Forwarding my own message (which I inadvertently sent to one member instead of to the whole list). > > The analogy of counterfeit money is interesting but not valid. > > Using old, unapproved units of measure is not the same thing as using > counterfeit money. Instead, it is similar to using German marks (or other > non-US currency) in the US. > > If you sell me something in the US that you bought in Germany for 50 DM > (Deutsch marks) and I happen to have 50 marks in Germany currency in my > house (I sometimes DO!), there is nothing illegal about my paying you in > marks, if you are willing to accept them. The payment is not made in the > standard currency but it is a fair and valid transaction anyway. > > What IS like counterfeiting is the use of the word pound (or kilogram) to > describe the amount of something you're selling when that amount is less > than the pound as it is commonly know. > > If you sold me something in the US claiming it contained a pound of the > material I want (or a kilogram, for that matter), but without telling me, > you had used a "pound" that contained only 10 ounces instead of the usual > 16, THAT would be analogous to counterfeiting. It would be illegal because > your "pound" is not equal to the amount that the law says it should be. > > (To be as worthless as counterfeit money, your "pound" would need > to contain > ZERO ounces, but that's carrying the analogy to an unreasonable extreme.) > > Regards, > Bill Hooper > > ============ > Keep It Simple! > Make It Metric! > ============ > >
