Mission Statement - De-Spinning the Pro-Taser Propaganda

Yeah right, 'Excited Delirium' my ass...

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The primary purpose of this blog is to provide an outlet for my observations and analysis about tasers, taser "associated" deaths, and the behaviour exhibited by the management, employees and minions of Taser International. In general, everything is linked back to external sources, often via previous posts on the same topic, so that readers can fact-check to their heart's content. This blog was started in late-2007 when Canadians were enraged by the taser death of Robert Dziekanski and four others in a short three month period. The cocky attitude exhibited by the Taser International spokespuppet, and his preposterous proposal that Mr. Dziekanski coincidentally died of "excited delirium" at the time of his taser-death, led me to choose the blog name I did and provides my motivation. I have zero financial ties to this issue.



Sunday, March 2, 2008

The inertia of illogic

The Modesto Bee - ...A forensic pathologist concluded that Abston's death was caused by cardiac arrhythmia from an enlarged heart, compounded by excited delirium with meth intoxication... "I don't know of any proven history where a Taser has been the proximate cause of death," Merced Police Chief Russ Thomas said. ...Abston previously had heart surgery and had an internal heart defibrillator. ...

Observations:

1) I find it interesting that they'll include every possible contributing factor EXCEPT the taser. They've even included 'excited delirium' which isn't even real science by any reasonable standard. It seems illogical to exclude one proximate factor while including all the others. Why would this be?

2) It has already been pointed out that an internal defibrillator, specifically the wiring that leads from the device to the heart, may conduct the taser pulse directly to the heart' pacemaker center. Taser spokes-puppets pretend not to understand this point. There's nothing controversial about this proposal; that conductive wires conduct. Why doesn't the report make the connection? They mention the device for one propaganda purpose, but fail to include the other possible connection.

[Update: Medical researchers have pulled some very interesting data out of the 'black box' recorder contained within a pacemaker [correction]. More later...]

3) The statement by Chief Thomas is nonsense to highest possible degree. At least two coroners are presently being sued for exactly that conclusion. Thomas is (at best) ill-informed; at worst he's been severely brainwashed by Taser.

It is entirely possible that their findings are generally correct, but the illogic used along the way stinks. It has that disgusting whiff of Taser propaganda and influence about it.

Link= Modesto Bee - Taser shot ... death of driver

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