I saw this on Yahoo and it is a perfect illustration of whatI was talking about in my last post. As much as I like Yahoo and its content, this video was put up and there were poll questions
- Should this man have been arrested?
- Should he have been tazered?
My answers are as follows:
- I wasnt one of the officers so I can not say 100 percent definitavely, but reading tactics and body language and knowing protocall and such, it does not appear as if the guy was originally placed under arrest. It appears to me that protocall (as well as the statement by officials in the story) that there was an allotted time limit to all questions, this guy went over that time allotment, those in charge attempted to non-physically diffuse the situation by cutting off the power to his microphone. He refused to yield and began to yell his question out, and his anger began to escalate, he saw security and officers moving towards him and began to move around, becoming very animated in his attempt to evade police involvement. (Now, does anyone believe that if these cops are the jackbooted thugs that they are being portrayed as, that they would care whether or not John Kerry answered the skull and bones society question? or is the conspiracy theory being floated that any skull and bones questions required censorship at all costs?) If you read the police officers body language as they approach, none of them are foaming at the mouth, none are jacked up, they are simply doing what they were trained to do. Keep order in a public venue, keep the multitude of people safe, and remove anyone who is becoming disorderly. He was originally just being removed for his disruptive behavior, when he began to flail his arms it became a safety issue. At that point an arrest has to be made. So Yes he should have been arrested with out a doubt. At any point and time he could have stopped resisting and once outside the hall registered his complaints with whom ever he wanted to. He at some point wanted to challenge authority. And thats fine, but if you issue a challenge, it will be met. Don't bitch when it is.
- Ok if you watch the video closely, once he is at the back of the hall he physically shoves a cop, he is surrounded, he does not comply at any point, so he has shown that he is agressive, if he is given any leeway at that point, he will more than likely fight. He has shown that he does not intend to voluntarily leave before he has made his point. There are several people in the immediate vicinity that could get injured or involved if he does start fighting (can we say the 1968 Chicago Convention?) So we now know that verbal requests and commands didn't work, physical confrontation could result in innocent people getting injured, OC or Pepperspray will contaminate the area causing panic and a possible rush for the door (so that people can get fresh air) which could result in even greater injury. The only way to swiftly and safely diffuse the situation is the taser. So yes he should have been tased.
I find it interesting that even though John Kerry should have known the protocalls for the meeting, he decides to publicly rebuke the officers who are doing their duty by trying to command them to let the guy speak. (he had already gotten his question out John, I never saw you answer it on the video?) And by the way you were paid to speak not make command decisions. Again John Kerry shows that in his world he can pick and choose what rules to follow and which to skip. And this guy in the audience is just following John Kerrys lead.
I also find it interesting that after shoving a police officer this guy starts yelling police brutality.
Subscribe in a reader
|