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Where is this David Lang getting this stuff from?

Read about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioprospecting
There have been numerous lawsuits on behalf of natives peoples to invalidate patents based on local plants and local knowledge.
The West has a long history of appropriating plants and knowledge from countries, which is why TFA talks about the permits required for foreigners to do science in Mexico.

Just the other day I was listening to an interview of an artist that had published a well received book on avian anatomy.

Not all science is created equal.
There aren't that many laws surrounding the study of avian anatomy, compared to chemistry or the atomic sciences.
Most stuff a hobbyist ca not buy and, of the things a hobbyist can buy, a lot of them will put you on the FBI's radar.
Hobbyist science ain't what it used to be and neither is the scope of the law.

Fists can be deadly too. Although it may not be intended, all physical violence is potentially deadly. http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/A-punch-to-the-face-leaves-man-dead-another-behind-bars-214146481.html is just one example. It's reasonable to fear for your life when someone is beating the crap out of you, even if most people survive such beatings.

So you're saying that there are no situations in which someone may need to be killed?

No. But with guns it rarely works out that way.

Your strawman about stopping a rape with a gun is matched with my strawman about your toddler shooting you with your own gun, your toddler shooting another toddler with your gun, your toddler shooting herself with your own gun...(man these toddlers are dangerous; good thing we got guns to protect ourselves from them, huh)...you shooting your toddler and yourself with your own gun, you taking the law into your own hands, etc.

Firearms exist because firearms exist. Your rationalization for the massive proliferation of firearms exists because you think it makes you safer, when it doesn't.

Or, they could be like this guy and be on trial for manslaughter.

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/57036257.html

That fat stupid fuck is the author of his own problems. He cared so much about winning football games that he killed a kid with his callous, hard-ass behavior.

Too bad we still don't have the practice of sentencing people to hard labor in this country. I think 20 to 30 years of backbreaking work breaking rocks into gravel under the desert sun with very infrequent water breaks would do this shithead a world of hurt and do society a world of good.

If your child has heart problems, the device will alert staff. Or, they could be like this guy and be on trial for manslaughter.

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/57036257.html

Lots of others like him too. They probably just want to avoid lawsuits.

Debunked? http://www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/39627192.html

As for the "flashes" that were reported, Dr. Ciocca says there are some types of satellites that have reflective surfaces. These are called iridium satellites and they emit flashes in the sky when the sun's rays strike them at the right angle. He says many astronomy hobbyists even track those sorts of satellites.

Here are a few:

http://www.freep.com/news/nw/pat14_20040714.htm

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2004/local/07/15/patriot_ act.html

http://www.wkyt.com/Global/story.asp?S=2041760

http://www.iht.com/articles/529347.html