Wednesday, July 23, 2008

TN! of the Week: Const. Adam Cheadle, Winnipeg Police

Let's be clear about this right from the start: NOBODY deserves to die at age 17, comprende?

Yet there's one officer that keeps up the good-old rant for Taser: Constable Adam Cheadle of the Winnipeg Police Service.

Here's the bit that got him nominated:

"[Tasers are] another less-than-lethal option for them to utilize," he said.
Well, sir, is there any decency in you? How DARE you to call the taser less-than-lethal, right after this 17 year old boy died from it!?!

Actually that wasn't a rhetorical question. Let him answer it for himself (CBC News, December 17, 2007):
"Tasers are not meant to replace firearms," Cst. Adam Cheadle, the service's use of force co-ordinator, said in a recent interview. "The Taser is on the same playing field as a baton or [pepper] spray."
Let me see if I got that right:
- Don't feel like using your baton today? No problem. Use a taser.
- Too many people at the airport to use pepper spray (wink, wink)? No problem. Use the taser.

Is this Constable serious? Can't he see how inhumane his standards are? Doesn't he now 361+ people who have died after being tasered?

When a Constable starts training inhumane standards for using the taser, and has the guts to repeat the false claim that the taser is less-than-lethal right after the latest Winnipeg taser death, I'm left no other (100% non-lethal) choice than to congratulate Cst. Adam Cheadle with his nomination for taser nazi of the week.

Congratulations!

LINKS
- CTV: Winnipeg Police kill 17 year old boy with less-than-less-than-lethal taser
- CBC: Don't feel like using your baton today? NO PROBLEM!
- Getting it Right: We at the Vancouver RCMP prefer the taser because we're just not very fond of using pepper spray; it hurts the officers eyes and all.

Boy in Winnipeg's Taser killing was only 17 years old

Yes, I believe this is a first for Winnipeg:

The suspect who died after being hit by a Winnipeg police stun gun was 17 years old [...]
Wonderful, I remember my 17th birthday quite well (and my 18th, and my 19th and so on).
[Const. Jacqueline] Chaput said the victim, whom she declined to name, was viewed as a suspect in an attempted car theft.
I see, a 17 year old kid attempting a car theft is currently enough reason to taser someone to death; nice job, Winnipeg Police Services, no need to apologize to the victims relatives then.

LINKS
- Vancouver Sun: "Boy in Winnipeg's taser killing was only 17 years old"

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Winnipeg Police's first taser killing is probably not their last

Disappointing, but expected: Canada has another taser death.

WINNIPEG - A man died Tuesday after being shocked with a Taser by Winnipeg police in a back lane behind a city home.

Investigators had taped off a large area to investigate the incident Tuesday evening.
A police spokeswoman said it was the first time a suspect has died after a Winnipeg officer has used an "electronic control device."
Trust me, Winnipeg Police Services; it might be your first taser death, but as long as you don't get rid of those electo-torture shock guns, it won't be your last.
"The male was conveyed to hospital in critical condition and has since succumbed to his injuries," said Const. Jacqueline Chaput.
Dare I ask “what injuries?” I though the taser was supposed to be the (warning: sales pitch ahead) non-lethal weapon of the future?
[An eyewitness, ] owner of [a] store who identified himself as Dave, said the man walked calmly across the street, turned around and began giving the occupants of [a black Chevrolet Suburban] the car the finger.
I always tell people, “don't finger black Chevrolet Suburbans because, hey, there could be police with tasers in there; and we all know the kind of hobbies they like”

You'd think that the police has something better to do (while at work) than killing people that “finger” them; apparently not.

Getting it Right knows that tasers kill. The only police forces that won't contribute to the rising taser deaths in North America (361+ dead) are those forces that don't use them.

Just a thought.

LINKS

- Ottawa Citizen: Winnipeg Police kill suspect with Taser
- Taser.org: Tasers kill AND are "non-lethal"; isn't it amazing?
- Truth not Tasers: Do Tasers kill? Some numbers that speak for themselves (except for when you're a police officers - so much for being in touch with the rest of us)


Friday, July 18, 2008

BC Premier Gordon Campbell's support for killers of Robert Dziekanski is disgusting

There are quite a few things to be learnt from one of CBC's latest Access To Information (ATI) requests, consisting of email exchanges between RCMP Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass and RCMP Commissioner William Elliot. Here's the obvious (read the emails at the bottom of this posting):

  1. The RCMP's “law and order” ideology is highly supported by BC's top Liberal administrators, including (well-known drunk and overpaid monkey) Gordon Campbell.

  2. The RCMP doesn't trust the Globe and Mail, suggesting the paper is biased against the RCMP.

  3. The RCMP doesn't trust the public at large, especially those critical of the RCMP.

  4. The RCMP's own investigation was part of the overall media strategy to whitewash the killing of Robert Dziekanski by the four RCMP officers.

Let's get a bit more detail here:

(1) Do you remember what happened to BC's Premier in January 2003? Wikipedia does! He's Canada's only premier that has spent time in jail due to drinking and driving, yet is still in office. Driving with a blood-alcohol concentration level of above .08 per cent he COULD have easily killed someone!

Compare that with Robert Dziekanski's final “holiday trip” to heaven, killed after being tasered to hell and back. Having spent hours in the Vancouver airport's security zone, not knowing where to go and what to do next, he just lost it. Yes, he threw some computer stuff around, but anyone who has seen the Dziekanski Tasering video would agree with me that Dziekanski himself WASN'T going to kill anyone, not in a million years.

We now know that Gordon Campbell was highly supportive of the Force and the four officers involved.

(2) The anti Globe and Mail bias was quite revealing to me. I personally don't take the G & M too seriously (because of it's overall corporate and culturally conservative bias), but why does the RCMP hate the Globe and Mail so much? Perhaps point #3 is the answer?

(3) Gary Bass labels those critical of the RCMP as “armchair quarterbacks”. The derogatory seems to be used to disqualify all criticism, regardless of the validity.

I'm pretty sure that the majority of the people who saw the video were appalled by how the four RCMP officers “solved” the “C.E.W. incident”... there were plenty of very good reasons for critical discourse. Why did the RCMP use the taser on an unarmed immigrant in one of the most secure zones of the Vancouver Airport? Why did the RCMP have to kill Robert Dziekanski? Why did the RCMP not try to resuscitate Robert Dziekanski? Why did RCMP tell so many lies about the killing? Why have the killers not been charged? Who are the RCMP officers? Why are their names not made public? All valid questions (if you ask me), but non of them have ever been answered properly, and no apology has been made either.

The RCMP might not trust the public, but with "incidents" like these we surely can't trust the RCMP, and for overly obvious reasons: they get away with killing and lying without further consequences.

(4) Whitewash galore! At least the RCMP gets some things done! Remember Ian Bush? He was the youngster that was shot in the back of his head by the incredible rubber mountie while in custody. No serious problem for the RCMP spin machine (as long as pesky video cameras have been turned off, and ATI requests can be neutralized).

And the same RCMP started their media campaign in the Dziekanski killing case right "from the get-go". Remember Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre, lying through his teeth? I do.

Make no mistake about it; Robert Dziekanski was killed by four RCMP officers. And plenty of people have helped to cover it up or whitewash it, including Gordon Campbell:

[Gordon Campbell] was highly complementary of the Force, disappointed over the degree of criticism, and wants to support [the four RCMP officers that killed Robert Dziekanski] somehow.”

Supporting killers now, Mr. Gordon Campbell?


LINKS
- CBC: RCMP e-mails throw Dziekanski Taser probe into question, critics say
- Dr Dawg: Ian Bush and the incredible rubber mountie
- Wikipedia: I'm Gordon Campbell, and I got caught drinking and driving
- Wikipedia: Ian Bush (1983 -2005)
- Benediction Blogs On: RCMP Emails regarding Robert Dziekanski's taser-death(pdf)
- Getting it right: something fishy about Sergeant Pierre Lemaitre...
- Getting it right: Robert Dziekanski

Rush transcript of the emails:
---------------------------------------------------
2007/12/04 Gary Bass - Re: Members Involved in YVR C.E.W. Incident

From: Gary BASS
To: Elliot, William
Subject: Re: Members Involved in YVR C.E.W. Incident

That's great. I'm sure that they did appreciate the call as do I your comments of support.
This is really tough business these days and really hard on the men and women in the trenches trying so hard to serve well.
When I arrived home tonight, there was a Langley Det car and two young members next door.

[ deleted material]

It sure made me very proud. Not likely to see that one in the G and M in the morning, or anyone else for that matter.

Gary.
-----Original Message-----
From: William Elliott
To: BASS, Gary <00000t654.ops.ediv_ehq>

Sent: 11/15/2007 10:44:39 PM
Subject: Re: Members Involved in YVR C.E.W. Incident

Thanks Gary,

I have just now placed calls to all 4 members. I spoke to 3 of the 4.

The only person I did not reach is [deleted material] I left a message on his home voicemail indicating who was calling and that I would try again to reach him. I'll try to do that tomorrow.

I know this is tough and you and all our folks in E Division. Please be assured of my ongoing support.

Bill
-----Original Message-----
From: Gary BASS
Cc: MACINTYRE, Al <000001690.ops.ediv_ehq>
Cc: BOUCHER, Byron <000038391.ops.ediv_ehq>
Cc: PETERS, Gerry <000039349.ops.ediv_ehq>
Cc: Rideout, Wayne <000037745.sc.ediv_lmd>
To: Booth, Rod <000036789.nhq3.ncr_hq>
To: Elliott, William <000163439.nhq4.ncr_hq>

Sent: 11/15/2007 9:33:28 PM
Subject: Re: Members Involved in YVR C.E.W. Incident

Cmmr;
Further to our conversation today, I confirmed with the OIC IHIT that your proposed calls will not be a problem. I will call them as well after you have done so.
You can be confident that a highly professional and thorough job is being done by the team. CPC are fully engaged and pleased with the cooperation they are receiving.
Lots of armchair quarterbacks on the news there tonight and linkages to the Bush case. The sooner the CPC makes that release the better. We are monitoring very closely and I will once again review the duty status with the Crops Officer inthe (sic) morning.

[ deleted material]

2007/12/04 Gary BASS - YVR

From: Gary BASS
To: William Elliott, Bill Sweeney
Date: 2007/11/24 10:47
Subjecty: YVR

I just ran into our Premier at the airport and we had a great discussion on the issue generally. He had called Mrs. Cisowski yesterday just after we left there. He was highly complimentary of the Force, disappointed over the degree of criticism and wants to support the members involved somehow. He asked me to think about what he could do in this regard and get back to him next week.
He supports the continued use of Taser and any other tools which support and protect our members. He said that the inquiry will not be a negative attack on the Force but a focused examination of all the issues. Extremely positive and supportive comments which we really cannot do much with but good to know.

Gary


Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Morgentaler's award aggraded! Abortionists and atheists are counting their blessings

Today was a good day for atheist in this country, at least if one may argue what some self-proclaimed followers of Jesus Christ (also known as "Christians") have argued lately: that giving the award to persons with questionable moral believes "degrades" the honour.

This his how reverend (and convicted criminal) Lucien Larré put it:

"When you're in the [repressive "pro-fetus + anti-choice"] movement, and someone who is [pro] abortion gets the Order of Canada, it degrades the Order of Canada for all those who believe in [rights for fetusses] ," he told [CTV's lazy lapdog journalists].

There is some merit in this "militant" (how much I love the conservative vocabulary) way of thinking, and I think we would do wrong to dismiss it solely on the basis that it is brought forward by someone as delusional as Lucien.

I have had thoughts about returning an award myself. Not that I was offered too many in my lifetime, but once in a while I do apply for scholarship awards or commission works. And one the one time a was granted an arts council award I was somewhat hesitant to accept it. Not long after I had applied for it I found out that part of the arts councils own funding was financed through the earnings of the BC Lottery Corporation: in other words, gambling addicted people with humongous debts were partly funding my scholarship. Yes, the world is somewhat complicated, isn't it?

I did consider returning a third of the scholarship (I seem to remember that I somehow found out that the lotery Corp was funding the arts council for 1/3), but since the money I would be getting would only cover 1/2 of my budget deficit to begin with, I swallowed my morals. But not without feeling guilty about this ever since.

Back to the order of day:

On Tuesday, members of the Madonna House Apostolate took the Order of Canada medal and framed citation back to Rideau Hall in Ottawa to [show] their objections to what they called "the serious misdirection of our country and many of its leaders."

Were they referring to our "honourable" prime minister Stephen Harper here too? I know Stephen is a briber, but he's also a devout believer of his own version of the great delusion. This leaves me confused.

But also relieved.

The return of all these Orders is excellent news for atheists and pro-abortionists! Criminals and followers of "intelligent design" returning their Order, combined with the long-overdue award for pro-abortion advocate and atheist Dr. Henry Morgentaler aggrades the award significantly.

Now if only ALL servants of God would return their Orders....wishful thinking from an atheist, I suppose. "Count your blessings, Eric", He said. And all was good.

LINKS

- CTV: Criminal priest critical of pro-abortion Morgentaler
- Wikipedia: Lucien Larré
- Wikipedia: pro-fetus + anti-choice = repressive
- Wikipedia: The God Delusion
- Getting it Right: Stephen the briber
- Wikipedia: Stephen Harper's delusion
- Wikipedia: "I don't believe in evolution" and other junk science