Senator Kerrys' statement on Florida Campus Incident

[whometense]

From the man himself: http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=28350

WASHINGTON D.C. – Sen. John Kerry issued the following statement today, in response to the arrest of a student at the University of Florida.

“In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way. 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. I hope that neither the student nor any of the police were injured. I regret enormously that a good healthy discussion was interrupted."

[Mend]

1. why did you not intervene....I thought you had our backs. You could have

gone into the audience, tried to stop the cops...why were you so removed?

[L. Coyote]

3. That is ridiculous. Kerry did the right thing, trying to calm the situation and

stating he would answer the questions. Going into the audience could have entailed requiring the officers to also protect him. They had enough to do dealing with the lunatic, who kept saying, "they are going to try to kill me." Hopefully, he is getting some competent medical help now.

[Zodiak]

11. well then by all means tazer him

nevermind that the tazer has been known to kill people....lunatics deserve it because they are lunatics! Hey...he might like it since his rantings are now being confirmed!

:sarcasm:

This world is insane. Tazer us all.

[rodeodance]

17. interfere with the police? ummm NOT wise

[BuyingThyme]

4. I don't think he should have intervened, but

I think he might want to apologize for ignoring the program and infringing on the students' question time.

[karynnj]

15. read the description here - I think Kerry did give them a large amount of time

He stayed for quite a while form the description - he went over the total time as well.

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

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. Why didn't you?

You live in Florida. You could have rushed on over.

[RangerRK]

10. exactly

I thought I heard him make a joke about how the guy wanted to swear him in himself. It was sick and if you would like to tell him yourself...
http://kerry.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

Kerry pompously said that he had read the book in question- why hasn't he spoken out about the 2004 election then?

[karynnj]

16. Because the guy wouldn't let him get a word in edgewise.

Kerry started to answer the question and only got , I think< 2 words, out before this guy asked question number 2 and 3. How was it pompous to say he had it and read it.

[Inuca]

24. What on earth is pompous about saying he read the book? n/t

[Beelzebud]

2. I just can't get over how many people think the student DESERVED the tasering.

We are becoming de-sensitized to being treated like livestock.

I applaud Kerry for this statement. I don't blame him for what happened. I blame the cops, and the citizens who cheer them on.

[Bonobo]

5. No one on DU would allow their DOG to be be tasered for compliance.

[whometense]

6. I am NOT pro-taser

Nor, evidently, is Senator Kerry.

I am pro knowing all the facts before going off on wild - and baseless - rants. I don't know what the situation was, though this DKos diary gives some good info on what things looked like from Kerry's perspective.

I truly don't understand the venomous response to Kerry for this sad incident. I don't think that speaks well for this site. It's unreasoned and unreasonable.

[radiclib]

7. The taser attack was appalling, and Kerry is hardly blameless

Yes, the questioner was obnoxious, but must of us can identify with his anger and frustration. Yes, he should have been called to task for his lack of manners, which is something Kerry would have had an opportunity to do if he had handled the situation appropriately. He should have been shouting from the stage for the police to back off (he did have a microphone, did he not?) The idea that Kerry was powerless in this situation is laughable.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

13. Kerry is not all-seeing

Once the police went into action how would Kerry have known the reasons for it or why they did it? Also he tried to calm the situation thats all he really could do, he has no authority over the police nor from what i've read was he aware of him having been tasered until he had left.

[RangerRK]

The idea that Kerry was powerless in this situation is laughable.

I agree- if it were Kucinich I believe he would put down the mike and run over to the student and the cops shouting "STOP"! He would not allow the cops to taser a kid for asking questions!

How could Kerry listen to that screaming and then say he didn't know what was happening?

[Inuca]

26. How could Kerry listen to the screaming???? Probably because

he could not hear much of it. The screaming took place at the back of an auditorium, I assume a very noise auditorium by then, and was recorded in close proximity. It is extremely unlikely that Kerry could hear much of it.

On the other hand, rational arguments did not seem to do much in this argument earlier, so I doubt that it will make much of a difference now.

[softwarevotingtrail]

14. Kerry did little or nothing to defend the kid

That's the problem. He mumbled something like "let me answer his question" and then went onto other business as the student was tackled and tasered by police.

All of the kid's questions were rational questions.

1) Despite the overwhelming evidence of fraud, why did you concede the election so quickly?

2) If you are against the Iraq War, why don't you call for the impeachment of George Bush?

3) Are you a member of the secret society, Skull and Bones? (He is, as is George Bush, and yes, this is a legitimate question).

Once again, Kerry shows his true stripes. Just as he did in Boston all the time prior to running for president when he cut in line with a "Do you know who I am?"

I voted for him, but that says more about our broken system of government than anything else.

[karynnj]

19. this is a RW theme that has been repeated - but nevers seems to be first hand

It is usually first attributed to Howie Carr

"Just as he did in Boston all the time prior to running for president when he cut in line with a "Do you know who I am?"

[wicket]

23. Yup - just another right-wing lying meme

n/t

[wicket]

22. "prior to running for president when he cut in line with a "Do you know who I am?" "

That's a bullshit story propagated by the right-wing, please stop spreading this lie.

[softwarevotingtrail]

27. It's no bullshit story, it's the truth

I live in Massachusetts. Wishful thinking and reality only sometimes converge. Do you think columnist Dave Barry lied when he wrote this?:

"In conclusion, I want to extend my sincere best wishes to all of my opponents, Republican and Democrat, and to state that, in the unlikely event I am not elected, I will support whoever is, even if it is Sen. John Kerry, who once came, with his entourage, into a ski-rental shop in Ketchum, Idaho, where I was waiting patiently with my family to rent snowboards, and Sen. Kerry used one of his lackeys to flagrantly barge in line ahead of us and everybody else, as if he had some urgent senatorial need for a snowboard, like there was about to be an emergency meeting, out on the slopes, of the Joint Halfpipe Committee. I say it's time for us, as a nation, to put this unpleasant incident behind us. I know that I, for one, have forgotten all about it. That is how fair and balanced I am."

I'm sure there's an excuse for this one, too. I'm probably close to getting tombstoned again. They still do that around here when you call a spade a spade?

[karynnj]

28. Kerry goes to Ketchum all the time

It is far more likely that it was a SS man who needed the snowboard. I seriously doubt that Kerry and Teresa et al to not have skis and snow boards in their house where they go to do these things. Kerry is a pretty expert skier from some accounts.

[cali]

31. Idiotic. Dave Barry is a HUMORIST

Got that? He makes up and exaggerates things all the time. Get a clue, moran.

[wicket]

33. ROFL

:rofl:

Love you cali :hi:

[wicket]

32. I live in Boston, it's bullshit

:hi: Dave Barry is a humorist, are you seriously that fucking clueless?

I'm probably close to getting tombstoned again. They still do that around here when you call a spade a spade?

Only if you are spreading right-wiong bullshit, which you are :nopity:

[karynnj]

18. At that moment, to any one it looked like they simply intended to

evict him. Kerry did say into the mic that he would answer the guy's question. Kerry was neither the host or the police. He signaled he was not asking for him to be removed. The host wanted him out. There was no way to see all that would happen.

[Deep13]

9. Right. When cops have torture devices, they use them. nt

[MalloyLiberal]

12. Well, if it was Jesus Christ asking the question

People might have a different opinion.

[malaise]

20. When the dust settles people will realize that

these Bushco goon cops were upset that the young man challenged Bush's fraudulent elections. I will never support the use of taser guns on university campuses.

As someone who has been on stage at more than a few such public addresses, I'd like to remind DUers that you often don't know what's happening in the back of the room.

[tabasco]

21. Kerry is one of the most respectful, brave, and decent persons in this country.

These posts slamming Kerry for the actions of the police are WAY out of bounds. Kerry is not in charge of the local police! The SECOND that asshole resisted the police it was beyond Kerry's control.

Just MHO but I wish the membership of DU got a lot smaller. This is supposed to be a moderated website so we don't have to tolerate an overload of idiocy.

I'M SICK OF THE SPLINTER GROUPS SLAMMING DEMOCRATS. GET YOUR OWN WEBSITE TO SLAM DEMOCRATS.

[MH1]

25. Thank you for that

breath of sanity.

Agree on all points.

[karynnj]

29. Me too

[emulatorloo]

30. Thank you -- it is becoming ridiculous. EOM