Posted on 08/13/2008 7:13:32 AM PDT by yankeedame
An anonymous reader tips a guest posting up on the MAKE Magazine blog by the author of the Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments. It seems that authorities in Massachusetts have raided a home chemistry lab, apparently without a warrant, and made off with all of its contents. Here's the local article from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
"Victor Deeb, a retired chemist who lives in Marlboro, has finally been allowed to return to his Fremont Street home, after Massachusetts authorities spent three days ransacking his basement lab and making off with its contents.
"Deeb is not accused of making methamphetamine or other illegal drugs. He's not accused of aiding terrorists, synthesizing explosives, nor even of making illegal fireworks. Deeb fell afoul of the Massachusetts authorities for... doing experiments...
"Pamela Wilderman, the code enforcement officer for [the Massachusetts town of] Marlboro stated, 'I think Mr. Deeb has crossed a line somewhere. This is not what we would consider to be a customary home occupation.'
"Allow me to translate Ms. Wilderman's words into plain English: 'Mr. Deeb hasn't actually violated any law or regulation that I can find, but I don't like what he's doing because I'm ignorant and irrationally afraid of chemicals, so I'll abuse my power to steal his property and shut him down.'"
Before any conclusion can be made about what happened we would have to know what kind of experiments were going on.
Unbelievable. Mr.Deeb should sue the crap out of the city and Ms. Wilderman.
Everyone knows you must have papers from the State to insure you are only conducting state approved experiments. Zhere ar places for zees peeple where they must be re-educated !!! Wha.... Oh I lost my head for a second.
What's next, raiding someone's garage metalworking shop because it could be used to make guns?
I wonder what the code enforcement Nazis would think about teaching kids all about evil chemicals and other scary science stuff.
Or anyone’s kitchen. My fridge has the occasional “biology experiment” and my stove top has daily demonstrations of liquid to gas when I make tea.
Shouldn’t Marlboro be more concerned with deporting it’s large illegal immigrant population?
Already being done. If you get raided by the Feebies looking for "silencer parts" or "conversion devices", better make sure you don't have fender washers, scrap lengths of iron pipe, or fiberglass matting laying around.
What is “customary home occupation”. A Man and a Woman living together in Marriage perhaps?
Are you saying the Marlboro FD shouldn't have come to his home to put out the fire?
Read the linked article to see that nothing more serious or generally considered hazardous than kitchen chemicals were found; the city just felt that such an enterprise ran afoul of the local zoning rules concerning home-based businesses - even though they agreed there was no evidence of a profit making nature.
Couldn’t such a decision be made and the same actions taken against home-brewed biofuels, as well?
Or perhaps a small wine or beer making project; the imagination soars.
Maybe he was making a nuclear reactor. Been done before ...
http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html
I am a firm supporter of the notion that we are a de-evolving culture. An Idiocracy.
It’s bulletproof, no charges filed, ergo, no court case.
Maybe a civil suit for an illegal taking.
What did the fire have to do with the chemicals?
A window air-conditioner smoking will burn very little and self-extinguish when the power cord is pulled; the smoke was two floors above the lab.
Freedom under attack in Massachusetts. When ARE the American people going to WAKE UP?
Interesting how the “fire” in the article became “smoke” in your post ...
A very true and typical reaction of most agencies both local and federal.
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