Ucla Iranian-american Student Tazed Multiple Times

[Alex.]

Epicenter, as a member of the US army your views are obviously biased. I still fail to see why someone with a decent head on their shoulders chose to lend their mind and body to such a brutal machine as the armed forces. Stop trying to be the nice perfect patriot, the guy paid for his tuition and thus had every right to use library equipment. Just because some asshole guards who make $7 an hour tried to have some fun, does not mean that they werre entitled to do what they did.

US democracy is a fucking joke, no matter what light you view it from.

- Alex

 

[Azalin]

Word.

 

[Epicenter]

Epicenter, as a member of the US army your views are obviously biased.

Air Force. Not Army. Either way, I am not told what to think in any way shape or form. My views are my own and no one else's. If my own views are automatically biased towards what I THINK. Anyone in the military would call the guards' behavior uncalled for.

I still fail to see why someone with a decent head on their shoulders chose to lend their mind and body to such a brutal machine as the armed forces. Stop trying to be the nice perfect patriot

I'm not. If you were paying attention, I said they should be fired and charges should be pressed. Also, the US military is not a 'brutal machine'. And if there were no militaries, odds are, the free world we both enjoy would not exist. So don't give me that idealistic baloney.

the guy paid for his tuition and thus had every right to use library equipment. Just because some asshole guards who make $7 an hour tried to have some fun, does not mean that they werre entitled to do what they did.

The reason they wanted to throw him out is because he could not produce an ID and therefore, entitlement to use the PCs in the library, or that he even was a student. I doubt they were trying to 'have fun', though they probably just got those tazers recently and were anxious to use them. I do not condone what they did, it was utterly inappropriate.

However, I do believe this student might have been trying to make some kind of a statement. "Here's your patriot act, here's your fucking abuse of power" sounds extremely rehearsed (if you were being shocked would you come up with something that topical? not just a string of obscenities?), and weird little demonstrations like this come out of universities all the time. Any place a lot of young liberal people gather, really. Just a month ago when I was visiting a local college on leave I saw a big chalk "NO BLOOD FOR OIL". Now, how is that even remotely appropriate when #1, we obviously got no oil out of Iraq (our gas prices are only getting higher), #2, there is no 'War' in Iraq, just peacekeeping operations? It seems people in college need something perpetually to complain about and blame the government for. It was true in the 70s and it's true now.

US democracy is a fucking joke, no matter what light you view it from.

I'd expect this from someone who posts some of the ridiculous things you do. Yes, I'm sure one middle-eastern kid getting tazer'ed makes the entire concept of democracy in the US 'a joke'. That's infallable logic, right there.

 

[Alex.]

the US military is not a 'brutal machine'. And if there were no militaries, odds are, the free world we both enjoy would not exist. So don't give me that idealistic baloney.

Without the help of "our brave men and women", life would be pretty shitty. Wrong, try again. Your brave men and women are the gas on the fire of war, believe me when I say this, no Iraquis ever would have crossed the ocean to occupy the US, or subjugate its way of life in any way - the US was never threatened by Iraq, so give me a break.

However, I do believe this student might have been trying to make some kind of a statement. "Here's your patriot act, here's your fucking abuse of power" sounds extremely rehearsed

It only reinforced the reality of police brutality, if nothing else.

there is no 'War' in Iraq, just peacekeeping operations

No, please tell me you did not just say this. Putting a different label on war does not change what it is. "peacekeeping operations"... just think of all the civilians that died and die every day because of your goddamn peace keeping operations.

- Alex

 

[nickspoon]

Any place a lot of young liberal people gather, really. Just a month ago when I was visiting a local college on leave I saw a big chalk "NO BLOOD FOR OIL". Now, how is that even remotely appropriate when #1, we obviously got no oil out of Iraq (our gas prices are only getting higher), #2, there is no 'War' in Iraq, just peacekeeping operations? It seems people in college need something perpetually to complain about and blame the government for. It was true in the 70s and it's true now.

1) Why do you think the war in Iraq was started? Good intentions? Defence against nuclear weapons? Pfffft.
2) If your definition of peacekeeping operations is people dying on both sides, then fine - but that sounds a lot like war to me, no matter how anyone declares it. I like how the US government can claim a 'War on Terror' in which nothing much happens, but then claim 'Peacekeeping in Iraq'.

 

[Loubear]

Any place a lot of young liberal people gather, really. Just a month ago when I was visiting a local college on leave I saw a big chalk "NO BLOOD FOR OIL". Now, how is that even remotely appropriate when #1, we obviously got no oil out of Iraq (our gas prices are only getting higher), #2, there is no 'War' in Iraq, just peacekeeping operations? It seems people in college need something perpetually to complain about and blame the government for. It was true in the 70s and it's true now.

1) Why do you think the war in Iraq was started? Good intentions? Defence against nuclear weapons? Pfffft.
2) If your definition of peacekeeping operations is people dying on both sides, then fine - but that sounds a lot like war to me, no matter how anyone declares it. I like how the US government can claim a 'War on Terror' in which nothing much happens, but then claim 'Peacekeeping in Iraq'.

...I'm not denying that the Iraqi war is not a mistake, but I hate it when something bad happens in the us and everyone automatically jumps in and starts going "AMERICA SUX" on our asses.

 

[Epicenter]

It is indeed quite ridiculous that despite the fact atrocities happen worldwide every day, people love to just chime in with comments like "WELCOME TO THE POLICE STATE ^_^" whenever it involves the US. Seems it's just the trendy thing to do.

 

[fluffyhamster]

I guess being Anti-American is trendy on this forum now?? It's kinda funny that it's at UCLA of all places , i wonder what that guy was filming on his computer screen??

 

[jmetal88]

Once when my dad was in college he got accused of being Iranian. Quite funny, as my dad isn't even remotely middle-eastern. Our family is of Irish, Scottish and Welsh descent with a little bit of Spanish, French and German.

The exact circumstance was he was in an elevator with a bunch of guys and when he reached his floor and walked out one of the guys shouted "Boo on all Iranians!" at him.

 

[speedmike]

I guess being Anti-American is trendy on this forum now?? It's kinda funny that it's at UCLA of all places , i wonder what that guy was filming on his computer screen??

There are a lot of Persian communities in California. The climate is mild and when people immigrate they tend to go to a place like thier homeland. Besides, my grandpa is Iranian and that is where he came into the United States in 1946.

Once when my dad was in college he got accused of being Iranian. Quite funny, as my dad isn't even remotely middle-eastern. Our family is of Irish, Scottish and Welsh descent with a little bit of Spanish, French and German.

The exact circumstance was he was in an elevator with a bunch of guys and when he reached his floor and walked out one of the guys shouted "Boo on all Iranians!" at him.

I'm guessing your father went to college in the lates 70's early 80's? I know my Mom and Dad got pretty scary phone calls during the Iranian hostage crisis.

My mom is half persian and the funny thing is that a lot of telemarketers assume she is spanish and pronounce here name as if was a spanish name.

My grandpa is Zoroastrian, and I wanted to write my history seminar paper on his religion. I wanted to learn more about it because my grandpa had never taught any of the family much about it. I told this to my professor and told him I wanted to do it because of my family ethnicity. He looked at me and said, " Your not persian." I replied, " I'm a quarter persian." My last name may be a German one but I'm not 100% German, more like 60% . So, in the end I wrote a paper on that Spanish conquest of the Aztecs.

Anyways, I watched the video, and I have read a bunch of articles on the matter. I have come to the conclusion that the use of tazers seemed a bit extreme. If the guy when limp, Then I'm sure two or more officers can carry out a person in handcuffs. I don't see how tazering his ass would help get him out of the library.

"Tabatabainejad encouraged library patrons to join his resistance," police said. "The officers deemed it necessary to use the Taser."

No shit Tazering him won't get the students on your side. the police made this incident much worse than it should have been.

 

[PokeParadox]

Yeah I'd imagine if I'd been shocked I'd be shouting for help and mouthing off too... impulse due to pain... that's provided the shocks weren't directed at the face!

 

[Epicenter]

What I find odd is how.. well, politically motivated the things he yelled were. If I just got hit with thousands of volts, I wouldn't yell something about the Patriot Act and 'abuse of power'. I'd have trouble stringing together 'Police Brutality', even. It'd probably more be a long chain of four-and-five letter words, threats and demands to knock it the fuck off. Hence my comments it sounds rehearsed. I didn't hear him try to 'recruit' anyone to 'join his resistance' but then again, this video is pretty useless as it's obstructed and all you can really make out is the audio. For all I can tell, it could easily have been some sort of display of civil disobedience albeit a strange one. People have been known to threaten police to get themselves shot to commit suicide; I wouldn't doubt some people would try to put themself in a situation they'd get police attention in, and try to work it to their advantage.

I'm not saying that IS what went on, but I don't rule it out. It's just too peculiar what he said and when. A crucial bit would be how long he spent in the library when he did not 'immediately leave'. Was he waiting for police to show up to make a scene, or was he arguing? Was he gathering things up? Did he even have anything there with him or was he just killing time? Could he have left his ID intentionally or did he really just forget to bring it? Also, 'I have a medical condition'? Did he not know what it was called? What condition has to do with getting hit with lots of electrical current? A heart condition? I'm pretty sure everyone's heart is sensitive to current passing through it.

 

[LordFu]

It is indeed quite ridiculous that despite the fact atrocities happen worldwide every day, people love to just chime in with comments like "WELCOME TO THE POLICE STATE ^_^" whenever it involves the US. Seems it's just the trendy thing to do.

Pull your head out of the sand. I chime in with comments like that because it's true. Have you ever read any of these laws they are passing?

The P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act I & II allow the gov't to spy on anyone, for any or no reason. The Military Commissions Act allows anyone, even American Citizens, to be declared "Enemy Combatants", effectively eliminating the Writ of Habeus Corpus. Without the right to challenge your imprisonment, you have no rights. Then, the John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007 removes the restrictions against using the U.S. Military on U.S. soil, against U.S. Citizens, while giving a Haliburton subsidiary $385 million for the construction of internment camps across the country. See a pattern yet? And those are just the highlights.

Dissmissing the notion that America is becoming a Police State is, at best, willfully ignorant.

 

[Azalin]

There is also the point (In the MCA, i believe) that the states now has the right to use any means they wish to gather information from prisoners, and as long as it does not cause the failure of a vital organ, it is not classified as torture. That scares me.

 

[Epicenter]

There is also the point (In the MCA, i believe) that the states now has the right to use any means they wish to gather information from prisoners, and as long as it does not cause the failure of a vital organ, it is not classified as torture. That scares me.

This seems highly unlikely, seeing as numerous interrogation methods far tamer than that were just outlawed including using dogs to intimidate the suspect. I do believe you guys are getting some flawed information here.

 

[Loubear]

There is also the point (In the MCA, i believe) that the states now has the right to use any means they wish to gather information from prisoners, and as long as it does not cause the failure of a vital organ, it is not classified as torture. That scares me.

This seems highly unlikely, seeing as numerous interrogation methods far tamer than that were just outlawed including using dogs to intimidate the suspect. I do believe you guys are getting some flawed information here.

This argument is pointless. No one's going to budge anyone from their current mindset, so better to abandon hope already.

 

[Epicenter]

Pretty much, you're right. It's always impossible to argue these topics rationally with the guy screaming in Kinko's about how he's moving to Scotland because the US is an abomination if every elected official isn't a Democrat. (One particular person I've met. Though, this thread reminds me of him again and again.)

 

[LordFu]

Just a follow-up. Apparently, this officer has a history of using excessive force, and he was recommended to be terminated after his last incident.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/11/19/10734/370

 

[Loubear]

Just a follow-up. Apparently, this officer has a history of using excessive force, and he was recommended to be terminated after his last incident.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/11/19/10734/370

...Bastard needs to get fired.