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Re: Believe it or not!

In a message dated 11/2/99 6:32:50 AM Central Standard Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com 
writes:

<< I do share your concerns with amateurs trying this, but these guys are
 not amateurs. The risk is more likely from some kid watching the show
 then trying to duplicate the stunt. A few fried kids nationwide, and the
 Safety Nazi's will move in to "help" regulate the hobby...<<<<<<
 
 -- Bert -- >>
>>He is not a public accident yet...  I would hardly call him irresponsible.
We should all try to be as responsible and careful as we can be.  However,
there are always those that will not follow as safe practice as we may
like.  There is little we or the politicians can do about that...  It is
rather sad that the three people who have been killed in Tesla coil related
accidents, passed with hardly a note in the public eye.<<

All,

I posted on this subject back when the child became entangled in the coil
wiring. As a certifiable gun nut I have picked up on the notion that a strong 
spirit of libertarianism (that's a small L) must also run with those of us 
who like to play with HV electricity, utility pole transformers and 
high-energy capacitors. 

I have been active in the Second Amendment fight against the Safety Nazi's 
and the
forces of the nanny state for over twenty years. From a few of the postings 
on this subject, I get the feeling that too many coilers do not realize the 
danger we are in.
And the danger need not lie in our own doings. The holy moley throwing 
ligtning bolts to his god could be shutdown with one "expose" on 20/20. The 
spill-over could
easily take our toys away.Snake worshipers are now regularly shutdown by the 
state police. The survivors of an accident victim can very well bring suit 
against the person who sold "the lethal equipment" to the "innocent and 
unsuspecting victim" who is now very dead. Arguments about freedom of choice, 
responsibility, statistical safety records, and efforts towards reasonable 
compromise are worthless against these people. They have their own agenda. 
Laws can be passed banning the transfer of such products as NST's, OBITS and 
even magnet wire in quantities large enuff for coil winding. The Tesla hobby 
is gone if city or county law requires that all electrical equipment more 
dangerous than vinyl tape be sold only to licensed electricians producing a 
county or city-issued building or repair permit. Has anyone tried lately to 
buy supplies for their home chemistry lab?

The point about copy-cat kids trying to duplicate Tesla experiments is very 
well
made. Experienced coilers should be very firm and directly responsive to all 
postings by obviously unsophisticated teenagers and even older newbies who 
seem headed for trouble.

Without a Tesla Coil Amendment and a National Tesla Association, one stupid
accident is all it would take. In this climate of nanny state empire building 
and the safety gestapo, self-policing may be our only recourse; paranoia is 
not all that bad.
  
Cheers regardless,
Ralph Zekelman

Subj:    RE: Believe it or not!
Date:   11/4/99 5:28:05 PM Central Standard Time
From:   tesla-at-pupman-dot-com (Tesla List)
To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com

Original Poster: "Mad Mike" <mglass-at-netusa1-dot-net> 

All
Someone please educate me. How would someone getting killed demonstrating a
Tesla coil in public for whatever purpose (as tragic as it would be) kill
the hobby? Some new law perhaps? Operating a Tesla coil outside of a Faraday
shield already breaks several FCC regulations and most of us probably do
that that every day anyway. Accidents are so few and far between and there
are so few people doing this type of demonstration in public I just can't
see a public outcry for a ban on Tesla coils. Of course I suppose as ban
happy as our government seems to be, there will come a
time in the land of the free where anything fun/dangerous/misunderstood will
not be tolerated. Hmmm! maybe I just answered my own question.


 >
> Public accidents will kill your hobby and my profession.
> This type of public irresponsibility will subject Tesla coils
> to negative Federal and State scrutiny. I know this. Trust
> me. I will be revisiting this subject soon. Stay tuned.
>
> Jeff W. Parisse
> Director, kVA Effects
> www.teslacoil-dot-com