Steve Kurtz

Although I had learned about Steve Kurtz and his story prior to this class, I have definitely gained some new insight on the situation. For starters, I had not even considered the role of the amateur in this case before today. I had actually thought about it in the opposite way, believing that because Steve Kurtz was a scientist, the situation was taken more seriously than if he were just an average citizen. In other words, because he knew what he was doing, this was more of a problem. If he were a typical citizen, perhaps this whole experiement would have been seen in a more innocent light.

However, now that I think about the fact that Kurtz was viewed as an amateur scientist, my views change. The concept of an amateur may have given the government the impression that Kurtz's work and ideas were not credible. Perhaps if Kurtz were a well-known and respected scientist in the field in which he was experimenting, the police and criminal system would have had more faith in his experiments, and instead of regarding it as a terrorist plot, it would have been considered science.

Kurtz mentioned that he and Ferrell were both easy targets for the judicial system, and I think he is absolutely right. Between Kurtz having suddenly lost his wife and Ferrell going in for Cancer treatment, it almost seems as if the government were taking an "easy out" and tried to make themselves believe that they were doing our country a favor by making these two men out to be criminals. The American people are easily manipulated, and so if we were told that these people were potential terrorists, I don't see why we wouldn't believe it. Sure, some people may be skeptical, but it just goes to show how much faith we put in our judicial system and government.

I will say that I am relieved that the courts ruled in favor of Kurtz. It is a shame that he had to put up with this nonsense for four years of his life, but I think that his story is quite beneficial. It uncovers some of the aspects of our courts that would likely be swept under the rug otherwise. I understand why we have the Patriot Act, and while I do believe it is necessary in order to keep the United States safe, it can also be taken much too far.