I listened to Obama give his first State of the Union speech. When I heard him say "gas" I said "gas". Considering that his Administration has declared greenhouse gases a threat to public health, it seemed like a safe enough thing to do. I think he was referring to that precursor of greenhouse gases that many Americans buy by the gallon to fuel cars. However, as a bike riding pedestrian sort, I was talking about Helium, that colorless, odorless gas that makes balloons float. McDonnell also said "gas" when he gave the Republican response, but he was talking about natural gas. I went through all this because when I read or hear politicians saying things like "dissident elements", I'm not even sure we agree on what an element is. Helium is an inert element in most situations. It's also the only gas light enough to escape the earth's atmosphere, making a typical atom of the stuff more free than I can ever hope to be.