Steve Kurtz

In regards to the USA Patriot Act, I understand and support that there are times when the government needs to step in and investigate certain people and activities. However, these investigations need to be within reason, and cases should not be fabricated in order to justify individual searches. This act is justified in itself- its focus and purpose is to protect the inhabitants of our nation- it needs no further justification.

In the situation of Steve Kurtz, an artist and amateur scientist, woke up one morning and found his wife motionless and not-breathing. The next morning, he found FBI agents scouring his home for potentially evidence for foul play. Then he found himself in a legal battle with the government over the possession of bacteria for studies of the harmful effects of herbicides. Completely unrelated, the purpose for this dogfight was spawned from an invitation to an art show, that was written in a language that had a resemblance to arabic (how's that for profiling?).

Kurtz was examining the damage these genetically altered bacteria could have, simply because professional scientists were in the pocket of big business and the government. Scientists who work for these agricultural companies certainly aren't going to throw their employers under the bus, so nothing negative would ever come of the reports. Dr. Arpad Pustazi of the Rowett Research Institute in Scotland was fired after 36 years of service for publishing an independent study showing that GMOs did damage to the intestines and other organs of rats. With those consequences, who is going to take a stand against these harmful products?

Kurtz, and other amateur scientists, gladly took that task. They wanted to make the dangers of these products known to the common consumer, hoping they would be able to do what "real" scientists were too scared to. Where did that put him? In court with the FBI for mail fraud; his friend, Dr. Robert Ferrell, traded specimen with Kurtz- a practice common among scientists. Kurtz refused to allow this to set the standard in government practice, and fought the FBI every step of the way. He managed to narrow the letter of the law, not expand it, and because of men like Kurtz, the USA Patriot Act is now closer to its original intent.