Kerry Condemns Heckler Arrest

[AlCzervik]

Kerry Condemns Heckler Arrest

September 18, 2007 11:48 AM

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."

For politicians, hecklers come with the territory. But the arrest and detention of Meyer at Kerry speech on Monday stood out in at least two respects: Police acted aggressively in trying to silence Meyer, and the entire incident was captures on video -- making it an immediate Internet and TV sensation.

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

[Bonobo]

1. I will be the first to thank Kerry for making this statement.

[Morereason]

175. We have slowly become complacent and accepting of tasering and violent methods

That is the most interesting thing I see about this incident. Remember when this technology was only going to be used against violent people in place of guns? Notice the slow creep and the acceptance of using injury to place someone under arrest?

What exactly is the difference between tasoring and beating someone into submission? The fact that a taser does not scar?

I see more and more evidence, even on DU, of people who are far more under the influence of fascism than they think...

[subsuelo]

188. we're definitely becoming more accepting of fascism

This whole incident shines a bright spotlight on that fact

[ecstatic]

2. yeah right!!!!

:mad:

[NewYorkerfromMass]

178. You like truth?

Seems you'll never recognize it with that attitude.

[ecstatic]

3. Condeming AFTER the fact doesn't cut it, Kerry!!

:mad:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

20. Oh You've Got To Be Kidding.

Put your outraged smiley away buddy, you ain't foolin anybody.

[mudesi]

98. Hey, OPERATIONMINDCRIME...

...Do you think the "authorities" were unjustified in this action? Just wondering. Maybe we can agree on something for a change.

Because I must say, anybody who thinks that person deserved to be handled the way he was for asking questions needs to have his head checked. America is really starting to look like a police state.

[BearSquirrel2]

139. He wasn't asking questions ...

The student had a diatribe going. He wasn't asking questions he was making a statement. He does not deserve to be arrested for that. But once officials ask him to stop and he refuses, then ask him to leave and he refuses, then it becomes a legal matter. Apparently this guy has a history of pulling stunts on campus and videotaping them. It's like performance art. Regardless he breached the line of civility, that got him an exit pass from the building and when he refused to leave the building, that got him arrested.

I don't think condemning this is a good move for Kerry. It seems like a knee jerk reaction to deflect criticism. Instead, he should probably find out exactly WHAT the MO on this guy was and then make a statement on it.

[Puregonzo1188]

155. I've only seen the video and therefore am missing anything that happened before then, but

it looks like after they cut his mic off he turns around and is going to start walking away when the police grad him. Granted, he was being obnoxious (but only after the police lady said something to him, before then he didn't seem to be any worse the normal people who get up and seem to like to hear themselves talk that usually get up to "ask a question), but is obnoxious behavior a police issue?

I could be missing something here, but I really don't think police involvement was necessary and probably just escalated the situation further.

[barb162]

186. After they told him his time was up

why didn't he just leave peaceably? Nooooo, he started resisting the police and putting on a real show. Didn't his mama teach him anything? I'd love to see an interview with his parents.

[Riverman]

156. This is How real Naked Facism takes hold - when good people

do nothing. Kerry did nothing in the moment. The students and I would guess there were professors and University of Florida officials in the room who did nothing to stop this public torture. I don't care how obnoxious this young fellow might have been, there is absolutely no justification for this police state action. That some students cheered the public torturing of a fellow student is nothing but prime evidence of how far this culture has devolved into blatant facisim. In Germany in the 1930 the mainstream citizens not only sat quiet while the Jews and other minorities were first verbally, then physically assaulted, but joined in with the SS Brownshirt thugs in verbally and physically beating their fellow citizens.

Kerry is a disgrace. I am sorry I ever voted for this Brahman member of the elitist club. Sorry People - give up your delusions about "liberal" democrats. All members of the same club.

[JDPriestly]

173. But he has spoken out now.

The police over-reacted. They had no basis for arresting this young man. Hopefully he is free now.

[5446]

209. Oh, yeah, now?

Spoke out now, after his handlers told him he made a mistake?

Spoke out now, after it was too late to make a difference?

Spoke out now, after watching someone dragged off for daring to speak up?


Yeah, that's presidential material right there.

What's more baffling is the way that people are attacking the questioner and accusing him of deserving this treatment? I thought people around here billed themselves as some sort of revolutionary force out to change the country's path and save us all?

Coz right now, all I see is hypocrasy.

[BearSquirrel2]

181. Resisting arrest ...

If these were fascists they wouldn't have bothered with a tazer. They would have beat the crap out of the guy and locked him in a jail cell for year without any representation.

The guy was detained because he was asked to leave, refused and then officers attempted an arrest. Had he gone quietly there would have been no problem. He resisted, made erratic behavior and at that point the officer HAD to subdue him.

The kid got shocked with a tazer. The only thing revolting about the event was his baby temper tantrum screaming. For a sense on my perspective though, I'll reference the UCLA video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g7zlJx9u2E. In this case I believe the taser was used too many times. After the cuffs are on, I don't think there is any need to insist the suspect stands. As long as he doesn't resist dragging him off, there is no need for any further intervention.

You do not have the right to resist arrest ... PERIOD!!! These situations are not courtrooms. If you get arrested on an outrageously bogus charge, then you can turn around and sue. The video in either of these cases are not beneficial to the students as they are both acting like complete asses by refusing to leave the premises and then resisting arrest.

If someone ever breaks into your house and refuses to leave, you will likely call the police. If they start whining about there right to not be arrested are you going to cry foul when police get out their tazers to subdue the intruder? Newsflash, in the real world police often have to intervene to enforce laws. Both of these people walked away without damage to anything but their inflated egos.

Advice, if the police tell you to leave, you'd better leave! If they tell you you're under arrest, you better let them put the cuffs on. The truth in both of these cases is that their would have been no forceful intervention if these people just complied and left. They have no one to blame but themselves.

[obiwan]

191. Ever been tasered? Bet you'd scream, too.

[karynnj]

182. It is pretty clear he didn't see anything

As a Jew, I am offended that you connect this to the unprovoked attacks - far greater than this - on the Jews. The students cheered him being evicted. That made since as he had hijacked the talk and show & tell. The audience did not sign up to go to the Meyer event. Maybe he should ask the university for a place to hold a Meyer event - if they still had them, a phone booth might do.

Kerry did something twice - he let the guy speak in the first place and he said that he was ok with answering the question and tried to calm the crowd. This gave the University and the police to let Kerry handle it - they did not take that option. At that point they forcibly ejected the guy - that was all Kerry saw - and that was not unreasonable for the university to do. For Kerry to object further that he should stay would have been wrong - it was the university's decision. They have the right to remove one of their own students from an event.

It appears there will be an investigation of whether the police went too far.

[BearSquirrel2]

185. Here is another video ???

Let me ask you, do you think this was police abuse?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE_7NTBfwHE&mode=related&search=

[barb162]

187. Trying to minimize his behavior as obnoxious when it was really

about resisting arrest is one fallacy here. The second is comparing this trouble-making drama queen's resisting arrest by the cops to the Nazis. This guy just wanted to rant at Kerry. The audience wanted to listen to Kerry, not Mr. Histrionics Meyer; that's why they were clapping when the mike was shut off.

[Cobalt Violet]

203. He was handcuffed then tasered.

That so wrong. Show me the law that says you can use potentially lethal force against "trouble-making drama queens".

[barb162]

216. He was not handcuffed until he was down on the floor.

When that big cop was carrying him to the back of the hall, he still wasn't handcuffed and broke free of the cop. And when he was on the floor I can't tell when the tasering occurred versus the the handcuffing. Although I will bet the tasering happening first so they could handcuff him.

"Show you the law that says you can use potentially lethal force against "trouble-making drama queens"?
Show me the law that says cops have to endure potentially more violence like getting kicked in the teeth by a violent nutcase before they can use increasing levels of force. Was he violent in your opinion? He broke free from the police twice from what I saw. The cops warned him they would use a taser; that is clear in one of the videos. He still didn't cooperate. Then the taser was used. What didn't he understand? The cops were speaking plain ol' ENGLISH. And no, I don't agree with the use of the taser, but then again I wasn't one of the cops trying to control this clearly violent man. Meyers is big, obviously very strong, acting clearly erractically, and he was very clearly resisting the police.

[Cobalt Violet]

218. Just what I thought...Guitly until proven innocent.

What ever happend to calling for back-up.

[artfan]

211. the video was edited

how do you know what happened in the interim? how far were they from Kerry when the kid was tasered? i want more info before making up my mind.

[Cobalt Violet]

202. So what did he do to deserve to be handcuff and then tasered?

:shrug:

[U4ikLefty]

176. This has got to be one of the most ironic posts on DU in a long time.

OMC teling someone to "put away" a smiley...now that's funny!!!

[endarkenment]

27. Yeah he should have spoken out before the tasering!

With all of those ketchup billions you'd think he'd have a decent psychic on staff.

[Cha]

Not bringing your crystal ball

to the UofF doesn't cut the mustard, Kerry!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

73. true that.

:rofl:

[beachmom]

75. Posting of the Day. LOL. n/t

[wicket]

83. ROFL

:rofl:

[The Count]

113. Or at least during. He had the microphone!

[endarkenment]

123. He asked that the man be allowed to continue speaking.

Jumping to the conclusion that he was aware of the tasering at the time it happened is unfounded.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

128. he didnt even want the guy to stop talking let alone want him to be lasered

you are just so full of shit.

[Peregrine Took]

42. When he had the chance to intervene he did nothing. That's what counts. n/t

[La Lioness Priyanka]

69. why do you assume he is lying? he probably really couldnt see them

[karynnj]

103. Not true he intervened twice - once successfully

The first time was when the man acting aggressively barged to the front and the police wanted to evict him then. Kerry intervened to say that he would answer his question. The question was actually a rant - when the first question was finished, he let Kerry get all of maybe 2 words out then interrupted again - and said he should get 2 minutes, Kerry had 2 hours.

The second time was AFTER he got his three questions out and engaged in the above rudeness - the police, at the urging of the University moved to evict him again - as he was still very very aggressive - Kerry said into the mic that he would answer the questions. The police ignored Kerry's willingness to have him there and proceded to evict him.

The host wanted him out - likely because he violated their rules and the police wanted him out - it was not Kerry's decision - and the kids applauded him being kicked out - he was not adding to their experience. He didn't know till he left what happened.

[BearSquirrel2]

140. I'll echo that Kerry didn't know about the tasering ...

The taser noise is really just a clicking and I don't know how Kerry could hear it over the infantile wailing before during and after the taser events. I could not hear it on the tape. The only hint of it is the guy saying "don't tase me bro" then you here him yelling "Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow". This is nothing special as before that he is yelling "Help Me, Help Me, they're arresting me for nothing" and non-stop "I didn't do anything, I didn't do anything".

On the way out of the building he insinuated that the CAMPUS POLICE were going to kill him and asked all the people in the lobby to let everyone know what had happened to him. He also refused to give his name to when asked presumably to keep the police from knowing how to find him while simultaneously believing that they were going to kill him.

This was either performance art or the individual was troubled.

[creeksneakers2]

133. Isn't it against the law to interfere with an arrest? n/t

[Goblinmonger]

54. It's not like they were in a broom closet

they were in a big hall. The kid was way at the top and the stage lights were on. It is perfectly reasonable to assume Kerry did not know about the taser being used.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

68. yes he should have CONDEMNED before they tasered him. Cos that is clearly sensible.

:eyes:

[KaptBunnyPants]

93. You guys really expect Kerry to lead a physical attack on the police?

That's the only thing that could have stopped them from assaulting a targeted individual. And given the SS tactics police employ these days, it would have ended with a lot of dead college students. This is a police state. You have an obligation to be silent, and anything you say can and will be used as a justification to beat you into the ground.

[ShortnFiery]

95. Oh stop, no one of us is perfect. I am proud that Kerry made this statement. nt

[brentspeak]

But that won't be enough to placate the Kerry bashers

Not only did Kerry fail to deploy his Voice Of Command to stop the cops, but he also refused - refused! - to use his X-Ray vision and see that the kid was being tasered!

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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

[truckin]

14. I don't blame Kerry for the kid being tasered but I do blame him

for not acting more forcefully when the cops first stepped in to grab the kid.

[Sequoia]

70. Well, he didn't want the votes recounted...just caved in.

[blm]

131. The votes WERE recounted by Ohio's rules. You all seemed to have missed that part.

Your beef is misdirected. Have any of you bothered to demand answers from the DNC and the Ohio Dem party over WHY they spent the 4 years after Florida's fraud sitting on their hands and not bothering to secure the lection process that RNC spent their four years manipulating and controlling every point in the process how and where votes are cast and counted?

Or was Kerry expected to do all that in 6months he knew he was the nominee along with all of his other duties as nominee?

[Sequoia]

145. Well, okay. But wasn't Ohio shown later to in error?

But you're right the DNC does seem to have hidden under a rock in the sea, where spinless jelly fish hide. He couldn't held out a bit longer though so the MSM would start tearing out their hair and gnashing their teeth and we could see jerks like O'Reilley and the lot rant and rave while we giggle at their misery.

[Divine Discontent]

152. NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW!!!

how dare you insinuate that this entire battle should have been shared by the Democrats in power, and not just put on Kerry's plate as other's insist. HA...

Look, I agree, he caved, but he felt there was no other option. Edwards wanted to fight (he's from a different generation imo and knows the repubs of today are crooked & evil I think, why else run for president with a wife with cancer - that's why he has my vote!) but Kerry didn't think there was enough proof in that short amount of time. I think people love to think John was somehow involved with B*sh.... sorry, I don't buy it, especially after meeting him several times in 04 - he was very passionate about being president and thoughtful. Not a fraud like B*sh appears to be in public with those who are "lucky" enough to see him.

[blm]

166. Edwards wanted to wait and he argued with the legal team not Kerry the way the internet

myth claims. There were alot of heated words - and in Woodward's book you hear that Kerry was planning a fight and then the numbers on the provisionals changed after Carville's phone call to Matalin. But Edwards and Kerry were arguing with legal team about WHEN to concede not IF - and Kerry ended up siding with Edwards and waited till the next day.

[Divine Discontent]

169. I knew about Carville's dirty move, but I didn't hear the rest. interesting. n/t

[RangerRK]

154. The Green Party called for and paid for the recount

They had to drop recounts in other states due to lack of funds, even though Kerry had collected millions to fight election fraud.

[truckin]

205. Kerry distanced himself from the recount in Ohio because he

didn't want to look like a sore loser, IMO. I believe that he was more worried about preserving his electibility for the next election than getting to the bottom about what happened in Ohio. Could be wrong but that's my take.

[The Doctor.]

174. Not precisely.

Blackwell, against state law, directed the vote count. He made sure the initial recounts were 'fixed'.

[karynnj]

105. It wasn't his say

he already let the kid get away with breaking the rules, he let the kid speak - even though he was rude, and indicated (likely more to the host - that they didn't have to quick him out for him). They were, however, kicking him out for themselves - he overstepped some line. Had he not resisted, we wouldn't have heard this - people get ejected for things all the time. Maybe we would here about the speech (Iraq, National security) that one student review found inspiring.

[truckin]

207. You could barely hear Kerry as the student was being grabbed

by the cops. He had a microphone and he could have yelled to the cops to let the kid be. I don't think Kerry should have ran down and got physical but he could have been much more forceful from the podium. If he did this and it still played out the way it did I would give him a pass. The way Kerry acted on stage, it appeared to me that he wasn't that unhappy about not having to answer those questions.

[wisteria]

162. What was he to do? Come on, to inter fer with a police action can get you arrested.

And, Kerry did shout out that he would answer the student's question.

Also, ask yourself this, how do you thing the police would act if one of our candidates had a student behave like this one did at one of their appearances.

[Skip Intro]

rofl

:lol:

[midlife_mo_Jo]

25. He also failed to tell the young man to get to the back of the line

Frankly, I'm surprised he was allowed to speak as long as he did!

(Really, I don't blame Kerry. :) )

[WildEyedLiberal]

170. Well he IS Skull and Bones

He obviously has lots of dark occult black magick powers at his command!!! :crazy:

[obiwan]

192. Kerry wasn't in charge.

The SCHOOL was in charge, and therefore it was up to the SCHOOL to deal with the incident.

Kerry, technically, was a contractor as he was providing a service to the school as a paid speaker.

Same with the police. They were paid security. Chances are the school had a contract with them.

[H2O Man]

4. Nominated.

Thanks.

[valerief]

5. New World Order. Dissenters will perish. nt

[Cha]

39. Makes me wanna be

a dissenter..the new sky diving.

[valerief]

55. LOL! You want a real challenge? Enlist in the military for Iraq duty. The Ultimate Risk. nt

[Cha]

72. Oh shit! I see a

new reality show.

[valerief]

87. Omigod, you're killing me. I mean, cracking me up! nt

[bos1]

6. Good for Kerry. But shame on the cops, the crowd and a lot of DUers

for applauding.

It's also being discussed at the DU spot http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=55357&mesg_id=55357

[NoodleBoy]

10. word.

these from people decrying the loss of our freedoms.

[american_typeculture]

8. Would statement been made had this not become an internet sensation?

Also, how could an unarmed man injure police officers with tasers, batons, mace and pistols?

[Name removed]

16. Deleted sub-thread

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[babylonsister]

9. Rec'd. He didn't even know the kid was tasered; that 'should' shut some mouths. nt

[lonestarnot]

11. Yeah John!

Now what about those votes?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

18. Votes? What votes? This AP article does not mention the question

about the Ohio votes

A snip from the AP article on AOL

http://news.aol.com/story/ar/_a/student-arrested-tasered-at-kerry-event/20070918063509990001

Videos of the incident posted on several Web sites show officers pulling Andrew Meyer, 21, away from the microphone after he asks Kerry about impeaching President Bush and whether he and Bush were both members of the secret society Skull and Bones at Yale University.

[lonestarnot]

26. I know what was said, but I want to know about the votes! Damn can't a person ask a fucking

question these days. :sarcasm: :hug:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

36. ......

:rofl: :pals:

[karynnj]

107. Kerry gave a long answer at one of the book tour events

I think the one in Cambridge - if so there is likely a post on Johnkerry.com I hope that at some point he does - because that and the Senate speech on the Rosa Parks extention to the voting rights bill where Kerry detailed all the types of fraud that had been seen would be good to get together. It should be added to what others have found and some very serious work done on fixing it for 2008.

[ClayZ]

12. K and R

:applause:

[sleipnir]

13. A "HECKLER"!? WTF!?

This is even more egregious behavior. Unbelievable.

Dissenters with reasonable questions are now "Hecklers."

[onenote]

34. the guy apparently cut to the front of the line, wouldn't let kerry answer

and later referred to the Kerry "protest" -- so I think heckler fits, if not perfectly, better than "reasonable".

[Virginia Dare]

66. His questions were rhetorical, as he wasn't allowing Senator Kerry..

any time to answer before asking another one, in what sounded like a very taunting and accusatory manner. This after he'd bogarted in line to grab the mic. I'd say heckler fits here.

[Spiffarino]

90. Heckler is too mild.

The guy was a rude asshole. I'm surprised Kerry didn't tell him to shut the fuck up and let him answer at least one question and then let somebody else have a turn.

Busting ahead of people in line and asking a bunch of rhetorical questions is the behavior of an asshole. He appears to be a lefty, and I agree he should have asked those questions...and then let Kerry answer. He just wanted to be an obnoxious jerk.

As for the tasering, it was probably completely unnecessary. There are a few cops who like to break out their toys and test them on live protesters whenever possible.

[Virginia Dare]

91. Yep, you and I are on the same page on this one...n/t

[Name removed]

15. Deleted sub-thread

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[ryanus]

17. Kerry said that he would answer the questions

but the "police" just decided to taser the kid anyway

[truckin]

23. And, of course, Kerry never did answer the questions. I would

like to have heard his answers.

[ecstatic]

61. His statement should have included an answer to the questions posed

That might make some of us less suspicious of his role in the scuffle.

[BearSquirrel2]

141. He already answered them ...

He's already answered them. He didn't challenge the election fraud because he didn't think he would win.

[karynnj]

108. I have not seen a transcript

[SlowDownFast]

19. So then get the charges dismissed, Kerry.

And/or pay for the kid's legal fees when he sues the police department.

[brentspeak]

29. Why don't you pitch in?

Why not make a public declaration, right here and right now, that you will make the first public contribution towards paying this kid's legal fees?

Well, why not?

[onenote]

37. and what power does Kerry have to get the charges dismissed?

[mark414]

84. uh...he's a US Senator - that comes with a lot of power

[onenote]

122. it doesn't come with the power to tell local cops what to do

[mark414]

124. if George H. W. Bush the Congressman can get his kid out of the Vietnam War,

i think a US Senator can get some university police to drop some minor charges...

[onenote]

127. not if those cops don't like students resisting their instructions

the two situations are completely different

[karynnj]

129. Getting charges dismissed in Florida or even Massachusetts is noit among them

Especially for a law abiding man like Kerry.

[mark414]

132. i'm not saying that he would, or that he should

but uh...i'm pretty sure that he could

[BearSquirrel2]

142. Getting the charges dropped ...

I do believe that undue influence on a prosecutor would be obstruction of justice. The public defender can to just as good a job as a private one in pleading guilty. If this kid wasn't joking, he needs to be in the hands of the justice system so they can compel him to get some help for his paranoia. If he was joking ... that's what you get for stealing time away from your peers and ruining their opportunities.

[jgraz]

21. So...he was for the tasering before he was against it?

hey, somebody had to say it. :evilgrin:

[Beelzebud]

22. Good for Kerry. At least he knows when the police cross the line.

Some here on DU don't.

[endarkenment]

24. What? I thought I read here that Kerry was doing the Tasering.

Now I am really confused.

[Truth2Tell]

31. Cops taser, Kerry waffles. That help? n/t

[endarkenment]

80. Ah, so you can taser waffles. Who knew?

[Truth2Tell]

96. It's the best way

to get them nice and crispy, just how I like them.

There's really no end to the useful things you can do with a taser.

And of course these guys will always protect your freedom to taze waffles:

[wisteria]

164. Oh, an old RW smear. Wow, how original of you. n/t

[Cha]

33. Nah, Kerry's an ol'

softie..he wouldn't taser anyone!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

79. yup with laser beams from his eyes. that kerry is a supernatural freak!!!

:rofl:

[endarkenment]

82. super freak!

roll the bad rap music

[obiwan]

193. That's FRICKIN' laser beams!

[karynnj]

180. Kerry is no Christie Todd Whitman

who when out with state police was taught how to frisk a suspect - who had already been frisked to make sure that it was safe for the former Governor. This, even before she was Bush EPA is why she is not mentioned as a candidate.

PS I know yours was sarcasm - directed at people who bashed Kerry last night.

[Cha]

28. Senator John Kerry shows

class in an era of.."let's just taser the dissenter".

I really like Kerry; I wish he were running since Gore's not going to.

[Labors of Hercules]

40. Give me a break.

Kerry's a total jelly filled doughnut.

[Cha]

46. Nah, he's brave..he's just

not all things to all people.

[WildEyedLiberal]

171. Yeah, all the trolls REALLY hate him

Oops, did I say that out loud?

[liberalmuse]

30. I'm outraged at the police overreaction, not Kerry.

I concede he did what he could to diffuse the situation. I'm disturbed that police tasered an unarmed student repeatedly at a public event. It stinks of facism. I'm glad Kerry has spoken out about this!

[bos1]

32. Same here -- and the crowd and DU applause is an outrage too

[BearSquirrel2]

143. Would you rather ...

The guy was deranged. Releasing him was not an option. The only option was to arrest him for the safety of everyone involved. The police gave him ample opportunity to submit to arrest and told him his legal consequences at many opportunities. Rather then applying manual force and risking injuring him, they tased him.

Had the guy complied and allowed police to handcuff him, he would not have been tased. End of story. I'd like to hear from police officers here about how they would have arrested the subject without resorting to force. A single blow from a suspect can break bones and cause serious damage. If you were them, you would have tased the guy too! Or would you prefer mace?

[obiwan]

194. Repeat: EVER BEEN TASERED?

When the police break down your door in the middle of the night for no reason, don't come crying to me.

The police work for US. They are paid by US. They are a PUBLIC TRUST.

[BearSquirrel2]

220. If the police break down my door ...

If the police break down my door in the middle of the night I'll lay down on the ground and let them cuff me. If they bungle the warrant (which they would have since I'm not a crook) I'll then sue them for restitution. Resisting arrest would not help my case.

If you think this guy was booted from the event because of his message you're nuts. He was booted because he was not following the rules of the event and was being disruptive. He was arrested because he failed to leave. He was tased because he resisted arrest.

An arrest is not a trial. It's not a quarrel. You have no right to appeal until after they book you. If everyone was allowed to question there own arrest no one would ever be arrested.

[BuyingThyme]

35. Would this be a good time to ask why the people who trashed the student

are not now attacking John Kerry for supporting him?

Are you folks at all capable of thinking for yourselves?

What an embarrassment.

[Beelzebud]

38. They were for police brutality before they were against it.

Flip Floppers!

:D

Sometimes the comedy here writes itself.

[YvonneCa]

62. I'm laughin'... n/t

[bos1]

43. I think you ask too much

of people who want to be led.

[onenote]

47. well, for one thing, I don't necessarily see Kerry as "supporting" the student

Did you read his statement? Notwithstanding how ABC characterized it, he didn't "condemn" the tasering. He said he believed he could have handled the situation but acknolwedges not knowing what warning or other exchanges transpired between the cops and the questioner before he "barged" to the front of the line (an apparent reference to the fact, often overlooked in the discussions of this incident, that this guy initially cut to front of the line and interrupted someone who was in the process of asking a question). While Kerry expressed regret for the fact that a "healthy discussion" was interrupted, I think it goes a step too far to characterize that as "support" for the student vis-a-vis the confrontation with the police.

[BuyingThyme]

53. Kerry is definitely supporting the student.

[onenote]

57. because you always characterize the actions of one you support

as "barging to the front of the line".

Okay.

[YvonneCa]

63. Thank you. n/t

[Mass]

52. Not being one of them, I cannot answer.

However, I know this will not placate the professional Kerry bashers.

He should have jumped in the room to stop something he did not see.

[YvonneCa]

56. The student's behavior...

...was an adult 'temper tantrum'(IMHO), when his discussion with Senator Kerry was interrupted by campus police. I don't agree that it is 'trashing' a person, to hold him accountable for his behavioral choices. If he didn't know what to expect, he should have.

I am not aware of the rules for questioners at this event nor do I know this student's history with campus police. Like the Senator, however, I think lively debate is good... and it's always a shame to have it interrupted. I have attended several Kerry events where he handled similar questions just fine.

In his statement, the Senator defended lively debate and discussion, for which he is always a champion. He expressed care and concern for ALL those involved...including the student and the police. The Senator is a man of integrity. This event does nothing to change that.

[ProSense]

64. Well said! n/t

[YvonneCa]

89. Thanks! n/t

[BuyingThyme]

213. And why did you post this in response to my post?

[11 Bravo]

41. Not good enough Mr. Kerry!

How dare you not vault across the lectern, subdue the police officers, and then offer to pay any medical and legal fees ever incurred in perpetuity by anyone in the auditorium?

[Cha]

44. We want our Kerry to be

SUPERMAN!

[AlCzervik]

45. i'm ready to taser myself at this point.

i'm actually sorry now that i bothered posting this thread.

[truckin]

49. If he forcefully told the cops to let the kid ask his question, the

whole situation may have been averted. If he really stood up for the kid and it still played out the same way, I'd give hime a pass. All humor aside, nobody expected Kerry to get physically involved. However, his response to what was going on was very weak.

[Mass]

48. Thanks

[RangerRK]

50. He didn't hear the kid screaming 'help me'

He didn't hear the kid screaming 'don't taser me'

I will be forever haunted by his screaming and the fact that no one helped him.

[onenote]

58. forever is a long time

and given that he seemed to suffer no ill effects from whatever tasering took place, it seems a bit much to be "haunted" by this incident.

[OzarkDem]

65. You may want to consider

How your zealous attempts to defend Kerry at the expense of the abuse this kid received just might be making you, and by extenstion, your candidate look really cold and freepish.

[onenote]

67. and pray tell, who is "my candidate"

since I haven't decided, maybe you can tell me. You seem to be all-knowing today.

[Marrah_G]

78. You will forever be haunted?

And I suppose you also believe the police were going to wisk him away and secretly kill him.....

A bit dramatic don't you think?

[BearSquirrel2]

144. Grow up

Are you going to put that line in your Hollywood script!!!

That's like being haunted by a kid yelling "I don't wanna, I don't wanna" when the parent tells him it's time to leave.

The guy was throwing a temper tantrum. When told to leave he said he wouldn't leave. When the officers tried to arrest him he would not submit. When they had him on the ground and told him to give him his other arm he challenged their authority. Finally, when they got the taser out he said he'd leave if they only let him go and still refused to be arrested.

Dr. Martin Luther King didn't teach this technique to protesters. If he went limp and the tased him because they didn't want to carry him out, then I'd be upset.

[obiwan]

195. You grow up.

No doubt this guy was an asshole. However, we still have the First Amendment and it applies to everyone.

My right wing neighbor says a lot of rude, obnoxious things, but I don't have the cops taser him. Much as I don't like what he says, he is also protected by the First Amendment.

Removing the asshole outside was the right thing to do. There were plenty of cops to do the job, and they could arrest him outside without demonstrating their lack of anger management training to several hundred people.

Cops are profiled when they are hired. They don't get hired if they are too dumb, or TOO SMART. Most are not capable of exercising good JUDGMENT in these situations, and in fact use these situations to vent repressed hostility.

[BearSquirrel2]

219. No you grow up ...

Why are half the people calling this a 1st amendment issue. The guy was arrested for disorderly conduct ... not speaking out.

Guess what if you have a dwelling, you set the rules for who can be there. The second the duly appointed university official said he had to go, he was trespassing. He refused to leave and he was tazed. No one has any right to resist arrest.

[bunkerbuster1]

51. Bad headline! Bad!

While Kerry is expressing regret at how things turned out, he's leaving open the possibility that he didn't know "what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police..."

so he's not actually condemning the arrest, as such.

Typical shite reporting from the network that gave you The Path to 9/11. Thanks, ABC!

[YvonneCa]

59. Agreed n/t

[malaise]

60. Thanks John Kerry

Let the haters continue to spew their rantings.

[mod mom]

71. Here is the email address of the President of U of Florida:

Dr. Machen:
[e-mail]

[Cheap_Trick]

74. how many anti-war protesters have gotten the same treatment

or worse and not a fucking peep from the MSM?

[AuntPatsy]

77. Far too many, I agree with you, why this story and not the countless others.

[ralbertson]

76. Kerry's side of the story is in a new dKos diary now, too

...posted by BriVT, a dKos diarist of long standing, who is now Kerry's Online Communications Director -- so he ought to know the real deal, if anybody wants to know what actually happened on the stage at UF yesterday:


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

[H2O Man]

81. Thank you for this.

Those invested in trying to exploit this situation in order to swift boat Senator Kerry will probably ignore it, but I think it is of great value to the vast majority of DUers, who found the incident troubling.

[RangerRK]

85. Kerry's Online Communications Director

We are supposed to believe him? It is called damage control.

Kerry expects us to believe that he did not hear the screaming 'don't taser me'?

I think if Kerry really cares, he will stand up for democracy and answer all three of the student's questions for us.

I have been asking the same questions myself.

[YvonneCa]

88. Yes we are...

...and yes it is. All public figures need damage control when under attack. Senator Kerry probably gets that better than most...he's been attacked a lot. :7

Kerry does really care and has been standing up for democracy regularly. Please read my post. There is nothing wrong with the questions...and Kerry has answered them before.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1834174&mesg_id=1835889

[creeksneakers2]

153. I don't get what Kerry was supposed to do about it

If Kerry got involved,even by just asking the police to release the student, the police probably would have arrested Kerry too.

[YvonneCa]

86. Thanks ralbertson...

...for that link. My thoughts about this event:

I strongly support Senator Kerry. In his statement, the Senator defended lively debate and discussion, for which he is always a champion. He expressed care and concern for ALL those involved...including the student and the police. The Senator is a man of integrity. This event does nothing to change that.

I understand the Florida student's questions...they are important, and deserve answers. But this has nothing to do with John Kerry, other than he was a speaker/performer. What if this were a concert? Would you blame the musicians?

Security for events is there to protect the PEOPLE in the audience...ALL of them. What if this guy had a hidden weapon that could harm the others in the audience? Wouldn't you want security to keep you safe?

Although the Florida student's questions were good, he was behaving like an attention-seeking sixth grade child. In my opinion, he was having an adult 'temper tantrum', when his discussion with Senator Kerry was interrupted by campus police. Choices have consequences. The Florida student made a very loud, public choice...and he's intelligent enough to predict the police reaction. If he didn't know what to expect, he should have.

I don't know if campus police handled this perfectly, but I have a difficult time seeing how it could become the senator's fault. His part was to use the microphone to try to calm the crowd...which he DID. He offered to answer the questions. He said to remain calm. He kept talking to the crowd to keep control as best one could, given the disruptive circumstances. No one could do any more than that.

I am not aware of the rules for questioners at this event nor do I know this student's history with campus police. Like the Senator, however, I think lively debate is good... and it's always a shame to have it interrupted. I have attended several Kerry events where he handled similar questions just fine.And I've been to CIVIL rallies where Kerry has answered every question put to him...including the election and impeachment questions.

I'm FOR civility...not tasering.

Sorry for that result at your speech, Senator. I've attended a few of your public events, and you handle every one with dignity and integrity. Given the opportunity, I'm sure this one would have been the same.

[truckin]

92. Do you have a link to an article or video where Kerry answered

these questions? I'm not doubting you, I would just really like to hear his responses. Someone already posted a video where he would not answer Tim Russert about the Skull & Bones Society at Yale.

[AntiFascist]

94. This is amazing!!!

The top-rated post on DU about this event, and even the lengthy DKOS post authored by Kerry's Online Communications Director, fail to mention the one item at the heart of this issue: what was the student asking about? Reading through the DKOS post, it sounds like he was blabbering something about a "blowjob"? In fact, he apparently had some passionate things to say about election fraud and impeachment. It seems that internet posters have been taking too many cues from mainstream media, unfortunately.

[MalloyLiberal]

97. Distract the issue, and Kerry doesn't have to answer

tough questions.

Exactly how he wanted it.

[AntiFascist]

100. The topic of discussion means everything.....

if the student was truly crazy then it might be understandable why police tried to carry him away. If the student was a right-wing activist who barged to the front of the line and passionately defended the pResident, then it would be truly surprising to see Florida police behave the way that they did. But, since the student was passionately defending two key topics of the far left that usually never get discussed in the media, then let's just ignore what he had to say.

[MalloyLiberal]

104. Kerry wouldn't even answer RANDI RHODES' questions

On these very issues.

So forgive me if I'm not sympathetic to him, he probably told the U of F police to arrest anyone that asked difficult questions.

[Divine Discontent]

151. Rhodes is a bit of an argumentative type

she's hard to talk to. I've heard her be so rude to many of her callers, and when she was on CNN recently, she had to be yelled at repeatedly, for talking all over everyone to the point of Larry King screaming at her to stop it.

Kerry was going to answer the questions, and apparently did after the disorderly guy was taken out of the room. I think the cops failed by not listening to Kerry say he was going to answer his questions, and #2, for tasering him. Kerry could have been more forceful, but he didn't know fully (nor do we) what went on before this guy demanded to speak even though he apparently wasn't invited to this forum as a guest. And he certainly wasn't asked to speak like the senator, but the senator was allowing him time to ask a question, he wanted THREE and was ranting and yelling the whole time. Too bad someone a little more stable at the time wasn't the one doing the questioning. I liked the first 2 questions. Maybe we'll find the answers in a video from the end of the forum.

[Vinca]

99. I thought the student was continuing to press Kerry about why

he folded after the 2004 election in the face of widespread voter fraud. I don't know about you, but I'd like to have the answer.

[RangerRK]

102. exactly

They were very valid questions!

[Telly Savalas]

138. Then maybe that kid should have given Kerry the opportunity to answer.

From watching the clip, it was clear to me that the kid was more interested in hearing his own voice than Kerry's response.

Nevertheless, the actions of the security detail was way out of line.

[TheUniverse]

101. Better late than never.

Thanks Kerry. Keep the pressure on them, and the policitians will eventually do the right thing.

[earth mom]

106. Did Kerry ever answer the Skull & Bones question? That's what I want to know. nt

[The Count]

112. Conceding the election - that's the one I wanted to ask him too. Him and Edwards.

[earth mom]

120. I want to know the answer to that one too. nt

[BearSquirrel2]

146. He's already answered BOTH questions ..

He's already answered BOTH questions.

a) Because he didn't think he could win in court (reference Gore v. Bush).
b) It's just a social organization.

I'm not saying these answers are complete. But he has addressed them before. Kerry isn't a dummy. He just has trouble explaining himself plainly.

[TheOtherMaven]

183. Hmmmm.....

"a) Because he didn't think he could win in court (reference Gore v. Bush)."

Physical courage in Vietnam, moral cowardice on the campaign trail. "Can't win" is no reason not to TRY.

"b) It's just a social organization."

Way too many things can be covered by that description that really need further scrutiny. At best it sounds like a really unsavory fraternity.

[BearSquirrel2]

189. Skull & .. whatever

I really don't like the "Skull & Bones" thing either. But he's clearly already answered the question. These folks run in the circles of power. The time to talk about that was before the Democrats nominated him!

[greiner3]

109. For what it's worth;

I think the student was a plant. By someone, or even by himself, out for a story. But then again, I've been wrong once or twice.

[truckin]

119. You could be right about that and the student acting the way he

did hurt his cause. But I would still like to hear Kerry answer the questions in an open and honest way. Probably never happen though.

[YvonneCa]

134. truckin...

...I heard him speak last year at Pepperdine University. After the speech, he spoke to students at a rally there and was asked and answered the election and impeachment questions, but not the S/B question. In a way, it's kind of sad that Kerry didn't get the chance to answer this guy's question yesterday. It would have been interesting to hear his answer on S/B.

I will say that in every Q and A session I have seen him do, he's been very forthright, open and honest.

[ConfidentialStatus]

110. I have a Question for Kerry

What ever happened on Sept 10 2001 when Donald Rumsfeld said 2.3 trillion dollars are missing? Okay taser me I have another question... Who is behind the anthrax attacks on Sept 18 2001? Okay I'll stop asking more questions because I only like to be taser one time, after that I might love the pain and get addicted to the sensation.

[brentspeak]

116. I have a question for you:

Do you know how to read??

"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."

[ConfidentialStatus]

121. You are the expert on reading

and answering questions... so I'll sit back and improve on my reading skills while you look in the mirror and respond with Karl Rove is that you?:-)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

136. yeah i am sure we are all karl rove,

:eyes:

[BearSquirrel2]

147. If you allowed him to answer ...

If you allowed him to answer instead of just asking the next question in an accusational fashion, I'm 100% sure that you would not be tased. Though knowing Kerry, the answers to the questions might hurt just as much.

[The Count]

111. That's like Bush un-reading "My Pet Goat". Sorry John, you WATCHED it

and condoned it. You were "answering" the tortured kid. You are scum.

[Name removed]

118. Deleted message

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

[La Lioness Priyanka]

204. thats not true. lying about it it pretty scumbaggy though

[democrat2thecore]

114. After much thought (and discussion with aides)

He realized he looked like an idiot allowing that to happen right in front of him. If he didn't want the kid taken away, he could have asked him not to be. "Is there something I don't know? I want to allow free speech at my event. This is AMERICA." It would have been the best lesson those students would have ever heard. Instead, they got a timid, rigid, "senatorial" response (just watch it happen) and.....you know, this is just so stage-managed. Kerry not being able to think on his feet in '04 is still a problem in '07. Terrible performance, terrible example to watch that kind of violence without speaking up THEN!

[Name removed]

115. Deleted message

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

[democrat2thecore]

117. Oh, please.....-nt

[aikoaiko]

125. Its not much of a condemnation is it?

[Vidar]

126. Bravo Mr. Kerry.

[Martin Eden]

130. Tucker Carlson bashed Kerry big time on his show today

for his lack of a response at the time and the explanation he gave later,

Of course, Fucker Tarlson will never pass up an opportunity to bash a Dem, justified or not.

[BearSquirrel2]

148. I have two words for Tucker Carlson ...

I have two words for Tucker Carlson ... Jon Stewart ... where'd ya go Tucker?

[Divine Discontent]

150. two words for tucker carlson

come out!


really, he doesn't need mentioned, and why anyone would watch him these days after all these years of hearing his worst drivel be put up on the net, is beyond my explanation, perhaps someone can help me out here?

[Martin Eden]

177. two reasons ...

... for watching Tucker Carlson:

1) girding for battle against freepers on open forums -- Carlson is a walking talking logical fallacy, and I'm ready to shoot down his spin when regurgitated by the wingnut rank & file.

2) my wife is the primary TV watcher and she keeps MSNBC on from Carlson thru Olbermann.

[obiwan]

197. Feel fortunate. My wife prefers the Game Show Channel.

[Divine Discontent]

201. well you have fun with all of that, lol.

I tend to ignore freeper types on open forums, they're the least likely to ever switch understanding and align themselves with reason & compassion of any type of person there is out there! Good luck though...

[Martin Eden]

215. Sometimes I'm in a fightin' mood ...

... and I get satisfaction out of giving them a good thrashing. But also, there are some independent-minded people in those forums and some who are not well-informed but interested in being so.

[Divine Discontent]

217. that is true (some are just misinformed looking for answers), like I said, good luck with it... n/t

[Divine Discontent]

135. UNFORTUNATE false title

it should say Kerry expresses regret over arrest

and you can't tell these fake libs or kerry haters anything, they love to distort.

[mogster]

137. Kick and R! n/t

[Maryland Liberal]

149. I predict

A pink jumpsuit is in this young mans future

[Geek_Girl]

157. I believe Kerry isn't to blame for this

The Kid had a right to ask those questions and I think John Kerry could have responded graciously if the police hadn't drug off the kid.

I am glad to see students fired up and passionate about the decline of the political system in our country I just wish there were more people like him.

[Geek_Girl]

158. self delete

duplicate

[onehandle]

159. DUers go over the top again.

Free Republic is often here.

[GeorgeGist]

160. That is NOT condemnation ...

that is regret.

[wisteria]

161. I am happy the Senator is concerned about this whole incident.

i don't necessarily agree that this would of been a healthy discussion. And, I won't second guess the police in this matter. Suffice to say, I would of never behaved like this student did-he was out of line.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

163. It was clearly a set-up. The WR ran with it.

[wisteria]

165. I question the reaction too. Especially since Kerry is an intelligent and well known critic of the

Iraq War.

[SHRED]

167. After the fact

So what.

He is a spineless jackass through and through.
He talked like he was on Haldol the whole time that kid was being tackled and tasered.

No leadership at all.

No wonder the swiftboaters kicked his ass.

[AikidoSoul]

168. Greg Palast says student was talking to Kerry about "Armed Madhouse"

Student Tasered for Armed Madhouse Question to Kerry
" said you won the 2004 election - isn't that amazing?
There were multiple reports of disenfranchising of Black voters on the day of the election in 2004 in Florida and Ohio. ... How could you concede the election on the day?"

by Greg Palast
Watch the Video (go to gregpalast.com)

We warned you: 'Armed Madhouse' is a dangerous book. Yesterday, Andrew Meyers, a University of Florida student was attacked by five cops, zapped with tasers and arrested after demanding that Senator John Kerry answer the question.

Meyers, just released from jail and now facing five years in prison for resisting arrest, held up a copy of the book and began,

Student to John Kerry: "I want to recommend a book to you. It's called 'Armed Madhouse by Greg Palast.' He's the top investigative journalist in America."

Kerry: "I have the book. I've already read it."

Student: "... In this book, it says there were 5 million votes and you won the election. ... How could you concede the election on the day?"

Meyers, a telecommunications student at the Gainesville campus, asked related questions including a query as to why Kerry refused to vote for impeachment. When he passed his alloted one minute mic time, five cops jumped him, threw him to the ground, shot him with taser shockers.

Kerry, true to character, stood immobile.

Now, I've given many talks. And some questioners have taken too long at the mic. But I've never done the Stalin thing of cops and electronic beating to limit the discussion. (Yes, it's true that Randi Rhodes recently threatened me with a taser when I've monopolized the mic in her studio.)

The Washington Post reported only that Meyers was holding a "mysterious yellow book." VERY mysterious.

I would note that enchained student was busted in Alachua County, Florida, where, six years ago, I uncovered massive, systematic and utterly illegal disenfranchisement of Black voters - ordered by Gov. Jeb Bush's office just before the 2000 election. ("Florida's Disappeared Voters," February 2001, The Nation.) Alachua remains under federal scrutiny for its long history of racial bias against Black voters.

I must admit I feel some appreciation for Meyers, especially because, even while he was being shot with untold amps of electricity, until he was handcuffed, he would not let go of his mysterious yellow book, 'Armed Madhouse.'


Hear the update live tonight on the new "Palast Report" on Air America Radio. The Palast Report will now broadcast every Tuesday night, at 9:30pm, on Richard Greene's new weeknight show, "Clout."

And get America's most SHOCKING book, the New York Times bestseller, ARMED MADHOUSE: From Baghdad to New Orleans -- Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild (Penguin 2007).

Subscribe to Palast's writings and view his investigative reports for BBC Television's Newsnight, at www.GregPalast.com.

[JDPriestly]

172. I'm pleased and relieved at Kerry's statement.

This young man was overly excited (possibly bi-polar without meds?), discourteous, disruptive and out of place. I understand he makes a sport of being disruptive. But ------- the First Amendment applies to him just as much as to the most polite, normal speaker. The police were way out of place. Kerry is back in my good graces.

Free speech is not just for people we agree with or people who are polite. I have a friend with bi-polar. She can embarrass me almost to tears in the middle of Trader Joe's when she gets loud. But she would never harm anyone. She just gets a bit excited and impatient. You cannot arrest people for being odd. Code Pink ladies would be arrested the minute they show up. Sometimes they are -- but it is just as wrong to arrest Code Pink for making a spectacle in order to get attention for the protest as it is to arrest this young man and vice versa.

Thank you, John Kerry,

[TankLV]

179. Well - that helps explain a lot - the kid was definitly a jerk and out of order...

I apologize to the Kerry idolizers and supporters here - there was more to the story than meets the eye from the limited YouTube video...

Again, my sincerest and unqualified apologies for jumping to conclusions...

The kid has serious issues, not the least of which is respect for others...

I still beilieve the police were idiots, however, too, IMO...

[TheOtherMaven]

184. Free speech = right to make an ass of yourself

Free speech DOES include the absolute right to make a public flaming ass of yourself. (It also includes the absolute right of other people to ignore or make fun of the flaming ass.)

But it emphatically DOES NOT include the right of the police to abuse, suppress and taser someone for acting like a flaming ass. They're all way too fond of that nasty little toy.

[obiwan]

196. Agreed, and concisely correct.

[bridgit]

190. the august, silver tonged Sen. finished a sentence?

cool :headbang:

[2rth2pwr]

198. "Taser Boy" says that the cops did nothing wrong.

http://www.starbanner.com/article/20070918/NEWS/70918007/1053/BREAKING_NEWS

GAINESVILLE - Police have released the incident report detailing the Tasering of a University of Florida student during a campus forum with Sen. John Kerry Monday, and the officer who actually Tasered Andrew Meyer wrote in the report that Meyer later told police, "You didn't do anything wrong."

In the 12-page report, which gives accounts of the incident from the perspective of eight different officers who were present Monday afternoon, Officer Nicole Mallo writes that Meyer would only resist officers when cameras were present.

"As (Meyer) was escorted down stairs (at the University Auditorium) with no cameras in sight, he remained quiet, but once the cameras made their way down stairs he started screaming and yelling again," Mallo wrote.

Mallo was one of two officers who actually rode in the vehicle as Meyer was escorted to the Alachua County jail, and she said said he told them during the ride: "I am not mad at you guys, you didn't do anything wrong, you were just trying to do your job," according to Mallo's account. Mallo also wrote in her report that he asked, at one point, if cameras would be present at the jail.

[Apollo11]

200. So much for the theory that the guy is insane

Angry, yes. Insane, no.

[2rth2pwr]

214. Who said he was insane? nt

[Apollo11]

199. Historical perspective

Annie Kenney, together with Christabel Pankhurst, has somewhat of a run-in with Mr Winston Churchill on 13th October 1905 in the Free Trade Hall in Manchester when she posed the question to Churchill and Sir Edward Grey, "If you are elected will you do your best to make women's suffrage a Government measure?".

http://www.iknow-northwest.co.uk/tourist_information/manchester/oldham/saddleworth.htm


Campaign for Women's suffrage continues

On 14 October, two young women decided to go to prison rather than pay a fine for causing a disturbance. Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenney were the first to be jailed for demanding the right to vote.

Uproar broke out at Manchester Free Trade Hall, England, when the women demanded to know if a Liberal government would give women the vote. Their protest came at the end of an election address by leading Liberal politician Sir Edward Grey, when Pankhurst and Kenney stood up and unfurled their banner, saying "Votes for Women". Their behaviour provoked an angry reaction from the crowd, who threw the two into the street, where they were arrested by police.

In 1903, Christabel Pankhurst had founded the Women's Political and Social Union with her mother Emmeline Pankhurst, the pioneer of women's suffrage. The arrest marked a new militancy in what would have been a peaceful political campaign.

http://library.thinkquest.org/27629/chronicle/1905.html


Christabel Pankhurst
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Christabel Pankhurst (September 22, 1880 – February 13, 1958) was a suffragette born in Manchester, England.

Along with her mother Emmeline and others, Christabel co-founded the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1903. In 1905, Christabel Pankhurst interrupted a Liberal Party meeting by shouting demands for voting rights for women. She was arrested and along with fellow suffragette Annie Kenney went to prison rather than pay a fine as punishment for their outburst. Their case gained much media interest and the ranks of the WSPU swelled following their trial. Emmeline began to take more militant action for the suffragette cause after her daughter's arrest and was herself imprisoned on many occasions for her principles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christabel_Pankhurst

[lateo]

206. I think Kerry owes in to Myers to answer his questions.

And he owes it to all the people who voted for him.

[5446]

208. Too late.

The damage is done, and the truth is out.

Kerry is as much to blame as the usual suspects for my country's state of affairs.

Apologists need not waste their precious time with me.

[debbierlus]

210. How on EARTH could he not know the kid was tasered?!!

He was SCREAMING at the top of his lungs...don't taser me. And, then, he was screaming & writhing in pain.

Wtf?

[w4rma]

212. It is my understanding that the police report says he was not tasered. They only placed the taser on

the heckler and the heckler acted like a drama queen for the cameras.