I think it is. Perhaps I owe readers an explanation for my opinion? Here is a link from AP news about a couple who is being charged with a felony 'first degree breach of peace' for sprinkling flour on an IKEA parking lot. The couple is also being sought to pay for the cities response to this particular 'terror threat'. Apparently it took several dozen government officials several hours to determine that the 'white powder' was flour. AP news: Running Club Members Face Felony Charges

Okay, so I will delve into an explanation of my title. All of us, as Americans, are subject to the conclusions of ignorant officials in government. Lots of little things scare ignorant people. Government officials can hold you accountable for scaring them. It is my opinion that this power/ignorance/fear combination is not a healthy atmosphere for scientific progress. Scientific advance is often not understood by professional scientists, let alone some desk jocky. Sometimes seeking knowledge through science is not pretty, science can explode, science can be dangerous, and science is not understood by everyone. But seeking knowledge through science is not terrorism. Unfortunately, the US government does not make the distinction between misunderstood science and terrorism.

So I may have traveled a little far from runners marking their trail with flour to insinuating that the US government is crushing scientific query. None-the-less I think my point is valid.

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