Photo from source, GregPalast.com
Since his book is what sparked (sorry) this fracas, it's only appropriate to hear what Greg Palast has to say on the matter. And any interest I can generate (sorry again) in Greg Palast's electrifying (OK, I'm not sorry, I'm just immature) is absolutely justified. It's a fantastic and enlightening (heh) book.
[Excerpt]
Read the excerpt from Armed Madhouse that got Andrew Meyer’s in trouble.We warned you: ‘Armed Madhouse’ is a dangerous book. Yesterday, Andrew Meyer, a University of Florida student was attacked by five cops, zapped with tasers and arrested after demanding that Senator John Kerry answer the question. [snip]
The Washington Post reported only that Meyers was holding a “mysterious yellow book.” VERY mysterious. [snip]
I must admit I feel some appreciation for Meyers, especially because, even while he was being shot with untold amps of electricity, until he was handcuffed, he would not let go of his mysterious yellow book, ‘Armed Madhouse.’
Read the rest at: GregPalast.com
Having read several excerpts from the Palast site I have a problem with the hyperbole that permeates some of the commentaries. In your blog citation Palast writes that poor Meyers "...is being shot with untold amps of electricity,..." Certainly hyperbole in the writing, but worse yet, inaccurate. Were Meyers shot with untold AMPS of electricity he would be very DEAD! The Taser is a high-VOLTAGE stun gun delivering milli-AMPS of electricity. You may argue that the disctinction between volts and amps is an esoteric one, but Palast has a obligation to get it said correctly. The reason of his existence is the specificity and corresctness of the information he is delivering to the public.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know. I've heard other commentators interchangeably using amps, volts and watts, with ever exaggeraged numbers 50,000 watts!
ReplyDeleteAs a blogger, I'll cut him a little slack. If it was in one of his books, not so much. Blog posts are written in 20 minutes or so. . .easy to goof. Maybe you should drop Palast a comment, and he'll fix it.