Saturday 22 September 2007

Look out for our Election campaign

Now here's a gripping bit of prime time America for you.

On Thursday afternoon, a University of Florida student was tasered and arrested while he was asking US Senator John Kerry during a question and answer session.

For those that haven't heard much about a taser, they disrupt superficial muscle functions. The higher the voltage, the more effective it is. It may take several seconds to subdue a person with 100 kV, but only about a second with 1 MV (1,000 kV). Electrical current above 10 mA at 60Hz AC is considered to be potentially lethal to humans. Because there is no automatic stop on a taser gun, police have used these devices repeatedly or for a long period, potentially contributing to injuries or death.

21 year old Andrew Meyer asked Senator Kerry why he did not contest the 2004 presidential election, which he lost to President Bush. He also asked why there had been no moves to impeach Mr Bush. However, it seemed he asked several questions - and went on for quite a while - then he was asked to stop.

"He had used his allotted time. His microphone was cut off then he became upset," university spokesman Steve Orlando said.

Then four police officers tried to remove Andrew Meyer from the forum, and he yelled for help and asked several times: "What did I do?"

He was then tasered. The Alachuas County jail records show that he was charged with 'resisting an officer and disturbing the peace'.

As they pinned him to the ground, Meyer yelled: “Don’t Tase me, bro!” - a new slogan for the YouTube generation!

Video of the incident has circulated around the net faster than Mayor Kevin Byrne's exit to China.

John Kerry criticised the arrest of Mr Meyer, suggesting that he could have dealt with the heckler himself. "In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way. I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption,” he said.

Andrew Meyer was released yesterday after a night in the cells, while students protested outside the police station claiming police brutality had been used.

A bunch of students filmed it, you'll find them on You Tube. Here's one of the Videos.


And the update..

No comments: