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Quoted: June 24, 1979. Here is Bay Area television news coverage of the eighth annual "Gay Freedom Day Parade And Celebration" on Market Street, San Francisco. Cover...

On April 12, British Deaf people are marching against Clause 14 (4) (9) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. The clause says that a British couple undergoing IVF *must* discard any deaf embryos, and instead choose a hearing embryo for implantation .

This is problematic for the Deaf community for two reasons: First, it takes away a Deaf couple's right (indeed, any person's right) to raise a Deaf child if they choose to use IVF technology. They view this as discriminatory and in violation of their reproductive rights. Second, and more globally, it opens the door to other frightening embryonic selection practices, such as selection against blacks, gays, or other racial, linguistic, or cultural minorities.

Oddly, IMO, high-ranking British newspapers are spinning this as the Deaf community's desire to have "designer" deaf babies. One might expect them to see the broader implications and take up the cause...but ignorance apparently has the day.

Civil War Camouflage [Pic]

A vote in the US Senate fell four votes short of what was needed to restore habeas corpus — the fundamental right of individuls to challenge government detention. Here is the record of the vote on the Cloture Motion to restore Habeas Corpus. Article 4 of the US Constitution states that habeas corpus shall not be suspended unless in cases of rebellion and invasion when the public safety may require it.

The University of Florida's response to the Andrew Meyer incident is very weak. How can anyone not be OUTRAGED at the behavior of the University of Florida Police?

Quoted: President Machen addresses issues related to student arrest
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To students, faculty, staff:
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I have received a great deal of communication and input last night and this morning regarding the incident that occurred Monday at the conclusion of a town hall forum being held by Sen. John Kerry. The incident resulted in a student being tasered.
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We are interested in learning what happened and are taking the following immediate steps to ensure the university utilizes best practice protocols.
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University of Florida Police Chief Linda Stump has requested the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conduct a formal investigation into the arrest of UF student Andrew Meyer. An independent review such as this will make sure the results are objective and impartial. Chief Stump’s priority is to ensure that the public remains confident in the department’s ability to keep the campus safe.
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Two officers involved in the incident have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
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We plan to assemble a panel of faculty and students to review our police protocols, our management practices and the FDLE report to come up with a series of recommendations for the university.
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Administrators and police officials plan to analyze the incident and conduct an internal review and will consider changing protocols in response to this incident, if necessary.
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Finally, as is standard procedure, the State Attorney’s Office will review the charges brought against Mr. Meyer. We have communicated with the State Attorney and understand he plans to expedite his review.
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I will talk about the incident and answer questions at a news conference scheduled for 2 p.m. in Emerson Alumni Hall.
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Sincerely,
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J. Bernard Machen

More incidents of police brutality and over use of force to quell free speech.

redotting x.

The full text of the Andrew Meyer arrest. There is a lot of conflicting testimony by the offers here. The also omit what I found to be important information caught on video.

Apparently, before the video, Meyer had to shout to get Kerry's attention and get his questions answered. At that point, Kerry said he would answer, but the police made the determination that he was being a disturbance.

One of the officers says he made the determination that they were going to arrest Meyer because of his "overall demeanor".

Quoted: Before Senator Kerry could attempt to answer his first question/statement, Meyer advised there were two more
questions. I leaned over to Ofc. Mallo and we made the decision that Meyer would be escorted out of the auditorium after his statements/questions due to his overall demeanor and actions.

I watched the video - and the officers did not give Meyer a chance to hear Kerry's response even after his mic was shut off. Why didn't they just let him stand there, and let Kerry either answer, or leave the auditorium. They give no justification for his arrest and removal from the auditorium; the even was over - so there was nothing more for him to "disrupt".

There is no mention that Meyer was shouting "Are you arresting me? What did I do?". One of the officers claim he was pushed my Meyer - I didn't see that - he was trying to get free but I saw no aggressive behavior against any of the officers - just defensive resistance.

The user feedback here is way off base in my opinion (including ra-ra cops who enjoy inflicting pain on those they arrest).

Here we have a scrawny 22 yo, and 6 cops can't manage to get him out of the auditorium w/o using a taser? Give me a break. And there's no way Meyer posed a threat to ANYONE in that room. Cops love their authority do not like it when people stand up to them.

A pretty flippant account of the Andrew Meyer taser-ing by the Miami Herald. I think the big headline is "Police use Excessive Force to Mute Student", not "student now a web star"!