From: al677@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jerry Cosyn)
Subject: FRC
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 92 06:20:22 GMT


                                  FRC
 
 
     "But you haven't mentioned any of the benefits of using it!"
 
     The man at the head of the gathering pounded for silence.  "The
gentleman is reminded once again that although he is the inventor of
the process under discussion, he is not a member of this Commission
and is here solely to answer technical questions that may be put to
him."  He looked sternly at the man whose outburst had interrupted the
proceedings and punctuated his words with a stubby, hairy-knuckled
finger.  "You will keep quiet, sir, or I will have you removed."  His
countenance relaxed into its normal, slightly baffled expression as he
sat back and gestured to the man who had been interrupted.  "Please
continue, Minister Redan."
 
     Redan, well known for his genuine concern for the safety and
welfare of the public and his relentless opposition to anything which
might cause them harm, allowed himself one vicious glare at the man
who had interrupted him before cloaking himself once again in the
dignified demeanor of his office.  He was considered a very good
public speaker, and let his words roll in a steady, well-paced
cadence, lending weighty importance even to trivial matters.  But what
he had to say now was far from trivial.
 
     "Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  As I was saying, it is the unanimous
opinion of this Ministry that this invention is so potentially
destructive that even regulated and controlled use would represent an
unacceptable hazard.  It should be banned entirely, and all knowledge
of the process for creating it should be suppressed.
 
     "Already we have seen that it can be difficult to control the
reaction, and that it can consume nearly anything it comes into
contact with.  The Minister for Public Health has clearly shown that
its gaseous wastes are noxious and toxic, polluting the very air we
breathe.  There are also solid wastes, and the Sanitation and Waste
Disposal Ministry tells us we would eventually run out of places to
dispose of them.  The inventor himself admits that in order to obtain
fuel to keep the reaction going we would have to destroy areas which
are the natural habitat of many forms of wildlife, thus upsetting the
entire ecology.
 
     "And we are all aware of the injuries caused by careless
experimentation with it.  The victims suffered afflictions no one has
ever seen before, which are severely painful and from which they may
never recover.  It doesn't take much imagination to see that those
accidents could as easily have resulted in deaths.  The suggestion
that small, contained reactions could be used in residential areas is
outrageous!  Sooner or later, one would get out of control, and who
knows how many people would be killed or injured?
 
     "No, Mr. Chairman, we cannot allow this criminal disregard for
public safety.  This technology must be abandoned, for it can only
lead to certain disaster."  This final sentence was delivered with
particular emphasis as Minister Redan cast his stern and serious gaze
upon the man who had invented the hellish technology.
 
     The inventor felt the intensity of that gaze as a physical
sensation under his skin, and he realized that Minister Redan hated
him, despised him for what he had created.  He ached with frustration,
knowing that these people, who sat in judgement over the product of
his imagination and labors, were unable to see that the potential
benefits far outweighed the risks.  But he knew that further attempts
to persuade or convince them would be useless.  Redan's speech had
driven the final nail in the coffin: he could see in all their faces
that they had decided against him.
 
     There would yet be speeches from other Ministers and
Commissioners, political up-and-comers who hoped to ride the coattail
of Redan's oratory and polish their own reputations, but in the end
they would do what Redan insisted must be done to preserve the welfare
of the public.  There would be no further research or use of his
discovery; his knowledge would be suppressed, and eventually
forgotten.
 
     He walked slowly away from the group huddled in the small forest
clearing, his spirit broken, knowing that he would not be called upon
to testify again.  The Fire Regulatory Commission had no further
interest in the man who had invented fire.
 
     In the distance he could see children picking lice from each
other.  An unusually cool breeze blew suddenly from the north, and the
children shivered.