Thanks for the copy of the letter...but I must say just how much I dislike the term WOMBAT. I still find it amazing we are trying to promote an international standard, and we can't even agree to come up with a good name for the measurement competition. heh. B At 13:56 2001-05-12 -0400, Norman Werling wrote: >Copy for USMA list members. > >Norm > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Norman Werling" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "Representative Cynthia McKinney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Senator Max >Cleland" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sent: 2001May12 13:41 >Subject: International System of Units (SI, metric) > > >> Dear Senator Max Cleland, Senator Zell Miller and Congresswoman Cynthia >> McKinney, >> >> I will be mailing you each a copy of this email which is being processed >> through my Outlook Express system. I repeat my dismay that you all refuse >> to reply to emails which are not sent to your web sites or which have not >> been sent via US mail. Any automatic acknowledgments do not count if your >> or your staffs' reply is not addressed to the subject matter. >> >> Obviously you can tell that I am an advocate of the United States fully >> utilizing the International System of Units (SI-metric). The present >> hodgepodge of archaic units referred to as US Customary or US Standard >> is_not_the equal or a valid substitute for SI. I prefer to call US >> Customary WOMBAT (Way Of Measuring Badly in America Today). >> >> I repeat myself when I say it is amusing or even laughable that Congress >> yielded to highway contractors' pressure to revert to "English" units when >> the British are changing to SI-metric. The British must do so if they >want >> to be part of the European Union. I admit that there is reactionary >> (conservative) led backlash against SI-metric and even Britain's >membership >> in the EU, but the tide is for SI-metric and for the EU and against the >> reactionary backlash. >> >> Remember, SI-metric is not just Europe, it is Japan and all of Asia, it is >> all of Africa, it is Latin America, it is the rest of the English speaking >> world, it is the entire world outside of the US. >> >> India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Jamaica are all nations of >> British heritage who have completed or are nearly complete in converting >to >> SI-metric. >> >> I feel that it is US government and industrial interests which are >impeding >> Canada's completion of their conversion to SI-metric. >> >> Certainly all three of you know that the entire world has been replacing >> their individual archaic measurement units with SI-metric. Not all >nations >> used to use the British Imperial units. The U.S. (so-called) Customary >> differed in volume from the British Imperial. Many other nations changed >> from their own non-metric systems which may have been similar to the >British >> Imperial but were not the same. >> >> Look back in time when everyone in the world used "sun" time before the >> advent of Standard Time. Do you not see the similarities? >> >> Are you not thankful that the US Congress adopted decimal currency in the >> late 1700's? Britain did not dump 4 farthings to a pence, 12 pence to a >> shilling, and 20 shillings to a pound sterling until 1971. The same kind >of >> people in Britain who opposed that action are the kinds who oppose using >> SI-metric now. >> >> You all may think that there is American opposition to switching to >> SI-metric, but I believe that there is more apathy than opposition among >> Americans. My 45 year old daughter, when confronted by my Celsius >> thermometer on my back fence said, "I am ready to change but we (meaning >> Americans) all need to change at the same time and just have it over >with." >> >> Congress often must take the lead when something is worthwhile and >> necessary. Look at legislation concerning civil rights, industrial >safety, >> and the environment and you must agree that voluntary approaches have >> serious flaws. If my company wants to do the "right thing", but other >> companies are not required to do the "right thing", my company is placed >at >> a competitive disadvantage. >> >> There is an American business organization called TABD, which stands for >> TransAtlantic Business Dialogue. That group succeeded in pressuring the >> European Union into a ten-year extension to 2009 before the EU will >require >> only SI-metric measures to the exclusion of Imperial or WOMBAT, the >> so-called US Customary. I do not trust TABD because they promised to take >> steps in the next ten years toward bringing the US into compliance with >SI, >> but they and their kind promised the same thing in 1979 and 1989. >> >> Now we are confronted with the possibility of an expanded western >hemisphere >> trading zone. I would be totally dismayed, disappointed, and downright >> angry if American companies were to overwhelm all of the other nations of >> our hemisphere with America's antiquated non-decimal measures to the >> exclusion of the modern already adopted SI metric measures. I emphasize >> right here and now that applying decimals to the use of inches, feet, >yards, >> miles, ounces, pounds, fluid ounces, pints, quarts, and gallons is_not_ >a >> solution. At some point you must still convert with factors of 12, 3, >5280, >> 16,16, 8, 2, or 4 in order to relate one or the other to the other. >> >> With SI-metric, for distance move the decimal point to convert from >> kilometer to hectometer to decameter to meter to decimeter to centimeter >to >> millimeter. For volume, move the decimal point to convert from kiloliter >> to hectoliter to dekaliter to liter to deciliter to centiliter to >> milliliter. For mass (weight), move the decimal point to convert from >> kilogram to hectogram to decagram to gram to decigram to centigram to >> milligram. >> >> I was age 39 in 1975 when Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act. I >> decided to give SI-metric a chance and readily found that it is mush >easier >> and looked foreword to the US joining the rest of the world. Congress >took >> a few steps forward but then has taken many more serious steps back. >> >> Also do not forget that the inch, the foot, the yard, and the statute mile >> all owe the definition of their very existence to their relationship to >the >> meter. Let's just use the meter! >> >> I cannot see how it is in the best long term interests of the US to not >join >> with the rest of the world in fully using SI. Do you think that American >> business should have the power to force other nations, large or small, to >be >> inundated with archaic WOMBAT (Way Of Measuring Badly in America Today) >> units when their laws all provide for goods measured in the International >> System of Units (SI)? We keep saying through government and business that >> we will change to SI, but our actions belie our words. >> >> Looking forward to your replies via email and/or US mail, >> >> Norman V. Werling >> 1240 Hunters Drive >> Stone Mountain, GA 30083-2545 >> 404-292-9328 >> >> >> > >
