Subject: RE: [BoundaryPoint] Re: American State Boundaries<br/>
Date: May 08, 2003 @ 17:17<br/>
Author: Flynn, Kevin (&quot;Flynn, Kevin&quot; &lt;flynnk@...&gt;)<br/>
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<div id="ygrps-yiv-581693432">Would I agree? Obviously not. You can argue and theorize about the need to<br/>
measure around molecules, but the real world doesn&#39;t operate that way. We<br/>
can and do measure natural boundaries. Obviously, it is ridiculous for<br/>
someone to claim a 10-mile river is equal in length to the Nile. Anyone who<br/>
will tell us that it is impossible to measure a riverbank&#39;s length will not<br/>
be taken seriously in the real world.<br/>
<br/>
I didn&#39;t say it&#39;s always an easy task -- following all the bends and bows of<br/>
the Red River at OK-TX is a difficult chore -- but the legal boundary can be<br/>
measured and is measured in human scale. It&#39;s fun to argue about measuring<br/>
around a molecule, but c&#39;mon. Don&#39;t get lost in the theory so much that<br/>
you&#39;re immobilized in the real world.<br/>
<br/>
Re: Ellis Island. I believe that a measurement was indeed made of the<br/>
boundary. The question you ask was why? Because it is there, I suppose. Same<br/>
question might apply to numerous point-to-point boundaries. Why measure if<br/>
you&#39;re only going from point A to point B? They just do it as part of the<br/>
establishment of the line.<br/>
<br/>
-----Original Message-----<br/>
From: Brian J. Butler [mailto:<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="mailto:bjbutler@...">bjbutler@...</a>]<br/>
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2003 4:30 AM<br/>
To: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="mailto:BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com">BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com</a><br/>
Subject: Re: [BoundaryPoint] Re: American State Boundaries<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<blockquote><span title="qreply"> On Thursday 08 May 2003 02:07 am, you wrote:<br/>
I seriously doubt that anyone has attempted to measure the length of the <br/>
Ellis Island boundary.  Why would they?  Estimating and marking its position<br/>
<br/>
has value but determining its length is purely academic.<br/>
<br/>
Your analogy to the &quot;angels on a pin&quot; argument made me realize that your <br/>
devotion to the &quot;definite length theory for fractal boundaries&quot; is a matter <br/>
of faith for you, and is therefore impervious to logic.  Would you agree?<br/>
<br/>
&gt; Please let&#39;s not have the &quot;how many angels can dance on the head of htis<br/>
&gt; pin&quot; discussion again. We can and do measure natural borders, and we don&#39;t<br/>
&gt; need an electron microscope to do it. They did measure around the presumed<br/>
&gt; 1934 low water line on Ellis Island and there is a length to it. It is<br/>
&gt; really silly to say that a river that courses, e.g., 10 miles must be<br/>
&gt; regarded as infinite in shorelineand equal to the Nile.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
 <br/>
<br/>
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