Outlawing Discovery

I have had this in my bookmark list for a long time, and read it again today. Basically, it's the government crackdown at the behest of sheeple and the mollycoddling politicians of this country to stymie home science in the name of public safety.

Before you nod and say "rightfully so" note that most great discoverers, entrepreneurs, and thinkers all experimented to some extent while being children. Do we really want to strangle our innovative potential? Look at what that potential made a reality for you...

To quote the article:

“To criminalize the necessary materials of discovery is one of the worst things you can do in a free society,” says Shawn Carlson, a 1999 MacArthur fellow and founder of the Society for Amateur Scientists. “The Mr. Coffee machine that every Texas legislator has near his desk has three violations of the law built into it: a filter funnel, a Pyrex beaker, and a heating element. The laws against meth should be the deterrent to making it – not criminalizing activities that train young people to appreciate science.”


The Wired Article

Sciencemadness.org (very interesting reading!)

Blackwater and the Reality of War

As I am sure everyone has heard by now, Blackwater is in the midst of a scandal because of the shooting of "unarmed civilians" in Nisoor Square. Pundits fell all over themselves to leap to conclusions, and as is normally the case, the first casualty is the truth, and the second is critical thinking.

I am sorry that people died. I am sorry for them and their families. But I won't let emotions cloud my judgment.

It's funny how quickly simple-stupid police work that even the press can do gets forgotten in the name of a political agenda.

So, let's review the facts, based on pictures in the news and what the reports have in common:

• People died from bullet wounds at Nisoor Square
• Blackwater vehicles have bullet holes in them

Now, the Iraqis state that all killed were civilians, and perhaps a cop or two. What is the problem with this?

• An insurgent becomes a civilian when his AK is taken away
• Nobody has pictures of where the bodies fell - are there shell casings there? What caliber were they?
• What caliber bullets killed the civilians?
  
• Were any of the bodies tested for powder residue?

I doubt points two and three, above. Once again, the press should be ashamed of themselves.

To make this clear: Insurgents tend to use AK rifles, using either 7.62x39mm or 5.45x39mm ammunition. Incidentally the majority of this stuff is in a steel laquered case of a greenish color.

Blackwater is one of the few PMCs in Iraq that equips their people with AR or M-16 type rifles. These fire 5.56x45mm cartridges, almost all of which leave brass casings. Shiny, easy to tell.

The wound ballistics between the three calibers are well documented, and could certainly be determined by a skilled coroner, with the rudimentary investigation being quite cheap.

To back Blackwater's statement that IED was involved, there are some questions that bear asking as well:

• Why shoot when there is an explosion? It goes boom. If you're still there, drive away, or wait for the army or your response team to secure the scene. Your choice.
• There has been, to date, no clear sequence of events. Now, this may be the fault of the press, but I'll call all of it conjecture until the BBC, Fox, and CNN agree.

Nobody is asking the obvious questions here, and this is sad indeed.

Should wrong have been done, then fine, charge the people involved. Immunity by administrator's order is a bit much, I agree.

EDIT: I read today's story on the Washington Post, about the victims that to them, clearly were innocent. Yes, it's very sad and heart-wrenching. What about the others?