(This is the time for Montpelier voters to come out and be heard. – promoted by Jack McCullough)
(just to be clear, although it is a crucial point in time for them to do so, the public hearing is not limited to only Montpelier voters or residents to attend or testify. it is of course open to all and all are free to speak within the limits of time allowed to do so. there will be a sign up sheet one needs to sign if they desire to speak. the committee is hoping to end at 9:00pm tonight if possible, however if it is needed, it is my understanding that an additional public hearing has been tentatively scheduled for later in the month as well — mwb aka norsehorse)
What: Taser Committee Public Hearing
When: Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 6:30 PM (EDT)
Where: City Council Chambers, Montpelier City Hall
The public hearing will be televised on local cable channel 17 as well as streamed live online, here.
Additional information, here.
Committee members: Jeff Dworkin, Chair; Zack Hughes, Co-chair; Vicki Lane, Polly Ellerbe, Nick Marro and Marilyn Mode.
View an informational slideshow of mine on Montpelier, Vermont and Tasers, here.
“Thank you for this post, as I have been following this issue, and, I must say, I find it a most distasteful one. Tasers are not only dangerous, they are RUDE. I can tell you now that their repeated use in this country has, more than once, occasioned me to consider using the Steel Hankie to call an officer’s attention to his or her inappropriate conduct. A totally uncivil gadget.”
Read the Times Argus article on the subject (not behind its paywall and free to read, at least for the moment anyway), here.
Minor point, but, with all the gadgetry Americans have come to ‘lean on’ rather than use their own wits, one of the things that bothers me about tasers is the ‘dumbing down’ of our police. It’s like–Here’s this gadget, officers; now you don’t have waste time deciding what to do in a given situation; just use the gadget. I certainly don’t want to see in the future a police officer disciplined by his/her superiors for not using the gadget and, instead, using his/her brains and skills. And, of course, Stupidity (since Bush) has become an excuse for almost everything. It’s bad enough we have stupid people running the country, but please, law enforcement is too important for us to place so much power in a gadget.
What next? Tasers for Teachers?
Montpelier Taser Committee video now streaming live, here.
e-mail opinion to Montpelier Taser Committee and identify oneself when doing so, including place of residence: tasers05602@yahoo.com
What follows are my comments as submitted by e-mail to the Montpelier Taser Committee and read during the public hearing this evening as I viewed the proceedings from the comfort of home:
The public hearing started around 6:40 PM or so and lasted until just prior to 8:00 PM (+/-).