2008 Woodie Awards
In Response: 'Police wrong in silencing student'
Issue date: 10/1/07 Section: Op-Ed
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This is in response to the article "police officers mistake in silencing a student" at the University of Florida.
Author Mark Twain once said, "It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the discretion never to practice either."
Andrew Meyer, University of Florida, should have thought of that before he disrupted Senator John Kerry during his speech. Meyer thought that Kerry should answer a number of his questions before the program ended, which Kerry was willing to do, but instead, Meyer ended up being rightfully arrested and tasered by police for resisting arrest.
Meyer may have been provoking the police to tase him as a stunt that he could add to his online accounts on Facebook and Myspace. He was known as the joker and clown to get a laugh. His Web site proves this. However, after spending one night in jail for the charges, he had no comment about that night or the day before it.
A video clip of Meyer questioning of Kerry and his arrest is available online. Meyer first asks questions to Kerry in the middle of his speech. From Meyer's tone, he was rude and did not allow time for the senator to answer his questions. An officer asked him to leave, but he refused to and continued to talk.
The microphone Meyer was talking into was turned off, but he did not seem he care. He continued to ask questions and then answered them himself or ranted about that topic. In the background of the video, people began to leave and groan about him badgering Kerry, not wanting to hear Meyer talk anymore. Again, police attempted to get him to leave peacefully, but he was upset his microphone was turned off.
As seen in the video, there are about four police officers that attempt to escort Meyer out of the building so that they can place him under arrest for disturbing the peace. Only one officer is holding him at this point. The officers asked him to leave as they walked him towards the exit, and he would not listen as he tried to return to bother Kerry with past and current affairs. The police had no choice but to do anything they could to maintain their safety and the safety of everyone else in the building. The police were right in demanding that he leave as he was disrupting the organization the school put together for its students. He was not exercising freedom of speech as he was not protesting for a cause of what he believes. Freedom of speech does not include badgering another person to answer questions.
Author Mark Twain once said, "It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the discretion never to practice either."
Andrew Meyer, University of Florida, should have thought of that before he disrupted Senator John Kerry during his speech. Meyer thought that Kerry should answer a number of his questions before the program ended, which Kerry was willing to do, but instead, Meyer ended up being rightfully arrested and tasered by police for resisting arrest.
Meyer may have been provoking the police to tase him as a stunt that he could add to his online accounts on Facebook and Myspace. He was known as the joker and clown to get a laugh. His Web site proves this. However, after spending one night in jail for the charges, he had no comment about that night or the day before it.
A video clip of Meyer questioning of Kerry and his arrest is available online. Meyer first asks questions to Kerry in the middle of his speech. From Meyer's tone, he was rude and did not allow time for the senator to answer his questions. An officer asked him to leave, but he refused to and continued to talk.
The microphone Meyer was talking into was turned off, but he did not seem he care. He continued to ask questions and then answered them himself or ranted about that topic. In the background of the video, people began to leave and groan about him badgering Kerry, not wanting to hear Meyer talk anymore. Again, police attempted to get him to leave peacefully, but he was upset his microphone was turned off.
As seen in the video, there are about four police officers that attempt to escort Meyer out of the building so that they can place him under arrest for disturbing the peace. Only one officer is holding him at this point. The officers asked him to leave as they walked him towards the exit, and he would not listen as he tried to return to bother Kerry with past and current affairs. The police had no choice but to do anything they could to maintain their safety and the safety of everyone else in the building. The police were right in demanding that he leave as he was disrupting the organization the school put together for its students. He was not exercising freedom of speech as he was not protesting for a cause of what he believes. Freedom of speech does not include badgering another person to answer questions.
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