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.



Thursday, June 26, 2008

RCMP watchdog vows to encourage action

(CP) Vancouver, BC (25 June 2008) - The Commissioner for Complaints Against the RCMP [Paul Kennedy] says he's trying to "create enough heat publicly" to force the national police agency to change the way it uses tasers. ... [LINK]

There is a history of ignoring such recommendations. A report with similar recommendation issued several years ago in BC has been more-or-less ignored. Kennedy's interim report was not fully adopted. The all-party SECU committee is theatening a moratorium, and the RCMP appears to be yawning back at them. Mr. Day has been effectively unresponsive.

I think that there are many votes available to the political party that pledges to rein-in unacceptable RCMP corporate behaviour and mind-set. In other words, the taser problem is at least 50% political.

Another option would be a visit to the Supreme Court of Canada (bypass the government of the 'Day'). Ask the judges to review taser deployments in light of CC section 269.1. I'm sure you'd get a quick response about the legality (not!) of using extremely (off-the-scale) painful electric shock (the modern tasers are reportedly about 2000 times more current than that required to cause 'intolerable pain') for day-to-day street level pain compliance.

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