Is this a double standard?
Published Tue, Oct 21 2008 9:59 AM
In the Seattle Times today, I read this report about a Florida police officer being fired for Tasering a 15 year old boy.
A rookie police officer in central Florida has been fired after supervisors learned that he Tasered a teenager at a birthday party that involved underage drinking.
Eustis Police Chief Fred Cobb says 22-year-old Dan NeSmith lost his job, but the department will not charge him for shocking a 15-year-old boy in the back with his police-issued Taser last month.
A video taken at the party shows the teen volunteering to be stunned while other guests at NeSmith's Leesburg home cheer them on.
So, tell me this… was this firing an incident of “abuse of power” akin to that which Democratic Alaskan Congressmen allege about Sarah Palin? After all, she purportedly “abused her power” when she fired her Public Safety Commissioner — for not firing a trooper that Tasered her 10 year old nephew. Sarah Palin had additional reasons for firing Walter Monegan, including public insubordination over budget conflicts. Even so, those reasons were ignored over the “pressure” to fire her former brother-in-law.
Should an ethics complaint be raised against Eustis Police Chief Fred Cobb? After all, the boy Tasered in this incident was five years older than Trooper Wooten's step-son at the time of the Tasering.
Perhaps not. After all, as far as we know there were no reason's NOT to fire NeSmith. You know, the report doesn't tell us that NeSmith drank on the job like Wooten. The report doesn't tell us that NeSmith took down game without a license either like Wooten did. Nope… no extenuating circumstances there.
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David responded with:
 | Double standard? Perri, how can you be so obtuse? Of course it's not a double standard! Why! It can't be, because Palin's a fiscally responsible conservative! NOTHING she has done, can do or ever will do is ethical to the "'execrable, vile, treacherous and treasonous villains' seeking the destruction of our society."
*heh* |
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