12 Jul
2000
12 Jul
'00
2:16 p.m.
On Wed, 12 Jul 2000, Douglas Quebbeman wrote:
Uh.... a thing which is illegal in one state but legal
in another
cannot, by definition, be a federal crime. There are grey areas,
like the Mann Act, which deal with transporting minors across
state lines, but each state can define "minor" differently.
Looking back at what I wrote, I see that I wasn't clear in stating
what I meant to write. I didn't mean that it's against the law in
certain states, but that it's against the law to ship water hyacinths
to certain, or was it all - I forget - states, as they can grow
uncontrollably if they get into the wild. Anyone in Maryland want a
few? A few days ago, I had to pull a bunch out, but I'm sure there
will be plenty more extras in a couple of weeks or so. I'd ask those
in Virginia as well, but to even advertise them to someone in VA,
where they're illegal, would be breaking that law as well.
Hence, my reason for mentioning a bit of caution with some things
computer related as well, as one never knows what law one may be
breaking unintentionally, like the federal law about water hyacinths.
I didn't want to see any preservationists get in trouble for getting
caught doing something illegal, although basically harmless and the
right th ing to do, something which also happens to be beneficial to
society due to the preservation of history... but try explaining that
to a bureaucrat or politician (ok, same thing).
Hmmm... perhaps a pond-control system of some sort would be a good use
for one of my classic computers. :-)
--
R. D. Davis
rdd(a)perqlogic.com
http://www.perqlogic.com/rdd
410-744-4900