they tasered him because the police were afraid. people do stupid things when they don’t understand something.

“Hey Phil, what’s that guy saying”?

“I don’t know Bob, lets taser him”.

It’s a classic case of both being in the wrong. He should not have responded as strongly as he did but the police should have continued listening to him the entire time. I find many times people in positions such as the police hit a point when they are no longer listening to what is being said but trying to achieve the results they desire. If they had continued listening they would have taken advantage of the guy attempting to negotiate to reach an end that didn’t involve tasering. Afterall, they had him on the ground, yes he was still fighting (or at least they felt he was) but the guy wasn’t going anywhere.

Why? because he asked questions that the politician did not like. He asked unpopular questions.

This begs the question – would Thomas Jefferson have been tasered if the brits had the technology? Probably. They tried to kill him.

Now, is this a good thing – that our current government uses the same tactics the british overlords would have used against those nasty ol’ rebels in the 1700s?

I find it ironic that when the police are caught beating someone nearly to death, they appeal to everyone to look at the bigger picture and the circumstances that resulted in their actions. They point out the stress and deadly nature of their work. They make it a point to proclaim that they are defending the security of the community.

However, when it comes to their victims, it’s all about actions. Okay, the kid cut in line. Okay, he was rude. Okay, he was disruptive. Okay, he shook off an officer trying to move him. I’ve had my four year old do that. But to a police officer, these discrete events necessitate the use of force, one that can kill. How about WE step back for a second and take a look at the whole situation? A rude kid who won’t shut up and get off the mike. He needs a spanking, not an electrocution.

The guy did not comply, and started acting like an idiot, screaming, flailing his arms, etc.

Had he stopped and walked out, when they asked him, it would not have happened.

Cops are trained to use these tazers as non lethal weapons to control people who are unruly, go beserk, etc. He was falling into this classification.