"Don't tase me, bro!"

Police providing security at a University of Florida function decided, in their infinite policey wisdom, to taser a student who asked too many questions. You can watch the video on youtube pretty easily if you really want to see cops tasering college students. Personally, being raised by a hairy legged braless hippy like I was, I could easily envision it before I saw it. A college student asks a politician a question which criticises the current administration (such as "How could you concede the election?") , during an unnecessary and unwinnable war, and the police rush in to attack. Just another reason to compare Iraq to Vietnam, Bush to Nixon, tasers to fire hoses.

So, what should the cops have done? I don't know, honestly. If the kid was coming off as a nutjob (apparently he rushed security to even get in the place) and the cops thought he might waste Kerry's whole appearance by monopolizing the forum and rambling on about Bush, then yeah, they had to get him out of there. Other kids have a right to ask questions too. So yeah, I blame it on the overworked, under-trained cops scared of being blamed for an event going bust because they didn't get the wackjob out. But more, I blame it on the system.

Politicians, especially the far-right Republican ones, love to throw around the founding fathers bit and talk about what this country was founded on. Apparently, my public education was all wrong. See, I thought this country was founded on being able to question your elected officials, on liberty for all and basic freedoms. Schoolhouse Rock taught me some of this. But I learn now that this country was founded on homophobia and Christian Theocracy and on "Love it or leave it!" Sad, really. Someone should start a country based on freedom and liberty. Otherwise this little experiment in democracy may be forgotten in the annals of time. I guess it was kinda doomed from the start anyway, being built upon a foundation of genocidal land theft and all. Oh well. Sing with me: Oh Canada!

Look, how are we supposed to question out elected officials? I have written to my congressman, and been ignored and responded to with dismissive form letters. I have called the state capitol and been thanked for my time and interest by lackey volunteers who probably are just glad they can work the phones. Don't get me wrong, I would be the lackey volunteer if I could, and I probably wouldn't be able to figure out the Capitol phone system. But come on, only a few hand-picked people ever get to ask a question from an elected official, and even they don't get an answer, just spin and rhetoric. I can't even get a candidate to add me as a friend on MySpace! And yes, I realize that John Kerry isn't an official in Florida, but who do you go to for answers? Cindy Sheehan had the power of the press and legions of supporters behind her and all she wanted was to talk to the president. Sure, she got the pat party-line condolences visit once while she was in shock from the death of her son. But after that, when she was thinking a little more clearly and a couple more questions had occurred to her, she tried to get a hold of her buddy George, the guy who had been so sympathetic before, and couldn't get through. I understand the frustration, especially compounded by grief. The brain sort of reroutes it's purpose during grieving, shifts the focus from the pain to whatever other task happens to pop up. This is why people devote so much energy to funeral plans. This is also why women have historically done their best cooking after the death of a loved one. Cindy, however, had a more important task. She had a question or two and she was not going to be ignored. Schoolhouse Rock had taught her that it was okay for her to question her leaders. And suddenly her world was one where nothing was okay and she had no power, so she was not going to give up on this. Her son had died and she wanted answers, and Bush hid behind gates and fences and Secret Service agents and ignored her. Her son had died in his war and he didn't have the decency to take five minutes out of his months of vacations to sit down and be a human, a fellow parent, and talk to her.

Cindy Sheehan, the kid at U of F, just people who desperately wanted a question or two answered. Why can't anyone be heard anymore?