MORE CRUSHING OF DISSENT, this time via a National Nanotechnology Initiative official regarding a conference at the University of South Carolina. Here’s what nanotechnology expert Eric Drexler was trying to say:

Molecular manufacturing will bring a revolution in military affairs greater than the transition from hand-made spears to mass-produced guns. It is unwise to be on the wrong side of such a technology gap. NNI policy today opposes not only research on molecular manufacturing, but open dialog on its scientific basis and potential consequences. Given its current military superiority, terrorists cannot disarm, conquer, or destroy the United States. However, in a competitive world, the denialist policies of the NNI place us on a path to unilateral disarmament. Continuation of those policies thus poses a grave threat.

Seems like a curious mistake for the national-security conscious Bush Administration. Fortunately, the dissent-crushing efforts were unsuccessful, and Drexler did speak.