New provisions under the Homeland Security Act classify the propellant in model rocketry engines as an explosive material, causing companies like UPS and FedEx to stop shipping them and making it difficult if not impossible for model rocketry club and enthusiasts to get permits for their hobby. I understand the need for heightened security in the wake of recent events, but this is ridiculous. I used to launch model rockets when I was younger, so I know full well that this is bullshit. Those engines are not powerful enough to do much more than provide thrust for a small rocket made of balsa wood and a cardboard tube; they are not *explosive* in the conventional sense of random destruction. The engines are resistant to conventional combustion; you need special electrical ignition switches to even get them to ignite. I know this, because when I was younger my friends and I used all kinds of flammable materials to try and get them to go off when I ran out of the electronic igniters, although I am loathe to admit that. 🙂
More and more, I see this nation going down a path of narrow-minded, paranoid delusions and haphazard, stifling regulations in the name of Homeland Security (duct tape, anyone?). I know that a lot has changed in this world rather quickly, but some circumspection and common sense is needed before things deteriorate into an Orwellian nightmare…
