CCA SIGNAL EDITORIAL - READ!!

[Steve Harrison]

At 09:46 AM 1999-10-03 -0400, Michael Crestohl wrote:
>However
>for reasons unknown in the past couple of years the government in its'
>infinite wisdom has decided it is better to "demilitarize" all radio
>equipment lest it fall into the hands of enemies and terrorists.

Not just the "last couple of years", it seems to have begun in 1994, and as
I heard it, was a policy first established by Clinton's State Department
toadies, which was then adopted by other govmint agencies. And yes, the
rationale was to keep the equipment out of the hands of "terrorists".
Weird, considering the sheer size, weight and power requirements of much of
this US surplus stuff versus what you can buy over-the-counter both here
and overseas using today's technologies.

In late 1994 while I was still living in Virginia, a guy who worked at
various US embassies as a radio tech came home to the WDC area for awhile.
We met via packet and he stopped by one day, wanting advice on building a
4CX1500A amp using some parts he'd gotten. He got the parts from some
warehouse where, he said, they'd just received a huge shipment of HF radios
and amplifiers from various US embassies. The stuff was shipped to the
warehouse(s) where it was being systematically crushed by bulldozers. He
heard about it and managed to scrouge a few things here and there such as a
few 4CX1500As; he got tube sockets by taking a large pair of dikes with him
and cutting them out of the aluminum chassis around the air holes; I've
still got one of the sockets complete with the cut-out chassis air hole. He
was only able to get a little bit now and then.

So it's not just Tobyhanna; and he told me it was the State Department's
new policy to destroy all "obsolete" equipment that came back from our
embassies.

I'd like to see someone sue the govmint for destroying taxpayer property.
The govmint sues taxpayers for destroying govmint property; why not turn
the shoe around?

As far as Leahy is concerned; New England is full of politicos in the
Senate and House who are no friends of radio amateurs, much less taxpayers.
Have a look at the latest list of co-sponsors of the House bill promoting
replacement of reallocated amateur bands; not one co-sponsor from
Massachusetts and only two each from Maine and Connecticut the last time I
looked. Disgusting, intransigent people, worse even than ambulance chaser
lawyers; I'd hate to get stuck in an elevator with one; they remind me of
Ed McMahon.

73, Steve K0XP

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