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From: giles@ucf-cs.UUCP (Bruce Giles)
Newsgroups: net.ham-radio
Subject: Re: TV detective/contraband typewriters/UNIX 2meter net?
Message-ID: <1153@ucf-cs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 13-Jan-84 20:14:51 EST
Article-I.D.: ucf-cs.1153
Posted: Fri Jan 13 20:14:51 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Jan-84 00:18:14 EST
References: <340@rdin.UUCP>
Organization: University of Central Florida
Lines: 39

I remember coming across an article (I think in *Newsweek*) shortly 
after the imposition of martial law in Poland that Poland required samples
of a typewriter's output (i.e. aAbBcCdD...) be submitted to the state
police, that all typewriters be registered with the state police, and
that the penalty for an unregistered typewriter was something pretty
extreme, like 10-20 years at hard labor.  This article was consistent
with several other things I had come across earlier, primarily with
regard to the Soviet Union, but references elude me.  In most of the
rest of the world, of course, the question is somewhat academic as 
there is effectively no one who has the resources to obtain a typewriter,
the knowledge to use it (I'm ducking now on that one, I can see comments
coming already), and the desire to oppose the government.  (I.e. bite
the hand that feeds them).

Perhaps they are not contraband in the sense that possession is illegal,
period; but I have the distinct impression that they are definitely
`controlled substances' in every socialist, authoritarian, or [whatever
the other type is] country.

Food for thought:  I was looking through the Code of Federal Regulations
a while back and it appears that the government has the authority to 
confiscate every ham radio in the country if it wants to.  It was some-
where near the front of the section on the Amateur Radio Service, and
I may have just misread it, but you may want to check it out.  After all,
in a very real sense there is no difference between confiscating
typewriters because they can be used to criticize the government and
confiscating ham radios because they are an uncontrolled communications
resource.


Bruce Giles
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		Dept of Math, POB 26000
		Orlando Fl 32816
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