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Bioterrorism Charges Brought Against Professor
gnetwerker writes "Wired
and others are reporting about artist Steve Kurtz, professor at Univesity of Buffalo (NY), and member of the
Critical Art Ensemble will face a Grand Jury in two weeks on bioterrorism charges over artwork that used samples of harmless bacteria to make a statement about genetic engineering and food safety. He is charged with BioTerrorism under Section 817 of the PATRIOT Act. Apparently
John Ashcroft can't tell a weapons lab from an art installation. There is more info and a
Defense Fund on the CAE Defense Fund Site."
"Deconstructing and disrupting the growth of genetically modified foods" might be done as a piece of performance art, but it's still vandalism and destuction of somebody else's property.
I don't care if these people's intent is to improve the American government by teaching it something the hard way and to do their best not to harm anybody seriously in the process. They're still practicing terrorism in that releasing something genetically modified into the environment is likely to cause a scare even if it's found to be harmless later. And, in a worst case, these guys could botch it all up and cause the kind of environmental harm that they're so scared Monsanto will cause.
At least Monsanto does its best to follow the laws... these people seem to have no respect for the law at all.
On the other hand this could start a useful trend, if Thomas Kinkade is to be next.
>>>> This man is an activist! What the hell is our government smoking?
So, If Osama started out as an activist who performed some unusual activites, played with biologicals and chemical "art" and we sat and waited for 911 - you would say what? That we sat on our hands to long?
You know, times HAVE changed. If you want to sit in your house and wait for the next activist (Okalahoma City) to go looney - that is of course you right. However - I'd rather be proactive than reactive. This man will have his day in court and may or may not be found guilty.
Tell me, when you buy a car - do you err on its safety record or its price?
Begun the witch trials have.
"I would give my right hand to be ambidextrous."
Hes a genetically modified alien by the Greys, he is an alien, and he has no ass, coz he shits from his mouth green turd.
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
Besides why is the FBI involved?
The whole thing is a stage to make kids and terrorist wannabes think twice. I mean, after this, would _you_ be more or less likely to put a piece of bacterial art on display (harmless or otherwise)? For most, I expect, this is a deterrent. The population is being scared into a hole as usual. Soon some common criminals will be branded terrorist, gagged using the right-deminishing legislation and crime levels will plummet. w00t.
The PATRIOT act part comes from the fact that this is a Michael article.
The only surprising part is it's not somehow contrived as a YRO topic.
resigned
All you conservative-types who are in favour of stripping liberty at the expense of "security" and "war" on terrorism should re-consider your positions. This latest example is nothing more than the future. As long as you conservatives (and clueless liberals) keep supporting things like this, it is only the beginning.
I guess people who were laughing at others over the concern of things like the Patriot Act hope learned a lesson...
Sivaram Velauthapillai
Seeking the meaning of life... @slashdot of all places
Anyway this nut here (me) voted for Bush in the general election, but in the primary election I voted for Alan Keyes. That man is a man who knows and loves liberty, and GETS IT. I hope he runs again someday.
/. hits it.
But so we're all sitting around bashing Bush, we need to look at our alternatives. Bush was the only viable candidate in the primary (unfortunately) because of his father. That meant our alternative was Gore.
Now, I hate to break it to you but had Gore been President we would be in this war. Not because of some idealogical reason, but because he would have rolled over and paid homage to Osama Bin Laden faster than a site goes down when
I just can't imagine this country bowing down to that towel head. But with Gore we would be doing (Gore was VP through the previous administration which blew, ignore, and blatently let bin Laden go on numerous occasions.) The previous administration was more worried about blowjobs and cigars than running this country. Clinton was a huge do nothing president, in the scheme of things. But he did do one thing, and thats changed the face of american politics forever. He headed up the change in the kind of leadership of the democratic party. That kind of leadership is now what we see which, while it makes it sound like its concerned about how Bush is doing things, its more concerned about power at any cost. They have this vision for the country, which is basically athiest and socialist in nature, and they believe thier cause is so right and good that any amount of evil to acheive it is okay because the end is "right".
I don't give this country another 20 years before we're done for as we know it. The apathetic majority in this country will buy the promises of the new democrats (and some republicans) but there is a group of people like me who know what our constitution says and means and was interpretted for the whole of this country's history until the 1960's when the people who are in power now were radicals and changes the nature of the whole country (for the worse I believe).
It will be people like me who when the government of this country no longer serves the good of the people, that will carry the flag and shout the rallying cry. Some will follow many will not, the nation will split, just like at the first revolution. Back then there were the vocal people, the Boston Tea Party and such, who gave the shout, and many answered the call, but most paid no heed. It wasn't until the opressing government try to silence them with force that the people woke up to the full reality of the situation.
Thats how things are going to go this time again. But while those who know the constitution and believe it is a definate document that has a definate meaning that the founders gave to it, and that it is not a living document subject to reinterpretation to meanings totally contrary to historical record... while we voice ourselves, the majority of this country will just go along with the flow.
While I know we'll reach a 1776 again in this country well before this century is over, I can't say the outcome will be the same. I would hope it would be, but I find that highly doubtful. The people of 1776 were a religious people, who had an active faith. Today the vast majority of people are not religious or only make a pretense of it for show.
I ought to just stop now, since I'm sure the vast majority of people here have no clue as to what I'm getting at. Go watch the Manchurian Candidate again, while whats going on isn't so blatent, that we don't have nazi's and communist's in disguise... we have the startings of both, the situation in this country isn't about Left and Right, its about secular society vs. religious society. Go study real history not just a textbook, and you'll find out that the nazi's and communists all took power on the rise of secularism over religion. What remained of religion was something that was put on for show, but had no meaning or reality behind it. Study history, and you'll find out that t