By now you're probably familiar with the story of the University of Florida student who was tasered during a forum with Sen. John Kerry. In the course of asking Kerry about his membership in Skull and Bones, he was forcibly removed from the microphone and "escorted" to the back of the auditorium, loudly protesting all the while.
As has been noted, neither Kerry nor the majority of the other students participating in the forum did anything to stop this from happening. However, about 2,000 miles away at Colorado State University, students sympathetic to the recently tasered Andrew Meyer published a response, which has left the paper approximately $30,000 poorer in advertising dollars so far.
Colorado State University's student newspaper has lost $30,000 in advertising and had to cut pay and other budgets by 10 percent because of fallout from the use of a four-letter word in an editorial about President Bush, the Coloradoan reported Saturday.
In large type, the editorial included the words "Taser this ... Fuck Bush." The editorial said it had the support of the Collegian's editorial board.
"As local and national media will inevitably jump on this controversy, I strongly urge the university community to try and understand that the intentions of the students on staff, including me, were not to cause harm, but rather to reinforce the importance of free speech at our great institution," Editor-in-Chief J. David McSwane said in a posting on the paper's Web site Friday.
I can understand being up at arms about the Bush administrations "approach" to civil liberties, and I can totally jive with wanting to "make a statement people couldn't ignore," as the paper's Editor-in-Chief says he wanted to do, but "Fuck Bush"? That's not original, intelligent, or creative. How about "Fuck Kerry." That would be more to the point, after all, and your advertisers probably wouldn't have as big a problem with it.
The Collegian, a free publication funded entirely by advertising and published Monday through Friday printed comments, including negative ones on its Web site.
"Like many other comments here, I'm quite ashamed to see the official voice of my alma mater's paper choosing to express itself like this," wrote one commenter under the name Phil Mills. "Regardless of the Editors' opinion of our President, I would have hoped that they could have come up with something more eloquent and reasoned to express that opinion than this... this... bumper sticker."
The fact that Kerry continued to numbly "answer" Meyer's question even as the kid was being tasered and screaming "Help" and "Owwww" in agony is absurd and pathetic. Publishing an editorial response in a college paper that reads "Taser this ... Fuck Bush," is a close second.
Perhaps worst of all are the other students and (presumably) faculty who didn't respond. What would you do in that situation? Stand idly by, or speak up and act out?
spinysquid said:
'lack of mental facility', wow. kisses to you, too.
i understand what youre saying about kerry's lack of legal authority. however, politicians exercise authority in legally questionable situations all the time. theyre politicians. i do think kerry would have had input into the situation had he chosen to raise his voice a little. he's not just 'a dude with a micriphone', hes the guest of honor, and the reason everyone is in the room. that automatically gives him some authority, whether its legal or not. i quiver and shudder with horror at the notion that i might be 'dumb' in your eyes, subrosa. it keeps me awake at night.
Returning to the points actually in controversy, the fact that politicians exercise authority in legally questionable situations sometimes again couldn't be more irrelevant. We're not talking about passing a constitutionally questionable law here, we're talking about ordering the police to do something while they're in the middle of it. It's not remotely the same thing and to draw the comparison is moronic. Again, he COULD have said something else. But the fact that he didn't means nothing and to assign him with any more responsibility that that is absurd. And dumb.
It's not about assigning responsibility or legal authority, it's about showing some fucking compassion and backbone, two things Kerry has consistently been accused of lacking. Clearly, his reputation isn't inaccurate. He may not have had any 'legal' authority, but it's not unreasonable in any sense to think that had he at least fucking tried to do something he could have changed the outcome.
And this whole "what could he have done?" line of defense is pretty silly. The only reason we're hypothesizing about what the result of his action could have been is because he didn't do anything, because he's a douche. Even more stupidly, that line of thinking implies that Kerry intentionally didn't step in because he didn't think he could do anything. Which, really, is the kind of defeatism I think people look for in a leader.
You're so cute when you get in a nonsensical lather about someone or something you find distasteful. Seriously, it's adorable. I just want to pinch your cartoon cheeks. Though, I do applaud you for attempting to vindicate Bush's victory through this in a roundabout way. 10 points for you!
The "what could he have done?" line of "defense" is not silly in the slightest because he could have done nothing to change the outcome, thus rendering the point extremely fucking relevant. I mean, I suppose he could have stripped down to his skivvies and started barking like a dog to try and distract the cops enough to let the dude get away. Or he could have started praying to Athena to smite the evil wrongdoers in the name of good and justice. Why aren't we getting on him for not doing those things? Because they wouldn't have helped, that's why.
I'm not going to keep going round and round with you people, but the simple fact is that he didn't have a whole lot of time to react, he tried to get them to stop initially and shit got out of control. It's not his place to save everyone when he has no reasonable possibility of doing so. But keep playing internet armchair QB, if it continues to make you feel self-righteous.
Subrosa said:
You're so cute when you get in a nonsensical lather about someone or something you find distasteful. Seriously, it's adorable. I just want to pinch your cartoon cheeks. Though, I do applaud you for attempting to vindicate Bush's victory through this in a roundabout way. 10 points for you!
The "what could he have done?" line of "defense" is not silly in the slightest because he could have done nothing to change the outcome, thus rendering the point extremely fucking relevant. I mean, I suppose he could have stripped down to his skivvies and started barking like a dog to try and distract the cops enough to let the dude get away. Or he could have started praying to Athena to smite the evil wrongdoers in the name of good and justice. Why aren't we getting on him for not doing those things? Because they wouldn't have helped, that's why.
I'm not going to keep going round and round with you people, but the simple fact is that he didn't have a whole lot of time to react, he tried to get them to stop initially and shit got out of control. It's not his place to save everyone when he has no reasonable possibility of doing so. But keep playing internet armchair QB, if it continues to make you feel self-righteous.
Dude, he should have simply rolled up his sleeves and jumped into the audience and beat the shit out of all the cops using his finely-honed martial arts skills, thus proving his manhood and empathy for the common man against the forces of governmental oppression.
Subrosa said:
Returning to the points actually in controversy, the fact that politicians exercise authority in legally questionable situations sometimes again couldn't be more irrelevant. We're not talking about passing a constitutionally questionable law here, we're talking about ordering the police to do something while they're in the middle of it. It's not remotely the same thing and to draw the comparison is moronic. Again, he COULD have said something else. But the fact that he didn't means nothing and to assign him with any more responsibility that that is absurd. And dumb.
It's not about assigning responsibility or legal authority, it's about showing some fucking compassion and backbone, two things Kerry has consistently been accused of lacking. Clearly, his reputation isn't inaccurate. He may not have had any 'legal' authority, but it's not unreasonable in any sense to think that had he at least fucking tried to do something he could have changed the outcome.
And this whole "what could he have done?" line of defense is pretty silly. The only reason we're hypothesizing about what the result of his action could have been is because he didn't do anything, because he's a douche. Even more stupidly, that line of thinking implies that Kerry intentionally didn't step in because he didn't think he could do anything. Which, really, is the kind of defeatism I think people look for in a leader.
You're so cute when you get in a nonsensical lather about someone or something you find distasteful. Seriously, it's adorable. I just want to pinch your cartoon cheeks. Though, I do applaud you for attempting to vindicate Bush's victory through this in a roundabout way. 10 points for you!
Wow. You actually somehow interpreted anything I said there as relating in any way to Bush. Congrats, you're playing the hysterical liberal part to a tee. 10 points for you as well.
Subrosa said:
The "what could he have done?" line of "defense" is not silly in the slightest because he could have done nothing to change the outcome, thus rendering the point extremely fucking relevant. I mean, I suppose he could have stripped down to his skivvies and started barking like a dog to try and distract the cops enough to let the dude get away. Or he could have started praying to Athena to smite the evil wrongdoers in the name of good and justice. Why aren't we getting on him for not doing those things? Because they wouldn't have helped, that's why.
I'm not going to keep going round and round with you people, but the simple fact is that he didn't have a whole lot of time to react, he tried to get them to stop initially and shit got out of control. It's not his place to save everyone when he has no reasonable possibility of doing so. But keep playing internet armchair QB, if it continues to make you feel self-righteous.
That's a hilarious typo.
Anyways, I'm not saying he could have done a whole hell of a lot. I'm saying that people are critisizing him because he didn't even try. Have you ever been at a show where some asshole bouncer starts roughing up people in the audience for no reason? Ever seen the band say something to stop it? It's not uncommon or unreasonable at all. Sometimes it doesn't work, and this isn't the exact same situation, but this "But what can I do.. I'm just one politician?" shit is a cop out.
You're too busy with your tiny little opinions to realize you all suck dick for a living....get a life..get out of debt..and get a clue and maybe we might start changing things.. because for all the argueing and disagreeing, we are still being forced as a nation to do things against our will and our intention...and while its killing us all for someone else's profit...your tax dollars pay for it... if i wrote a headline it would be..... "(Proper noun exemplifying scapegoat for corporate, arms trade, totaliarian control)..Satan wants his job back!
abracadabra said:
Kerry is a piece of shit like the other politicians who pretend to be "for the people" . This is an example of what is to come , when you openly question any policies involving government on any level . How long the public will eat the shit spewed forth out of their mouths is the only question to answer , ie: How long until we are a police state ?
I could not roll my eyes harder at this comment than I am right now without causing irreversible damage to my retinas..
Srsly.
Knee-jerk anarchism is as ridiculous as knee-jerk fascism.
I had no idea that Skull & Bones was a "policy involving government." I thought it was a support group for overprivileged white kids. Is it a secret branch of Americorps?
"what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
Well , apparently I struck a nerve then ? The truth shall set us free in the end . Deny as long as you want though and keep eating fast food . Go America !
Ummm... no.
You made a statement that had absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand. You did so using language that is as tiresome and meaningless as, "America is the greatest country in the world." You became the contrapositive to the very thing you purport to reject.
Don't make assumptions about my politics. I just don't think liberal causes are helped by knee-jerk asshats who feel themselves so "enlightened" as to not be able to engage in meaningful discourse that can have any hope of reaching anyone. I hope that's not what you are, but that is the characteristic I saw in your original comment.
Freedom of speech guarantees the right to express your opinion, not that people will accept it in the same light you view it. I've watched the liveleak video, and am still uncertain if there were any factors related to the PO/security guard behavior which we do not see.
He strikes me as a self-important ass from a moneyed background, whiney as I might expect.
One thing I have noted being back in the States, people certainlly seem to feel that everyone around them need to be informed, that folks around them are by and large ignorant and in need of education to be brought up to snuff- as this fucktard assumes once he has the microphone. Stun gun? He's still likely a deluded little shit, having learned nothing expect how to whine and turn circumstances to support his beliefs.
abracadabra said:
Kerry is a piece of shit like the other politicians who pretend to be "for the people" . This is an example of what is to come , when you openly question any policies involving government on any level . How long the public will eat the shit spewed forth out of their mouths is the only question to answer , ie: How long until we are a police state ?
I could not roll my eyes harder at this comment than I am right now without causing irreversible damage to my retinas..
Srsly.
Knee-jerk anarchism is as ridiculous as knee-jerk fascism.
I had no idea that Skull & Bones was a "policy involving government." I thought it was a support group for overprivileged white kids. Is it a secret branch of Americorps?
"what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
Well , apparently I struck a nerve then ? The truth shall set us free in the end . Deny as long as you want though and keep eating fast food . Go America !
Ummm... no.
You made a statement that had absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand. You did so using language that is as tiresome and meaningless as, "America is the greatest country in the world." You became the contrapositive to the very thing you purport to reject.
Don't make assumptions about my politics. I just don't think liberal causes are helped by knee-jerk asshats who feel themselves so "enlightened" as to not be able to engage in meaningful discourse that can have any hope of reaching anyone. I hope that's not what you are, but that is the characteristic I saw in your original comment.
So , more name calling then huh ? First I'm an idiot and now a "knee jerk asshat " . See , the difference between you and I is that I don't need to resort to calling people names to attempt to prove a point . My initial comment wasn't directed at you but you took that as impetus to question my intellectual capacity instead of debating what I actually said . What was said , if you look closer , actually has basis in reality . The people who are in skull and bones typically hold government jobs . One of these people is Kerry , whom could have done something to stop the tasering but said nothing . This is representative , in a larger sense , of people being harassed for voicing their displeasure of the government . Whether you believe this is happening or not is irrelevant . However , I don't think my own opinion deserves a response that slanders my character , unrelated to the topic at hand . Believe whatever you want but I'm entitled to offer my own opinion , while not attacking others in the process .
Wow. You actually somehow interpreted anything I said there as relating in any way to Bush. Congrats, you're playing the hysterical liberal part to a tee. 10 points for you as well.
I know you are but what am I!?!?!?!
Seriously, your entire point boils down to "I don't like Kerry, so he is wrong". I'm not going to dignify it with anything more than "you're funny".
This stopped being interesting when it turned into a debate about debating skills. It also started reading like a transcript of my kids fighting.
Also, when replying to something that's been replied to a thousand times, feel free to use the spoilers... it makes it much faster to scroll, and skip by the uninteresting (and largely, irrelevant) material.
Bummer... I had been enjoying the different takes on this episode.
Well. At least there was no farcical aquatic ceremony.
No. Wait. That would have made it more interesting. . .
I had just decided to start looking for the Monty Python pics when I saw someone had already made the reference. Thought I was gonna be all clever and sneak the joke there. Although I'm sure the 'Watery Tart' would've helped him.
Did it seem as though the other students were applauding when the finally started dragging 'Don't Tase Me' out of the hall?
"I'm not so sure it did start with security. If you watch the video, the kid's clearly out to cause trouble; it's pretty obvious that he's not actually there to ask serious questions but just to make a pest of himself."
Are you people kidding me?! We are starting to see shit like this on a daily basis. Our civil liberties are being taken away one by one. They're making amendments and acts and calling it laws so that way we can't say anything. Our government has us so fucking scared that no one wants to do anything about it. (By this point in my rant you're probably thinking that I'm a schizo and believe that the government is after me, but you're wrong). I don't know if you know this but the majority of our news is owned by ONE MAN! ONE FUCKING MAN! All the news stations don't report a lot of what really happens they report what they know can be sensationalized and what the viewer wants to see. Back to my rant...
The kid was calling Kerry out, the security guards weren't about to let him look like a fool being called out by some college kid. Who fucking cares if the kid wanted publicity or not. He was completely unarmed, was doing NOTHING wrong except for excitedly asking questions (which is NOT wrong) and he got tasered. Those cops used excessive force....hands down. There was no need for a taser, they wouldn't even tell him as to why he was being arrested until later when they said for "inciting a riot". People, can you show me where the riot was? Where? Seriously.
For fucks sake.....living in America is becoming a fucking joke. We have some of the worst health care in the world, there is no job security, Social Security is being taken away, our liberties are being taken away, our education system is fucked. Freedom my ass. I am personally scared about our next election. Last time the people voted we voted in a fucking MORON. A complete redneck dimwit.
Sorry for the rant I know in places I got a little off topic. What people are bypassing here is the fact that the security guards didn't want him to finish what he was saying because it was controversial. So they held him down and tasered him because he was "resisting" arrest. I don't blame him, there are few cops, rent-a-cops, and security guards that are uncorrupted anymore.
What needs to happen is the people should collectively stop being afraid of the government and make the government afraid of us. If you like the way things are being run then go back to watching your E! True Hollywood Story of Britney Spears and live in your little "everything's ok" fantasy world.
Wow. You actually somehow interpreted anything I said there as relating in any way to Bush. Congrats, you're playing the hysterical liberal part to a tee. 10 points for you as well.
I know you are but what am I!?!?!?!
Seriously, your entire point boils down to "I don't like Kerry, so he is wrong". I'm not going to dignify it with anything more than "you're funny".
Oh sweet sweet irony. I turn your bullshit back on you and you imply that I'm immature.
It's not about right or wrong. It doesn't have to be that black and white. I can say "yea he might now have been able to do that much" while also saying "but he should have fucking tried", which is all I'm saying, and it's something you've got out of your way not to address. Obviously I'm not the one here who's opinion is a product of what they think about Kerry
Subrosa said:
Oh for the love of fucking God. I'm done with this.
Wow. You actually somehow interpreted anything I said there as relating in any way to Bush. Congrats, you're playing the hysterical liberal part to a tee. 10 points for you as well.
I know you are but what am I!?!?!?!
Seriously, your entire point boils down to "I don't like Kerry, so he is wrong". I'm not going to dignify it with anything more than "you're funny".
Oh sweet sweet irony. I turn your bullshit back on you and you imply that I'm immature.
I didn't imply that you were immature. I think our continued participation in this testifies to that on both our parts. I'm fine with that. Rather, I implied that you were unoriginal. Big diff.
It's not about right or wrong. It doesn't have to be that black and white. I can say "yea he might now have been able to do that much" while also saying "but he should have fucking tried", which is all I'm saying, and it's something you've got out of your way not to address.
No, I did address it. Multiple times. I said he did try (and, in fact, he did.) You have just gone out of your way not to acknowledge that. You're right that it's not black and white. But your rant was so obviously colored by your distaste for the man and an absurdly childish view of what someone "should" do in that situation that it's impossible to escape the conclusion that you're just using this as an excuse to take pot shots.
Obviously I'm not the one here who's opinion is a product of what they think about Kerry
I've never been a huge fan of Kerry. I voted for the guy, but that's about it. Nice try though.
Subrosa said:
Oh for the love of fucking God. I'm done with this.
Let's hope it takes this time.
Also, I've highlighted your typos for you for your editing pleasure. I think it could probably use some commas as well, but I'll leave those be for now.
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Comments
Subrosa
San Francisco, CA
July 2004
SEP 24, 2007 08:08 AM
Uncognitive
Brooklyn, NY
May 2003
SEP 24, 2007 08:15 AM
DrStinkypants
Saint Paul, MN
October 2002
SEP 24, 2007 09:21 AM
TheRevVjThesis
Glendale, CA
February 2006
SEP 24, 2007 10:24 AM
HarManic
Urbana, IL
March 2005
SEP 24, 2007 01:38 PM
c4ff31n3
I'm lost
November 2004
SEP 24, 2007 05:41 PM
Necia
San Francisco, CA
August 2005
SEP 24, 2007 06:13 PM
abracadabra
Seattle, WA
April 2004
SEP 24, 2007 07:53 PM
Subrosa
San Francisco, CA
July 2004
SEP 24, 2007 10:15 PM
Clidna
Canada
January 2005
SEP 25, 2007 01:36 AM
Young_Gershwin
Australia
January 2007
SEP 25, 2007 06:32 AM
Tini
SUICIDEGIRL
Ohio, USA
SEP 25, 2007 09:14 AM
DrStinkypants
Saint Paul, MN
October 2002
SEP 25, 2007 09:41 AM
Subrosa
San Francisco, CA
July 2004
SEP 25, 2007 11:05 AM
Chainlink
Key West, FL
August 2005
SEP 25, 2007 07:30 PM
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