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!)