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, July 29, 2010

"$500,000 to family of man Tasered to death by Chicago police"

The City Council today agreed to pay $500,000 to the family of a man who died in 2005 after being Tasered by a Chicago police sergeant.
The sergeant used a Taser on Ronald Hasse, 45, for 62 seconds when he resisted police trying to take him into custody. Hasse later died from “electrocution due to taser application” with crystal methamphetamine intoxication as a “significant contributing factor.” Since then, police have learned of potential harm from long Taser applications, especially if used on people who have taken narcotics, according to a Law Department statement. The payment settles a lawsuit filed by Hasse’s family.
[LINK]

It looks like the coroner in this case (bless his heart) got them in the right order. No problem mentioning other contributing factors, so long as the meaning of cause-and-effect (taser and death) are respected.

And before the moronic taser fan-boys go insane about the mention of drugs, shall we agree that tasers are not fit for purpose if they kill anyone with any amount of drugs in their system? You want to go down THAT road? Taser International sure doesn't.

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