mikesoh.com

When news was released that a student was tased at a Sen. John Kerry forum, there was immediate reaction, primarily from students who were outraged that the police overstepped their bounds and infringed — no strike that — impeded his first amendment rights.

The biggest argument that I’ve seen is that the police tased Andrew Meyer for asking a question.

Now, if this was in fact the case, then I would agree.  However, a HUGE fact is being ignored with these arguments: Meyer was asked to leave.

Yes, read that again.  Meyer was asked to leave.

It is highly misunderstood that you have the right to be wherever you want to go.  For example, you cannot go into a secured government building, even though it’s public property.  Well, I guess you could try, but you might end up with a severe case of deadness.  You can enter a library but you can be asked to leave, despite the fact that it is, again, public property.  Finally, you could even go to the Capital building in DC, do the tour, and even watch a debate or two.  But if you look suspicious, you’ll be asked to leave.  And by suspicious I mean, your shoelaces are untied.

Whether this is right or not is beside the point.  The police can ask you to do whatever they want for one reason and one reason only: they have guns.

Let’s take the police out of this and look at this from a different perspective. 

I have a gun.  It’s not drawn, but you clearly see it in my holster.  I come up to you and politely ask you to leave my property.  In fact, I don’t even want to see you.  You have two choices: comply or not comply.  If you choose not to comply, I draw my weapon and ask again.  You, again, are faced with the same two choices: comply or not comply.  You remain defiant and say to me that you have the right to be near my property, but not on it.  I give you a final, yet polite, warning.  Again, two choices: comply or not comply.

What would you do?

Yes, we could discuss the legality and the appropriateness of me pulling a gun on you.  And yes, I may be doing something illegal.  But unless you are determined to get shot, then you will comply.

Now, let’s discuss the reaction.  I think The Colbert Report summarized it best

I find it sad that instead of the students doing something helpful at the rally, they instead video tape it and show their solidarity from the comfort of their computer.  Since the dawn of the blogging age, anonymity has been the best friend of students.  It gives a sense of security (however false) that they can say whatever they want without ramifications or consequences.  I particularly like what Colbert says near the end of his piece.  "This kid is saying, ‘I wish they would stop tasering this guy so that I can watch this guy getting tasered on YouTube."

And that’s what we’ve come to as a nation.  Instead of asking the police why they are arresting Meyer, instead of protesting at the forum, instead of doing something to even question the police, everyone is staring, video taping, probably even blogging, what is going on.

When it comes down to the wire of protecting civil liberties, you can count on the fact that these students are going to get as involved as they are in voting.