Day by day our civil liberties are eroded in a purposeful campaign to turn this country into a police state. They start with pretending that seat belt laws are designed for safety, when it really just gives the police another reason to pull you over. Same goes for cell phone laws. Then they place cameras at red lights to generate revenue without applying any resources. We all sit silent. I have heard the flawed logic that says, “Well, I don’t break the law, so why would it bother me?” The issue is not whether you feel you break the law, it is the power you concede to others to interpret if THEY feel you are breaking the law. Perhaps the most egregious violations of our civil liberties happen every day when the very people we pay to protect us, instead are killing us. The new weapon of choice is the Taser. Designed to pump electricity into a human being, the Taser has been used inappropriately, and has resulted in the deaths of innocents across this country for far too long now. It is time to remove this weapon from the arsenal of police officers who do not deserve to wear the badges they have.
I say innocents because even though the police have forgotten; this country is based upon the concept that we are INNOCENT until proven guilty. Thus ANY person killed while being arrested was killed while innocent and their death ensures they will be buried innocent as well. Perhaps the flaw at the heart of this problem is that the police seem to operate on the opposite premise. They presume that everyone is a perp (perpetrator), until proven innocent. They no longer work to protect the citizenry, but rather to ensure they are alive at the end of the day, regardless of whether we are or not. Obviously, this is not meant as a broad brush stroke as generalizations are dangerous. I am sure there are plenty of decent honest police professionals but their insistence to silence in the face of what their peers do makes them complicit. It is time to put a human face on the death toll and the spin.
Mark Backlund was a 29 year old citizen of this country. He had a family, parents, a sister, and a 2 year old son. To my knowledge, he had no record of wrongs in his life. He just was an American who had a bright future until January 15th of this year found him in a car accident during rush hour on a Minnesota highway. By all reports the accident was nothing major but the state police who responded to it apparently did not like the way Mr. Backlund responded to them. The exact quote from the police was that Mr. Backlund was “uncooperative” after the accident. So they killed him. I know that sounds harsh but the police in question decided that the best way to deal with an “uncooperative” citizen was to send electricity through his body. He died later in the hospital when his heart stopped. Even if Mr. Backlund was “uncooperative”; did he deserve to be killed by the police? The man was simply on his way to pick up his parents from the airport and now he is dead. Is mere disagreement or dissent with law enforcement required to be dealt with by killing the person?
Here is another example of a citizen who merely disagreed with a state police officer; this time in Utah. Jared Massey is a 28-year old telephone company worker who was stopped by the Utah State Police on September 14, 2007. Here is a video taken from the dashboard of the offending officer:
The sheer arrogance of this officer is staggering and is a microcosm of the problem we are facing. Even those being arrested have rights. It appears that all Massey was trying to ascertain was why he was pulled over, which is his right as an American. The officer tried to claim speeding but refused to offer what speed Massey was traveling at. In fact, when he first addresses Massey, the officer clearly said that he “felt” he was traveling a bit fast. Massey was correctly astonished when the officer pulled his taser on him and shot him full of electricity. The officer than proceeds to terrorize the family in the car as well and tries to change the story to Massey “not listening to him” or “not following his instructions.” Specifically, Massey was refusing to sign the citation for speeding because he did not believe he had been speeding. For that, the brave officer shoots him with the taser and then brags about it to his partner later in the video. Toward the end you can hear the officer saying “he took a ride on the taser” and then mocked Massey by saying, “painful, isn’t it?” Further explaining to his partner, the officer reveals what really caused him to taser this citizen, “He wanted to be in charge.” His partner simply replies, “Good for you.” He wanted to be in charge. Guess the officer showed him who was in charge. Massey is still pursuing resolution to the incident but at least he survived.
Mark Backlund was not so lucky. Neither were many other Americans who have been tasered over the past several years. You can do a simple Google search and find any number of horror stories of American citizens being tasered by an out of control police force. The initial rationale for giving police these weapons was that they were allegedly going to be used to avoid having to use deadly force not to persuade or control behavior. Well, the experiment has failed America and it has failed miserably. If you doubt that, just review the video above where Mr. Massey was tasered because the officer felt he “wanted to be in charge.” “Taking a ride on the taser” is what this brave officer said. If you have any doubts, go ask the 2 year old child of Mark Backlund what he thinks now that his father has been killed by the very people paid to protect him.
Please, save me the sob stories about how difficult it is to be a police officer. In researching this story I came across stories that would make your stomach turn even more. A six year old boy being tasered. A nine year old girl who was already in handcuffs being tasered. A pregnant woman being tasered. I would proffer that any officer that cannot figure out how to diffuse or subdue a child, a pregnant woman, or even an uncooperative man without tasering them, does not deserve to wear the badge. If the job is that difficult for you, then find another job. Further, the communities that pay the offending officers in these situations should demand justice. Mark Backlund was murdered; plain and simple. Jared Massey faced attempted murder; plain and simple. The fact that the perpetrators wore uniforms should irrelevant. They are supposed to adhere to the law as well. They should be prosecuted and be sent to jail if convicted; plain and simple.
The police state is coming America. Cameras will be everywhere. ID chips will be implanted. They will claim that it is in the interest of your safety, while they take your liberty. There is still a chance to stand up and say no. Jared Massey deserved better. Mark Backlund certainly deserved better. The police are supposed to protect you; not determine your level of cooperation before tasering you into submission and then bragging about it. Benjamin Franklin once warned that a country that trades its liberty for security deserves neither. Our constitution is in tatters. Wake up America. It is time to stand up before they come for you and you realize there is no one left to stand up in your defense.
Anthony Wade, a contributing writer to opednews.com, is dedicated to educating the populace to the lies and abuses of the government. He is a 40-year-old independent writer from New York with political commentary articles seen on multiple websites. A Christian progressive and professional Rehabilitation Counselor working with the poor and disabled, Mr. Wade believes that you can have faith and hold elected officials accountable for lies and excess.
From the looks of it, the only thing thats going to stop a police state is a bloody revolution. I keep telling my friends to purchase guns and not to register them. Its not the governments business if you own a gun or not.
I live in Biloxi, MS. Katrina ground zero. In New Orleans, thanks to the Patriot Act, the national guard showed up to homes and demanded they turn in their guns. If they didnt, they went to jail. In America.. unbelievable isnt it?
Thomas Jefferson warned us about the second amendment.. I dont know the quote word for word, but it went to the tune of 'Nobody will complain about losing their right to bear arms, until they need it.'
by
Parke Nicholson (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 27 comments)
on Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 6:31:11 PM
Even convicted felons are protected from "cruel and unusual punishment"! Tasers are cruel, danergous and unusual and are used by idiots, hot dogs, poorly trained "cops" on innocent people. I have not read or seen a SINGLE account of someone being tasered who "deserved" it! NOT ONE!
by
Len Hart (107 articles, 142 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 364 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 3:05:17 AM
Drugs like Zoloft? Or Paxil? Or Welbutrin? Which drugs? Drugs like Seconal? Like Ritalin? Clonapin? Diazepam?
Only the ignorant and willfully dull think that calling people "weenie" does anything for an argument. This is not third grade, son. So if you want to sit at the big table, you have to think out your arguments and stop calling names. Now wipe ya chin.
by
Nezua (37 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 92 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 9:01:13 AM
Dummie, you're not a criminal until you're convicted in court. Most of those slain by a Taser were innocent until, if ever, found guilty in a court of law, which they never got the chance to attend. If you really want to take the fight out of criminals, you should argue that we go gun down everyone in prison. Won't be any fight left then, absolutely zero. Come on, let's do 'em all. Save the taxpayer some money. Maybe sell the body parts too.
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Mac McKinney (37 articles, 43 quicklinks, 116 diaries, 800 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 1:57:21 PM
It seems to me that taser manufacturers put these devices on the market without adequate testing, especially when being used on children under 10 and pregnant woman. If people continue to die then obviously we need to take another look at how and why these things are happening and how to prevent it in the future (At this time it seems that no one really cares). “As long as it’s not me or my family is truly a deadly state of mentality". I for one do not want to be a government guinea pig. Now don’t get me wrong I believe that police should be able to protect themselves, that’s not my argument, I just think that we need to take a closer look and the medical risk of the use of tasers. People can say “well it’s better than using a gun”. That’s true, however guns ARE designed to kill, tasers ARE NOT.
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julie miller (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 5 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 1:31:22 AM
This argument is a red herring.... the real issue is whether or not we wish to live in a police state. All the tasers do is provide the state with more control and a mechanism to instill fear in the populace.
by
richard (0 articles, 3 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 564 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 4:09:17 PM
Even convicted felons are protected from "cruel and unusual punishment"! Tasers are cruel, danergous and unusual and are used by idiots, hot dogs, poorly trained "cops" on innocent people. I have not read or seen a SINGLE account of someone being tasered who "deserved" it! NOT ONE!
by
Len Hart (107 articles, 142 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 364 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 3:03:49 AM
>>They start with pretending that seat belt laws are designed for safety<<
I want to believe you are kidding, but I know you are not. You must be the "victim" of too many traffic tickets with an ax to grind with law enforcement.
Back to Tasers; did I mention TASERS SAVE LIVES EVERYDAY
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Elan Moon (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 13 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 8:23:04 AM
I agree that seatbelts are helpful. I do not agree someone has the right to harass or ticket me for choosing not to wear one.
And you have no business talking about what credibility the author has when you can hardly spell and are telling people that tasers save lives. You sound like chota. Smell like chota. Bet you are.
by
Nezua (37 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 92 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 9:04:14 AM
Since Liberal Weenies only read Liberal Weenie websites
Here is a little education you will never receive from your surfing
The critics will never be satisfied. Amnesty International and other police critics call for 'independent studies' of TASERs. The federal government, via the Department of Justice, awards research grants for exactly that: independent studies. The latest study hits the street, and the critics are quoted across the land: 'Well, we're not sure how independent the study was.' Never mind the study results, in this case that the TASER caused no serious injury in 99.7% of nearly 1,000 uses in multiple jurisdictions, where local doctors studied every incident. The critics live in a delusional world where force is never used, and there is no need for police officers. The media lives in a dollars-and-cents world, where the critics make headlines on the back of your professional efforts to keep society safe. Conflict sells newspapers and airtime. 'And that's the way it is,' as Walter Cronkite used to say at the end of each broadcast. Maybe so, but after nearly 32 years in law enforcement, I’m still not used to it. Silly me! You, on the other hand, live in a world that presents its difficulties to you day in, day out, and on a moment’s notice, or no notice at all. And your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to keep that world as safe as you can, despite the cries of those who wouldn’t know a legitimate use of force if it hit them in the face. Enough of my rant! The best thing I can do for you this month is arm you with a list of recently completed studies that help answer questions about the safety of electronic weapons. You can be sure that the critics will say that there aren’t enough of these studies, or they aren’t independent, or whatever else they can dream up. Here goes: The TASER safety study referred to above was conducted at Wake Forest University by Dr. William Bozeman, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The study was funded by the National Institute of Justice. In 962 incidents, just three resulted in serious injury, two of those from falling. One was a case of rhabdomyolysis, or muscle tissue breakdown, which is sometimes seen in people experiencing excited delirium. This study was widely publicized in early October. Another study compared TASER effects to other types of use of force. Entitled, “The impact of conducted energy devices and other types of force and resistance on officer and suspect injuries,” published in October by Emerald Group Publishing Limited’s “Policing: an International Journal of Police Strategies & Management,” this study was authored by Michael R. Smith, Robert J. Kaminski, Jeffrey Rojek, Geoffrey P. Alpert and Jason Mathis, of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of South Carolina.
Its stated purpose was “. . . to examine the effect of police use of conducted energy devices (CEDs) on officer and suspect injuries while controlling for other types of force and resistance and other factors.' The study’s practical implications were that, “. . . relative to other forms of force, the use of CEDs and pepper spray can reduce the risk of injury to both suspects and law enforcement officers. This information should prove useful to law enforcement agencies considering adopting CEDs and suggests that agencies should consider the use of these less lethal alternatives in place of hands-on tactics against actively resistant suspects.' Quite a few new medical studies have been released in the past few weeks. All of these studies affirmed the general safety of the TASER® electronic control device. Six (6) of these studies were presented at the Fourth Mediterranean Emergency Medicine Congress (MEMC IV), in Sorrento, Italy during September 15-18, 2007. Several of these studies used human volunteers that underwent cardiovascular and physiologic evaluations on the effects of TASER activation in a human body and reached the following conclusions (Abstract) (Poster) (09/17/07) Ultrasound Measurement of Cardiac Activity During Conducted Electrical Weapon Application in Exercising Adults. J. Ho; R. Reardon; D. M. Dawes; M. Johnson; J. Miner. Conclusions: A 15-second CEW application on exercised volunteers did not demonstrate any evidence of induced tachyarrhythmia. It is unlikely that CEW exposure induces cardiac rate capture or tachyarrhythmia in humans. (Abstract) (Poster) (09/18/07) Absence of Electrocardiographic Change Following Prolonged Application of a Conducted Electrical Weapon in Physically Exhausted Adults. J. Ho; D. Dawes; H. Calkins; M. Johnson. Conclusions: Prolonged 15-second CEW application in a physically exhausted adult human sample did not cause a detectable change in their 12-lead ECGs. Theories of CEW induced dysrhythmias are not supported by our findings. (Abstract) (Poster) (09/19/07) 15-Second Conducted Electrical Weapon Exposure Does Not Cause Core Temperature Elevation In Non-Environmentally Stressed Resting Adults. D. M. Dawes; J. Ho; M. Johnson; J. Miner. Conclusions: In summary, our results do not show that a 15-second conducted electrical weapon discharge significantly affects core body temperature in non-environmentally stressed resting adults. While additional studies are needed, our data suggests that theories about conducted electrical weapons contributing to hyperthermia are likely unfounded. (Abstract) (Poster) (09/19/07) The Neuroendocrine Effects of the TASER X26 Conducted Electrical Weapon as Compared to Oleoresin Capsicum. D. M. Dawes; J. Ho; M. Johnson; J. Miner. Conclusions: The results suggest a significant greater level of activation of the stress cascade with O.C. compared to the CEW. Overlapping confidence intervals preclude a definitive statement about the other measurements, but do not suggest a greater activation of the stress cascade by the CEW than O.C. (Abstract) (Poster) (09/19/07) 15-Second Conducted Electrical Weapon Application Does Not Impair Basic Respiratory Parameters, Venous Blood Gases, or Blood Chemistries. D. M. Dawes; J. Ho; M. Johnson; J. Miner. Conclusions: As with the previous study, this study suggests that exposure to a CEW does not significantly impair respiration. As in the previous study, pCO2 decreased and pO2 increased as a result of the exposure. There was no change in blood pH. While this study is small, it adds to the growing body of literature that is demonstrating that these weapons have a favorable risk-benefit ratio and are appropriate additions to the use of force continua of police agencies. (Abstract) (Poster) (09/19/07) Breathing Parameters, Venous Gases, and Chemistries with Exposure to a New Wireless Projectile Conducted Electrical Weapon. D. M. Dawes; J. Ho; M. Johnson; J. Miner; E. Lundin. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the new CEW has no important deleterious effects on respiratory parameters, blood chemistries, or venous blood gases. These results are consistent with previous results for the TASER X26 CEW. (08/29/07) Physiological Effects of a Conducted Electrical Weapon on Human Subjects, Gary M. Vilke, MD, Christian M. Sloane, MD, Katie D. Bouton, BS, Fred W. Kolkhorst, PhD, Saul D. Levine, MD, Tom S. Neuman, MD, Edward M. Castillo, PhD, MPH, Theodore C. Chan, MD. Article in Press, Ann Emerg Med. 2007;xx:xxx. Conclusion: A 5-second exposure of a TASER X26 to healthy law enforcement personnel does not result in clinically significant changes of physiologic stress. The above studies can be reviewed here (create login, and open 'search' tab and search by author’s last name or abstract title or number). The abstracts below can be viewed here. (09/19/07) Cardiac Current Density Distribution by Electrical Pulses from TASER Devices, Panescu D, Kroll MW, McDaniel W, Stratbucker RA., Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2006;1(1):6305-6307. Conclusions: TASER ECDs deliver electrical pulses that can temporarily incapacitate subjects. The goal of this paper is to analyze the distribution of TASER currents in the heart and understand their chances of triggering cardiac arrhythmias. The models analyzed herein describe strength-duration thresholds for myocyte excitation and ventricular fibrillation induction. Finite element modelling is used to compute current density in the heart for worst-case TASER electrode placement. The model predicts a maximum TASER current density of 0.27 mA/cm2 in the heart. It is conclude that the numerically simulated TASER current density in the heart is about half the threshold for myocytes excitation and more than 500 times lower than the threshold required for inducing ventricular fibrillation. Showing a substantial cardiac safety margin, TASER devices do not generate currents in the heart that are high enough to excite myocytes or trigger VF. (09/19/07) Finite Element Modeling of Electric Field Effects of TASER Devices on Nerve and Muscle. Panescu D, Efimov IR, Kroll MW, Sweeney JD. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2006;1(1):1277-1279. Conclusions: TASER ECDs deliver electrical pulses that can temporarily incapacitate subjects. The goal of this paper is to analyze the distribution of currents in muscle layers and understand the electro-muscular incapacitation safety and efficacy of TASER ECDs. The analyses describe skeletal muscle and motor nerve activation, cell electroporation and current and electric field distributions through skin, fat and muscle layers, under worst-case assumptions for TASER electrode penetration and separation. For the muscle layer, the analysis predicts worst-case current-density and field-strength values of 94 mA/cm2 and 47 V/cm. Both values are higher than thresholds required for neuromuscular activation but significantly lower than levels needed for permanent cellular electroporation or tissue damage. The results indicate that TASER ECDs are safe and effective in producing temporary subject incapacitation. (08/28/07) Can the Direct Cardiac Effects of the Electric Pulses Generated by the TASER X26 Cause Immediate or Delayed Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Normal Adults? Raymond E. Ideker, MD, PhD, and Derek J. Dosdall, PhD. Am J Forensic Med Pathol 1 Sep 2007 28(3): p. 195. Conclusion: It is highly unlikely that the TASER X26 can cause ventricular fibrillation either instantly or minutes to hours after its use through direct cardiac effects of the electric field generated by the TASER. More medical studies and TASER use studies are in the works.
by
Elan Moon (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 13 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 9:14:22 AM
re. 'True Blue American" [Neofascist NeoCon] Elan Moon"Since Liberal Weenies only read Liberal Weenie websites"
That's because all the republicanazi sites like FreeRepublic.com populated exclusively by posters like yourself Elan Moon, are suffering from a Right Wing Authoritarian [RWA] Personality Disorder. Unlike progressive sites like OpEd that does not keep those such as yourself suffering from a RWA personality disorder from making repeated fallacious ad hominem 'dittohead' style attacks on liberals, FreeRepublic.com will kick out or ban anyone they perceive as making any sort of post that conflicts with their fascist right wing dogma.
Unlike the more open policies at progressive sites like OpEd, what makes all the right wing authoritarian [RWA] personalities so afraid and scared of differing opinions over there at FreeRepublic.como you ask?
RWA personalities like yourself Elan Moon have been damaged from the process of their socialization that brought them up with a belief that human beings are dangerous,and inherently evil. If familiar with Helenistic history, it's akin to 'Platonic thought' and Plato's philosophy of life.
According to RWA thought, the only solution to any problem is to establish a brutally punitive right wing government ruled over by a kind of dictatorial system, where firm rules are established. The role of government is to ruthlessly enforce the rules, thus constraining human evil. In religious cultures like here in the US, Jesus Christ is then a proxy for this brutal dictatorship because Classic Christianity is a form of Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Historical Christianity is a classic example of RWA thought.
re. 'True Blue American" [Neofascist NeoCon] Elan Moon"If liberals would grow up and get jobs they could become Republicans"
So what is it within you Elan that makes an RWA such as yourself so afraid you feel you have to make repeated fallacious posts verbally attacking liberals at a liberal web site?
What scares the RWA Personality? Freedom. Free speech. Free thoughts. Free people. Why? RWA personalities making up the right wing ironically feel insecure in an uncertain universe. This of course why the RWA Aggressive feels some inate need to have easy access to an assault rifle so they can mow down 100s nearby. Fearful from being externally directed, and eternally insecure, the RWA Bully craves order and simplicity, and will impose it where authoritarian order should never be.
The RWA personality disorder makes them never feels 'safe' in their insecure world. They are followers, not because of a desire for self-advancement, but because it can satisfy their passion for self-renunciation. Never underestimate the potential danger of this RWA true believer personality! They can easily be molded into fanatics who will gladly work and die for their holy cause. It is a substitute for their lost faith in themselves and offers them as a substitute for individual hope.
Genuine conservatives of old however are skeptical of over-concentrated power in religious, private and government hands... but they are few and far between in the current GOP NeoCon climate. Thanks to Buckley, Reagan, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, most so-called "conservatives" are really nothing of the kind. RWA Bullies are theocrats and pseudo-libertarian Social Darwinists or even fascists who embrace authority and power over the individual.
RWA Personalities has a reverence for authority that makes them believe whatever their superiors tell them to believe. Their fear and insecurity make them shun the unknown and prevents them from questioning tradition or thinking in new ways. This is about the only remaining conservative trait they maintain.
Dissent threatens the RWA Bully Personality of its fragile sense of security. RWA Bullies demand that everyone believes whatever they believe, even if that belief changes at the whim of their superiors -- because. Well just because! And don't ask questions!
Right wing RWA Personality has a reverence for authority that makes them believe whatever their superiors tell them to believe. Their fear and insecurity make them shun the unknown and prevents them from questioning tradition or thinking in new ways. This about the only remaining conservative trait they maintain.
RWA Bully Personalities demand that everyone think whatever they think but sadly these ironically frightened insecure child like personas don't think. They listen and obey. Free thinking threatens the RWA Personality. It weakens their precarious hold on their make-believe world.
RWA personalities cling to the familiar and fears the unknown to a large degree. What makes the RWA Personality so different? It's their unwillingness to face their fears and strike out into the wider world.
The RWA Personality finds it difficult to come up with a new idea. Their fear of change makes it hard for them to develop a new medical cure, discover new territory, or envision a new approach to anything. In fact, the RWA Bully reflexively opposes anything new. They dislike education and they loath science. New information and the uncertainty fostered by the free flow of fresh thinking undermine their sense of stability. They are still in denial about evolution!
Education may lead to progress and new ideas. Science uncovers new facts. So the RWA Personality fears new learning and research. Progress threatens their precious predictable status quo of the RWA personality. believe superstitions and embrace propaganda. They ignore information that challenges their prejudices and preconceptions. Hence the RWA personality disorder lacks judgment and eschew conception.
While aggressively beating their chests in Macho bravado, RWA Personalities ironically care about their feelings more like women, rather than being concerned in the least with facts. Facts are only for the RWA Personality to support rigid right wing beliefs, or else the facts must be wrong. Those who present facts to the RWA Bully which contradict their right wing dogma must be evil.
RWA Personalities believe in absurd contradictions, impervious to logic or education. They flock to to cults of personality. When in groups, the RWA personalities adopt most cult traits forgoing individuality for the dependent thinking of their RWA groups. They mimick most all the characteristics of more well known cults.
While aggressively beating their chests in Macho bravado, RWA Personalities ironically care about their feelings more like women, rather than being concerned in the least with facts. Facts are only for the RWA Personality to support rigid right wing beliefs, or else the facts must be wrong. Those who present facts to the RWA Bully which contradict their right wing dogma must be evil.
RWA Personalities believe in absurd contradictions, impervious to logic or education. They flock to to cults of personality. When in groups, the RWA personalities adopt most cult traits forgoing individuality for the dependent thinking of their RWA groups. They mimick most all the characteristics of more well known cults.
RWA Personalities cling to known "misleaders" like Reagan, Bush and Bush II, deifying the undeserving. Meanwhile they hate champions of social progress. The RWA submissives flock to propagandists by the droves like "Rush" Limbaugh, and eagerly participate in their own brain washing. They accept as religious doctrine that the corrupt, inept Reagan -- who had 140 criminals in his White House, blocked research and education on AIDS, and supported death squads who killed Nuns and terrorists who killed 240 US Marines -- was moral, but of course Bill and Hillary Clinton are evil incarnate to them.
RWA Personalities support idiotic, even fatal policies because they place nonsense over knowledge. They believe using condoms increases the chance of pregnancy and STDs. They think racism is OK, but pointing out racism is "playing the race card." Poor white male RWA Personalities blame poor non-whites and non-males for the injustices rich white males commit.
The RWA Personality supports the policies which comprise class warfare, but whine when anyone demonstrates the injustice of robbing the needy to enrich the greedy. Poor and working class RWA Personalities believe increasing their taxes makes them richer, while Enron and Bill Gates get huge tax cuts.
The RWA Personality supports theocracy and fascism to a level even craving a unified authority over their lives and even their afterlives! They support censorship. They want to impose their religious views on everyone.
The RWA Persona will punish anyone who strays from the fold. They brutally suppress anyone who questions authority, and they always obey abusive controllers. The RWA Personality is afraid of their own freedom. They are even more afraid of yours if a free independent thinker. Which is why anyone that's even a centrist is banned from making posts at an RWA site like FreeRepublic.com
What scares RWA Personalities like Elan Moon most down to their NeoFascist, NeoCon, NeoNazi Boots? Essays in comments like this from people like me that confront their insecure little world, and people like you who read and sincerely comprehend the message I'm trying to get across: The Right Wing Authoritarian [RWA] is more than a personality type - it's a personality disorder!
by
Adnihilo (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 16 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 11:45:16 AM
Tasers must be used as a last resort. The fact that police feel free to use tasers because they won't kill you and are using them more and more frequently leads to a slippery slope. If police get use to using these weapons with impunity, what's going to stop them when from using disabiliting weapons like microwave and sound-piercing weapons on protesters?
During the 60's it was fire hoses and batons. Today it's tasers.
by
Mr M (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 880 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 11:54:31 AM
The People Shall Serve a Heaping Portion of Justice
Americans have been undergoing a transformation from the 'outside' -- the corporate/state demands that IT "tells" them how to think and act; all the while tricking them with gross financial extortions and outright repealing of individuals previously guaranteed "Rights", growing proportionately in Authoritarian stature. This "state" of affairs will only continue until a boiling point is reached, and the "people" say, NO MORE!
I think The People will at some point be the ones who say to the criminal "authorities",GET DOWN ON YOUR FACE! YOU ARE GOING TO JAIL, BECAUSE YOU WOULD NOT DO WHAT WEASKED! THE PEOPLE WILL TAKE CONTROL OF THE SITUATION, BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE RIGHT!
I say this, because it is apparent on such a wide scale that there are NO Righteous Authorities we should look to for redress and protection. WE DON'T NEED NONE OF "THAT" KIND OF PROTECTION!
Might does not make Right, when it has clearly gone wrong, and no longer serves the interests of the people who gave it the power in the first place. I think JUSTICE shall be served to those who need it the most.
by
boomerang (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 179 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 9:15:06 AM
The entire article - that was previously posted here - has been removed for the purpose of brevity and respect of copyright laws. The attribution link is sufficient, should anyone wish to follow the link and read the full article to refute or respond to the commentor's hypothesis.
Posting of full articles in the comment section are not necessary and may, even with proper attribution, infringe upon copyrights. It also makes comments dauntingly long and difficult to read.
by
Elan Moon (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 13 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 9:21:40 AM
Many hang their hat on the opinions of Amnesty International
Amnesty International's "research" is comprised of adding up newspaper articles about Taser use. The first stories scream "Taser Death" and months later barely mention cocaine intoxication death.
AI has never subtracted from their count of Taser Death when presented with facts.
If liberals would grow up and get jobs they could become Republicans.
by
Elan Moon (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 13 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 9:38:04 AM
Whatever happened to pepper spray, police batons, and 'stun' guns?
Seems to me that the article is kinda questioning the prominent use of the taser and what prompts its overusage? I thought the taser was supposed to be used in situations that required the use of deadly force and not in a situation where an officer wants to utilize it in order to enforce routine compliance... so, if that's the case -it should only be used in a situation where an officer would only otherwise pull his firearm and not simply because somebody called him a 'dick'. Unfortunately, there's a lot of bullies who heed the call to join the squad, get a shiney badge along with all the cool toys, and play cops for real when they're no better than the crooks they're supposed to be getting off the streets. Given a bad day, those types can pull someone over with deadly force already on their minds...
or they could take the time to sign up at OEN and make a total ass of themselves in all of six comments on one article that has them beaten beyond reply!
Man, I feel sorry for the guy you pull over tonight, Officer Moon...
by
C.Bid (0 articles, 6 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 540 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 12:13:49 PM
Mr. Moon Sir, (however, that is not what I'm thinking. My mom taught me, if you can't say something nice....)
I don't understand you. Your tone hurts, I cannot find any empathy, your context is brutal, bereft of decency, filled with anger, closed to any possibility of meaningful debate, you don't seem to be 'teacher' material, and now I finally have an idea who the character George C. Scott was depicting in Kubricks Dr. Strangelove was based on.
Now that I have allowed myself this sad dip into the neighborhood of smallness, I apologize for my tone with you.
If you think after all this we have anything to offer each other, you can click and send. If not, chalk it up to whatever you want to. As you were.
peace.
PS..C. Bid...you have a way of causing me to grin.....mikel
by
mikel paul (0 articles, 1 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 255 comments)
on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 6:29:27 PM
