The Morning After

Yesterday, I received a telephone call from Peter Tompa, attorney for the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild, informing me that the District Court in Baltimore had ruled in favor of the defense and dismissed the ACCG lawsuit challenging import restrictions on ancient coins from Cyprus and China.  It was of course a disappointing turn of events and severely tested my confidence in the system of government that would lead us to this conclusion.  But, this morning the sun came up and I went about my morning chores as usual.  The intolerable heat of recent weeks had abated, the birds were singing and the "butterfly bush" in our front yard was like Penn Station at rush hour.  Oh, and the Ancient Coin Collecting hobby was still in place.

This decision in effect gives the State Department free rein over import restrictions.  But, what's new?  DOS has had free rein for the past five or six years and has absolutely no qualms about exercising their own will regardless of the intentions of Congress or the guidance of law.  Import restrictions on ancient coins are a fact of life, but they have not ended life in the collecting world.  They are, to be sure, unfair and unproductive.  But then, what about government these days isn't?

My own interest in the past will certainly not abate because a judge in Maryland thinks the government is beyond reproach.   In fact, I really doubt that my life will change measurably as a result of this decision.  It is a sad day, but there's much work to be done and little time to reflect on what might have or should have been.