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The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend:
"a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."

He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior." (CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)


Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).

"Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008



Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:

A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist."
(Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)

"A nutty lesbian blogger."
(MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)


Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush


who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
--"Joe"

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Illinois, New York, New Mexico: Death by Taser

by: Pam Spaulding

Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 09:00:00 AM EDT


A couple of you emailed this one in for the Blend Taser files -- I'm sure there are plenty more where this came from.
A man died Tuesday night after Chicago police shocked him with a Taser stun gun because he was combative during an arrest on the West Side, authorities said Wednesday morning.

Police sources say the man was on drugs and "acting suspiciously," walking away from police near the 2600 block of South Trumbull Avenue in the South Lawndale neighborhood. When police tried to stop him, he was combative, and was sprayed with a chemical spray and shocked with the gun, sources said.

...The Taser used was one of the department's newer models, equipped with a camera that allows the incident to be videotaped. Investigators will be reviewing that tape, said Monique Bond, spokeswoman for the Chicago Police Department.

A new and improved model, you don't say? Now the suspect had a rap sheet and was a known gang member, so we're not talking about a choir boy. But the issue here is that a "non-lethal" weapon seems to be proving itself to be dangerous. In this case, the police would have been better off shooting the guy in the arm or leg in a non-fatal area than Tasing him, but because the device is being used at what seems like the drop of a hat, we're seeing more incidents like this.

Like what happened in Roswell, New Mexico. Read after the jump.

Pam Spaulding :: Illinois, New York, New Mexico: Death by Taser
KOB.com:
A confrontation between officers and the suspect, Javiar Aguilar, ensued Thursday afternoon when Aguilar allegedly made threats to his health care providers. Police say Aguilar was mentally-ill.

..."When they responded and advised him that he was going to be taken to a mental health facility for treatment, he refused to go," Roswell Deputy Police Chief Scott Douglass said.

Douglass said the confrontation turned physical and officers had to use pepper spray and a stun gun to subdue Aguilar. Authorities then took him to Eastern New Mexico Medical Center where he died 40 minutes later.

Or this incident in Clay, NY:
A 37-year-old man died Monday night after a Clay police officer used a Taser on the man, police said.

Christopher H. Jackson, of 4804 Norstar Blvd. Apartment 213D, was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital Monday after he was hit by one cycle of a police Taser, Clay Police Commission Owen Honors said today.

...The Clay officer told Jackson "three or four times" that he was going to use his Taser on him, Honors said. Jackson was in his bedroom when he was Tasered.

Honors believes it took only one cycle of the Taser to get Jackson under control. That information is stored on a chip inside the X26 Taser model issued to police. Jackson was not carrying a weapon, but he was using his hands to assault the officer, Honors said.

Officers placed Jackson in handcuffs. Then they noticed Jackson, who was conscious and breathing at that time, was not responding to their questions, police said. At that point, police requested paramedics. The paramedics responded and began assessing Jackson, who went into cardiac arrest.

And in the Ripley's Believe It Or Not department, we've got a case of someone being tased for "aggressive language." From Australia:
POLICE are investigating claims an officer tasered a handcuffed man three times in the Cleveland watchhouse last year to "shut him up".

...Mr Brown admitted he lost control when police locked his sister up so he began "using aggressive language", telling officers to release her because she had done nothing wrong.

"A policeman unlocked my cell to what I thought was going to be frisked-processed while still handcuffed and during this process I was hit with a Taser gun three times in a row by an older policeman," he said, according to the statement.

And our Taser video of the day - the Royal Canadian Mounted Police tased a disabled man who was face down and handcuffed - and then was punched in the face for good measure.

The man filed a complaint against the RCMP, but he died (in an unrelated accident) before the case was adjudicated.

***

You know what happened when police officers in Ottawa took Taser training classes? Use of the devices drops.

The use of Tasers, guns and physical force by Ottawa police dropped to the lowest level in years in 2007 - the year after the service introduced a special premium for officers who regularly retake a course on the proper use of force.

Tasers were used only a dozen times by officers last year, said the police service's 2007 use of force annual report, which was to be discussed at the Police Services Board meeting Monday night.

Hat tip to Taser of the Day.
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And Chicago wants more

of the devices. I'm not sure of the latest, but as of Feb, 08 the Chicago PD wanted to up their taser number from 350 to 2500 (or see here).

It's interesting that former Chicago top-cop Terry Hillard is now a taser consultant.

Also, and maybve I've missed "non-lethal" in statements somewhere, the Chicago PD seems to like calling the devices "less than lethal." I'm not sure what they think the small change in rhetoric provides them, but when I've read statements from them, they call the devices "less than lethal" rather than "non-lethal."

 



Electricity's for light bulbs!

I've heard a few interesting things....
recently about tasers. I read an article (I will try to post a link after I get back from class today), that said tasers have been increasing in charge(by very little amounts) with each model. That a few doctors have said that a lower charge will disable the person and decrease the risk of fatal issues (heart, nervous system damage, etc.). But that the increasing jolt, is increasing the risk of damage.

While I like the idea of tasers (a non-lethal device), the abuses of this device are not helping the police.

And finally, the flip side of the argument. No matter what, the lethal effect of tasers is much less than gun shots. "In this case, the police would have been better off shooting the guy in the arm or leg in a non-fatal area than Tasing him,"
The risk of death due to guns (even non-fatal areas) increases much more than tasers. Even a shot in a "non-leathal" area is much more likely to kill, due to bleeding, infection, or even a missed shot (example: you aim for the leg, the guy moves and is shot in a more lethal area.) Its not like the movies, where police can shot guns out of people's hands, or hit the perfect spot every time.  

nothing new at this time.....


the problem
is that tasers aren't being used as gun replacements. They're being used for compliance. They're being used on people running away, unarmed people, and anyone the police consider to be "misbehaving." Few officers would pull a gun on such people, but police seem happy to point tasers at them. Naomi Klein wrote a great piece on this a few weeks back.

And yes, it does appear that the X26 (the most common device being delivered to police) might be more dangerous than the M26.  The author of Excited Delirium has an interesting post on the possibility that the X26 may be applying its current during a low-frequency component of its waveform.

Electricity's for light bulbs!


[ Parent ]
Thanks...
for link to the Naomi Klein piece. It was definitely shocking and eye opening, to say the least.

[ Parent ]
I hope you see this
Sorry, I had an interesting weekend. (I thought I would not be able to go on a trip with my husband, due to work. But at the VERY last minute my boss let me have the day off. So after class I didn't get to post, had to pack and get ready to leave. Great weekend).

Yes I agree, tasers right now are not being used in the correct manner. I just said I liked the theory that led to their development (i.e. a non-lethal alternative to guns).

Also thanks, I think that was the article I saw originally.  

nothing new at this time.....


[ Parent ]
Clay, NY

This was likely the city's first taser use as well. They've had them for about 1.5 years.

In neighboring Syracuse, tasers have been drawn about 181 times since they were given to officers in 2005.  Can you guess who gets tased, or threatened with tasing, the most? Out of those 181 incidents, 97 involved African Americans and 71 involved caucasians. City data has African Americans at about one-quarter of Syracuse's population; whites are at about 62%.



Electricity's for light bulbs!

Arm or leg???
 Pam wrote:  "A new and improved model, you don't say? Now the suspect had a rap sheet and was a known gang member, so we're not talking about a choir boy. But the issue here is that a "non-lethal" weapon seems to be proving itself to be dangerous. In this case, the police would have been better off shooting the guy in the arm or leg in a non-fatal area than Tasing him, but because the device is being used at what seems like the drop of a hat, we're seeing more incidents like this."

Please don't suggest shooting a "combative" person in a "non lethal" place.  It just shows that you know nothing about firearms.

Reactions to being shot vary greatly.  Most cops are not sharpshooters.  In addition, under stress, confronting a moving target, there is no way to guarantee a "non lethal" wound.  When you shoot, it is to "remove the threat".  You continue shooting until the threat is negated, eliminated, ended.  This can mean compliance, it can mean death.  That's why "non-lethal" weapons have been developed.  

Heck, if you shoot someone in the leg, and open up an artery, the person shot might well bleed out before an ambulance arrives.

Taser use might well be out of control.  The police may well be much more apt to employ them than is necessary, or even prudent.  The fact the police seem willing to escalate every little issue into a major confrontation is a huge issue.  

It does seem the role of "law enforcement" has changed  --  perhaps it's because we are ALL the "enemy" now, instead of just the poor, disadvantaged, "lesser" people.  

It's the overall attitude of the police to "citizens" (subjects) that has to change.  They no longer even pretend to be protectors  --  now their main job seems control.

With all the "security" functions in place, there no longer seems to be any concern for "civil rights"  --  even asking a question can be grounds for "resisting" something or other.

It's not just the use of chemical sprays and / or tasers, it's how , why, and when, they are used.

Police no longer seem to serve to protect "the community"  --  they serve the status quo, they protect property, they protect the wealthy.  All the rest of us are just controlled.


that comment about shooting in the leg was sarcasm
The fact is that the police are whipping out all kinds or weapons - including "simple" fisticuffs - to handle situations that they would have normally handled without violence.

How on earth can anyone justify tasing someone for mouthing off or swearing at an officer? Given that someone could die because of this device, there is way too much liberal use of it.


[ Parent ]
drugs and tasers
In many of these cases the suspect is  assumed to be "on drugs" by the police or the reports often says it was so.
If people are on drugs, cops should be careful about using tasers.

I'm not making any judgement statement about wether or not someone should use drugs of any kind, wether that be Alchohol, Nicotine or anything else.
However, if the person is on a stimulant such as Cocaine or Meth, they are going to have significantly higher risk of a cardiac problem when tasered.
(Stimulant users typically have higher cardiac problems altogether)

So, having strong tasers and using them on people in these circumstances is actually knowingly increasing their chances of dying.

For simply resisting arrest, and that is often just passive resistance, or mouthing off to the cops, someone has do die?
Somehow instant compliance has become more of a priority than someone's well being.  I dont understand that.


....you would if
You had ever dealt with someone on METH.  They are incoherent and lack all prudent judgement. I see Pam would rather they just be shot 'somehwere' nonlethal. Since when are bullet the answer either.  Any 'shock' to someone on meth and/or cocaine can destabilize them enough for cardiac arrest.  My assessment is good riddance.

It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.


[ Parent ]
Thanks Orion45...
...by your standards I'd be dead.  I had myself a nice little eighteen-month meth-binge in the '90s.  Believe it or not, only a small number of people who've used or been addicted to meth turn into the "meth-mouthed" copper-wire-thieving violent incoherent criminals lacking in prudent judgment that are paraded across the evening news or "Cops".

Using a taser on a meth, coke, or PCP-intoxicated addict has a much higher probability of cardiac arrest and death.  But hey, good riddance, right?  They're just human trash undeserving of  compassion or restraint.

Police lauded the taser when it came into use.  Finally, a non-lethal force we can use instead of shooting people.  Funny thing, though: incidence of police shootings didn't drop when tasers came out.  The same amount of people get shot by cops, and now, additionally, more people get tased.  The taser is a potentially lethal torture device.

Now, I want cops to be safe, too; I've got a cousin and cousin-in-law working the streets as cops, and I don't want a tweeker harming them.  But how did cops deal with unruly people before the taser was invented?  With martial arts, choke-holds, locks, and grappling.  

But doesn't that put cops at greater risk?  Did more cops die in violent incidents before the taser was invented?  Again, no.  So we've solved a problem that doesn't exist by committing more violence against citizens.

Well, unless the problem being solved was cops not wanting to have to touch people.  If that's the case, mission accomplished.

"If people let government decide which foods they eat and medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny." -- Thomas Jefferson


[ Parent ]
And now Michigan's universities?
And so it seems that the insanity continues.  According to a recent article, Michigan is considering a bill to legalize civilian use of tasers and even possibly allow students and anyone else to carry them on campus for "protection."  Just what we need: drunk teenagers carrying potentially lethal weapons.

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