Kerry denounces the tasing of the moonbat; Update: Two officers placed on leave; Update: Moonbat is … a journalism major
posted at 1:01 pm on September 18, 2007 by Allahpundit
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It’s seared, seared into his memory.
“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.”
He was obviously still in the room when the guy was tased, although he may have been too far away and preoccupied to tell what was happening in the back of the room. You’ll hear him say “um” into the mike at around 0:25 (if you’re counting down), right around the time the guy is screaming at the cops not to tase him. They zap him five seconds later.
Note also what Kerry says about the student barging to the front of the line; a new eyewitness account at MM’s corroborates that. Not that it justifies the cops grabbing at him when his mike was cut off, but like I said last night, there was obviously more going on before the clip picks up than some tool politely asking Kerry about impeachment.
The student, Andrew Meyer, is out of jail and “in good spirits.” I’ll bet; not only is he a minor celebrity now, he’s getting the full free-speech martyr protest fete at U of F this afternoon. Exit question: As much as conservatives and tedious libertarians are knocking Waffles for failing to come to the moonbat’s aid, if he had swooped in, we’d all be knocking him for interfering with the police in the execution of their duties, right?
Update: I can’t believe this stupid thing has become a national news story. Two cops are now on leave while they sort things out, says the president of U of F.
Update: But of course — Meyer is a journalism major. Here’s the Herald’s account of the incident via a university spokesman:
At about 1 p.m., Kerry was nearing the end of a forum at University Auditorium, a large facility beside UF’s trademark Century Tower. At that point, audience members were allowed to ask questions at a microphone, university spokesman Steve Orlando said.
The person in front of Meyer was told he would be the last person to speak, Orlando said. Meyer said he was upset with that, so Kerry gave him the OK.
When he took the microphone, Meyer asked Kerry several questions. On amateur video linked from Meyer’s website, his questions included why Kerry conceded in the 2004 presidential election, why not impeach President Bush now, and whether Kerry was a member of the Skull and Bones secret society at Yale University.
When reminded that he was only supposed to ask one question, Meyer responded in the video “He’s talked for two hours. I think I can have two minutes.”
”He had used his allotted time. His microphone was cut off then he became upset,” Orlando said.
Watch the clip again. He gets cut off at 2:09, turns around and gestures at 2:08, and the cops grab him literally two seconds later.
Update: This is now a story in Britain, too.
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The perp stormed to the front of the line, used vulgarity, was asked to step down and refused, was warned to stop resisting or he would be tasered and then kept right on resisting.I saw nothing wrong in the LE’s actions. I see a self-promoting fool .
bbz123 on September 18, 2007 at 1:05 PM
People have a right to speak but they do not have a right to be heard. You have no right to keep an audiance captive to your speech which is what this numbslull was attempting to do.
Maxx on September 18, 2007 at 1:08 PM
The kid got what he deserved. Sorry. You can’t charge down the aisle at a sitting US Senator, start shouting over another questioner, use improper language, fight the police when they try to escort you out of the room, and ignore warnings that if you don’t stop fighting them they’ll taser you.
amerpundit on September 18, 2007 at 1:09 PM
Kerry did the right thing by continuing to talk to keep the crowd from becoming too focused on the nutjob’s attempting to get others into a confrontation. If there ever was a time for a soothing lullaby of lefty bromides, that was it.
pedestrian on September 18, 2007 at 1:09 PM
Yup.
- The Cat
MirCat on September 18, 2007 at 1:10 PM
Of course, but then why not tell him “You have to leave now, you’ve had your chance”? They grab the guy almost before he’s had a chance to see them.
Allahpundit on September 18, 2007 at 1:12 PM
We need no more reasons to mock him. Too much material we can never keep up.
He really could have diffused the situation – IMHO.
On-my-soap-box on September 18, 2007 at 1:12 PM
sigh… yes.
BadgerHawk on September 18, 2007 at 1:13 PM
of course
Drtuddle on September 18, 2007 at 1:14 PM
I agree with the other comments here – you can’t act like that in public, continually ignore warnings to quit resisting from police, and then expect them to just leave you alone. They clearly warned him: “Stop resisting or you will be tased.”
nailinmyeye on September 18, 2007 at 1:15 PM
If Kerry would just immeadiately withdrawl the Moonbats and bring them home!
Drtuddle on September 18, 2007 at 1:16 PM
You think he would’ve stopped asking and quietly left? He had just stormed the podium and didn’t let Kerry finish answering the other question.
amerpundit on September 18, 2007 at 1:17 PM
Kerry’s aides told him which side to take after watching reaction around the country. This has become a free speech issue, and free speech is under attack in America right now, remember? They don’t worry about the details.
Everything was pretty routine until he broke free and made a move back towards Kerry. This guy was already showing that he had a screw loose while throwing his adult tantrum. Who knows what he intended, but he was a nutjob, who was loosing control and he made a move back towards the US Senator in the room. A big part of their job was to protect the VIP on campus.
I just don’t understand where the controversy is.
reaganaut on September 18, 2007 at 1:17 PM
To be honest, I did hear Kerry ask the cops to let him answer the guy. That said, the moonbat in question was obviously looking for a confrontation.
eclark1849 on September 18, 2007 at 1:18 PM
Of course, but then why not tell him “You have to leave now, you’ve had your chance”? They grab the guy almost before he’s had a chance to see them.
Perhaps, but once they show up he behaved…poorly.
bbz123 on September 18, 2007 at 1:18 PM
Honestly, I’m not gonna hold it against Waffles that he didn’t try and defuse the situation, it was in the back of the hall, and really it can be hard to react quickly to a situation like that, and really, we’re talking about Waffles here…
The police I think probably could have done without tasing the f*cktard, he seemed like a spindly little leftie wuss, I have to imagine the four or five police there could have dealt with the little prick, but I’m guessing they were within protocol to give him a zap.
Bad Candy on September 18, 2007 at 1:23 PM
Not to rehash the previous thread on this, but I’d like everyone to place their bets on the “winners” and “losers” here. My guess:
1. The youth wins; in exchange for his zaps he gets an apology from the university and loads of cable TV exposure. I don’t see a civil suit, though. My guess is charges will be dropped.
2. The cops lose; I’m guessing they’ll be fired, and the university will ban the use of Tazers, leaving the remaining officers unarmed.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m betting the fascist jackbooted thugs get their asses served to them regardless of any investigation.
saint kansas on September 18, 2007 at 1:23 PM
Yes, AllahP, he’d be interfering with the police in the execution of their duties if the mighty Vietnam war hero had swooped in, and he’d get lambasted for it if he had.
All I can say is, this whole thing is a humongous clusterfuck of knee jerk reactionary arm chair quarterbacks. Not one person here was there, not one person here has any idea wtf they are talking about aside from what their horrified beady little eyes viewed in that tiny little snippet of video. It’s like a cavalcade of pimpley faced little twirp skateboard anarchists have invaded this site with their “I hate cops! *duhhhh*… because they think they can do whatever they want to and they are mean bullies” rhetoric.
Due to the very same emo knee jerk reactionary arm chair quarterbacking of most people out there in the world who watch the same little snippet of video, some poor police officer(s) is going to be taken to the alter for summary execution and offered up to the appeasement gods, simply because it’s the P.C. thing to do. Make a head or two roll whether it’s justified or not… ahhhhh okay, we’re all happy and singing cumbayah again. Meanwhile, a career or three is ended simply in the name of appeasement.
I held this site in much higher esteem than what I’ve seen posted by many of the “regulars” regarding this subject. I thought most of the people here were mature reasoning adults with common sense. I was dead wrong.
SilverStar830 on September 18, 2007 at 1:25 PM
I can’t even imagine something Kerry could do in that situation other than stand back and be quiet like he did.
frankj on September 18, 2007 at 1:26 PM
ha! And as soon as I hit the submit button, there’s the update.
Two officers up for the offering to the appeasement gods.
SilverStar830 on September 18, 2007 at 1:26 PM
Are you serious? What part of, “Don’t taze me, bro, don’t taze me. AAAUUUGHHH!” did he not understand.
HALP ME JON CARRY I M GETTIN TAZED BY DA KOPS!
BohicaTwentyTwo on September 18, 2007 at 1:30 PM
If they were armed with the zapper, then clearly zapping was within protocol. As far as grabbing the guy before making more verbal attempts to get him to desist from his stunt, well, that will be in the protocol as well. I suspect that the cops were given clear orders to intervene and do whatever it took to intercede in any type of disruption.
RushBaby on September 18, 2007 at 1:31 PM
After further review, Kerry has now said that he is glad that he was tased…
d1carter on September 18, 2007 at 1:32 PM
Kerry is big daddy moonbat and is simply defending his young.
rplat on September 18, 2007 at 1:33 PM
I’m getting a serious Mike Stark vibe off of Meyer.
see-dubya on September 18, 2007 at 1:33 PM
Yeah, no foolin’.
Allahpundit on September 18, 2007 at 1:34 PM
Heh, well played.
Bad Candy on September 18, 2007 at 1:35 PM
From AP NEWS
andrew
Student arrested, Tasered at Kerry event
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.
William Amos on September 18, 2007 at 1:35 PM
True that.
Bad Candy on September 18, 2007 at 1:35 PM
i was just thinking…
would it be so bad if the alex jones, john bircher nuts were allowed to flourish?
wouldn’t it be better to have them working their crazy magic over the next 4-8 years of hilliary?
as for this incident, i say we amplify the point that of course kerry ordered the tasing himself and that this is an extension of the police state which progressives, who hate free speech, want to impose on us all.
is this not how “mainstream” progressives have used their nuts these past eight years and further back? and who would you say is winning public sentiment?
jummy on September 18, 2007 at 1:35 PM
Wait a sec, why wasn’t this a secret service thing??
- The Cat
MirCat on September 18, 2007 at 1:36 PM
There is no doubt this is true. If ever a situation called for relentless pompous droning this was it. If ever a person was qualified for relentless pompous droning it was John Kerry.
The only thing that bothers me is that he decides to second-guess those in charge (yet again). What’s next, jokes that if you don’t stay in school you could well end up as a campus security guard?
highhopes on September 18, 2007 at 1:36 PM
Why would John Kerry have Secret Service protection?
highhopes on September 18, 2007 at 1:38 PM
Mr. Teresa Heinz Kerry said he was engaged in a “good healthy discussion”…so what’s the hub-bub, Bub?
Bwahahahahaha!
Thanks for posting this, I needed a good laugh after i found out about the Dream Act that Dick the Turban is trying to sneak in with a defense bill…I don’t like the idea of my tax dollars going to help illegal aliens get a break on college tuition while we have no extra money to send our own son to college next year.
If anyone wants to call their senators on this, I urge you to do so; I did and that’s why I can laugh at this clip.
Christine on September 18, 2007 at 1:40 PM
Actually yes it did. As a professional musician I have quite a bit of experience with crowd dynamics/mob psychology, a well behaved civilized polite crowd can turn into a ugly violent mob so fast you cant believe until you actually see it happen.
All it takes for a crowd to turn into a mob is one single person becoming hysterical and a gentle well behaved crowd can turn into a violent mob in under 2 minutes. Every law enforcement officer in America is aware of this. Freedom of speech does not include the right to incite a riot.
The second that Andrew Meyer’s rushed that microphone he became a genuine threat to every person in that room. It was the police’s obligation to stop him before he could intentionally or inadvertently start the chain reaction that turns a crowd into a mob.
John Kerry’s allowing him to ask his questions wasn’t a responsible act of supporting freedom of speech, but a very dangerous and irresponsible act by a seasoned politician who should have known what the possible consequences of allowing disorderly conduct in a crowded room could have been.
Andrew Meyers should never have been allowed to reach that mic, let alone ask one single question.
doriangrey on September 18, 2007 at 1:41 PM
Righteous rant, bro, but don’t taze me with the broad … er … tazer? The site has a pretty diverse crew of writers and reader/commenters.
I think the little buttlicker got about half of what he had coming, myself. Some others saw the vid and thought the cops were a little over aggressive, and in fact “what exactly were they protecting whom from” is not an unfair question.
I liked the tazer thing because I tend to hate whiny moonbat journalism students as well as line-cutters and speech interrupting bigmouths. Trifecta!
But don’t diss HotAir because not everyone agrees. God save you if you look for agreement on one of Allah’s weekly Atheists vs Christians threads…pun intended.
Jaibones on September 18, 2007 at 1:43 PM
Hmmm. Let’s see
Big tough cops, campus clowns most likely, use a tool meant for defense offensively against an already subdued and cuffed college punk. To me it seems they had many opprotunities to remove him from the room and detain him ubntil the REAL COPS show up. don’t see any danger from him other than his hissy fit. Harly life threatening.
Not saying the kid was right, just that Tazers are the new nightstick.
Be careful what you condone, the movie line “STOP, or I’ll shhot again” comes to mind.
CBarker on September 18, 2007 at 1:43 PM
heh wonder if the shoe was ever on the other foot ?
http://la.indymedia.org/uploads/2004/04/kerry_arrest.jpeg
William Amos on September 18, 2007 at 1:43 PM
I surprised to find people in favor of the tasering.
I do not believe tasering is appropriate after the guy is subdued. Tasers should be used to subdued dangerous people not as retribution for whatever rude behavior an individual demonstrates. We have laws for such things as ‘resisting arresting’ etc.
Spirit of 1776 on September 18, 2007 at 1:43 PM
I go back and forth with where I stand on this – I can see both sides, really. I don’t think the guy should have been tasered at all. Asked to sit down? Yes. Asked to leave? Perhaps. Did the police rushed to judgement? I think so.
Yes, the guy is a lunatic.
Yes, the guy was ranting on and on.
Yes, the guy asked “two too many questions.”
Yes, the guy rushed the microphone (not Waffles, just the microphone).
Yes, the guy used inappropriate language.
Yes, the guy deserved to have his mic turned off.
He started to resist AFTER they grabbed him.
Did the guy deserve to be tasered? No way.
Did anyone ask him to politely leave? He barely got his “skull and bones” question out of his mouth before the cops were on him.
I dunno. I’m sick of this topic.
pullingmyhairout on September 18, 2007 at 1:45 PM
Ratz, PIMF if I’d use it..
CBarker on September 18, 2007 at 1:46 PM
He wasn’t subdued. He was still flailing around on the ground as they tried to cuff him.
reaganaut on September 18, 2007 at 1:47 PM
Cops such as these need to be quickly removed from the force or simply executed.
Henry Bowman on September 18, 2007 at 1:48 PM
I got $10 that says he planned the whole thing.
Frantic Freddie on September 18, 2007 at 1:48 PM
Every see a peaceful crowd turn into a violent mob, na I didn’t think so. These cops did exactly what they should have done, if anything they are guilty of not acting aggressively enough quickly enough.
doriangrey on September 18, 2007 at 1:51 PM
Quote of the Day. The whole incident reminds me of Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs: “If they hadn’t have done what I told ‘em not to do, they’d still be alive.” If Meyer hadn’t acted the fool, none of that would have happened. But then I wouldn’t be able to laugh at his whiny little pussy ass, so I guess I should be grateful that he’s an idiot.
ReubenJCogburn on September 18, 2007 at 1:51 PM
HE WAS NOT TASERED… HE WAS STUNNED… BIG DIFFERENCE
gah! This is driving me nuts.
The drive stun is simply a ’stun gun’ effect and is used as pain compliance. They could have just as easily used a stick or sap for the same purpose, but they didn’t. Trust me, you’d much rather be stunned than hit with a stick or sap.
When a person is TASERED, they shoot probes into the body with a charge of compressed nitrogen then administer an electrical shock of about 50,000 volts which basically makes your whole body seize up.
When a person is STUNNED, it’s simply an electical charge on a very small portion of the body where the stun contacts make a connection. It’s like being pinched really hard, but without the bruising.
/THE MORE YOU KNOW!
SilverStar830 on September 18, 2007 at 1:52 PM
Good grief.
Even when Kerry tries to do the right thing he cannot tell the truth.
drjohn on September 18, 2007 at 1:53 PM
Another 13 year old made it through the registration process.
SilverStar830 on September 18, 2007 at 1:54 PM
Oh yeah. He’s a real threat at that point. Plus they are being buffeted by his shouting of ‘what did I do?’ Equally offensive.
A perfect demonstration for what the taser is design for…er, or not.
Spirit of 1776 on September 18, 2007 at 1:54 PM
SilverStar830 on September 18, 2007 at 1:52 PM
Ah. Thanks for the clarification.
Spirit of 1776 on September 18, 2007 at 1:55 PM
You don’t see any danger, after the fact.
You couldn’t pay me enough to be a compus cop. They have to deal with spoiled punks who know exactly how much they can get away with, untra-liberal administrations, and people who call them clowns because they aren’t REAL COPS.
That’s just stupid. A taser isn’t life threating either, and certainly not the new nightstick. The nightstick was more effective. If that first officer got him in a choke hold with the nightstick, he would have been ushered out the door quickly and without incident.
reaganaut on September 18, 2007 at 1:56 PM
That’s a good point. That was a procedural error by the cops, no doubt. But who would seriously think he would have left of his own accord after being told to do so?
Maxx on September 18, 2007 at 1:57 PM
Obviously a story made by the diverter
William Amos on September 18, 2007 at 1:57 PM
Insert humor here:
SS830…To MAY to.. To MAH to.
Tazer is the next band aid. or is it Band-Aid.
Stunned, Tazed, or fluffed with an electric feather what difference does it make unless you are an employee of Tazer?
CBarker on September 18, 2007 at 1:57 PM
He really could have diffused the situation …if he weren’t such a putz.
Claire on September 18, 2007 at 2:03 PM
Since Waffles is no longer a major presidential candidate (i.e. his party’s nominee) he doesn’t get it. Also, the major presidential candidate, the vp candidate and their spouses don’t get SS protection until 120 days before the election.
Check here to find out who is authorized to receive Secret Service Protection.
baldilocks on September 18, 2007 at 2:07 PM
Yep…that’s what we pay cops for…to decide when I’ve said enough and need to be stomped.
Thank God the kid wasn’t black…or we’d never hear the end of it…
Ochlan on September 18, 2007 at 2:07 PM
The officers in question were suffering from combat fatigue.
tomas on September 18, 2007 at 2:09 PM
Well, he’s…he’s, ah…probably pining for the fjords.
Shy Guy on September 18, 2007 at 2:09 PM
here is a very good video of said incident.uncensored including extra footage
http://video.nbc6.net/player/?id=157250
William Amos on September 18, 2007 at 2:09 PM
Really, Chicago PD is finding out differently, that they most certainly can be. Now they are reviewing thier use, just as blackjacks, nightsticks and mace were. Excessive force is hard to define, granted.
To me this was needless.
CBarker on September 18, 2007 at 2:09 PM
The number of people posting here who apparently don’t know anything about crowd dynamics/mob psychology is rather disturbing. Yes he was in fact a genuine threat. I have personally seen more peaceful crowds turn into violent mobs than I care to admit. It only takes one single individual becoming hysterical and it can happen so fast you just cannot believe it.
In this case the cops were slow to respond and when they did respond they did not do so aggressively enough. First off he should have never been allowed to get near that microphone once Kerry intervened he was permitting a potentially dangerous situation to grow exponentially more dangerous.
Secondly the second his mic was cut off and Meyers attempted to wave the cops off they should have dog piled him to the ground tazed him hand cuffed him and dragged him from the room before the crowd even knew what was happening.
Once he began struggling with the cops all it would have taken for the crowd to become a violent mob was one person to have tried to come to Meyers aid. Then you can pretty much guarantee that all he11 would have broken loose.
That is how crowds turn into mobs.
doriangrey on September 18, 2007 at 2:10 PM
just a pity he isn’t now an ex-moonbat
Ochlan on September 18, 2007 at 2:10 PM
It makes a vast world of difference if you’re on the receiving end, cupcake.
SilverStar830 on September 18, 2007 at 2:10 PM
I know a woman who was a quote-unquote real cop. Very attractive, athletic, and very, very smart. She was an undercover investigator for a county drug task force. She’s do buy-busts from crazy meth cooks, and put on the vest and kick down doors with the best of them.
Then she went to law school and worked her way through by working the university police night shift. She was then, as before, a “real cop”.
Whatever you think of the stunning of Tinfoil McLookatme, let’s not assume that university police aren’t real cops. These guys deal with violent drunks and sullen stoners, wild-eyed hippies, vagrants and stalkers, suicides and arm-slashers. All while working under the eyes of anti-authority administrations that hate them and exploit their every misstep for political gain.
Sure, the campus beat isn’t as dangerous as the Crack Patrol jobs in the urban blight district, but it’s nearly as thankless. And occasionally there are incidents like the V-Tech shooter just to keep things interesting as well.
see-dubya on September 18, 2007 at 2:11 PM
OMG Andrew in that latest video is claiming the police are planning to kill him to cover up his arrest
William Amos on September 18, 2007 at 2:12 PM
what did he say after the mic was turned off when he turned towards the campus police?
Canadian Imperialist Running Dog on September 18, 2007 at 2:12 PM
I never intend to find out. sweetie.
He should have been removed instead of playing to an audience.
CBarker on September 18, 2007 at 2:12 PM
It has nothing to do with freedom of speech or the cops deciding when anyone has said enough. As I said before freedom of speech does not include inciting a riot. It had everything to do with maintaining civil order in a potentially explosive situation.
doriangrey on September 18, 2007 at 2:14 PM
And yes, I know there are real officers on college campuses, but there are vastly more “campus security officers” armed with “Non-Lethal” weapons and far less training, (and pay) than certified police officers.
CBarker on September 18, 2007 at 2:16 PM
Didn’t they? It seemed to me that they tried to tell him several times that it was time to go.
When he first got up there, he was shooing them away, and before he even asked the first question, they were already trying to get him away from the mic.
I don’t believe they should have tazered him, not when they already had him on the ground, but I fail to understand how tazering got to be associated with some form of torture.
It’s unpleasant, but it’s something even a wimp like that kid can walk away from. I do believe that cops should reserve tazers for when someone is being violent, but I don’t understand the reaction when tazers are used unnecessarily.
If anything, the kid’s likely to have marks from being held down, not from being tazered.
Esthier on September 18, 2007 at 2:16 PM
And this, folks, is how Americans become conditioned into accepting a police state.
Ochlan on September 18, 2007 at 2:16 PM
Hopefully, we all have the same take on this incident that we did when the UCLA putz was ’stunned’ in the library.
Ahem.
James on September 18, 2007 at 2:17 PM
Translation:
I do not want to lose moonbat votes.
I also do not want to lose police supporter votes.
Please like me.
Professor Blather on September 18, 2007 at 2:17 PM
Don’t worry, big guy. Not likely it happened.
Blacklake on September 18, 2007 at 2:17 PM
He was for the kid getting tased before he was against it.
Jim Treacher on September 18, 2007 at 2:18 PM
Well that obviously can’t be true.
I have it on good authority that we live in a ‘police state.’
By now Mr. Meyer is at the bottom of a plastic shredder, his family have been sent to the nearest re-education center, the witnesses are experiencing sudden collective amnesia, and the video of the incident has been erased.
Right?
I’m pretty sure.
Professor Blather on September 18, 2007 at 2:20 PM
Now that was funny!
Miss_Anthrope on September 18, 2007 at 2:21 PM
The big question is;
Will the poor cops be charged with moonbattery?
/rimshot
SilverStar830 on September 18, 2007 at 2:21 PM
Uh, Waffles: you were in the middle of a discussion about Bill Clinton’s oral sex practices and your dark conspiracy to take over the world with Dubya. Healthy?
Was he distracted by a ketchup bottle or something?
Professor Blather on September 18, 2007 at 2:22 PM
doriangrey on September 18, 2007 at 2:10 PM
As with all things, if he could have been diverted from the microphone, sure it all could have headed off at the pass. But I am not familiar with the situation previous to his questions that would warrant prohibiting him from engaging in a Q/A designed for Q/A.
I believe the crowd clapped when he was removed – they apparently were glad see him removed. I’ll trust their judgment. I didn’t hear them clap when he was shocked or whatever…must have missed that part, or maybe they thought that a bit much.
Oh well, what does it matter anyway? Civil discourse is dead it appears. If they are really good at being rude and interjecting themselves, we can make them a talking head; if they are only moderately good – stun ‘em.
Spirit of 1776 on September 18, 2007 at 2:23 PM
That’s bad… but still funny.
I almost missed this one. Thanks for pointing it out, Miss_Anthrope.
Esthier on September 18, 2007 at 2:24 PM
That’s classic.
The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get at Mr. McLookatme. Did the cops overreact? I don’t know; I wasn’t there. But who put them in that losing position? Mr. McLookatme.
How many people that day managed to wait in line, ask a question, listen to the answer and then sit back down? Did this kid have any reason to believe he wouldn’t be allowed to ask his question? Was his question so important it had to be asked? Was it a question at all or just a shot at a microphone?
I’m fairly certain I could have asked Kerry if he missed those long nights stroking John Edwards’ hair on the campaign bus and gotten away with nothing more than a dirty look, as long as I did it calmly.
saint kansas on September 18, 2007 at 2:25 PM
No its not, your rhetoric is anarchistic at best. This is and always has been a nation of laws. No one is allowed to incite a riot, not for any reason not even on accident.
Pretending that this was a case of abuse of authority or police brutality is immature and irresponsible. This was a straight forward case of preserving civil order for the protection of everyone at that meeting.
doriangrey on September 18, 2007 at 2:25 PM
…
Could be. Cooouuuld beee
…
SilverStar830 on September 18, 2007 at 2:25 PM
He ran up to the mic after being told another kid would be able to get the last question. At the time, the cops were already right behind him, which seems appropriate since he ran up in the direction of the stage (unless I’m mistaken).
Esthier on September 18, 2007 at 2:27 PM
Spoken like a glorious future Kommandant…well done.
Ochlan on September 18, 2007 at 2:28 PM
Hey, if that’s what it takes to get Amtrak to run on time….
James on September 18, 2007 at 2:29 PM
WE R IN UR MEETNZ
GETN TAZD BY UR KOPZ
ReubenJCogburn on September 18, 2007 at 2:32 PM
– Richard Cohen, a liberal reporter, said it best.
Entelechy on September 18, 2007 at 2:34 PM
I think you’re hitting on a key issue here. The kid was clearly behaving like an attention-seeking drama queen, and excitable while doing so.
Did he verbally or physically present a credible threat to himself or others? Had he effected a troublesome change in the crowd dynamic? I saw nothing to convince me he was guilty of any of these things.
The police/security were the ones acting like a paniced mob, dorian, and should be disciplined accordingly. The kid was excitable, sure, but it was the mob with badges and guns that stampeded like utter amateurs.
Ochlan on September 18, 2007 at 2:34 PM
LOL @ ReubenJCogburn :-)
Ochlan on September 18, 2007 at 2:35 PM
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