The drama of #Swordgate has unfolded amidst yet another attempt by J. Hutton Pulitzer to re-brand himself. Since the initial Boston Standard story of December 16, 2015, the person who formerly self-identified as "TreasureForce Commander" has been billed as a "historic investigator" and a "historian." A little while before the story, he changed the name of his primary website from TreasureBusiness.org to HistoryHeretic.org. The designation of Pulitzer as a "historian" has been uncritically repeated in numerous online articles.
In one way, none of that matters. The thing I like best about Swordgate (and one of the reasons why it's important) is that it is a discussion based on actual piece of physical evidence: the sword. When you have physical evidence to examine and evaluate, the source of an idea or a claim becomes less important. That's why Pulitzer's identification of the sword as a "100 percent confirmed" Roman artifact is key. Although I haven't been able to examine the Nova Scotia sword firsthand (and perhaps I will never be permitted to do that), we have been able to develop a lot of information relevant to understanding what it might mean. In my opinion, all signs point to the Nova Scotia being a 19th century creation. That's the simplest, most plausible, and certainly most testable hypothesis I can see at this point. The test of the sword becomes an effective test of the credibility of both Pulitzer and the Ancient Artifact Preservation Society.
In one way, none of that matters. The thing I like best about Swordgate (and one of the reasons why it's important) is that it is a discussion based on actual piece of physical evidence: the sword. When you have physical evidence to examine and evaluate, the source of an idea or a claim becomes less important. That's why Pulitzer's identification of the sword as a "100 percent confirmed" Roman artifact is key. Although I haven't been able to examine the Nova Scotia sword firsthand (and perhaps I will never be permitted to do that), we have been able to develop a lot of information relevant to understanding what it might mean. In my opinion, all signs point to the Nova Scotia being a 19th century creation. That's the simplest, most plausible, and certainly most testable hypothesis I can see at this point. The test of the sword becomes an effective test of the credibility of both Pulitzer and the Ancient Artifact Preservation Society.
But in another way, it does matter. Pulitzer's re-branding effort is, I think, an important part of a strategy to maximize the reach of the "Roman sword" story. The internet media have been largely asleep at the wheel on this one, basically simply repeating the baloney they've been handed (maybe Pulitzer provided them with his new technology for producing web content). I've seen a lot of reader comments on the copy-paste stories asking "who is this guy?" After a while, you'd think some actual journalist out there would write a story addressing that question ahead of time. Maybe that will still happen - who knows.
Anyway, for your entertainment here are a few links to videos that help to flesh out the "Treasure Force Commander" identity that Pulitzer now seems to be trying to leave in the rear-view mirror. I don't know the whole backstory (and I don't really care that much, as it isn't strictly relevant to determining whether the sword is a Roman artifact or not), but these videos appear to have been produced in an effort to market a "Treasure Force" reality show in which the "Commander" would don his paramilitary explorer costume and lead his nicknamed and body-armored troops out in search of gold treasure. Enjoy!
Anyway, for your entertainment here are a few links to videos that help to flesh out the "Treasure Force Commander" identity that Pulitzer now seems to be trying to leave in the rear-view mirror. I don't know the whole backstory (and I don't really care that much, as it isn't strictly relevant to determining whether the sword is a Roman artifact or not), but these videos appear to have been produced in an effort to market a "Treasure Force" reality show in which the "Commander" would don his paramilitary explorer costume and lead his nicknamed and body-armored troops out in search of gold treasure. Enjoy!
This one introduces us to the Treasure Force, which Pulitzer bills as the "the best" . . . "professional treasure hunting" team. If you can only stomach a bit of the video, I recommend starting at about the 4:00 minute mark, where you can see Pulitzer decked out in his beret and fatigues explaining to us that he purchased his A-Team van from the CIA. They have night vision, so the gold can't escape under the cover of darkness, I suppose. Make sure you stay tuned until at least 4:52, where you will see Pulitzer seated in the secret Treasure Van in some kind of "uniform" that has at least eight different insignia on it (I'd post a picture, but he'd probably just threaten to sue me). The resolution of the video isn't great, so I'm not sure, but if I squinch my eyes up I think one of the patches is a merit badge for plagiarism.
This "sizzle reel" video shows Pulitzer holding court in his super Treasure Fort war room. They're all wearing dog tags.
Finally, this video features Pulitzer dispensing sage advice on what kinds of fruit cups and juice boxes you should take with you on your treasure hunting expeditions. It had one "thumbs up" and two "thumbs down" when I viewed it. I didn't watch the whole thing, but I tried to give it another "thumbs up" anyway, because of it's anti-littering message. Google wanted to me login, though, and I couldn't remember my password. Sorry, Commander!
Super Terrific TreasureForce Secret Update (1/9/2016): If you scroll down far enough into the YouTube search results for "TreasureForce," you'll unlock the super secret Power Rangers Treasure Force video! It's like the Commander says: treasure hunting is 98% research!
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