|
Beck said he "enjoy[s] watching"
Taser videos; O'Reilly rolled out "Don't Taze me, bro!" bumper
stickers
Media
Matters
Saturday September 22, 2007
Summary: In segments on University of Florida student Andrew Meyer,
who was shocked with a Taser by campus police, Glenn Beck asserted:
"To me, Taser videos are a little like potato chips. I just can't watch
just one," and Bill O'Reilly announced that "[a]nyone buying anything
on BillOReilly.com will receive a 'Don't Taze me, bro!' bumper sticker."
During the September 19 edition of his CNN Headline News show, Glenn
Beck asserted: "Now, I'd like to say that my sense of humor has
evolved past the point where I don't enjoy watching someone get Tasered.
I'd like to say that, but I can't. To me, Taser videos are a little
like potato chips. I just can't watch just one." Beck's comments
came during a segment on the recent incident involving University of Florida
student Andrew Meyer, who was shocked with a Taser after a confrontation
with campus police that began while he was asking questions of Sen. John
Kerry (D-MA) during a September 17 campus forum. Beck claimed that Meyer
"was asking for it and deserved every single volt that he got," and stated:
"I say hit him with another 50,000 volts." He later added: "I would have
Tasered him just for being stupid enough to listen to John Kerry for two
hours, just yammering on. In my opinion, I don't see Meyer as a victim
of an overly aggressively law enforcement agency. It looks as though this
guy wanted to get Tasered." Beck went on to suggest that Meyer "put the
idea" in the officer's "head" by "repeatedly screaming, 'Don't
Tase me.' " The segment was accompanied by on-screen text that read:
"Shock and Awesome."
(Article continues below)
Additionally, during the September 19 edition of Fox News' The
O'Reilly Factor, host Bill
O'Reilly announced a new promotional giveaway mocking Meyer: "Well,
thanks to Andrew, we now have a new promotion. Anyone buying anything
on BillOReilly.com will receive a 'Don't Taze me, bro!' bumper
sticker. And you know you want one. Everybody wants one." The bumper
sticker references Meyer's cry before being Tasered by campus
police. As Media Matters for America documented,
during the September 18 edition of the program, O'Reilly asserted
that Meyer "wanted this to happen" and claimed: "I've been Tasered
for a story, and all I can say is: He is the biggest wimp in the United
States of America." O'Reilly added: "And I don't say that with
any kind of bravado, but the overreaction to being Tasered -- it's
not -- it's an electrical shock is what it is."
Citing an increase in the number of reported deaths associated with Tasers,
the Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has
launched several
studies into the effects of the stun guns, and the Justice Department
initiated a "multi-agency technical evaluation
of taser technology," as Media Matters also documented.
From the September 19 edition of CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck:
BECK: And a college student gets Tasered for being extremely annoying.
MEYER [video clip]: Don't Tase me, bro. Don't Tase me! I didn't
do anything wrong! Ow!
BECK: I say hit him with another 50,000 volts.
MEYER [video clip]: Ow!
[...]
BECK: Coming up, a college student is Tasered by campus police during
a John Kerry event. Some say the action was overly aggressive. I
say he was asking for it and deserved every single volt that he got.
I'll explain.
[...]
BECK: Now, I'd like to say that my sense of humor has evolved
past the point where I don't enjoy watching someone get Tasered.
I'd like to say that, but I can't. To me, Taser videos are a
little like potato chips. I just can't watch just one.
But the latest edition to the genre is a little more layered than the
usual demonstration video that local newscasters love to make. Andrew
Meyer is a pinhead from the University of Florida, who attended a speech
by Senator John Kerry.
During the question and answer period, he went off on a long, convoluted
rant about why Kerry conceded the 2004 election and then proceeded to
accuse Kerry of not trying to impeach President Bush because they're
both members of the Yale Skull and Bones secret society, you know? Ooh.
Campus security then tried to gently escort Meyer out of the building,
but he seriously resisted. And they felt a Tasering might do him some
good. So they did.
I would have Tasered him just for being stupid enough to listen
to John Kerry for two hours, just yammering on. In my opinion, I don't
see Meyer as a victim of an overly aggressively law enforcement agency.
Looks as though this guy wanted to get Tasered.
And don't we live in a world of cell phone cameras and everything
else, but there seemed to be more cameras on this guy than we use to
tape this national show.
Bottom line: I think Meyer was grandstanding, looking for publicity.
What better way in this YouTube culture than to star in your own video?
Shocking, isn't it?
I've got to tell you something: I am so sick of hearing of student's
rights. When are we going to start talking about the responsibility
that these people have? And you know what, if he didn't want to
get Tasered, I certainly would have put the idea in security's head
by repeatedly screaming, "Don't Taser me, no."
Andrew Meyer, you got your fifteen minutes of fame. Sit down and shut
the pie hole.
From the September 19 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Time now for "Pinheads and Patriots". You have to stay
with me on the patriot deal tonight.
Yesterday, we reported on college student Andrew Meyer getting Tasered
for disrupting John Kerry's forum at the University of Florida.
MEYER [video clip]: Don't Tase me, bro. Don't Tase me! I didn't
do anything! Ow! Ow! Ow!
O'REILLY: Well, thanks to Andrew, we now have a new promotion.
Anyone buying anything on BillOReilly.com will receive a "Don't
Taze me, bro!" bumper sticker. And you know you want one. Everybody
wants one.
Since revenue from BillOReilly.com enables us to give hundreds of thousands
of dollars to charity, everybody wins. So because of the charity angle,
we have to make Andrew Meyer a patriot, at least for a day.
Don't Taze me, bro. We've got those bumper stickers going on.
|
Yahoo! MyWeb
