A local cop tasers a 72 great-grandmother and it's all caught on camera. How dare that nasty cop!! Which is precisely the reaction you'd get if you watched the segment on this morning's CBS's "The Early Show." The program begins the video right where the police officer tasers the woman, basically ignoring everything that transpired only moments before. "The Early Show" then shows a brief snippet of an interview with the woman:
WOMAN: I wasn't argumentative, I was not combative, OK? All of this is a lie.
All contributor Russ Mitchell noted in the cop's defense was that the cop said the woman "would not cooperate" and "swore at him." The reaction from the show's hosts is, well, not very surprising after Mitchell noted that the constable's office is standing by the officer who tasered the woman:
HOST MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ: Are you kidding me?
HOST JULIE CHEN: I saw a longer piece of the tape and she said "just give me the ticket and I'll sign it." And then that happened?
It's obvious that Chen didn't view that much longer a piece of tape, else she might have come to a different conclusion. Here is a complete video of the incident via The Dallas Morning News, and it directly contradicts the 72-year old woman's claim from above that she "wasn't argumentative" and "was not combative." She at first refused to sign the speeding ticket, whereupon the officer prepared to arrest her (standard procedure) for that refusal. He asked the woman to move to the rear of her vehicle, whereupon she then agreed to sign the ticket, but with a profanity-laced response. She then attempted to push past the officer which would have put her perilously close to the highway's oncoming traffic.
The officer warned the woman that if she persisted, he would have to resort to using his taser. The woman's reply was "Go ahead -- tase me. I dare you," whereupon she said "I'm getting back into my car." She then plowed right into the officer who was in her path. It was only then that the officer resorted to his taser.
The question is: How did "The Early Show" miss all of this?
(Thanks to NB reader Brian C. for the tip!)
—D. S. Hube is an educator and a member of the National Association of Scholars. He blogs regularly at The Colossus of Rhodey.
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How did they miss it?
June 10, 2009 - 11:58 ET by moderncommentaries83Because the truth does not fit the story they wanted to present. There are lots of liberals who wish to strip our police forces not only of firearms, but of tasers and any other "violent" weapon that they use to subdue dangerous criminals or suspects who become violent/combative in the process of being arrested.
Which would work great. Especially when on a typical day in Milwaukee, police offers are the ones more likely to be shot than the ones doing the tasing/shooting.
Aut viam inveniam aut faciam
CBS lies by omission
June 10, 2009 - 13:26 ET by kgCBS does it yet again. This time they lie by omission. They have had a busy day misleading their viewers. How many more times today will the public be alerted to their lies. No wonder their ratings are tanking, just ask Couric.
"DumbAssity of Dope"
This is completely separate from CBS' usual cut n paste job.
June 10, 2009 - 16:45 ET by TailgunnerI was in the military police for half my 20 year naval career.
I've been in quite a few free-for-alls, as you can imagine, given that young servicemen like to drink and fight.
But I could never bring myself to use a taser on an elderly woman regardless of the circumstances.
This incident may have been 'legal' but the public can see past the bull**** to recognize it for what it is; pure unthinking cruelty and lack of judgment on the part of the officer.
Just because you 'can' doesn't mean you 'should'.
Hell, she could have died, she could have fallen and broke a hip...anything could have happened.
NOLO PUGNARE ME OCCIDERE
What Obama giveth with one hand he taketh away with both hands.
Hey, I'm all for a good
June 10, 2009 - 12:01 ET by Another Dead KennedyHey, I'm all for a good tasing video, and this one sure lives up to it. Though I find it hard to believe the woman was injured in this incident, couldn't the 7 foot tall cop have just cuffed granny?
WE work for the cops
June 10, 2009 - 12:11 ET by UnsaneBecause, KDW, WE work for the cops. Not the other way around.
If the woman was say, my age, or even better, a guy like me with superior upper body strength, yeah, I get it. But a 72 year old woman? Even if we get to watch the rest of the video.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
Catch 22
June 10, 2009 - 12:19 ET by Bassnote_1If he would have strong-armed her, it would have been a harassment/brutality charge. You don't co-operate with an officer, then you should EXPECT to get tased/beaten/shot.
That which does not kill me had best render me incapable of returning fire.
Catch Thirty Thr33
June 10, 2009 - 13:30 ET by UnsaneYou don't co-operate with an officer, then you should EXPECT to get tased/beaten/shot. So, if a cop/power tripper pulls me over for speeding, and he decides to be an a**hole because he has a gun and a badge, and I tell him to stop his act and write me a ticket (because I know that I have been caught dead to rights in a clean kill and will be more than happy to accept the responsibility) , he can tase/beat/shoot me?
Sorry. I have very limited sympathy for the power trippers. They work for us, NOT the other way around. I still say that it would have been quite simple to arrest a 72 year old woman. Unless she is some superhuman specimen of elderly persuasion...I don't see the need for this to be done.
In my case, as I am bigger than even most cops, if I give them static - which I don't - I fully expect them to pull a gun on me. I'm a big guy and won't be easily taken down. (It doesn't hurt that I have heard from cops that "I like guys like you - y'all provide perfect justification for me to pull the gun out!" This due to sheer size.)
Are YOU a power tripper by chance?
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
not surprised
June 10, 2009 - 15:09 ET by AJBGee... you're a liberal, right? The difference between liberals and conservatives is a respect for the elected authority. We elected the people who hire the police. If a policeman stops you, you cooperate. You don't cuss him/her and then decide to do what you want to do. The officer was NEVER out of line (watch the video). He was NEVER on a power trip. He was insistent she follow his direction. If she would have signed the ticket, EVERYONE with a brain knows its not an admission of guilt, rather a promise to appear in court. All she had to do was sign, then show up in court and protest there. The judge can throw it out if she has evidence she was in the right. She was the jerk here. The officer did everything by the book. So get over it. You won't like it when we're invaded and you have to bow to mecca every day or be shot. Then, you REALLY will have no rights.
The difference between
June 10, 2009 - 15:29 ET by Another Dead KennedyThe difference between liberals and conservatives is a respect for the elected authority.
Like your respect for the president? Is this what you meant:
http://newsbusters.o...
Or are you just referring to certain elected officials?
so do tell...
June 10, 2009 - 21:23 ET by AJBWhat was that you were saying about George Bush? See, you have no respect for any authority.
Which of my Bush comments
June 11, 2009 - 12:21 ET by Another Dead KennedyWhich of my Bush comments are you referring to? You just said that liberals have no respect for elected authority, and here I caught you calling the president the anti-christ. That's not very respectful, now is it? So that either makes you a liberal or a hypocrite. I won't judge.
→ AOTA KDW
June 11, 2009 - 12:33 ET by Cool ArrowAll of the above?
Antichrist is the highest compliment a Liberal can pay.
The only reason Clarence Thomas is on the Court is because he is black - Joe Biden
Heh heh heh...
June 11, 2009 - 12:41 ET by Another Dead KennedyI don't think AJB likes me very much.
For AJB
June 11, 2009 - 01:43 ET by UnsaneYou MUST be a Power Tripper yourself, as I seem to have touched a nerve with you. Let's go through your stupidity line by line.
Gee... you're a liberal, right? You seem to be struggling with this thing called the English language. No surprise. Maybe you can take some remedial reading courses before communicating with me. I have been posting here for 3 years and few are as dumb as to accuse me of this...if they follow what I type.
The difference between liberals and conservatives is a respect for the elected authority. You are an authoritarian that either IS in a position of authority as such, of you ache for authority. The difference between a Leftist and a Rightist is that one QUESTIONS...well, everything they see, as I do. Leftists don't like to question anything or have any of their sacred cows questioned. Hmmmm...maybe I can peg you as a Leftist on that basis alone.
If a policeman stops you, you cooperate. You sheep. When an a**hole from the Anchorage PD decided to start screaming at me and make smartass comments to me about "why I was too good to place my vehicle registration on my license plate", I proceeded to make him look and feel like the ass that he was. It isn't my fault he wasn't familiar with the fact that some states have vehicle registration tags placed in the windshield. And you know something? I was a total sweetheart to that lying dirtbag, who claimed to pull me over for doing 37 in a 35 when what he REALLY wanted was to pull me over for tint. (If he hadn't begun his traffic stop by being a liar, and then screaming at me for following the laws of the state under which my truch was registered, maybe my view of some PDs like the Anchorage PD would be much loftier. But...)
The officer was NEVER out of line (watch the video). He was NEVER on a power trip. BS. I seriously do not know what harm 72 year old women are going to do to a healthy, in-shape cop. (Personally, I think it's a case of an idiot cop colliding with an idiot woman. Idiots collide, as they often do.)
If she would have signed the ticket, EVERYONE with a brain knows its not an admission of guilt, rather a promise to appear in court. More BS. In traffic court, you know as well as I that you are guilty until proven innocent.
She was the jerk here. The officer did everything by the book. So get over it. Both of them - the cop and the woman - are idiots. They deserve each other. We, the citizens of this country, DO NOT WORK FOR THE COPS. THEY WORK FOR US. So get over THAT.
You won't like it when we're invaded and you have to bow to mecca every day or be shot. No, I won't. Because as history shows, the only thing cops do is change their loyalties. The Power Trippers will just have different employers and will be more than happy to enforce that law.
Then, you REALLY will have no rights. You really think cops are the defenders of democracy? Then why are their activities so restrained by documents like the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions. BECAUSE COPS CANNOT BE TRUSTED. Why? Because 1) they are hopelessly human regardless of what they tell themselves and 2) they work for the government.
If you want to tip your hat to anyone for defending democracy, you thank the military, not cops. (On the occasions when I have needed them, the cops have proven to be pretty damn worthless.)
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
Are YOU a power tripper by
June 10, 2009 - 17:18 ET by Bassnote_1Are YOU a power tripper by chance?
Nope, just Joe Average and former truck driver. I've had officers do the whole "gun/badge/better than you", but you keep your mouth shut and do as instructed.Guilty?Even taking it to court won't correct it. Innocent? Then take it to court. The side of the road is NOT the place to act out.
Have you ever called an officer on his ranting? I'm going to assume that you have not, and why not? Because it would escalate the situation. Especially at your indicated size. I, too, am a bigger guy - but I always assume a non-defensive position and attitude.
I do have friends and family in law enforcement and they mostly have issues with the pip squeaks out there. The wife and mom who overpowered the trooper (http://gillettenewsr...) and was shot and killed as a result. That trooper didn't take the threat seriously, was attacked and a woman is dead.
I would have preferred that he tased her, but that wasn't an option at the time. Sad.
However, officers all over this nation face this kind of situation every day and most of them go off without a hitch. This one did not and it was because this lady, for whatever reason, went off on the officer. She was warned. She was foolish. She got what she did as a direct consequence of her own actions.
That which does not kill me had best render me incapable of returning fire.
Idiots collide here
June 11, 2009 - 01:56 ET by UnsaneLook, I think BOTH of them are total idiots. Did the woman need to do that? No. Did the cop need to take HIS action? I suggest no, unless the woman was on LSD or something else that gave her superhuman strength. As cops do in fact work for the citizenry, we reserve the right to question their every action.
I know several people in law enforcement and know better. There ARE professionals out there. (If every cop was like the one who first wrote me a ticket, rest assured, I'd be extremely pro-cop. Problem is, there are a LOT of bozos in the force, and the people who have the hardest time admitting this fact are cops themselves.) I WANT to give them more respect, but the more I encounter them, I find less reason to respect them and find more and more reason to question their each and every move. I won't catalogue my run-ins with the law here, but those are enough for me.
Well, I will tell you one story. Once I was pulled over for having a burned out headlight, which I honestly had no clue I did not have. I think the cop got that...but then he just turned absolutely belligerent with a series of questions where he made it plain he suspected me of other illicit activities. Finally, I snapped and demanded he search my vehicle inside and out...I figured that's what he really wanted to do anyways. He was taken aback and said "Are you sure? I haven't charged you with anything!" I said, "Sir, I'm not getting anywhere here. Search my vehicle. I have nothing to hide." So he did, and let me off with a warning when he figured out he was wasting his time.
It should be noted that 99% of the time I shut up and let the Power Tripper do what he wants. Why? I don't need the added drama. But I'll be damned if I am going to let one accuse me of BS (noted above) or have one scream me down for following the law noted in a post further above.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
what, then, should the
June 11, 2009 - 09:20 ET by Bassnote_1what, then, should the officers reaction have been?
That which does not kill me had best render me incapable of returning fire.
Also, as a point of
June 10, 2009 - 17:21 ET by Bassnote_1Also, as a point of opinion, while they DO work for us, they also work to protect society from US when we are being dorks and creating an unsafe condition that could cause harm to others.
That which does not kill me had best render me incapable of returning fire.
"But a 72 year old woman?
June 10, 2009 - 19:07 ET by ckc1227"But a 72 year old woman? Even if we get to watch the rest of the video."
Naaaa, he should have overpowered her with his superior size and strength, likely breaking a few bones or worse in the process. Then we could have seen video of this heartless cop beating up a poor old lady instead.
no
June 10, 2009 - 12:16 ET by AJBA 90 pound woman can easily resist a large male officer. If they're in traffic, do you really want them tumbling in front of traffic? Taser incapacitates without a big scuffle.
How else are you going to handle someone who is not cooperative? The other alternative is pepper-spray in the face. That also incapacitates.
I can just imagine the screaming and bloodletting if he would have picked her up, or physically restrained her.
Regardless, what gives her the right to act that way?
Did my post come across as
June 10, 2009 - 12:21 ET by Another Dead KennedyDid my post come across as being sympathetic towards the woman? That certainly was not the intent. I agree she was in the wrong, and she should be arrested, fined, sent home with a smack on her hand or whatever you please. It's hysterically comedic though to think that enormous cop couldn't detain granny without the use of his taser.
yours didn't
June 10, 2009 - 12:23 ET by AJBnot yours, the person above my post.
See-BS
June 10, 2009 - 12:05 ET by slickwillie2001Back during the Dan Rather scandal, someone said 'when you get a good story, you don't want to check it out too much.' Who was that?
See-BS
June 10, 2009 - 12:54 ET by CO2MakerSlickwillie2001 asked: "Back during the Dan Rather scandal, someone said 'when you get a good story, you don't want to check it out too much.' Who was that?"
Mary Mapes
Tase her again, bro!
June 10, 2009 - 12:16 ET by Bassnote_1People want to complain about police using tasers, they can always go back to using their side arms!
That which does not kill me had best render me incapable of returning fire.
Story aside for a moment...
June 10, 2009 - 13:22 ET by JohnMI vote your last line as: Best Tagline Of All Time!
Sorry, but I'm going to use it everywhere.
As for the story, it's the same old "Why am I not surprised?" Whether the story omits relevant details or includes extraneous observations, both are deliberate choices made in order to skew the viewer's/reader's perceptions.
Although I can't stand that kind of opinionating, I've resigned myself to the fact that true journalism in the MSM is just about completely extinct. All that's left anymore is propaganda. Every talking head thinks the world wants to hear his clever little twist on things. It would be refreshing to hear good, old-fashioned, fact-based reports, but I know that isn't going to happen.
Use the heck out of it! I
June 10, 2009 - 16:32 ET by Bassnote_1Use the heck out of it! I read it somewhere and did the same thing.
"Real" journalism will return when the conservatives are back in power. Sick, twisted, heavily edited, taken out of context "real" journalism.
That which does not kill me had best render me incapable of returning fire.
cbs did not receive biden's sotomayor memo
June 10, 2009 - 13:24 ET by DEVILDOCMOMObviously cbs missed this morning's memo. biden is quoted as saying ""So you all are on the front lines. But as you do your job, know that Judge Sotomayor has your back as well," Biden said. "And throughout this nomination process, I know you'll have her back." ". This quote was in a meeting with representatives from national law enforcement groups...cbs better be back on the state media talking points.
BTW, I support the Texas officer, as an ER nurse I can assure you some people are much stronger than they appear especially when angry. No reason for that officer to be injured when he was obviously trying to keep her out of traffic.
dont need to watch a video
June 10, 2009 - 15:03 ET by criticalthinkingdont need to watch a video to tell you it would take a lot more than what you described to ever even consider tasing a 72 year old woman
yeah
June 10, 2009 - 15:11 ET by AJBYEAH! Don't confuse me with the facts. Don't confuse me by seeing for myself. She HAD to be right. She's 72. Stupid cop.
The ISSUE
June 10, 2009 - 17:39 ET by D. S. Hube... is not the debate over the propriety of the officer's actions (which you've already deemed inappropriate while not checking ANY of the facts whatsoever), but the fact that CBS selectively edited the video to make the officer's actions come off as virtually unprovoked and totally scandalous.
I can also imagine what folks like you would say if the officer did not use the taser and instead just physically restrained her. Then, it would the "amount of bruises" the woman sustained, or the "'unnecessary' force used." And God forbid the woman ran into traffic and the cop did not attempt to restrain her. Then he'd be up on an involuntary manslaughter charge!