I always wake up to my radio - usually the news, sometimes music - some song that will rattle around in my head over and over and over - but it beats the shrill siren of the buzzer. This morning, however, I think I'd prefer the buzzing. First words from the news caster: "A teen died Sunday after police in Michigan used the stun gun on him." That nasty taser stuff again. I think tasers should be banned. I think they should be outlawed. Police are not being trained sufficiently to use them appropriately. They should be used instead of (in place of) a gun - and only in situations where the use of a gun is the only recourse.

I was watching The Mentalist last week, where the character Chief Theresa Lisbon is confronted by a bad guy who just punched one of her colleagues, when he stands in front of her and says, "you want some, too?" And she says, "no thank you" and tases him. In real life, I would call that misuse of a taser - that she was not in a life and death situation and didn't need to use a gun.

Tasers just add fuel to the gang-in-uniform good-ol'-boys-club we're-so-much-better-than-you "police" platform. There needs to be an overhauling done.

For more, see http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29865217/ "Amnesty International critical of Taser death."

Jeanie

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