The Experts Don't Always Know It All

Thirty-two years after Lindy Chamberlain said that a dingo took her baby, the experts in Australia have been proved wrong.

The experts said that dingoes did not take babies, and so Ms. Chamberlain was sentenced to life in prison for murder.

In fact, further research into dingo behavior showed that Australia's wild dog was perfectly capable of attacking humans, and had done so in the past.

It's just that the experts weren't so knowledgeable as they led the court to believe.

But those experts were quite useful to the local authorities, who had set their minds on the murder theory and they wanted a conviction no matter what.

It's not unlike the case of Dr. David Heimbach, considered an expert on the critical need for flame retardant chemicals in household furnishings. In his practice as a burn doctor, he's seen children who could have been saved if only the couch hadn't caught fire.

Except that Dr. Heimbach isn't quite so expert as all that. But his touching, albeit partially fabricated testimony, served the purpose of the chemical flame retardant industry, which put up Dr. Heimbach as its expert when Congress was debating a bill that would force foam manufacturers to include the chemicals in their products.

As it turns out, those chemicals do absolutely nothing to make furniture fire-proof because it's the outer fabrics that burn first, and the coverings burn hot enough to render the chemicals in the foam useless.

The chemicals are good for causing several health issues, however, and every time you drop into the sofa you're sending a cloud of carcinogens into the air you're breathing.

Next time you hear an expert speak on a given topic, consider their agenda. What's in it for them? Chances are, they may not be the absolute expert in their field and they are there to convince you of something that isn't true.

Trust everyone. But always cut the cards.