Enjoy.

So I went to the John Kerry town hall forum this morning trying to get students registered to vote. I run a student government organization called Chomp the Vote. Anyway I went inside to watch the event. Senator Kerry took the podium and began delivering a speech about the Middle East, Iraq, dimplomacy, etc. Anyway, after he was done, a university ambassador asked Kerry a few premade questions. Once that was over, Senator Kerry announced he would take questions from the students. There were two
microphones placed on each side of the aisle. One on my side and the other on Andrew Meyer’s side. Senator Kerry began answering the student’s questions from each aisle. Eventually it was announced that there would only be a few more questions answered. Since Meyer and I were both in the back of each line, it did not seem likely that our questions would be answered.

However, while Senator Kerry was responding to a student’s question, all of a sudden Meyer rushed to the microphone with cops in pursuit. At that point no one knew what was going on. Could he have a gun, a bomb? Immediately, Meyer began yelling into the microphone that he had been waiting in line forever and that Senator Kerry should “spend time to answer everyone’s questions!” Senator Kerry tried to calm the student down by telling him that he would “stay here as long as it takes to get the questions answered.” The police approached Meyer who began taunting them by saying “what! are you going to taser me? are you going to arrest me?!” The police grabbed Meyer, but Senator Kerry asked the
police to let him go and that he would answer his question. Senator Kerry finished answering the other student’s question and then proceeded with Meyer. (*This entire scene is not in any video I can find so far. This is why 2 cops are seen right behind Meyer at the start of some videos*).

Meyer approached the microphone and began to talk about a book he had which stated that Kerry won the 2004 election because of disenfranchisement of black voters and faulty voter machines that produced “Bush” as the winner. He then posed another question about why President Bush had not been impeached. “President Clinton was impeached because of a bl*wjob, why not Bush?”. The third and strangest question he posed to Senator Kerry was asking him if he was part of the skull and bones society with Bush at
Yale. Meyer’s mic cut off after that, probably because he had mentioned the word “bl*wjob”. The cops grabbed him, but Meyer was able to get away several times. Eventually more cops were brought in to help subdue Meyer. Meyer continued to resist arrest, scream, curse; however he was enventually subdued by about six cops up around the entrance. As he is on the ground, he is told several times to put his hands around his back. He is also warned that he will be tasered if he does not comply. Eventually he is tasered twice. The video does not show whether he complied or not.

Senator Kerry was trying to answer his question to the audience, mostly the one about faulty voter machines. I am a die hard conservative Republican but I do respect Senator Kerry for trying to soothe the situation as best he could and trying not to escalate the situation. He DID intervene by letting the student at least present his question. I never received an opportunity to ask my question, but when Senator Kerry ended the show after the Meyer incident, he did come off stage to shake hands and give autographs. At that point, I was able to ask him my question, shake his hand, and get a autograph at the same time. Now why couldn’t Andrew Meyer do that?

I don’t know if this is relevant or not, but Andrew Meyer is a former sports writer for the school newspaper The Alligator. In his columns, he has been known to make ridiculous statements in order to gain attention for himself. Was today a publicity stunt?

[Mod: edited to clear filters]

selise @ 33

you seem angry at the guy who was tasered… what’s up?

Not angry, I watched it and I don’t think the hysterics were anywhere near necessary. Earlier this morning someone was commenting on how this guy was “terrified”. I just don’t buy it, in my opinion he knew what he was doing and wanted it to happen. Terrified is walking or driving down a road in Iraq.

Sure. How about just letting the kid be loud for a while, while everyone leaves the room, and he is just standing there. It’s somehow “better” that he was attacked by 5 people whose jobs is to attack people who don’t knuckle under when told to? The authorities, I use the term very loosely, made a mountain out of a mole hill. It would have been nice if Kerry had made a stink when the uniforms began to hassle the kid.

I am sorry and I know this is an unpopular interpretation to most people here. Maybe I should just shut up.

no, please don’t!

if that’s what you think, i think it’s right for you to say so and to defend your position (’course, i’m gonna do the same *g*).

thank you again for trying to explain. i’m glad you didn’t “just shut up”

raven @ 87 –

thanks for trying to explain, raven. got to say i still don’t understand. or if i do, i couldn’t disagree more…. and that we would disagree so very strongly on this is shocking to me.

oh, well….

I am sorry and I know this is an unpopular interpretation to most people here. Maybe I should just shut up.

thanks for trying to explain, raven. got to say i still don’t understand. or if i do, i couldn’t disagree more…. and that we would disagree so very strongly on this is shocking to me.

oh, well….

raven @ 85

Remove yes, it’s your interpretation that all he did was ask an uncomfortable question.

what’s yours?

Ugh, I don’t know what I can say. My view was that the dude went in looking for trouble. He was abusive to Kerry (if you know me you know I have my own issues with John). There was a set time frame and Kerry agreed to let him ask the question anyway. He went from the question, and it’s a stretch to call it a question, about the 2004 election to why he didn’t support impeaching Bush. They shut off his mic and he got more agitated. At that point the cops started to remove him. He then started flailing wildly and screaming “help help help” like a little girl at the beach. That is where it became resisting and an arrest. Should the haver tasered him? I don’t know, they could have busted his head with their clubs I guess.

Remove yes, it’s your interpretation that all he did was ask an uncomfortable question.

what’s yours?

raven @ 83

I’ve watched and and read as much as I could. Many here have as well. Most feel it was an over reaction by the police. I don’t.

let me just make sure i understand…

you think the police were right to try to attack/remove/arrest the guy in the first place – when all he had done was ask an uncomfortable question? is that right?

Remove yes, it’s your interpretation that all he did was ask an uncomfortable question.

I’ve watched and and read as much as I could. Many here have as well. Most feel it was an over reaction by the police. I don’t.

let me just make sure i understand…

you think the police were right to try to attack/remove/arrest the guy in the first place – when all he had done was ask an uncomfortable question? is that right?