Via WHDH-TV.UPDATE: A blogger named Bob McCarty has taken the initiative and is marketing these shirts:
OK, as you all know, I'm a big "free-speech" advocate...
...but damn, if four or five cops have grabbed you, maybe it's a good idea to stop struggling and go along with them for a couple minutes. You've already lost the battle; your ass is gonna get zapped; and you'll look like a crazy person to everybody.
There are ways to fight overzealous law enforcement, but trying to argue with them during the heat of the moment isn't going to buy you much, except maybe a 50,000 volt wake-up call.
However, I really do admire this kid's bravado and his commitment to his cause.
Even if he IS crazy.
23 comments:
Have you seen the entire video of this? (The longest one I saw started with Kerry telling the kid to go ahead and ask questions and ended with the kid begging them not to taze him)
Here we have the Senator taking his questions (yes he was asking the guy to hurry up and finish asking) and then Kerry even starts to answer him (after the "Skull and Bones" question) and the police arrest the kid.
Once Kerry said it was OK for him to ask the questions the police should have backed off. They had no place harassing him like that once Kerry said to go ahead.
You're absolutely right, of course.
My point isn't the kid's right to speak; my point is, when you have four or five cops holding you, it's a dumb idea to struggle and resist.
Being in the right isn't gonna make the stitches heal any faster. People need to use common sense in these situations, or we simply play into the Right's suggestion that we're all Left-wing nut jobs.
Believe me, I've been confronted by cops at plenty of public events like this, and I'm always polite and comply immediately. Fighting with them only enrages their animal instincts.
The "Don't taze me, bro!" plea resonated with me so much that I put it into a blog post and designed a line of merchandise featuring the plea. If nothing else, you'll find it worth a look.
LOL! Good one!
Sorry to disagree, the the cops went overboard. I just watched the replay of Chris Matthews (who's NOT one of my faves) here in Cairo, and he was talking about censorship in the U.S. - How the Republicans use it against demonstrators where Bush is speaking, and how Hillary has goons who do the same. FOX News showed Bush's speech the other night, but not the Democratic Party's response.
The guy had no weapons, just a notebook, and two cops have been suspended. They went over the line - especially since Kerry did say he would answer the questions. They are the ones who should've backed off.
When you hear about what's going on here in Egypt, crackdowns in Iran, and Russia, it's embarrassing to say you're an American, with a country cracking down on Freedom of Speech, when you have a President who claims to want to bring Democracy to the world. What kind of democracy are we all talking about?
Jesus, i've never heard so much ignorance from people that were there even.
The cops had no right to intervene. In public speaking they are not soppose to interupt unless the speaker askes for them to remove the person. I have yet to se the full video, if it's still on the internet.. But from what i've seen. It is completely uncalled for. violates free speech, and is extreamly excessive force. there was no reason for the cops to be there. none.
And it even more appalling that people would stand there and clap and watch this happen. imagine if that was you? would you want that to happen to you? How would you feel if no one helped you?
This is getting out of hand, and students are entitled these academic rights on campus for a reason. he should have been protected instead he was made a target. for what? i would like to see the full video.
Hey, Mr. Man! My t shirts are cooler (actually something someone would wear) and were up before that guy's!
http://www.cafepress.com/dont_taze_me
More t-shirts:
http://www.licknology.com/
VBB, please look at what I said - I'm not disagreeing with you.
The kid absolutely had a right to speak, and there are many instances of over-zealous law enforcement in our shaky democracy. I don't dispute that at all.
My point was (and is) simply this - if you're being restrained by more cops than none, it's best to cease struggling or you'll likely get an ass-whupping and a serious tazering.
You can battle it out later in court and in the media, but unless you're seriously inclined to violence and you're carrying enough weaponry to back it up, you'll always lose that fight.
And hopefully only end up with some bruises, if you're lucky.
Yes, he had a right to speak, but he did not have a right to disrupt others, and thus deny their right to speak.
my shirts are even cooler than both of those other ones, check it out.........
www.zazzle.com/jakegio
BA
Good to see you are commenting again. When bloggers use racial, homophobic or sexist comments do you agree that they are liable to those they defame or is free speech in your opinion so broad anything goes? For example if you were attacked personally and falsley and it was clearly over the line and defamation woudl you hold off or pursue your legal options. The question has NOTHING to do with you or anyone I have ever seen on your site. There is a law suit about to be filed and bloggers are a part of it. Since I heard about this I wanted to get your thoughful view.
O'Reilly is giving free "Don't Taze Me, Bro" bumper stickers with purchases of his merch.
Anon from 9/20/2007 7:32 PM
The question you posed seems pointed to a specific situation that you don't describe. Generally I default to total Free Speech, but that doesn't mean it can't be libelous or injurous.
For instance, you shouldn't yell "fire!" in a crowded movie theater (although it's perfectly acceptable if the theater is in fact burning!) but that's a situation in which it can be demonstrated that the word causes immediate harm, especially if people get injured in the resulting stampede.
But unless you give me more details on the situation you're asking about, I can't really answer it.
Seems to be a lot of shirts out there. If you are looking for something with a little more attitude - check these out
http://www.printfection.com/CurrentAffairs
Holy crap! What is the deal with people pitching their goofy shirts on this thread? Jeez, I simply wanted to discuss the dummy who got tazed for being an obnoxious ass, and suddenly this has become "T-Shirt Central"!
(FWIW, if being an "obnoxious ass" is grounds for getting tazed, I'd look like a frickin' pin cushion by now!)
dont-taze-me-bro.com .. nuff said.
"(FWIW, if being an "obnoxious ass" is grounds for getting tazed, I'd look like a frickin' pin cushion by now!)"
And there is the real issue. If a simple act of non-violent civil disobedience (say, cutting to the front of a line to ask a question) becomes grounds for the use of a weapon to physically incapacitate that person, then police have gone way too far in their casual use of the weapon.
Think about it this way Bob: You are the student and you raced in and asked the questions. Next thing you know a bunch of cops are dragging you out. Then they pin you to the ground and you see a tazer coming at you. Natural human instinct will kick in and you will struggle even more, with an adrenaline rush to boot. IOW, the police have taken a bad situation and made it worse.
And even the people that know enough to go limp when they are arrested, well, they are tazing them too. Remember the UCLA student in the library? For no reason at all.
Like Rachel Maddow said (and I paraphrase dysfunctionally...):
"When tazers were introduced they were touted as a way to stop some violent offenders in a way other than shooting them, and with the claims that the number of people being shot by police would decrease.
Instead, they are being used on citizens for simple matters of civil disobedience, matters that should be resolved less forcefully than using tazers, (like say, talking to them?) and the number of people being shot by the police hasn't changed."
IMHO, they want to use "portable electro-shock therapy" in order to terrorize and they expect people to be happy about it. And clearly exhibited by the laughter of some of those sick puppies, they were happy about it all.
Happy, or too scared stupid to recognize an abuse of someone else's rights.
what conservative bloggers are not willing to admit is that they don't like the book he was holding up, and they don't like hearing phrases like "stolen 2004 elections". Because when it comes down to it, who would give a rat's ass about some student interrupting a question and answer period for two minutes?
If you are a democrat who thinks that the elections were indeed stolen, but it wasn't a big deal, then our country will indeed lose its Republic because there will be nobody to defend it.
Well, what can I say. It's sad. I watched the whole video, and if I were there I probably would've been wondering when he was going to finish his rant and get to his question, too. I believe he kept the mic a bit longer than he should, but the cops still had no right to react the way they did. The free speech and other freedoms that made America great are gone. It's slowly gone downhill since Bush Sr. In another 10 years no one will be able to say anything even hinting of controversy for fear of police action or getting your ass sued because you offended someone.
Yeah, maybe he should have gone along for the ride and not made a scene, but then we wouldn't have had this wonderful opportunity to see first hand an example of our freedoms being squashed. What sickens me more is the students in the crowd didn't seem to care. I guess our youth are brainwashed well.
"My point was (and is) simply this - if you're being restrained by more cops than none, it's best to cease struggling or you'll likely get an ass-whupping and a serious tazering"
I get it. If you're thinking of questioning a politician just stay home and shut up.
What is this? The O'Rielly show?
Fucking pathetic!
You say you stand for free speech yet spit out this moronic filth?
Give me a break.
That's NOT what I'm saying, you anonymous fucktit!
I question politicians on video all the time, but somehow I manage to not get tazed because I don't act like a spastic horse's ass when I do it.
There's a right way to express your free speech, and a WRONG way. Use your fucking head is the right way.
Or better yet, how about YOU go and behave like a crazy person when confronting a senator, and maybe YOU'LL get to experience the fun of having a T-shirt quoting your screamed pleas?
Dumbass.
don't taze me bro, sad rhetoric, but really funny
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