Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site pur-phy.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!CS-Mordred!Pucc-H:pur-phy!clt
From: clt@pur-phy.UUCP (Talmadge)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.flame
Subject: Re: Well, Reagan was RIGHT!!
Message-ID: <1648@pur-phy.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 22-Feb-85 18:36:28 EST
Article-I.D.: pur-phy.1648
Posted: Fri Feb 22 18:36:28 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 26-Feb-85 08:12:58 EST
References: <643@decwrl.UUCP> <541@fisher.UUCP>
Reply-To: clt@pur-phy.UUCP (Talmadge)
Organization: Purdue Univ. Physics Dept., IN
Lines: 39
Keywords: Grenada, Serial numbers, Death.
Xref: watmath net.politics:7792 net.flame:8516
Summary: The universe is crocked.


>> It has now been confirmed.  The serial numbers of weapons taken from
>> the communist forces in El Salvador match those from weapons lists 
>> found in warehouses in Grenada!!!

>I, for one, am skeptical about a claim that the Soviet Union inscribes
>its assault rifles with serial numbers.  Perhaps someone could
>enlighten me; what earthly purpose would such a system serve (except
>to drive up a defense contract, which is not as high a priority in the
>USSR as it is in the US)?

I find it fascinating that anyone could doubt the utility of serial
numbers, *especially* on weapons, and *especially* in a totalitarian
system such as the Soviet Union.  Pray tell what you do if a defect
is discovered in a particular factory lot of AK-74's two weeks after
the weapons have been distributed to the field?  Under your system of no
serial numbers, the soldiers would have to live (bad choice of words)
with a potentially defective weapon, or the goverment would have to go
about testing each recently issued weapon for, say, undue stress in a
particular element of the firing mechanism.  With factory lot numbers, or
even better, individual serial numbers, you can quickly isolate defective
products.  Other advantages of serial numbers include the tracing of
stolen property (and yes, even a utopian government such as the Soviet
Union has crime problems!), tracing the abuse of fire arms, etc...

This isn't to say I'm not skeptical about the original article.  Maybe
Ken Arndt (I'm not trying to impugn on his character, just skeptical)
could post his source of information.

Carrick Talmadge.

UUCP:  {decvax,ucbvax,harpo,allegra,inuxc,seismo,teklabs}!pur-ee!Physics:clt
INTERNET:       clt @ pur-phy.UUCP

Notes:	AK-74 is a trademark of the Soviet Union.

Hello?  Is this the Treasury Department?  Yes, I'd like to report a
stolen thermonuclear device in the 20 megaton range, model G-20000A,
serial number...