From the tasering file

[pan]

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-11032007-1434893.html

FBI reviewing Tasering of sleeping man; no charges file

The Associated Press

NORTH BRADDOCK, Pa. - Two North Braddock police officers won't face criminal charges for Tasering a man who was asleep at home. But the FBI will review the incident for possible civil rights violations.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. says county police determined Officers Gerard Kraly and Lukas Laeuricia (loo-REE'-see-uh) didn't commit a crime when they Tasered Shawn Hicks, who was sleeping on his couch.

Police came to Hicks home because they were alerted by a silent security alarm at his home about 2 a.m.

Hicks says the officers Tasered him again after he woke up and showed them ID to prove he lived at the home. Hicks' attorney says he will pursue civil action.

[BO]

Something haywire with your post Hannah.

[hannah j]

works on my computer

[Cal]

Mine too.

[littleoldme]

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20090809/US.Police.Ch...
I don't really think a stollen car is worth taking the chance of killing people to get back, do you?

[hannah j]

http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/08/14/video-captures-mom-tased-at-...

[Mark]

Mom in minivan tasered twice in Salina traffic stop; camera capture...

In January, an Onondaga County sheriff's deputy pulled over Audra Harmon, who had two of her kids with her in her minivan. A routine traffic stop escalated quickly.

The deputy, Sean Andrews, accused her of talking on her cell phone. She said she could prove him wrong.

He said she was speeding. She denied it and got out of the van. He told her to get back in. She did, then he ordered her back out.

He yanked her out by the arm, knocked her down with two Taser shots and charged her with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. His rationale on the disorderly conduct charge: She obstructed traffic when she got out of the van. The speeding accusation: going 50 mph in a 45-mph zone.

The link includes the video and a fuller account of the story. But I doubt if it includes the whole story. My guess is that the poor cop had his heart broken before it happened. See, I was walking home from the store yesterday and one of the guys outside the tattoo parlor was telling another guy, "You break my heart, I'll break your neck. That's the kind of guy I am." So I think the cop may have had his heart set on getting some, his wife or the object of his affections refused, thereby breaking his heart, but for some reason (family, neighbors, dependency, whatever) he couldn't break her neck, so he took it out on the next female he saw. And of course if it gets to court, the verdict will depend on whether or not the judge (male or female) got any the night before. Or I could be all wrong, maybe the cop watched some porn that showed females enjoying pain, and just wanted to show a little "love."

There's going to be a talk at my local library soon, about existentialism, and the title of the talk is, "Is Hell Really Other People?" Don't think I'll go. What kind of a dumb question is that? Of COURSE hell is other people. So's heaven. Just depends on which people.

[waldopaper]

the comments on this one just make me wanna fuckin hurl. "peace officers" my ass. pigs are pigs. but that's defaming an innocent animal. mebbe we should just call them taser nerds... Turds for short.

[hannah j]

http://eclipptv.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=6873

Cops Tazer Child 19 Times Leaving Him in a Coma= he was laying on the ground with a broken back having fallen from overpass.

[Mark]

What the kid said.

[Mark]

I don't think the kid really said it. He was incoherent so probably the cops either thought that was what they heard or they just made it up to try to justify what they'd done.

Pretty good article on tasering in AlterNet today:

Why Are Cops Tasering Grandmothers, Pregnant Women and Kids?

Because they can, of course. There may also be a "use it or lose it" component. But in a police state, it isn't unusual for cops to run wild. A glance at the help wanted ads will show that police officers and prison guards are in demand when other jobs barely exist, and they pay better than working at Wal-Mart or Mickey D's. If you weren't a bully when you applied for the job, you have to harden yourself to becoming a bully to keep it.

The good news is that the taser company's stock has plummeted by 80%. I always enjoy good news.

[Mark]

Pretty good article from Gore Vidal, and another perspective by a less notable academic.

[Mark]

Not only can gays adopt children, but where they are not allowed to marry, sometimes they have to.

My younger daughter (who I didn't get to raise and don't really know) is a corporate attorney in a 17+ year committed lesbian relationship. My daughter gave birth to my two grandkids, and her partner had to legally adopt them in order to be a legal parent of their kids.

Unfortunately, they are raising the kids according to strict gender roles. The boy, who was born first, is extremely self-confident, as he has always had his every whim catered to and been given constant attention. His younger sister, on the other hand, appears (I've never seen her in person) from the photos and videos to be unhappy, distraught, and being driven insane. With wealthy parents, both kids are healthy, but the little one can't understand why her older brother is so privileged and no matter what she does, she can't get as much attention. She doesn't have his self-confidence or sense of entitlement. The parents are part of an exclusive LGBT Jewish community and I think they're trying to prove that as a lesbian couple, they can still raise their kids traditionally in accordance with stereotypical gender roles. And I'm poor, so I can't interfere.

Don't assume that because people are gay, they believe in equality. Some do, some don't. And some believe in it for themselves, but not necessarily for others.