Tasers and the "liberal" media
So it's lunchtime (late today) and I'm on my daily surf, which sadly takes me to some pretty dark blue places of the conservative Canadian blogoshpere. I find this article on the always right and grammatically-challenged Time for the Right blog. The topic, "liberal media bias". (If the TheTorontoTory manages to see this - use paragraphs. They're helpful.)
Anyway, the article, which is oddly titled "Liberalism at its finest", is about another article relating the story of a 16 year-old kid that got tasered in an Edmonton jail. Apparently, he was arrested for trying to break into a house. He was caught, they found some knives on him, hauled his butt into jail and then after he was in a cell, an officer allegedly grabbed him and jammed a taser into his back and gave him some juice. The officer alleges that the unarmed kid "made a threatening gesture" toward him, but the judge later determined that the use of the taser was "completely uncalled for".
The Blogging Tory take on this? The original article took the side of the kid, which is apparently a problem, even though a judge did exactly the same thing. In light of other cases about the misuse of (largely) non-lethal force like tasers in the news these days, I think that documenting these cases is a beneficial thing. So maybe the kid made a threatening gesture - grab him, cuff him, whatever, but why jump to the taser? I mean, you tasered him in the back, so apparently you managed to turn him around, whatever happened to the full nelson? Jesus.
Don't get me wrong, the kid and his mom both sound like assholes, but that really isn't the point of either article.
Anyway, the article, which is oddly titled "Liberalism at its finest", is about another article relating the story of a 16 year-old kid that got tasered in an Edmonton jail. Apparently, he was arrested for trying to break into a house. He was caught, they found some knives on him, hauled his butt into jail and then after he was in a cell, an officer allegedly grabbed him and jammed a taser into his back and gave him some juice. The officer alleges that the unarmed kid "made a threatening gesture" toward him, but the judge later determined that the use of the taser was "completely uncalled for".
The Blogging Tory take on this? The original article took the side of the kid, which is apparently a problem, even though a judge did exactly the same thing. In light of other cases about the misuse of (largely) non-lethal force like tasers in the news these days, I think that documenting these cases is a beneficial thing. So maybe the kid made a threatening gesture - grab him, cuff him, whatever, but why jump to the taser? I mean, you tasered him in the back, so apparently you managed to turn him around, whatever happened to the full nelson? Jesus.
Don't get me wrong, the kid and his mom both sound like assholes, but that really isn't the point of either article.
It would also be helpful if he could learn to spell 'assault'. I don't really see that the original article 'took the side of the kid', I mean they do take the trouble to point out that the Officer had received a Commendation previously, and while they do report the disciplinary actions taken against the cop, they don't exactly paint the kid as an innocent victim. Actually, the kid's lucky all he got was Tasered, an acquantance of mine used to work at a car wash favoured by cops, and he said that more than once, he had to wash blood out of the back seat of a cop car.
Posted by
Anonymous |
Fri Feb 17, 02:08:00 PM
I'm not really against tasers per say. Pepperspray is notoriously ineffective against the goal oriented and handguns are much more likely to be lethal.Also I would argue that clubbing the guy is as likely to be fatal as tasers. That being said, if you pump enough "non-lethal" electricity through a guy it will have a negative effect. One taser shot okay, Seven shots, probably not so good.
Posted by
Anonymous |
Mon Feb 20, 01:55:00 PM
Now, you too can have "Shocking Grasp!" Without the burden of wizardry school!
Posted by
Anonymous |
Tue Feb 21, 02:55:00 PM