Kerry Condemns Heckler Arrest

[sabra]

Source: ABC News

ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Sen. John Kerry on Tuesday comdemned the arrest of a University of Florida student at one of his speeches, saying that he was engaged in a "good healthy discussion" with 21-year-old Andrew Meyer when he was Tasered and taken into custody.

"In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way," Kerry said in a statement. "I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption, but I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention. I asked the police to allow me to answer the question and was in the process of responding when he was taken into custody."

"I was not aware that a taser was used until after I left the building," he continued. "I hope that neither the student nor any of the police were injured. I regret enormously that a good healthy discussion was interrupted."

...

Kerry, who was the Democrats’ nominee in 2004, is no longer assigned Secret Service protection, and does not bring his own security to events. That left University of Florida police in charge of security -- to notable results on Monday.

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/09/students-rally-.html

[Orrex]

1. I won't be satisfied until Kerry personally disembowels the arresting officers

And if he happens to feast upon their entrails in the process, so much the better.

Otherwise, he's a cog in the fascist machine of the police state.

[brentspeak]

2. He refused - refused! - to leap from the stage to prevent something he couldn't even see!

He's a fascist enabler! Obviously, it didn't make a bit of difference that Bush got elected in 2004....

:sarcasm:

[zanne]

27. You don't think he could hear the anguished screams? nt

[Orrex]

64. Very possibly not

Howard Dean couldn't hear how loud his own infamous, campaign-slaying scream was, for example.

Kerry was standing on a stage presumably in line with speakers amplifying his own voice. It's entirely reasonable that he couldn't hear what was going on in the gallery.

Unless you were standing beside Kerry at the time, you can't really say for sure whether he could have heard the guy's "anguished screams" or not.


For the record, I'm not even a particular fan of Kerry; he botched a campaign against the worst President in the history of the world. But even so, the attacks directed at him in the wake of this story seem way over the top to me.

[lumpy]

66. His anguished screams were heard throughout

the auditorium..."help help help, wouda' I do, wouda' I do? help help help" he screamed anguishly.

[stlsaxman]

74. yeah his "anguished screams" started as soon as someone asked him to stop ranting and ask a question

... as soon as the guard touched him he started yelling "is anyone filming this?!?!?'

he had NO INTENTION of letting Kerry answer his question.

[barb162]

79. His "Skull and Crossbones" and "throwing"the election questions

were obviously not very friendly to Kerry and also suggestive of connecting those things in some sort of conspiracy ranting. So the hell what if Kerry and Bush were in Skull and Crossbones when they were in college. He seemed to me to be a sickass provocateur.

[tridim]

3. Great, can we please wrap this up now.

The Kerry part of the story is over.

Thanks.

[TaraWatchUSA]

5. No we can't wrap this up!

Kerry himself is supposedly a seasoned protester. All you have to do is watch the video of this horrible event. A young, assertive, perhaps arrogant young man takes the microphone. He begins a long winded preface to his question, and, after a few minutes of blather he is dragged off by police.
He cries out...something to the tune of "what did I do wrong....is somebody watching this...your not gonna tazer me are you...." Then you hear his cries of pain.
Kerry was standing right there... he had to hear and see what was happening. He stood by and allowed a man's civil liberties to be violated. I voted for Kerry and now I am shocked and disgusted.
If he had simply said "let this young man answer his question", instead he wimped out. Where was his Band of Brothers grit? Pathetic!

[brentspeak]

8. "I voted for Kerry..."

Oh, yeahhhh. I'm sure you did....

:eyes: :eyes: :eyes:

[TaraWatchUSA]

77. Your cynicism is weak...

....I consider voting a sacred duty and YES I voted for Kerry. Sadly the over-all "I'm gonna rationalize why Kerry did nothing because he is a Democrat and I like him" attitude displayed in your post and other equally inane rationalizations help explain that idiocy is running amok among Democans and Republicrats. Makes me proud to be independent in party and in thought! Three cheers for free thinking and free speech!

[NotGivingUp]

88. "Three cheers for free thinking and free speech!" Down with tyranny!!!

Kerry has exposed himself for what he is...a fascist pig. I ashamedly admit that I voted for the guy, too. Not anymore. My eyes have seen the shit hole that is our government.

[blm]

11. What a distortion. You took your bottle of Feign-Feign, I see. Kerry was on a STAGE

and was some distance from what happened - and once the police surrounded and had the guy on the ground, Kerry wouldn't have been able to see a THING.

He's saying EXACTLY what he should regarding this case and even being considerate of the heckler, but people want to DISTORT what happened and move the goalpost where it has no business being just to dog Kerry.

I've watched the manipulation of news against Kerry for three decades. I know FAKE outrage and hyped spins when I see them.

[barb162]

18. Am I to assume you see nothing at all wrong with that screwoff buffoon

who got arrested? There's a big diff between people who ask a question versus giving speeches before they ask the question. People were there to listen to Kerry, not to listen to that idiot take over the show giving some incoherent speech. Maybe he'll learn some manners in a cell. That guy was violating every one else's civil liberties by not allowing them to hear who they came to hear and that happened to be Kerry.

[MarkInLA]

75. If you think that being obnoxious is reason enough to Tase someone...

...then this country is no better than Hitler's Germany.

[barb162]

78. See post 57.

BTW, in Florida, I suspect that resisting cops is called "criminal" not just "obnoxious." That's probably the case in probably every state.

[karynnj]

90. he did - say he was willing to answer the question

What you saw was an edited video on Meyer's web site. There are many many first hand accounts out there including one by a conservative student who went to the event - who is unlikely to be a big Kerry fan.

ttp://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1838972&mesg_id=1842397

[underpants]

4. Oh so the guy DID barge in front of the line to get to the mic

well well well isn't that special?

[barb162]

19. He should have rented a hall to give his rant

and see if anyone would have attended.

[ryanus]

6. he wasn't a heckler. Kerry said it was a good discussion and he'd answer

[nebula]

7. The 'heckler' could have asked his questions much more tactfully

being extremely rude and disrespectful is just asking for trouble.

his angry tone of voice suggested that he was capable of inflicting bodily harm to Kerry.
what an idiot. he was way out of line and out of control.

I don't blame the police for doing what they did in this case.

[bos1]

13. Tasering appropriate for being "disrespectful" ???

That's not freedom of speech in my book.

[nebula]

17. He was being more than disrespectful

the guy was a raving lunatic.

Those kinds of questions need to be asked, but certainly not in that manner.

[bos1]

21. give me a break. watch the vid. while asking questions he was unruly. that's all.

and democracy IS unruly. That's what democracy looks like.

And what the cops and crowd did is what police state looks like.

[barb162]

26. "his barging to the front of the line " per Kerry

What gives this guy the right to barge in front of others and then incoherently speechify? That's not my idea of democracy. He should have waited his turn and asked his question. Civilized behavior and democracy go hand in hand.

[bos1]

30. other reports said he was the last in line for the questions

or more specifically that he was waiting for his turn but the Q&A ended right before his turn.

[Maribelle]

36. Wrong - others were waiting to ask questions.

One of the videos even shows one.

[barb162]

39. Even if the audience participation segment ended right before

he could ask his question, he had no right to disrupt the whole damned thing. He was not the organizer setting up the time limits for questions, etc. He reminded me of a little kid at an amusement park who, when the parents decide it's time to go home, refuses, and throws a screaming, out-of-control, red-faced temper tantrum. It's embarassing to watch in a six year old kid; it's pathetic to watch in a grown man. So he missed his turn; big deal. That's life. That guy has some serious emotional "issues" and he displayed them to a national audience as that tape is getting played over and over.
Peace.

[barb162]

23. ditto; I've watched that clip a few times now.

The cops were pretty restrained considering the guy was fighting them all the way instead of going away peacefully.

[bos1]

34. WHY should he have to go away at all? Even Kerry doesn't think that's right.

[barb162]

41. Because he "barged" in front of the line and was giving a speech

People went there to hear Kerry, right?

[barb162]

42. "...His microphone was cut off, then he became upset."

"He apparently asked several questions -- he went on for quite awhile -- then he was asked to stop," Orlando said of Meyer. "He had used his allotted time. His microphone was cut off, then he became upset."

Above from the article. As I mentioned elsewhere on this thread, this guy has some serious "issues."

[mark414]

28. that's dangerous reaching there...arrest and tasering cause he "might" cause a crime?

go on...keep defending the police state - they're coming for you next

[CRF450]

37. He was being disruptive and resisting the police when they were asking him to leave

And that is CLEARLY shown in the video. He wouldn't be quite when they asked him to or they will tase him and he wouldn't. He got what he deserved for being a dumbass. When the police tell you to leave or be quite, you do as they say!

[mark414]

38. the police are not our overlords, they WORK for us

and when 4 or 5 of them have a young college kid pinned down, knees in his back, there is NO excuse to use potentially lethal force. force is supposed to be a last option, they instead used it as punishment.

did you see the size of a couple of those cops? they were huge! are they really that paranoid, that scared that a skinny ass kid is somehow going to be able to stand up and overpower FIVE cops, so he has to be treated like a deadly and vicious criminal?

so being a dumbass now qualifies you for brutal treatment?

you know what else makes one a dumbass? ignoring a police state right before your eyes.

[bos1]

45. Best. Post. Ever. (on this subject). nt

[timtom]

85. My sentiments exactly.

There is an automatic assumption of "the cop is right" that bothers me.

And police have ramped up their brutality in the past 40 years to an alarming degree.

And this strategy has not increased our safety. It has exacerbated it.

[bos1]

89. I knew a guy who left the US

He was a figure in the music scene, managed a well-known 60s band, had a career in New Orleans (pre flood story). He moved to Amsterdam. His story was about the night a friend of his got thrown thru plate glass windows by some museum security guards for basically goofing around. A lot like this case. It was a "straw that broke the camel's back" story about the increase in armed security and police worship/brutality creates a chilling effect on everyday life in the US.

I really understood what he meant.

[CRF450]

51. Did you see the part where they were carrying him to the doors?

He tried to swing around them and run back towards the stage, then they tackled him right then. He wouldn't be quiet when they asked him to and he was still resisting arrest. Even if cops have a person pinned on the ground he can still resist by having his hands pulled in to his chest, and you should know it is really hard to handcuff a person that is doing just that, plus yelling out crap makes this ordeal tougher. The kid was a tall person himself and you'd be surprised of how strong people like that can be!

What makes one a dumbass is one resisting the police while they're clearly in the right.

[mark414]

58. keep propping up that militarized police state...

you're doing all their work for them

[CRF450]

61. I'll ask again, did you see how he tried to break away from the cops and run up the stage?

Most people would think "OMG is he going to attack someone?!". Those 4 cops had every reason to tackle him.

[Tarheel_Dem]

62. oh, the drama.....

I am convinced that this kid went to this event expressly to make the news, and guess what? Mission accomplished. This is just another excuse for The Kerry haters to pile on.

This is one of the days I can't even listen to Randi because she's made up her mind & she's shouting down any dissent of her "OPINION". Sounds like Kerry should have gone into Superhero mode & leapt from the stage to save the day.

[mark414]

69. um...i'm supportive of kerry

just not the cops

[timtom]

99. That's how I feel

about those damn Minutemen in the 18th century who hid behind rocks and trees and took potshots at the established legal order -- the King's troops.

I guess it really boils down to authoritarian vs. non-authoritarian personalities.

And, I almost feel that it's genetically determined which one prevails in any given personality.

[Orrex]

67. He was an unknown disruptor at an event featuring a sitting US Sentator

It's not as though they jumped on him because he was being a jerk at a bus stop.

you know what else makes one a dumbass? ignoring a police state right before your eyes.

You know what else makes one a dumbass? Crying "POLICE STATE!" every time the police do something that someone who didn't witness the event firsthand finds excessive.

[lumpy]

68. 'skinny ass kid'? 'those cops? they were huge!?

uh, I need to check my reading glasses.

[UNCLE_Rico]

95. Add me to the list...

I agree whole-heartedly.

I'm not mad at Kerry about the whole thing, but this reminds me too much of what the cops did to The Rev last week.

To quote NWA: F**K the police.

[frankf]

44. They didn't ask him to leave.

They grabbed him by the arms and started pulling, I don't blame the student for his incredulous cries, after all what had he actually done? Can you now be dragged around by the police on a whim and if you ask why then they tazer you and sit on you?

[Lance_Boyle]

65. Tasering is the penalty for "being a dumbass?"

And with no judge or jury, even. That must be the NEW American justice.

Yes, the guy was an ass. Yes, he was disruptive. Yes, he should have been removed. This does not necessarily lead to: "Yes, it was proper procedure to taser him while he was on the ground with 4 officers atop him and 2 more standing by at the ready."

At the point he was tasered, the disruptor was not a threat. The taser was used as punishment by cops, sans trial, sans conviction. The taser is supposed to be used to neutralize threats, not to dole out punitive pain at police discretion. I would humbly suggest you reexamine the issue before deciding that all is proper with what happened in this situation.

[Renew Deal]

50. So now the cops can tase people for being impolite?

Are you kidding? This should have never happened. Cops in this country don't seem to know how to use their tasers. They were ever at risk. They could have used good old muscle to drag this guy out. Besides that, he should have been allowed to ask his question.

[MetalCanuck]

9. Bullshit!

How could Kerry not now? He screamed.

[bos1]

12. he was off stage by then, apparently.

[bos1]

10. Kerry did no wrong but everyone else should be ashamed

especially the cops and all those applauding the cops. USA is looks more like a 3rd world country every day.

[barb162]

20. I'm not ashamed at all that guy got hauled off.

All he was doing was trying to disrupt. If I go to see Kerry, do I also want to see disruptors taking over so I can't hear what Kerry has to say? That disruptor was evidencing third world behavior.

[bos1]

32. you are contradicting Kerry. Did you even watch the vid?

Kerry said it's a shame what happened to the guy. And he was just asking questions -- if very energetically -- until the cops grabbed him.

[barb162]

46. I'm not contradicting Kerry at all.

So he feels sorry for the guy. I feel sorry for him too because of his issues. There is a video on CNN by "Clarissa Jessup" showing an audience member leaving as this guy is doing his long ranting. I don't blame the audience member for leaving as I bet he went to the meeting to watch Kerry talk, not the student. I watched the cops start to lead him away and then he started resisting.

[Renew Deal]

52. Kerry is a big boy. He can handle angry questions.

And they guy should at least be warned. They don't need to haul him off for being pissed off. Lots of people are pissed off these days for good reason.

[Scurrilous]

14. UF student released, is mum after Tasering

<snip>

"The morning after he was stunned with a Taser by police after disrupting a speech by U.S. Sen. John Kerry, University of Florida student Andrew Meyer, 21, walked out of jail, hugged his father and was spirited away in his lawyer's SUV.

Meyer had no comment.

But plenty of others were commenting about the Tasering, which was captured on video and distrubed over the Internet overnet. It became an overnight sensation on network news, on news sites like MiamiHerald.com and on political blogs.

The story and video generated fierce debate over whether Gainesville police acted properly when they subdued him with a Taser as he resisted their efforts to make him lead the Kerry forum.

The senator himself issued a statement at noon Tuesday, expressing his regret over what happened."

http://www.miamiherald.com/466/story/241904.html

[MilesColtrane]

81. "Meyer had no comment."

He was too busy negotiating appearance fees.

[rodeodance]

15. Thanks JOhn, we needed to hear from you.

[onehandle]

16. Why did Kerry taser the baby Jesus!

I read that happened on the Internets.

[underpants]

22. Manilow and Hasselbeck-tasers at 10 paces

I read it was going to happen on the internets

:rofl:

[meowomon]

24. As a Seminole, I am glad to see any Gator tasered. (Kidding!)

But really, the police way over reacted to this guy. I think they should offer him an apology and free tuition to Florida State University. We used to be known as the "Berkley of the South" back in the late 60's early 70's.

[Maribelle]

31. Then you know what a zoo it is in The Swamp.

It did not look to me that they overreacted. The guy purposfully pushed it over the limits. Resisting arrest is still a crime in The Swamp.

Perhaps they should have put a straightjacket on him instead of cuffs.

[Mend]

25. on the tape you can both hear Kerry speaking and the student screaming...

they had to be able to hear each other. I don't think this was Kerry's finest hour. An attempt to stop the police would have been in order in my opinion. Kerry is from the 60's when we did a lot worse protesting that that kid.

[Maribelle]

33. Kerry was far away and using a mike when you heard him. The jerk was nearby.

Kerry handled it well.

[Renew Deal]

53. Should he have punched a cop?

Tackled them? What should he have done exactly?

[Mend]

71. stand by the boy and try to reason with the cops....think about a

major league baseball game, you're the manager (Kerry) and your player (the kid) is screaming to the umpire...get in between and try to cool things off before your player is thrown out of the game (tasered). I really think this kid was full of passion, not a danger to anyone and the cops over-reacted.

[Renew Deal]

87. That's a stretch

There was no connection between Kerry and that guy. He wasn't Kerry's player. He was some random guy. Kerry did say from the stage that they should let the guy ask his question. Beyond that there's nothing he can reasonably do.

[Oak2004]

96. Have you ever been on stage?

Not only can you *not* always hear what's going on in the audience, depending upon the lighting and other factors sometimes you can't even *see* the audience. Stages are set up to facilitate the audience seeing and hearing things happening on stage, not those on stage being aware of the audience. Some very well designed venues are known for allowing a whisper on stage to be heard from the highest balcony-- do you really think the reverse is true?

It certainly is possible he *could* have heard it, but it's anything but a given. The only way to know would be to reproduce the event, and I can't imagine this will be the subject of a History Channel reconstruction anytime soon (or for that matter, anytime).

[Carrieyazel]

29. Good for Kerry, these thugs think they can dominate you

[Renew Deal]

54. So dissenters in American politics are now thugs?

How American of you. :eyes:

[smoogatz]

35. If a large safe ever actually falls out of a tenth-story window,

Kerry will be standing under it. Jeebus. I've never seen anything like it--the fucking guy is jinxed.

My .02, fwiw: if Kerry had said at the time--"Hey, don't arrest the guy, we're fine," then his regrets are valid. I didn't hear him say that on the video, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. If he said nothing, and did nothing to intervene, then his response now feels slightly less than genuine. But whatever--the more important point is that the cops clearly overreacted. Since when do you need to taser a guy who's already in handcuffs? There's clear evidence of unecessary use of force; the cop who did that should be fired, right after they stick his taser up his ass.

[Naythan]

40. Since when is it a crime to be rude?

I don't understand why half of the discussion on this thread appears to applaud the police for taking this guy away and tasering him. Some have condoned the tasering because the guy was resisting arrest. Unless I'm missing something, what crime did this guy commit? Being rude, budging in line, having some shit to say? This might not be "appropriate" or civil behavior, but last I checked, it's not a crime.

[barb162]

57. Who is applauding the guy being tasered? No one.

I just wish the guy would have acted like a normal person. He clearly wasn't. As I watched the tape, when he was getting arrested, the audience started clapping. (I guess they had enough of him.) They should have just cuffed him and got him out of the hall and into the police car. And he should not have resisted the cops.

BTW, when you and others go to a meeting to listen to a speaker and someone else just takes over,like this buffoon, what do you think should happen? What about when you're going to see a movie and there's a bunch of idiots loudly talking so you can't hear the movie and they refuse to quiet down? Should they be escorted from the theater or just be allowed to sit there and disrupt the event for everyone else?

[MindPilot]

43. How many times have any of you been at a speaking engagement

when that guy I like to call "minutia issue man" interrupts with a silly question? It happens at just about every event I've ever attended. Yeah they are disruptive and long-winded, but they usually have their say and then shut up.

Sure the guy spoke out of turn, but his questions were far from silly and since when is being "disrespectful" to a speaker onstage worthy of removal from the event let alone a violent arrest?

If that had been Ann Coulter or any other neo-con on that stage, Mr Meyer would be a DU hero.

The blind support of law enforcement and increasing level of authoritarianism here on DU are very disturbing trends.

[Renew Deal]

56. Exactly

You said what I was thinking. Imagine that this happened at a bushcheneycoulterotherrepublicanbullshitartist event. We'd be screaming about brownshirts, bill of rights, etc.

[AntiFascist]

60. Congratulations, this is the first post that even mentioned....

the issue that the student was asking about. Could it have been something that offended the police?

The problem with some of this endless threads, much like reporting in the MSM, is that many of us never get at the heart of the issues.

[46and2]

47. I am a mental health professional

And it seems to me that this student has many signs associated with mania. He's loud, grandiose, provocative, and out of control. Sad that it had to come to the level of force needed to subdue him as I have seen people more out of control contained with much less force necessary. Perhaps it's the difference in training between mental health professionals and the police who are just interested in controlling the situation. I feel horrible for the kid having to go through that but he did need to be removed for being so disruptive. There was no way for a good ending here...

[barb162]

59. Can we add histrionic in there too?

Drama queen? The way he was shooting about five questions at Kerry within one minute and then not letting Kerry answer, oh my....

He couldn't have expected Kerry to answer,as he just kept on with that fast rambling until they shut off the microphone.
PS
He shouldn't have been tasered, though. It "seems" they had him under control on the ground, though maybe he was trying to fight them on the ground. It was hard to tell. It's too bad they just couldn't have quieted him in some sort of "therapeutic hold."

[Oak2004]

97. 'Cept for one little problem with that

The "therapeutic holds" are responsible for quite a number of deaths.

[lovuian]

48. I'm glad Kerry condemns it but it sure would have been

smart to ask for them to stop Tazzering the kid rather than ignoring it

[lateo]

49. Kerry is full of crap.

He didn't see this kid being escorted out by the police?

Didn't hear him screaming?

Sorry don't buy it.

[brentspeak]

55. Maybe you should first remove the you-know-what between your ears

Kerry never claimed not to see the kid being escorted out by the police. This is what he said: "I was not aware that a taser was used until after I left the building,"

[Tarheel_Dem]

63. brentspeak....how dare you inject truth or logic to this argument....

the nerve.

[brentspeak]

70. I apologize

I promise not to do it again. ;)

p.s. Thanks for the support :pals:

[lateo]

72. Here.

""I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption, but I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention. I asked the police to allow me to answer the question and was in the process of responding when he was taken into custody.""

I watch this video 6 times now. And when Kerry says "let me answer his question" the thugs grab this kid and start removing him. This is the point where Kerry should have said "no, let him stay". But this was where he failed this kid and just kept quiet on the microphone until he was dragged into the back of the auditorium.

Another failure of leadership by Kerry. Which is too bad because I have been wanting him to answer why the hell he conceded to Bush so quickly in 2004.

From a DK post from John Kerry's online communication director

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/9/18/125041/427

"So he made sure to call the U of F police off. Which, technically, he had no authority to do, since this was a U of F event, not a Kerry event. They were their police."

No where in this video could I hear where Kerry told the police to back down. If I am missing something please let me know at what spot on the timeline to listen to again. And yes, they were UF police but you can't tell me if Kerry stood up there with is microphone and yelled for the police to stop they wouldn't stop.

[Robb]

73. "I have been wanting him to answer why the hell he conceded to Bush so quickly in 2004"

...see the entrails comment, #1.

[karynnj]

92. Of course he saw the kid escorted out and making a racket

because he didn't want to go. Kerry said it was ok with him if he stayed. But the university and the police had the right to eject him. The University has a right to demand certain levels of behavior. If you loudly talk at the movies, you will be ejected too.

He did not know that he was tasered.

[goforit]

76. F#$% You Kerry!! Those COPS deserve 50 years imprisonment!!! He was a Meyer!

[Gravel2008]

80. "Heckler"?? That's BULLshit!

I've watched both videos and that guy did NOT heckle anybody. He asked some VERY poignant questions that many others on this board have been asking again and again, and that I would VERY much like to hear Kerry respond to. So he became agitated, I would be too if a gang of cops tried to drag me away and deny me my right to free speech. He did NOTHING to warrant that treatment, and those cops are all scumbags that should be kicked off the force immediately. It's also bullshit that Kerry would not have noticed the commotion. I'm not saying Kerry himself should've jumped off the stage and tried to break it up (although maybe with a headline like "US SENATOR TASERED BY FASCIST PIGS" more people would wake up to the situation), but he could damn well have uttered some stronger words from the stage, instead of just issuing a condemnation after the fact that does nothing for the poor kid.

[NotGivingUp]

84. What more do people need to see that we are living in a fascist state? n/t

[NotGivingUp]

82. Kerry, the guy was being slammed to the floor right in front of your face!!!

Kerry should've made it his business to know what was happening to a United States citizen who was thrown to the floor and tasered for asking a fucking question. "Oh gee whiz, I wasn't aware." Yeah, fuck you, Kerry, you fucking asshole.

[karynnj]

91. It was NOT in front of his face

Kerry was at the other end of a very big room, on stage looking into stage lights. He quickly calmed the rest of the audience - and likely thought the police had simply removed a student violating school rules.

What you saw was a video filmed FOR MEYER, from a point near Meyer. Not from what could be seen from the stage.

[Name removed]

83. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Maribelle]

86. One of the videos on You-Tube clearly shows the thug swearing at the police and flailing his arms

as he screamed at the police officer "get your hands off me" prior to being taken down to the floor. They are not showing this video on MSM.

Now I can't find it on You-Tube. Does anyone have a link to it?????

This has nothing at all to do with free speech.

[6000eliot]

94. Oh, then by all means use deadly force to take him out.

Are people who are defending the police even liberals?

[Oak2004]

98. The way I figure it, DU is often illustrative not only of the strengths of the Democratic Party,

but of its weaknesses. And Democrats in Congress have indeed shown themselves to be willing to support Republican-initiated police state measures in the past. Most progressives recognize that Democrats challenging Republicans isn't sufficient: there are Democrats who need to be challenged, too.

[6000eliot]

93. Another instance of Kerry's political stupidity, if you ask me.

I can't believe this guy was even nominated. BTW, I don't believe he wasn't aware of it.