Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian, Kim Horcher & Maytha Alhassen. Police tase 87-year-old woman picking dandelions. Mormon group says medical marijuana bill violates religious freedom. Conway asks WH reporters why they’re so obsessed with Trump.
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Comments
I thought I could give some perspective as a liberal living in Utah.
As for the Marijuana ballot, they have been fighting this from the beginning. Even going so far as to try and change the law so that ballot measures couldn’t be added with signatures. The Salt Lake Tribune ran a story a while ago discussing the LDS churches investments in big pharma, including Abbvie who produces synthetic THC. It all comes back to the money.
When it comes down to it, Utah does not have a democracy. Our government does not even try to pretend they are not corrupt. We recently had our DUI limit changed to .05 which was sponsored/proposed by someone who has never had a sip of alcohol, and passed by many of the same. They also continuously try to undermine the tourism industry in favor of the significantly less lucrative energy industry. Our air is oftentimes not breathable in the winter, but the refineries and plants are exempt from the conversation.
Also, if mormon landlords do not want to allow cannabis on their property, they won’t allow it, regardless of legality. When I was in school looking to rent part of a duplex the woman had in the contract, no members of the opposite sex and no alcohol on premises (regarless of age) which is common in Utah County. This was not BYU-approved student housing, it was a private owner.
Utah is a beautiful place, with a great job market and I do love it (at least now that I am in Salt Lake). I just wish our political system was less corrupt and our democratic representatives weren’t so terrified to stand up for anything.
Any apartment manager that does not want cannabis use on the property can simply refer to the federal law that makes cannabis illegal.
In fact, any federally subsidized apartment (such as a project-based Section 8 property where the subsidy is part of the original construction contract) is required to refer to federal law in its lease and to enforce federal cannabis prohibition against the tenants.
I know this because, as someone who has lived in such a property (but did not qualify for the subsidy myself), my lease had this exact ban on cannabis consumption of any sort in it.
That thing about smoking ‘marijuana’ in apartments is a Mormon ‘What about the children?’ aspect that, in this case, I happen to agree with, though the Mormons are trying to twist it into a global ban rather than addressing the specific issue.
I certainly would not want my kids to have to live and study while perpetually stoned because of the neighbor’s medical cannabis use.
Now there are certainly many ways to mitigate the issue, the primary one being to use only the highest concentration of cannabis possible and, if inhaling it, to make sure that the lungful is held in until as much as possible is absorbed and as little as possible escapes. Using pipes that can be covered between hits is another way to avoid stray smoke.
It’s a far cry between blowing low-grade blunt smoke everywhere and taking a capsule though. Ultimately this action by the Mormons has absolutely nothing to do with practicalities and everything to do with judging and blaming.
Although I’m sure there are those out there that believe (rightly so) that by constantly covering Trump you ignore other issues that are actually more important, many many things.
My point is not that we should simply not discuss Trump, is that we should, for lack of a better word, “unperson” Trump. Every Trump story can be done in the frame of the GOP. You touched on it slightly that a majority of the GOP minus 3 senators that will do absolutely nothing about it but provide “bi-partisan” cover to the “resistance” that is also not doing anything to stop his abuses.
I only agree with the comparison to the GOP Frenzy about Obama’s birth certificate in that if you want Trump to be re-elected, keep following the Trump frenzy searching for whatever secret missive you think will break the GOP support. They too would seek out any voice to highlight disagreements with the Obama that they too were bi-partisan. We saw that as the GOP attacked Obama, the largely “blue no matter who” closed ranks. We can’t even discuss in most circles any negative impression of Obama without offering aid and comfort to the enemy camp. You cannot beat Trump head-on. He and the GOP are in lock step, they all say it, they don’t like “how” he is doing it but they like “what” he is doing such as deregulation, tax cuts and military expansion.
Simple items:
1) Unfollow Trump – You won’t miss anything still. Besides the people and media organizations you follow will let you know everything. You don’t even have to be on twitter. I’m not and I still cannot avoid Trump Tweets.
2) Change the headlines – “Majority of GOP stands with President as…” “Talk but no action from a minority of GOP” You can continue to talk about Trump but frame it as the “Party”, make him just another republican politician, not really much difference than Steve King or the other vocal Tea Party members.
3) Wedge the divide by highlighting the “new GOP Values” against their classic free-market libertarian models and ask people if they are “still GOP?” Highlight the constitution and rule of law.
Basically, you don’t have to use Trump to talk about Trump and the real story is that he is just another GOP politician that is using the powers given to him by both parties and previous Administrations.
Trump thrives on attention just as any internet troll does. Internet 101: Don’t feed the trolls.
Unfortunately, Trump is also click-bait and when a company survives on click-bait for revenue, they really have little incentive to focus on anything but the big shiny object, also known as Trump’s twitter feed because let’s face it climate change, War on Terror, Social Safety net will never drive the clicks of a dissertation on Trump’s 200 character statement.
Cops are cowards and they are doing their job AWFULLY. Shooting people in the back, beating people with no weapons tazing people who are sitting down, that’s doing their job terribly. Being afraid because the job is dangerous isn’t an excuse for doing a bad job. It doesn’t work for any other job. If a contractor or construction worker didn’t put a roof on your house because they were afraid of heights, a fisherman didn’t catch fish cause they are afraid water or we didn’t have wood or other products from logging because the loggers were afraid. They’d have to get a new fucking job.
While it’s of course absurd to ask White House reporters why they are so obsessed with the president, I think it’s actually a pretty valid point in general. American media in general, TYT included, spend a disproportionate amount of time focused on the presidency. The congress is also very important, as are the courts, and the what’s going on at state level. But it’s easier to construct a narrative around the personality of whoever is president and focus on that.
Unfortunately, it becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Because everyone focuses on the presidency it take on an outsized importance in the political discourse. But I do think that independent media like TYT should fight the temptation to focus so much on the presidency.
*rolls eyes*
White house reporters are there to report on the White house. Not politics in general but literally the White House it’s why they are White House reporters.
This comment is just so you can crap on TYT for bothering to pay attention to what the president is doing. For all the complaining that you guys do for how much they focus on Trump y’all do the same damn thing
Actually I think Trump is worth focusing on. He’s such an outlier, and so dangerous, that it’s impossible not to pay attention, and I don’t really fault TYT for it. My point was more of a general comment for “normal” times.
Religion poisons everything!
In that interview the anti pot guy’s only point has nothing to do with religion and is basically “I don’t want to live next door to someone that smokes weed” like there was no religious arguement at all so how is this a religious freedom issue?
This Walter Plumb guy looks like he could play Pat Robertson.
Totally agree with Ana’s points. If he doesn’t like it, don’t do it.
Sorry, Kim. You demonstrate a problem I have with many atheists who try to use the bible against believers. Read it first and make sure it’s a good argument. So that the believer doesn’t just come back and refute that argument. Then they think liberals and/or atheists are stupid. BTW, I grew up religious, but I’m agnostic now. Just google it and read it yourself first before you quote what one website told you.
Genesis 1:12 doesn’t say anything about hemp. It says the earth brought forth grass and herb (take those terms how you like). This was the creation part, before humans. Not to mention it wouldn’t say it’s proper for Christians because there was no Jesus yet. The word hemp isn’t even in the King James Version. Now you can say god gave every plant (including apparently hemlock and other poison plants). But read THAT verse, not Genesis 1:12. Genesis 1:29 says god gave man the herbs and fruits. Doesn’t say anything about enjoyment. Even says this is your meat. So it’s implied it’s for food.
Not saying at all that we should even care what ancient books say, but if you’re going to use it on a position, at least get it right. The Bible apparently says god gave man every seed bearing plant. Done. The enjoyment part was added. Specifically naming hemp was added.
Fallible mortals assembled the bible which was written by fallible mortals. Best bet is to stay away from biblical arguments, imo.
yeah, i got kinda excited there for a moment, until I actually looked Gen 1:12 up…
Yeah, I checked too. They say grass & herbs or vegetation not hemp. WTF is TYT lady talking about?
https://biblehub.com/genesis/1-12.htm
I got a brown belt. I’m a Civvie. Are we not teaching our cops basic self defense? I can think of a few moves I could teach those cops to take a knife from a combatant. With that old lady I’m more worried I would break her wrist if I moved too fast.
You expect a soft fat aging cop who hasn’t had rigorous hand-to-hand training since he was hired as a teenager and can’t get an erection to save his life to run out and take on an elderly Muslim-sounding demented woman with a knife let alone a big black buck with a big black belt and a big black boner?
The truth of the matter is that being a cop is an exceptional job for an exceptional person, but in corrupt times everything gets corrupted. USA as a whole has gone fat and soft. We are now living in an approximation of ‘Wall-E world’ where people are so fat and soft and stupid from abusing their own bodies and minds with the indulgence of temporary instant gratification that they can’t even stand up for their own interests at the ballot box let alone do their jobs properly.
Ultimately it’s all on us. We collectively sculpt the world we inhabit. Every time we point a finger, we may as well be pointing in a mirror. We let this happen.
The 87-year-old is being helped up stairs by her grand-daughter??? I don’t usually comment on people’s looks, but if that’s her grand-daughter, that’s one ugly woman.
And this “person” looks kind of old too. Maybe not a grand-anything. Maybe her son?
I agree with calling the cops on her. You’re apparently the leader of a boys and girls club. There’s a person you cant communicate wandering around with a knife. You can’t communicate. You don’t know whether she’s sane. If it was somebody wandering around with a gun in their hand, you sure as hell would call the cops.
Tazing an 87-year-old seems extreme. But they couldn’t communicate to her to put it down. What do you to? Tackle her? Wrestle it out of her hands. If you try to take it, yes, if this person were malicious (you don’t know yet), you could get hurt. And you don’t know how old and/or how spry she is. Tazing is extreme. But without communication, you don’t know why she’s there, whether she’s crazy or not. You don’t want to just leave her be walking around with a knife. If they did and she did try to cut a kid, then the police comes under fire for negligence.
You don’t tackle her, you walk up to her and take the knife. SHE’S 87 FOR GOD SAKE! How much of a coward do you have to be to fear an 87 year old, fragile, slow-moving, non-threatening woman. What kind of wussies are on our police forces?
Old yes. Chances are they didn’t walk up to her and say, “that woman is 87 years old”. For all they knew she’s in her 70’s and I’ve seen people in their 70’s who are pretty fast. Chances are they wouldn’t get cut. And like I say, tazing is extreme. And there’s no reason they had to go that far. But, she should be taken as a potential danger to herself or others. This panel almost seems to think you should just leave her be.
my, God, aspend a little time observing the woman she was cutting dandelions, if I were the manager of a boys/girls club I would get the kids out there to help her. Jesus we are too ready to call the cops on everyone now-a-days. we don’t want to get involved. You my friend are the problem. You need to get involved with society not isolate yourself.
Have you spent any time around people who are not with it? One moment, they can be coherent and fine and the next they’re screaming at you. Are you saying there’s no way a woman wandering around with a knife may not be a danger to kids? I wouldn’t let kids around her until I could talk to her and try to see if she’s sane. Which apparently wasn’t possible because there was a language barrier.
Besides, these are dandelions. I don’t care if you’re 87, do you really need a knife to pick dandelions? If you’re that weak, maybe you shouldn’t be out walking on your own and bending over to pick dandelions. The fact she’s using a knife seems like there’s something wrong. You can’t talk to her. She might be lost, have dementia. Who’s going to better be able to find out the story and maybe where she belongs? You or the cops?
She was making a salad, not weeding the property.
I always use a knife or scissors when out picking things from my yard, such as the lettuce and dandelions for the salads I make. Using a blade spares the desired vegetation from being mangled before it’s even chewed on, while preserving the bulk of the plant that remains for future pickings, plus it also spares my hands from carpal tunnel.
Regarding who is the best person to deal with an aging fragile woman with a knife who cannot communicate, well, that is probably going to be someone who is not sporting a badge and an attitude.
We’ve already seen the results. That was a cop who tasered her, not a child and not a concerned citizen. The proof is in the pudding.
I can’t remember the last ‘man bites dog’ story I read where a frail elderly person injured a cop. All I remember is all the stories about cops mowing down innocent people. If cop injuries were so prevalent, not only would we be hearing about them on Fox every night, they would also show up in the statistics that clearly show the opposite.
It sounds like you’ve never tried to “pick” dandelions. They won’t be picked. Cutting under the greens is probably the best way to gather them. But it turns out she did have dementia.
First story: They shouldn’t have tazed her. But Cenk, the guy who called the cops worked at a Boys and Girls club. There was a woman wandering around with a knife. Please imagine if you were with Joy or Pro and some one wandering around with a knife, even just cutting plants. It’s just not a great position. The cops were the right call, but the cops took the wrong action.
I don’t know honestly. In this day and age with how the cops behave I am hesitant to call them ever which is part of the problem with them being like this.
I have never called 911 but I used to use the not emergency number in some cases where we thought we had heard gunshots or something we don’t anymore. I would have to see someone actually harming another person or breaking into a home to call the cops anymore. I don’t want someone dying because I thought they were doing something wrong but then I was wrong.
Cenk: “I mean who would drink coffee in their apartment?”
Me: *Looks self-consciously around apartment*
*Takes sip of coffee*
Hahaha I did that too!
Yeah like everybody does… all the time
YAY Kim in the house!!! NerdAlert kicks a**! She looks awesome today, and I love the necklace :-)
As to the grandmother with the knife, Cenk, while I feel the cops shoudn’t have tazed that poor woman your explanation why doesn’t work. Cops aren’t taking one risk IN ABSENTIA, they do it all day. Sure a 1% chance that you might get stabbed by the woman might seem like a risk you’re willing to take, but a busy cop takes a lot of calls. If you take 100 calls in a day x 1% then your a** is going home stabbed. I’m just saying it’s easy for us to armchair-quarterback these things; it’s different when you’re there, full of adrenaline, and in a scene you can’t control. I’m just playing devil’s advocate.
Also, the actual word of the LDS church on caffeine is often misunderstood. Caffeine is NOT banned, rather “hot drinks” are (like hot coffee, tea, or even hot chocolate). The Mormon church actually own Coca-Cola, so our panel is incorrect here. I was a Mormon for a couple years – and I found them a lot more accepting than you’d think (and yes they knew I was transgender). Also, as he’s a lawyer, I’m amazed Cenk is so stupid sometimes on issues of law. You CAN kick someone out of their apartment for using pot, for sniffing glue, for ANYTHING you want as a landlord for ANY reason that isn’t a protected class. IE, you can’t kick someone out for being black (sorry Donald Trump!) because that is race discrimination and race is a protected class. Being transgender like me is also NOT a protected class (not federally or under Texas state law), so I can be kicked out for no reason other than that. POTHEAD is likewise not a protected class – that’s how it stands now.
You can’t actually kick anybody out of the apartment for any reason you just pulled that out of your ass… Once you have a lease with somebody you have to have a LEGAL reason to remove them.
That’s what I’m saying kicking someone out for being transgender *IS* legal – at least in Texas where we have no law protecting us. Granted, you may have to go through a formal eviction process to do so if the person being kicked out has a lease. Also I believe the Fair Housing Act would require you to be consistent (i.e., kicking out ALL transgender people, no exceptions). I didn’t pull it out of my ass, I pulled it from personal experience.
As a retired adult protective caseworker, I would have done my best to engage the old woman in a friendly interaction even if she knew no English. People understand a friendly tone and smiling. Of course, I’d be careful. I’d be ready to evade her if necessary. If the person were much too confused for me to get through at all I would call for help and remain present to help if I can as most police are not trained in helping a senile person. We would then proceed to identifying her and her address.
Tazer to the chest? I thought instructors teach never to do this. It is a miracle this woman was not killed.
I’m not mormon but I do live In Utah. If people who own rentals don’t want people to smoke or have pets ECT ECT you can just have it in the lease that it’s not allowed. It’s really not complicated lol.
Whether or not you could put “not smoking pot” in a lease is actually iffy. You can put no pets because there is a clear risk to the apartment itself as far as damages and noise potential to bother other renters. You can’t put “no drinking” into a lease. If pot is legalized there would be a iffy situation.
Now you can put no smoking in leases because the smell, but you can’t put “no smoking outside” I assume that smokable weed would fall into the same thing but likely couldn’t put no pot at all. Also if a person has access to medical weed then it would be even harder to regulate whether they could or could not use in your property.
If you own certain types of properties you are allowed to put more rules into the lease so then you could put no pot in but what you are and are not allowed to put into a lease as far as behavior is more complicated. For instance in certain gated communities you are not allowed to “be loud” past a certain time or even have more than x number of guests at once. Regular ass apartments can’t do that and basically have “if you aren’t bothering the neighbors you can do whatever”
Still if people in Utah don’t want to rent to people smoking pot there are a lot of ways to get around it if they really wanted. I think this guy and his followers are trying to speak for a % that probably doesn’t even care.
For your inspection, here is my personal history with the ‘no smoking’ aspect of apartments.
In California the ‘no indoor smoking or within 25 feet of the building’ or whatever it is thingy has an exception carved out for personal residences. That exception applies to apartments because they are legally personal residences even though they are rented from a business.
When I moved into my most recent apartment, as in all the apartments I had inhabited to that point, there were gobs of smokers in the building and the irritation sent my chronic sinus condition ballistic.
My complaints to the management were completely ineffective at curbing the issue. I was brushed off with speculations that the smell was drifting into my apartment from the apartment complex 25 hards away rather than blasting through the floor walls and ceiling from all the smokers in my building.
Management’s story changed when I twice brought them medical records proving that I had gone to my physician for antibiotics in a futile attempt to cure my chronic sinusitis, and documenting that in the doctor’s opinion the smoke in my building was aggravating my condition.
They knew that I was serious about this and gearing up for a legal battle that they cannot possibly win, because the lease says that tenants are not supposed to even annoy let alone endanger each other and the management had ignored my claims of damage at least once already.
Suddenly I was told that a total ban on smoking was in the works. Within a year of that promise, not only did they ban smoking inside the buildings, they banned smoking on the entire property including the parking lot and grounds. It’s not even allowed inside of your personal vehicle.
While they were at it, they also banned open fires on the balcony (charcoal barbecue etc.) and everywhere on the grounds except in the single fire pit by the clubhouse that had to be reserved in advance. Tenants had to switch to electric or petroleum fired grills with less than five pounds of fuel.
The justification for banning all such fires, and smoking in the apartments too, had nothing to do with the nuisance factor nor the health effects but was based entirely on the risk of an accidental fire being started on the property by a deliberate fire that got out of control.
This ban apparently does not apply to incense of candles (as far as I know).
The management owns several large apartment complexes. I am absolutely certain that they had a corporate lawyer address this. They picked a way out of paying me a substantial legal settlement that fixed several problems for them all at once (such as the cost of their fire insurance, the cost of repainting and re-carpeting apartments that were contaminated with smoke, and the cost of lost tenants like me who cannot handle the smoke) without acknowledging any liability for aggravating my health through their failure to enforce their own lease against other tenants that were making me sick.
I am also absolutely certain that my legal moves undertaken with a few days’ worth of personal online research was the bayonet in the back that got them marching to the bargaining table. They turned it into a win-win-win for all parties concerned.
I had cooked several smoky charcoal fires on my patio/balcony at all the complexes I inhabited, no doubt annoying many of my neighbors. I switched to a small propane-fired hardware store camp stove that made far less smoke and had a somewhat contained flame, though honestly with the chicken grease I had nearly as much risk of starting an accidental fire with that thing, particularly given the unstable nature of its stand.
So as it turns out, the legal situation is far more convoluted than any simplistic proclamations on any side of any particular issue. It’s always a negotiation, always dirty, and always a compromise that sort of works but not absolutely. I didn’t care. I was just glad that my sinus condition calmed down.
The global warming wildfires out here in California are also aggravating my sinuses. It’s as hellish on my sinuses as sulfur and brimstone. Can I sue Trump and Exxon-Mobil for that?
I would just like to say that I’m a born Mormon, and I have met many many Mormons who does not agree with that guy. Most Mormons in Utah actually WANT marijuana legalized for medical use as evidence by the number of them that signed that petition. A family member of mine got killed from repeated seizures which could have been saved from medical marijuana. Heck Mitchell Vice who was running for senate as a progressive here went on a mission to France soon after Mitt Romney, and believes the complete opposite of Mitt Romney. Unfortunately since Mitt Romney is rich though, and is close allies with the media here, he will still likely get elected despite most Utahn’s being against his policies. I literally told many people what his policies are, written on HIS page, and they say I’m saying fake news. Trust me, most people in Utah actually like progressive policies, they’re just brainwashed into voting for the Republican because they think, “I’m a Republican so I must vote Republican regardless of who’s running.” In case you didn’t know, the Mormon church literally has socialist policies, such as “Fast Offerings,” which is where people fast for a day, and give the equivalent of what they would have spent on food to pay for those who are too poor and need it. They also have what we call the DI (Deseret Industries) which is like Savers where they literally have people go through their finance situation with the church, and are given free store credit to buy clothes, supplies, and furniture. The church being a huge help to the poor in the church that need it could be why everyone in the church lives in such a massive bubble where they think everyone can easily get the help they need in this country. I know because members of my family had to get aid from the church, and they insanely believe that.
If you’re wondering how people in the Church get their money, they also have the 10% tithing that goes to paying their staff.
Like all religion today, Mormonism is struggling under a brutal onslaught of contradictory information that is freely available on the Internet, such as the true story of how Mormons behave toward each other and where their faith originated.
Unfortunately, in addition to helping its indigent members, the Mormon church also encourages its members to ostracize everyone who leaves the church, including their own family members.
The Mormon church also encourages its members to ostracize everyone who defies the order, such as the order to behave in a fashion, and wear the clothing, that matches the stereotypical behavior and clothing associated with the stereotypical genitals.
The ‘encouragement’ comes in the form of an offer to obey the order or to be similarly ostracized, an offer that is deliberately as difficult to refuse as it can get without being an actual threat of physical and mental abuse.
By the way, that encouragement to behave in a particular manner also includes the wearing of special underwear, because like all fundamentalism, Mormonism is obsessed with the nether regions between other people’s legs. It’s a symbolic chastity belt that they are only supposed to remove in the presence of their sanctified marriage partner.
So while the Mormon establishment takes care of its own, it also reserves the right to decide who they own and how their subjects behave, even down to the choice of underwear.
The ‘older’ Christian religions as a whole do not consider Mormonism to be a Christian faith but rather view it as a crazy modern day cult cobbled together from Christianity, Free Masonry, and paganism, philosophies that John Smith (who was familiar with these particular philosophies) coincidentally saw inscribed in that famously mysterious set of ‘golden plates’ that came straight from God and were read by no one else but him.
The vision that Smith saw inscribed into those plates was so similar to the Christian, Free Mason, and pagan texts available at the time, that some passages are verbatim!
Smith’s latter day disciple Brigham Young was often spotted clattering down the road in his horse-drawn carriage with a whore in one arm, a bottle of whiskey in the other, and a cigar between his teeth. They named the most famous Mormon university after a party animal. In that respect I have nothing but respect for the Mormons. Their innate contradictions are as charmingly rainbow as a fundamentalist cult can get.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LlpHoS7YtQ
The Outtro. nice obscure reference Cenk
We’re eventually going to get a second ‘hour’ that is under 10 minutes.
oh bye the way, Anna, don’t complain about Chump’s demented replies to criticism when you call out those who criticize you
*shakes head* I swear why are some people members when you clearly hate them so much. This ain’t it sweetie but whatever
To tase an elderly 87 y/o woman cutting dandelions with a kitchen knife and she could not speak English does not pose a danger and does not deserve to possibly DIE! FFS it seems everyone is scared of the abnormal in any way and call cops for BS reasons! Use your brain rationally and think what could happen. Call cops on someone cutting dandelions who is 87 and depending on the cop, who can’t communicate and see the knife, the next time may be shot with a bullet!
what’s with the time limits, especially on Cenk’s rants
Maytha is so lovely and her hair is awesome.
RE: Older Women with Knife
What is the alternative to a taser? I suppose engaging her physically to remove the knife and then physically restraining and detaining her.
Previous to my current job at a grocery store, I never saw or gave any thought to retail security guards. However in this current job, I’ve seen three different guards get injured in attempts to preventing theft.
All guards lost work time and had to pay for non-covered medical expenses. All experienced depression while recovering after treatment, in one case recovery time took 9 months. Two of the guards eventually got out of this type of work.
I suspect that the police culture has these types of stories in abundance. I suspect that the worst stories are those where an officer was simply trying to help the citizen and that officer still got injured.
It seems to me that even the most innocuous situation can become injury producing. It’s easy to play quarterback without an understanding of the culture or even an in-depth understanding of a seemingly simple situation.
I don’t have a taser alternative solution for this story. However, I can see what might have led these officers to use that tactical approach.
A taser can easily kill an elderly person, they had to have known they were risking her life.
Honestly, I would much rather have the cops risk injury to themselves then risk killing that woman. How hard would it be for multiple large men to overpower one 87 year old woman? I mean christ! Don’t take the job if you can’t handle it.
It just seems like nowadays police officers risk the life of the civilian before taking even a fraction of a percent of risk to their own health.
F*cking cowards.
You said: “Don’t take the job if you can’t handle it.”
I think this point solves my dilemma. The problem is occurring much earlier than the event – the hiring process. Yes training should make a difference, but hiring the right people at the beginning that know the risks is where it all starts.
If you can’t think of an alternative to tasing the poor woman, I truly believe there is something wrong with you. You actually believe she is going to hurt you? COME ON! Cenk is 100% correct, this could have been handled very easily, that ain’t no armchair quarterbacking, it’s just the truth.
You said; “You actually believe she is going to hurt you? COME ON! ”
Yes, someone with a knife is an accident waiting to happen. Even an older women can inadvertently cause a problem and I’ve see such cases. That is why I used the phrase “most innocuous situation can become injury producing”.
You said: “If you can’t think of an alternative to tasing the poor woman”
Yep I had a limited amount of creativity about handling this situation; hence the post. In fact during a higher adrenaline situation like this event, I would have been even less creative. So it is good I’m not in this type of work – policing citizens.
You said: “I truly believe there is something wrong with you. ”
This casting of my character is not appropriate in having a civil discussion online.
Not only did you propose an acceptable solution to the situation in your second sentence, but you actually agree with Cenk and probably don’t realize it. Your comment only bolsters Cenk’s point in how America trains cops to be pus- *ahem* “Cowards”.
You’re right that there’s likely a lot of “This and this and this happened to the last guy that tried to be a good cop, so remember, don’t be a good cop.” and it’s pathetic.
“America trains cops to be pus- *ahem* “Cowards”
…don’t grab them by the “cowards” then?? :-)
From my perspective and experience I have little experience with such a potentially violent situation. So I didn’t like either choice that I presented. It seems that the taser is a poor choice; particularly from a citizen’s and PR perspective. However with someone with their job on the line, the taser seems much more safe as a choice; this is just me, but I don’t belong in the policing job in the first place.
I think the problem in this situation occurred long before it actually happened. That is, during the hiring process of men/women who would be inclined to use the taser over other possible solutions.
What lead them to that approach was impatience and cowardice. Cops today are either in a hurry to get back to their donuts or afraid of their shadows.