IrC
International Hazard
Posts: 2710
Registered: 7-3-2005
Location: Eureka
Member Is Offline
Mood: Discovering
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Misuse of laboratory materials
Authorities were called to aid a heart attack victim and saw her husband’s small home laboratory, which they deemed suspicious.
The “lab” was found to be a harmless art display. Unimpressed, the FBI, Joint Terrorism Task Force, and Homeland Security arrested the artist—as
he was entering the funeral home to make his wife’s final arrangements. When they couldn’t make terrorism charges stick, they changed their theory
of the “crime” and indicted the artist for his alleged misuse of laboratory materials to create the display.
Does anyone know of this case or any details about it? Seems there is just no room for the amateur anymore if they can come up with "misuse of
laboratory materials" as a viable charge under homeland security today. What are they calling misuse and how would one find out? Near as I can guess,
the artist may have had lab glassware hooked up in some kind of science looking work of art since it was an artists display. There were no chemicals
or reactions going on. Don't know about the rest of you but this and other stories I have been reading lately are starting to worry me. The story
above is from a recent book about the insane increase in new laws titled "One Nation Under Arrest" by Ed Meese.
"Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" Richard Feynman
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Rogeryermaw
National Hazard
Posts: 656
Registered: 18-8-2010
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Mood: No Mood
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i am getting pretty sick of all this bullshit. if there were really any legal issue against home chemistry then the govt. needs to come the fuck on
and just outlaw it. period. if every experimenter is going to be scrutinized then the federales should just pull the plug and be upfront about it: "we
are scared to death of people who think for themselves and we want you to stop it. do your nine to five, go home, and sit in front of the television
drooling on yourself while images of reality t.v. dribble in through your eye holes. scientific pursuits are forbidden." at least that way there will
be no questions or legal ambiguity. basically, shit or get off the pot.
sounds to me like they pulled a bogus charge out of their asses to avoid looking like douche bags when they couldn't make the first one stick.
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Polverone
Now celebrating 21 years of madness
Posts: 3186
Registered: 19-5-2002
Location: The Sunny Pacific Northwest
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Mood: Waiting for spring
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I think this is the story of Steve Kurtz. Justice finally prevailed! You too can have your name cleared after only 4 years of legal wrangling with vengeful idiots.
Well, you can have your name cleared so easily if you are a professor with professional contacts and support. A hobbyist with no institutional
affiliation would probably have to plea-bargain or be financially destroyed fighting the charges.
PGP Key and corresponding e-mail address
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Rogeryermaw
National Hazard
Posts: 656
Registered: 18-8-2010
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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thank you for the link polverone. it is nice for him to have such a support group but for those actually pursuing chemistry, it still is a troublesome
issue. the banner at the bottom states that the government should cease prosecution against artists and makes no mention that amateur chemistry is a
valid pursuit. that this man had lab equipment used for an artistic purpose gained him the support of the art community, but, as you say, those of us
who actually use our glassware, would likely be up shit creek with no motor, paddle or even a prayer.
of course, his biological experiments would also be viewed under a very harsh light so it is quite fortunate that he had the support system he did,
but i doubt he had some of the questionable chemicals many members here possess. that detail alone would land many of us in far worse trouble.
[Edited on 14-7-2011 by Rogeryermaw]
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Mailinmypocket
International Hazard
Posts: 1351
Registered: 12-5-2011
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Quote: Originally posted by Rogeryermaw  | i am getting pretty sick of all this bullshit. if there were really any legal issue against home chemistry then the govt. needs to come the fuck on
and just outlaw it. period. if every experimenter is going to be scrutinized then the federales should just pull the plug and be upfront about it: "we
are scared to death of people who think for themselves and we want you to stop it. do your nine to five, go home, and sit in front of the television
drooling on yourself while images of reality t.v. dribble in through your eye holes. scientific pursuits are forbidden." at least that way there will
be no questions or legal ambiguity. basically, shit or get off the pot.
sounds to me like they pulled a bogus charge out of their asses to avoid looking like douche bags when they couldn't make the first one stick.
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Well said, It seems like in the USA (maybe other countries, Im in Canada so I wouldnt really know) that as long as they can fit handcuffs around your
wrists, then they surely can come up with some obscure excuse to throw you into their privitized prison systems and ruin your life. Ridiculous.
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Fleaker
International Hazard
Posts: 1252
Registered: 19-6-2005
Member Is Offline
Mood: nucleophilic
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This is horrifying. Where is the intent to harm anyone or inflict any sort of terror? The man was trying to educate people and he gets the attention
of someone entirely over-zealous. I hope the prosecutor and those involved are held to account for misuse of the taxpayers' dollars.
I guess membership here is grounds for a case?
Neither flask nor beaker.
"Kid, you don't even know just what you don't know. "
--The Dark Lord Sauron
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vulture
Forum Gatekeeper
Posts: 3330
Registered: 25-5-2002
Location: France
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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One more reason to take the solid advice dispensed here earlier: never talk to law enforcement. And if you do, the only words you should utter are "I
want a lawyer".
One shouldn't accept or resort to the mutilation of science to appease the mentally impaired.
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AndersHoveland
Hazard to Other Members, due to repeated speculation and posting of untested highly dangerous procedures!
Posts: 1986
Registered: 2-3-2011
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Society fears what it has trouble understanding. I fear home chemists will need to organize something similar to the Nation Rifle Association in the
USA to protect their rights from excessive government encroachment.
And I find it disgusting that law enforcement officers want to convict people, whether or not the "suspects" are obviously innocent.
[Edited on 16-7-2011 by AndersHoveland]
I'm not saying let's go kill all the stupid people...I'm just saying lets remove all the warning labels and let the problem sort itself out.
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not_important
International Hazard
Posts: 3873
Registered: 21-7-2006
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Part of continued effort to press this case may have been due to the purpose of the display - warning of the spreading use of GMOs. Opposing that
leads to anxiety and anger on the part of the big players in the GMO field, meaning a number of large corporations of which many are based in the USA.
As those large corporations are major contributors to political campaigns, and now can legally run ads promoting candidates and proposed legislation,
they have much influence with lawmakers and bureaucrats (LEAs and the military count as bureaucracies). The result is that it's usually better to
bring in as many cases as you can, especially those you can pump up to look much more important, than to exercise judgment and reasonable doubt.
Judges have been the counter to this, but that may be changing with the political shifts in the USA and some other countries, with newer judges being
of a more conservative/corporatist inclination.
| Quote: Originally posted by AndersHoveland | ...
And I find it disgusting that law enforcement officers want to convict people, whether or not the "suspects" are obviously innocent..]
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This has long been true, effectiveness of LEAs being evaluated on the number of convictions resulting from their actions. It became worse during the
War On Some Drugs after LEAs were allowed to confiscate and sell property (in the broad legal sense) that could be construed to have been used in the
creation or distribution of illegal substance, or purchased with monies from the sale of same.
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