re no different than any photos that a local tourist would take. However, when viewed along with the “doctored” cache logs, an uninformed person might be convinced that cachers possess no reverence for grave sites and cemeteries. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Geocachers have adopted the CITO (Cache In, Trash Out) creed, doing their part to make the areas in which we cache more enjoyable for everyone…not just cachers. There is NO evidence of disrespect of or damage to grave sites caused by geocachers. May 30 7:37:21 AM
Published by: Tee King (aka Pyewacket)