Slashdot Mirror
Anti-Terrorism and the Death of the Chemistry Set
An anonymous reader writes "A recent unfortunate casualty of anti-terrorism laws is the home chemistry set. Once deemed the gift that saved Christmas, most Slashdotters probably remember early childhood experimentation with one of the many pre-packaged chemistry sets that were on the market. Unfortunately the FBI has decided that home chemistry sets are a threat to national security and they are rapidly disappearing from the market entirely. Those that remain are shallow boring versions of the old kits."
The Home Meth Lab Kit! Get yours today!
I am not left-handed, either!
Seriously, once we're allowed to blow our own fucking minds with any chemical we choose, then maybe we'll be free. Right-wing second amendment morons talk about how fucking American it is to monotonously blow holes in a tree and walk around drunk in the forest with a gun shooting songbirds, but it's equally American to shut your door and get loaded on whatever chemical you choose - and doing so causes considerably less annoyance to your neighbors.
The flag just makes more sense than the constitution. - Judas Gutenberg
Terrorists don't care about our quality of life. Terrorists don't even care about us being in fear, insofar as it doesn't directly aid them in their goal - to establish an Islamic state over the whole US. That is the end goal of modern day terrorism, to weaken us as a nation in any way they can for eventual domination.
Yes it sucks that we are overreacting by taking away dangerous chemical sets - but who is to say this is overreacting to terrorists? For decades now things like fireworks and chemistry sets have slowly been hamstrung until we have nothing interesting yet. This is all being done by a government (local and national) that long before terrorists became a hot-button, have been worried about our well-being and that we might take an eye out, for crying out loud!
By tying things like overly safe chemistry sets to the supposed goals of terrorists, you are no better than those trying to impose restrictive measures on us in the name of terrorists. Whenever the threat of terrorism dies down the threat of an overly protective government remains, and it does us no good to incorrectly diagnose problems as being do to external forces or reactions to them when they are not the direct cause.
You want to help fix things? Fight for smaller government, for fewer regulations at all levels. Fight for reasonable restrictions on things when some restrictions are called for (and sometimes they do make sense).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
USA, the country where all people are allowed to have GUNS that can blow your head off at the push of a button, but not chemistry sets. Where is this world coming to... :(
I suppose your government needs soldiers, not chemists and physicists. Keeping people dumb helps.
We wouldn't have the highest prison population in the world if the government trusted the people.
We wouldn't have the highest prison rate in the world if we were not importing so many people that were criminally inclined. In particular for the crimes of murder, serious assaults, and armed robbery. This is what the vast majority of people in *prison* are there for. Of course, rape is up there as well.
We know this is the case because you can compare crime rates from the 1950's when the USA was a largely homogeneous population with a crime rate similar to Canada's. We only took the road down extended prison stays, more draconian sentencing laws, and larger prison populations as a result of the violence after the Kennedy Immigration act, and after several severe riots.
Freedom is merely privilege extended unless enjoyed by one and all.
"I mean seriously, you posted an of topic reply to someone JUST TO CALL ME A TROLL. Try and tell me I'm not in your head."
Again you prove me prophetic.
I only go to buffets for the unlimited soft serve.