Greg Palast: Student Tasered For 'Armed Madhouse' Query To Kerry (WaPo's "mysterious yellow book")

[Hissyspit]

http://www.gregpalast.com/student-tasered-for-armed-madhouse-question-to-kerry

Student Tasered for Armed Madhouse Question to Kerry
Published September 18th, 2007 in Articles

“ 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

Read the excerpt from Armed Madhouse that Andrew Meyer’s got arrested for mentioning. (LINK AT SITE)

We warned you: ‘Armed Madhouse’ is a dangerous book. Yesterday, Andrew Meyer, 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.

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[babylonsister]

1. All well and good, Mr. Palast, except Kerry didn't even know the student was

tazed until after he left the building. Might want to fact check that.:eyes:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1834174

[Virginia Dare]

2. And the cops didn't jump him either...

two cops grabbed him by the arms and started to lead him away. He continued yelling, more cops came up and grabbed him, he started to struggle with them, and it escalated from there...not defending what the cops did, but they certainly didn't "jump him".

[Greyskye]

3. I'm a big Kerry fan

In fact I only removed my Kerry bumpersticker a couple months ago.

But unless Kerry left the building while this was all still going down, I don't see how in the world he could have missed the kid yelling at the cops not to tase him, and then screaming in pain when they did tase him.

Just sayin'...

[Sequoia]

4. Yes, I saw the video and noticed what the book was.

That screaming alone and other students telling the cops to stop...how could he not hear? Deaf...deaf to the real needs of America.

[ecstatic]

5. That Kerry was oblivious to the assault requires the willing suspension of belief, doesn't it?

:rofl:

[babylonsister]

8. I don't know the exact step by step scenario of what happened,

but I'm willing to give Kerry the benefit of the doubt.

[karynnj]

23. He was at the far other side of a very large auditorium

Notice how hard it is on that tape to hear the Senator - who was speaking into a microphone to be heard to the back of the room. The kid was yelling initially - but from where Kerry was it would be less loud than we hear Kerry's voice.

[RangerRK]

9. The kid was screaming 'don't taser me'

and Kerry was talking throughout the whole episode.

[karynnj]

24. At the other end of the room with a microphone

It is very likely he heard little or nothing.

[JuniperLea]

27. He heard the student before that...

And I'm sure he wasn't talking as loudly as he was screaming.

[karynnj]

41. Originally the student was much closer - the police moved him to the back of what looked to be a pi

[RangerRK]

39. he couldn't hear that screaming???

did you watch the video?

[karynnj]

43. Yes - but the video was filmed very close to the kid

You hear Kerry's amplified voice and have difficulty getting all the words. He was not amplified. Seeing that distance AB = distance BA, it is very likey that his words before he was tasered were much harder to hear than Kerry's on the tape. It is highly likely that with some basic level of crowd noise he did not here it - especially as he does have a hearing loss from Vietnam.

What you heard was a scream up close. What ever Kerry heard would have been far less distinct and he knew there were university people and police there - who are the first responders.

[karynnj]

21. Here's a link to a Dkos diary by BritVT, Kerry's netroots person

including the official statement and Kerry's description of how he saw it.

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

[LSK]

6. and this has what to do with police polices that Kerry has no control of?

[Proud2BAmurkin]

11. What difference does that make when self promotion is at stake?

:shrug:

This guy is an idiot

[mitchtv]

7. What an obnoxious person that student was,

tho handcuffs would have been sufficient. You don't resist no matter how right you are, if you have any expectation of not getting beat up by any police force

[valerief]

15. Meyer was very brave, an active citizen. nt

[karynnj]

26. He was an arrogant brat

The Senator gave him a chance to ask a question - then he did not let the Senator respond. The people in the audience were not there to hear him, they wanted to hear Kerry. maybe this brave active citizen could organize his own forum and invite all the people who would want to come. Years ago, I could have suggested they meet in a phone booth, but they no longer exist,

[valerief]

31. Brave American. There were an awful lot of people in line waiting to pose questions to Kerry,

not to listen to him talk over their Q&A time allotment.

[MalloyLiberal]

16. Ah, the "How dare you ask tough questions" Democrats

[subsuelo]

17. they're blind

[MalloyLiberal]

18. They're the same ones who say "We can't fight the stolen election, lets win in 2008!"

(So they can steal this election too, as they did in 2000 and 2004)

[subsuelo]

19. typical to defend the very institutions and societal norms

that they claim to be against

[MalloyLiberal]

29. If they knew how to rig elecitons they'd rig them too

That's why Democrats do nothing about stolen elections

[mitchtv]

35. I always though, you asked your question(s)

then allowed the person to answer.

[RangerRK]

10. Why doesn't Kerry answer the question now?

He said he read Palast's book- so why isn't he speaking out about the 2004 election? That is the least he could do!

[Bitwit1234]

12. Was this a conspiracy and a sting on this student also...???...???

After all OJ says it is a conspiracy against him that caught him breaking and entering and trying to rob someone at gunpoint. I guess this student, like OJ is soo soo popular that every body is out to get him. And just think Senator Kerry was a part of the sting.....gee what won't goof balls think of now.

[superkia]

13. Why were the cops standing right there waiting for him?

What did the guy do besides go long on questions? Every debate, the candidates do it, should we arrest them and if they resist taser them? Thats my only thing with the situation, yes he was being loud once they started to arrest him but why were they detaining him in the first place? Is it standard practice for someone asking extra questions, to stand by to arrest?

[paulk]

22. because, according to eyewitness accounts

(they are posted over at Kos) Meyer had been interacting with the police before the incident in question. There was some speculation that he'd already been threatened with arrest for his behavior.

[superkia]

25. Did they mention what the behavior was or no?

If they were already on to him, I wonder what it was that he did for them to speak to him but not arrest him at that point? Sometimes peace protesters seem to be singled out as anti war or anti American and can get harassed, I wonder if it all will ever come out?

[paulk]

34. didn't mention it

it's true, we often don't ever find out what was really going on with things like this.
This whole event had a beginning, middle, and end. The news media can take this incident and edit it completely into something else.
In fact, they already are-

-----------------

I don't see that this guy would have been singled out as a peace protester/anti war person. It was a Kerry speech, not a rally of any kind. I would think the police might be looking for that sort of thing if it was a Republican or an anti war event. From the videos I watched (there are several), this guy seemed pretty out of control. It looked like, when he was flailing around, he may even have struck one of the officers. That's never a smart idea.

[mitchtv]

36. standard practice to take the mic away

this guy was taking over, resist the uniforms at your peril anywhere, any time it's called common sense

[ananda]

14. Police state testing the waters to see how far they can go????

I mean, tasering someone for asking a question and taking too long
at the mike?

And arresting a man at the Saturday rally here in Austin for carrying
a Fuck Bush sign that happened to offend one person but was getting
all kinds of honks and smiles from everyone else!!!

[mitchtv]

38. taking too long ?????

how about taking over?

[earth mom]

44. You said it. Police state it is.

:(

[paulk]

20. shoddy "reporting" like this, Mr. Palast

doesn't do much for your credibility.

[cali]

30. No shit.

And the kid should know that Kerry, as a member of the Senate, can't vote for impeachment.

[paulk]

40. well, the first question he asked was legit

and Kerry seemed prepared to answer -

but when he jumped from that right into the impeachment thing (good point there, btw), and then to skull and bones, it became obvious that he wasn't serious. That's when they cut his mic.

[Marrah_G]

28. Here is the part of the video you DON'T see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CheY0jYXJjY&NR=1

He is a truly obnoxious little asshat.

[paulk]

37. hadn't seen that one

they threatened to tase him if he didn't stop struggling, then when they tried to cuff him he kept moving his arms around...

that's when they did tase him.

-------------------

well, looks like he's gonna get his fifteen minutes.

Seems like that's what he wanted.

[IronLionZion]

46. That guy needed to be tased

and arrested. Yet sadly, I'm not surprised at the outrage by people who don't bother to see the video. The description by the anti-taser crowd is not what I saw on the videos. I can't be the only one who feels this guy got what he asked for.

[never_get_over_it]

48. and if the taser had killed him

would he have deserved that - JESUS H CHRIST there were probably three police on top of him when he was tased - bad police work and VERY SAD comment from you....oh and yes I've seen several different videos of the incident

I have a medical condition and it is most likely that if I was ever tased for any reason - oh I don't know my anti-Bush bumper sticker - or posting on DU - or speaking out against the occupation or WHATEVER we are creeping downward to accept - IT WOULD KILL ME - but if it ever comes to that its ok I'm sure whatever I did I deserved it

[IronLionZion]

50. And if he hurt someone while flailing around?

what if? what if?....yeah, I thought carefully about this and my opinion has not changed. That is not what I saw on the videos. He chose his outcome because he wanted it. We can debate all we want about whether he "deserved" it. The bottom line is that he wanted it and it was a consequence of his actions. The police gave more than enough warnings.

There was a time when people who look like me would get beaten with sticks, bit by dogs, hung from the nearest tree, or shot dead for no apparent reason so I view tasers as an improvement.

[leftchick]

32. 'Kerry, true to character, stood immobile' ain't that the truth

remember all of that "real deal" crap? It was crap!

[JDPriestly]

33. Meyer has criticized the press, so they will give him a really hard time.

Meyer has his own Web site and it contains several "comedy" videos that he appears in. In one, he stands in a street with a sign that says "Harry Dies" after the latest Harry Potter book was released. In another, he acts like a drunk while trying to pick up a woman in a bar.

The site also has what is called a "disorganized diatribe" attributed to Meyer that criticizes the Iraq war, the news media for not covering the conflict enough and the American public for paying too much attention to celebrity news.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hfZBulx_H-prruRU2Clj0dIgUOww

I'd hate to think what the AP would say about some of my "disorganized diatribes" on DU. Of course, I am old and gray, and, it may not be attractive, but it tends to keep the police away. Age has its advantages. The police had better have a better reason for arresting this young man than just that he was putting on a zany show, talking too long and too loud. He DID nothing wrong. It was an open forum at which asking questions was appropriate. Unless there is a lot more to the story, it is the arrest that was inappropriate. The officers were scared -- and they did not have any reason to be. The young man probably was filming his confrontation of Kerry, but what is wrong with that?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

42. His Title Makes Him Look Really Stupid.

The student got tasered for resisting officers and acting aggressive. That much would be obvious even to a mental moron. Now having that said, it can be argued legitimately that the tasering was over the top for the circumstances, and that regardless of the asshole resisting the officers in the ways he was that the tasering simply wasn't necessary. But to skew it in such a way to declare that the tasering was in reference to his having asked a question is just really, really, really dumb. Pretty stupid Mr. Palast.

[Cha]

45. And why was the student,, Andrew Myers,

busted in Alachua County? I tried to discern that but came up with zilch.

[Morereason]

47. We have become complacent and accepting of tasering

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 tasor does not scar?

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

[KittyWampus]

49. Of COURSE Palast chimes in. Another attention whore. Wonder if he got any more "secret" emails