The legal principle placing the burden of proof on accusers rather than the accused can be traced back to Second and Third Century Roman jurist Julius Paulus Prudentissimus. Yet this ancient concept which forms the legal and moral cornerstone of the American judicial system is quickly being undermined in the name of 'national security.'
When a scientist is ahead of his times it is often through misunderstanding of current rather than intuition of future truth. In science there is never any error so gross that it won't one day from some perspective appear prophetic.