Some want leaders to fit outdated ideas

Some scientists already have their grunders in a wad over the possibility of something (i.e., neutrinos) going faster than the speed of light, thus violating Einstein's 1905 theory of relativity.

Skepticism is always appropriate for any “discovery,” scientific or not. And certainly the self-policing scientific community will do its best either to confirm or deny the latest claim. However, it is always interesting to see how even highly educated people can internalize old ideas.

At one time, before improved instrumentation and measurement techniques, Newton's laws were perfectly adequate. Well before that, the ancient Greeks had a perfectly adequate (but perfectly wrong) explanation for planetary motion.

I assume that we no longer have serious members of the flat earth society or people who are concerned about the shortage of whale oil, but we seem to have at least a couple of people who want to become president who fit the mold.

Daniel M. Mitchell

Cedar Rapids