I agree with David Robinson that we should drop this discussion, but I would like to make a few more comments, and then I shall stop.
Edmund Storms <[email protected]> wrote: > The claim that the government was behind 9/11 is another example of how > willing people are to believe insane explanations of events. They are so > willing to distrust the government that they will believe something that > has no evidence or rational reasons. > This is partly caused by some political extremists who have deliberately sew distrust of the government. There were some in the left wing in the 1960s, but after the 1990s there were mainly in the right wing. It is a way gaining political power and votes. I think it is destructive and unpatriotic. This gives rise to another set of problems, on topic. These people are crying wolf. When the government actually does bad things, people dismiss it as business as usual. In the case of cold fusion, the DoE has been irresponsible. This should have more impact than it has, because the DoE and other agencies are not often this irresponsible. Everyone thinks they are! Mistakes and misjudgments are too often treated as crimes, or exaggerated. The Solyndra investment, for example, wasn't all that bad. It wasn't unprecedented. We should not close down the DoE because of it. Government and industry have often made bad investments in energy, agriculture, aviation, weapons and so on. If the government were to fund cold fusion, you know there would be an outcry because the standards are unreasonably high. Mistakes are not allowed. > If the government does something insane, it will be done in full view, > such as attacking Iraq. > Exactly right! Or allowing Medicare fraud. Or not catching Bernie Madoff. - Jed
