Debateful

So my friend gave me this youtube clip of a student at John Kerry's question and answer campaign at UF. http://http://www.youtube.co...qAVvlyVbag. I think that this was totally legal and the police had the right to subdue this man. Any thoughts?

Yeah - Since when is Freedom of Speech illegal? What he was doing was genuinely questioning things. Granted, he was doing it in such a way that was slightly forced, but there was no threat on Kerry's life. Why do you think that what happened was considered legal?

Do I think that his actions was uncalled for? Probably. Do I think he should have the right to do that? Of course. The First Amendment to the United States stated that we have the freedom of speech.

Freedom of speech has its limits people. The police had the right to escort him out because he was making a joke out of the whole campaign. He was causing a disturbance. Kerry was kind enough to come down to the University of Florida to answer some questions and this person decided to make a joke out of it.

Since when does Freedom of Speech have its limits? If you read the actual words of the first amendment, you will see this:

Now, where does it say in there that we can have freedom of speech, but if the police feel what we are saying is 'wrong,' we can be taken away? How was he disorderly? Because he was questioning the man's motives? Because he was against Kerry's political flip-floppiness? How is that wrong? Are we not entitled to our opinions?

This guy's name was Andrew Meyer. "I got up there and tried my best to be the biggest, craziest [censored] I could be, but the cops wouldn't tase me," recalled Meyer. "So I pushed myself to my physical limit, flailing and screaming, and finally they tackled and jolted me. It felt like getting a wedgie from God or something. It was awesome, and I hope to do it again really soon." according to http://http://www.ridiculopathy&...hp?id=1926. That sounds like disrupting the peace to me. This was suppose to be a serious question and answer session and this [censored] came up and disrupted it with crude humor. Then when the police asked him to stop he resisted arrest. This is kind of like the same concept as if you were to yell fire in a theater and there actually wasn't a fire.

Unfortunately, this is but a taste of what is to come if we don't stand up for our rights of freedom of speech. As a libertarian, and a human being, I view this act is absolutely despicable, and in violation of the Constitution, whether or not he was doing in intentionally or not, he has a right to speak his mind without having thousands of volts of electricity coursing through his body. And the way John Kerry kept going, actually answering the man's question WHILE he's being dragged out and then shocked. Shame.

Freedom of speech? Let me ask you this. What would happen if you went up to the microphone and started saying heil hitler and long live the KKK as loud as possible. Would this be legal? This guy was disrupting the peace in the room by yelling and acting obnoxious. Disrupting the peace is a crime and can be punishable in the state of Florida. The police did not taser him because of what he said. They tased him because he resisted arrest. It does not matter what you did. If you resist arrest then you are breaking the law.

Actually, on the contrary, you do have the right to join the KKK because it's freedom. Sure, many people may oppose it severely but we can't shut them down because that would be taking away their freedom of speech listed in first amendment. Do you see those walks that the KKK are doing? They're allowed to do that as long as nobody gets harmed and in perilous way. Do I like it that they're walking in the streets? No, but they do have freedom. If we didn't have the first amendment, imagine what we and our society would be like.

John, you are wrong. Although it is okay to join the KKK and voice your opinions that is not what this is all about. This was a senatorial visit from John Kerry. You cannot yell KKK on the microphone because that would be disrupting the peace. KKK has nothing to do with the discussion at UF so therefore if anyone were to yell it out for no apparent reason it would be disrupting the peace. Mr. Meyer repeatedly asked numerous questions without giving Kerry a chance to answer them. This shows that he was trying to disrupt the meeting. On top of that we also have proof that this guy planned it all out. He wanted to disrupt the forum and by doing so the police just wanted to kindly ask him to leave. Instead he resisted and resisted.