Tasers? The great Canadian Taser controversy on CBC's "National" - 25min piece - video link

[Bozita]

Right side under the header:
http://www.cbc.ca/national/

Starts roughly 25 minutes into the broadcast.

Typical CBC stuff. Puts US MSM to shame.

CBC News, the gold standard of North American journalism.

CRIME/JUSTICE
Your Turn - The Death of Robert Dziekanski
Airs tonight (Tuesday)
A Special Edition of the National. Your questions about Vancouver International Airport; about the RCMP and police training. Susan Ormiston talks with Toronto Chief of Police Bill Blair; and we'll have an interview live with the chairman of Taser International.

Comments

I think that the RCMP overeacted in this situation. I think that there was even no need for the tasers and the brutality used. I think the RCMP is at fault for this bad news.

Posted by: Yifan | November 27, 2007 07:37 PM
The focus has been on the use of the Taser, the excuses of the users when fatalities occur, and associated problems, yet the use of tranquilizer darts to control animals has been seen for years--apparently successfully. Why are tranquilizer darts not used to subdue humans? Is it a case of the Taser marketeers getting to the police forces first?

Posted by: Earl Fjarlie | November 27, 2007 07:37 PM
There is no doubt how this is all going to end. Likely a few suspended-with-pay officers will be later reassigned to duty somewhere far from Vancouver Airport.

Posted by: Jon | November 27, 2007 07:36 PM
Robert Dziekanski had no cellphone - bouncing a chair off the plexiglass barrier was, in the end, his only way of dialling 911. And it worked - except that before they could pay any attention to his needs the police felt they needed to taser him, for safety's sake. Truth be told, he died of surreal ignorance and spectacular neglect. Now, posthumously, (with a macabre irony befitting this archetypal episode of "The Twilight Zone"), he's finally got our attention. Better late than never.
So many of us have cried "Bullies! Cowards!", surely it is clear that the public's respect for the uniform has been sharply diminished - which can only further compromise the safety of all RCMP members. Far short of inviting respect, they encourage a new breed of terrorist.
With deeper reflection, it may be found that even in applications that are not catastrophically inept and inappropriate (as this one was) tasers may ultimately be doing more harm than good - to those who use them!
Protocals for taser use are bound to be determined professionally - ie, operationally, and with a calculating eye to actuarial tables, insurance premiums, the endless drizzle of extremely fine print. It is more than likely that they will, for perfectly valid, logical reasons, require police officers to adopt bullying and cowardly postures. That would gravely imperil us all.
Christopher Nutter

Posted by: Christopher Nutter | November 27, 2007 06:54

[AX10]

1. kick

[LibertyorDeath]

2. Thanks for this

Rec

[PSPS]

3. The CBC has been all over this as they should be. Check this out:

When the sleep-inducing Alain Jolicoeur, president of the CBSA, tried to cut short his weeks-late press conference yesterday, the attending press would have none of it.

The shouting match begins at about 4:50 into this video:

http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/8752/bc/ondemand/video/JOLICOEURqna.wmv

Notice at the end of the 14-minute clip how he runs away at the end.

Had this been bush or one of his cronies, either they'd have a fake news conference with paid shills "asking questions," or the american press corpse would be hooting it up like they did with, "nope! no wmd's under there!"

yuk, yuk, puke.

[PDJane]

4. It's a different country........

We hide different things. However, this particular administration is trying very hard to gut CBC.

[Bozita]

5. That should be required viewing for all students in Journalism 101

Here in the States, of course.

[Bozita]

6. kick

[Bozita]

7. kick

[Lisa]

8. Pleased to see my tax dollars going to support inquiry like this

Though I know that it does make people uncomfortable, it's essential. There have been so many stories exposed because someone at the CBC got on it. (And as another poster commented, there is a lot of other stuff going on up here that does get hidden successfully ... we need more of this kind of work.)

And thanks to the Americans who have posted their compliments here. I know that there are media outlets in the US that can do coverage that's just as comprehensive and thoughtful ... but it often doesn't get nationwide play, or is being stifled for lack of resources.

I'm pleased also that Canadian public (not quite the same thing as "government") funding back documentary filmmaking, the arts, and even political satire.

I will never forget the CBC Radio coverage of the Montreal Massacre. I've heard nothing like it since then, even during 9/11.

And then there are the late-night shows. Who at CBC does the bookings for "The Hour"? On one recent episode, they had Naomi Klein, Jeff Goldblum, Paul Anka, and Craig Ferguson.