This is a pretty amusing thread!  

Seriously, I think America is strong enough to remain dominant for the rest of my lifetime (I'm 51). I think our culture has embraced some pretty lousy values. I think we venerate youth and money, which are both vaccuous and at least one is ephemeral.
Our culture tends to be more violent than other similar cultures, and I don't really know why. Perhaps its due to our revolutionary heritage, or the Wild West, or the conceit of the "rugged individual." Losers in our society have farther to fall and are tolerated less than other similar societies. That's perhaps why it's more violent.

Yes he was only trying to speak his mind. It wasn't like he told the cops off when they told him his time was up. It wasn't like the kid resisted arrest.... Oh wait, yes he did.

The student also posed a threat to the lives of others and to the police officers hence why they tased him. Oh wait, no he didn't...

Furthermore, he shouldn't of been carried off in the first place, Kerry said let him speak.

He pushed the officers and tried to run away. You don't touch a law enforcement agent like that... They were completely patient with the guy, and polite. He decided to throw a 2 year old tantrum: He then resisted. Resisting arrest warrants the use of a tazer, stungun, or pepper spray.

And when you have a US senator in the area, you can't be to careful. Especailly when you listen to what the guy had to say. He obviously wears a tin hat while sleeps.

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I suppose it's a matter of perspective. I think it's wrong for the police to do something like that because we should be allowed to say what we want to say where we want to say it in any public forum (even at a political speech like that) and you don't feel that way.

I think crowds shouldn't have to be complacent to a leader of America. They should be allowed to be as hostile as they want, as long as the politician has been given the time to speak.

I guarantee if we allowed protesters to come to any political rally they wanted (the politicians are on tax payer dollars and that event was funded with public/university money (i assume) and that student helped pay for Kerry to speak there) we would have a lot more accountability to our politicians. Instead our politicians are so far removed that a lot of times they aren't even aware of the consequences some of their actions have caused.

Arresting a person for speaking their mind at a public forum, yeah real CONSTITUTIONAL there. Tasing a person who did not pose a threat and was in the right for resisting arrest because he was excersising his constitutional right...well that's just an abuse of power  (Say what you want about that student posing a threat but c'mon, you honestly think that that student didn't pass through a metal detector at the least?).


I guess you just assume that freedom of speech should be limited to "free speech zones" right? That's what our forefathers intended right? You can speak your mind...as long as you are in BFE.

This is why I think that incident is another reason why America is dying. And if you disagree with me, that's fine, i'll respect it, I won't tase you, I promise.

Zenter, it has nothing to do with free speech. I'm sure there were hundreds of students waiting to speak with Kerry. The kid had his one minute. Kerry was even getting annoyed telling him to move along and get to the question. If you go to a forum like this, you can't expect to have 5 or 10 minutes talking to the guy in an open discussion like that. That's unrealistic, and really goes against the rules of that type of situation.

The kid dragged his feet, and his time was up. He was asked nicely to step away and let the next person have a turn. He DISOBEYED the moderator and security. So, they cut his microphone. He gave them a snide remark, and still wouldn't move away. So yes, they had to get physical.

If the kid had stepped away like they asked, he could of went on his dandy way. He WAS NOT arrested for speaking his mind. Security moved in simply to get him away. The kid made a scene and resisted. That's against the law.

"DON'T TASE ME BRO"
Follow instructions BRO

The thing is, the powerful make sure that the people are dumb and not informed, so I can't really blame the people.

It's easy not to be interested when you're filled up with crap everyday by the time you are eight years old.

School, television, parents... everything.

My secret? There is none. You're either born with a thirst for knowledge and truth or you aren't. It also helps to have never watched tv, never hang out with people, and never listen to your parents until you were 18. Worked for me.