Restricting education makes us safer
The news from Nature (free access) is that a terrorism suspect in the UK has been denied access to college-level chemistry and biology classes. The judge has decided that the classes would put the suspect in a "substantially stronger position" to carry out terrorist attacks.
This has to be about the stupidest, most disgusting, anti-democratic and anti-intellectual ruling ever made. I am shocked that an economically advanced country like Britain could place access to basic education off-limits to suspects of any crime. In addition to the presumption of guilt, the government has basically said that if they think an individual might become or might have been a terrorist, then it has the right to limit that person's education. This ruling is really short-sighted and shameful.
More on this at the BBC, who says that the UK government could place these sorts of restrictions "on anyone the secretary of state has reasonable grounds for suspecting is involved in terrorism or terrorism-related activities."
Comments
The mainstream media are painting this as a single guy who went nuts. Is it just conicidence that this attack occured 15 days prior to the patriot act being passed into law? Or could it have been the gvmnt drumming up support for the patriot act?
The letters stated 'bless alah' or something of the similar. Why would an american (WHITE!) scientist go on a fundamentalist radical muslim approach. The powder was military grade anthrax, and the investigation leaves too many questions unanswered, to just blindly belive the FBI's investigation results.
Posted by: KineticX | August 14, 2008 7:01 AM
KineticX, I'm guessing your comment is about the anthrax entry (located here).
There are many unanswered questions about the case, which we will never learn now that Ivins is dead. Already, the question of if he really did it has not been answered with any certainty. If he did, we will never learn if he acted alone, or with others, or on orders, or what the motivation was. I think it is extremely unfortunate situation all around, and I am saddened that the FBI is really trying to make the public think this case is solved.
Posted by: hch | August 14, 2008 10:35 AM