Let me add my voice Paul, that IS a good letter. As the fellow admitted in his earlier reply, that was just a humourous column, maybe because he didn't have anything better to write that day. Maybe he'll take your letter, and craft a SERIOUS article on metrication.
Nat > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Pat Naughtin > Sent: Saturday, 2003 June 14 21.31 > To: U.S. Metric Association > Subject: [USMA:26090] Re: In for a penny, in for a ... > kilogram--your recent column > > > Dear Paul, > > Well done. > > I am convinced that thoughtful well considered letters like > yours have an effect on the progress of metrication. Even if > the only effect is to have the column writer pause for a > little thought before he attacks the metric system again. > > Cheers and best regards, > > Pat Naughtin LCAMS > Geelong, Australia > > on 2003-06-15 07.41, Paul Trusten, R.Ph. at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > Dear Mr. Lewis, > > > > I read with great interest your online column "In for a > penny, in for > > a...kilogram" (May 29, 2003), and have spent the interim > preparing my > > response. Since my parents did not raise me to speak and > write vulgar > > slang, I waited two weeks so I could calm down before writing this. > > > > Your article asks why the United States, after 28 years of > considering > > conversion to the metric system, is still "pounding and inching > > along". One of the primary reasons for this, I believe, is because > > people such as yourself have newspaper columns, and singlehandedly, > > are in a position to publish opinions and information as > prejudiced, > > as narrow, and as fractured as the material you put into the > > above-mentioned column. The prevalence of such dim views of > a subject > > make me yearn to have a newspaper column of my own so that > I could at > > least back up my widely disseminated opinions with facts. Does your > > paper have an opening for a new writer? > > > > I start by saying that I am an American, native born and > lifelong, who > > is proud of the United States and what it has done for its > people and > > for the people of the world. I wholeheartedly support > President Bush > > in his effort to protect the United States from terrorism. And > > accordingly, I condemn the French for their barbed > opposition to our > > efforts to eliminate a great threat from Iraq. But there is > one thing > > that I will always thank the French for, and that is their > invention > > of the metric system. > > > > > > You say that the metric system is "boring and sterile", and > "suitable > > only for mathematicians and other colorless folk". I've > never before > > heard someone compare units of measurement for their entertainment > > value, and I do not measure things to be entertained. I > measure things > > to accomplish some task, such as framing pictures, cutting > paper, or > > judging how much space I need for a carpet. Sometimes I > need to expand > > these measurements into larger units or reduce them to > smaller units. > > The American plan of measurement, using 12 inches to a > foot, etc., is > > so cumbersome and so silly compared to a decimal system > that I would > > equate it to being sterile of thought. I long to use a measurement > > system in which all the units are decimally related. That, this > > inch-weary American feels, would be a most exciting and > fertile change > > in our society. I yearn for what you call, almost with > approval, "the > > all-too-even 10". No, the "Way Of Measuring Badly in > America Today" > > (I use the acronym WOMBAT to describe our "system" of > measurement, which is > > unsystematic) is not, as you say, "just fine". It is bad > for the individual > > user, and, as you shall shortly read, bad for America. > > > > You were partially correct when you observed that the > United States is > > one of only three nations not officially using the metric system. > > However, the Congress declared in 1988 that the metric > system is the > > "preferred system of measurement for trade" in the United States. > > Congress has long known what the American people have been > reluctant > > to recognize: that being alone in the world with our > measurements is a > > major hindrance to our global competitiveness as a people, both in > > academics and in trade. American producers must produce one set of > > goods with US units for domestic sale and one set of goods > with metric > > units for export, and this has to be a major incumbrance to our > > economy. So, I must disagree with your statement that our > metrological > > kinship with Liberia and Myanmar is "a good thing". I think it is a > > very bad thing, since much of the world looks to the United > States for > > wisdom, not backwardness. > > > > Of all the provocative statements you made in your column, the one > > notion which irks me above all the others is your using that > > ignorance-perpetuating old ruse about metric units, making hard > > conversions of US units to metric and using them in a statement to > > show how supposedly cumbersome metric is, e.g., that Newville was > > 17.7028 kilometers from Carlisle. Please tell your readers > that, in a > > metric America, one will say that Newville is about 18 > kilometers from > > Carlisle, period. Once the US converts to metric, there will be no > > more frequent converting. There will only be metric units > being used. > > Please stop spreading that kind of prejudicial venom, which > I believe > > is a hindrance, not just to metric conversion, but to much of human > > progress. > > > > You may know that the United States was the first nation to > introduce > > decimal currency. Would you like to return to the "human > touch" of the > > old British system of (this may not be right) 20 pence to > the shilling > > and 12 shillings to the pound, the system discarded by the > British in > > 1971 in favor of our own decimal system? > > > > I'm not a mathematician, but I would not describe mathematicians as > > colorless folk. On the contrary, I sense that their craft > brought much > > color into the world, including the color pictures of all > types we now > > see from around the world on our web browsers. These people are > > actually the color of the world, and a few of them, a couple of > > hundred years ago in France, gave the world an easy and > convenient way > > of measuring things. Both as a patriotic American, and as > someone who > > just has to measure stuff from time to time, I want to join that > > world. But I can't join it if American columnists like you > persist in > > attempting to rob America of the measurement system it deserves. > > > > Please reconsider what you have written. > > > > > > Sincerely, > > > > > > Paul Trusten > > 3609 Caldera Boulevard, Apartment 122 > > Midland TX 79707-2872 USA > > 432-694-6208 > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > "There are two cardinal sins, from > > which all the others spring: impatience > > and laziness." > > ---Franz Kafka > > > > >
