It would be helpful if everyone read what actually happened or watched the unedited video.

Well I've seen two videos of footage regarding the event. And by judging from the videos, the guy was polite in the beginning, but as soon as he asked questions he got heated up, from the subject matter he was discussing, and that was when the officials and police got into it. Perhaps his alloted time expired yes, but he was getting to the point of his questions, when he was cut off, and taken away. I don't agree with that at all. Yes, I agree his time was alotted, but he was probably getting to his major point before being cut off. I feel that the police and the officials definitely could have handled that situation better, instead of taking him away. The only time I felt the student was wrong was when he resisted the arrest, that screwed him over. Either way, something needs to be done about this, because its just pathetic and ridiculous.

Yes!

We should repeal all laws regarding disturbing the peace!

Exactly! That is genius BlueMikey.

Creating a reaction among the audience doesn't mean he "disturbed the peace".

How is yelling and screaming NOT disturbing the peace?

He didn't really start yelling and screaming until they apprehended him. Thought crime, whoop-whoop.

The kid was looking for a reaction to begin with. He was not poking around with educated, intelligent questions, he was throwing around conspiracy theories and idiotic banter after he forced his way to the front of the line in the first place. Its no different than people putting on costumes and screaming during the Petraeus talks. Of course your ass is going to get dragged out, you only showed up to cause shit in the first place.

I really hate that 'yelling fire in a crowded room' anology. Coherently speaking your opinion in a political forum, no matter how ridiculous and off-base the opinion or how overzealous and loud-mouthed you are about it, does not put anyone in danger (aside from making everyone in the room a bit stupider by listening) and should NEVER be considered "disturbing the peace" or else we truly do live in a fascist police state.

However, this kid cut in line and was still too late to speak to Kerry, but because of his enthusiasm, was allowed to stand up and speak last anyway. I would have liked to see some random college student stand up and crack him in the face in the middle of his monologue rather than watch him get tackled by cops.

So you want to abolish breaching the peace laws that don't cause injury, but you're perfectly fine with people attacking each other.

Very logical.

No. It just would have been funny to see a douchebag get punched. In this context, he really was no longer speaking in a public forum. The forum was closed. He was out of line. I don't care who stops him.

The article said that he begged them not to use the taser, meaning that he would have probably stopped acting obnoxious and "disturbing the peace" ~ whatever, also meaning the should not have tazered him.

Kid should have been fucking tasered for calling someone "bro."

You know of course that him getting tasered validates his behavior, right?

Denicalis, I want to see some kind of proof that this guy actually forced his way to the front of the line. This "fact" comes from the same CNN that assumed the Virginia Tech shooter was a gamer, and said as much on live TV, despite having absolutely no proof. (there was, in fact, proof to the contrary, but they presented speculation and heresay as fact) I hope nobody can take issue with me distrusting a network known for such sensationalism. Also, I suspect that anything you've heard about this young man is colored by the personal opinions and beliefs of those who made the statements about him, and thus must be taken with many grains of salt.

It's not the job of police to follow orders. If, at any time, they feel their orders are unjust, it's their duty to refuse action. The law serves the people, not the other way around. If the laws fail to serve the people, then they are, by definition, unjust and/or useless. Some of the greatest atrocities are committed by folks who are "just doing their job", and while America isn't quite Nazi Germany or Burma, it doesn't mean that it's people are 100% free from oppression, nor does it mean that its governing body is healthy and functionally serving the people.

Democratic government's sole purpose is serving the people, through direct communication between the governing body and the people it serves. Through these public forums, presidential candidates learn what the people want, and the people learn where the candidates stand so they can cast an intelligent ballot. If the people cannot question authority or potential authority, if they are cut out of the decision-making process and denied the chance to make informed decisions, then democracy is either threatened or entirely non-existent. Democracy without debate is only an illusion of democracy.

Y'all keep talking about how this guy was disturbing the peace, but I wonder how you can actually justify that belief. Not one person was being hurt, not one person was getting anything other than what they went there to see: people asking questions of a politician.

I'm quite glad that he didn't go quietly, because this moment in history would've likely gone un-noticed by folks like us. The issue isn't that he got tased at all, really, but that he was forcibly removed from a public forum for asking questions that did not meet someone's approval. In a true democracy, John Kerry would have answered all of the questions, in order, and then moved on. He could give honest answers and help his campaign, or he could dance around the truth and look like a tool. Either way, the democratic process would have worked as it should. Cutting him off and dragging him out (taser or none) was a kick in the balls to the millions of American soldiers who've given their lives for liberty throughout history. Now, not only are you accepting the rape of the democracy that those before you worked so hard to build, you're laughing at the victims.

WTF?

Couldn't it be just as well argued that the police were serving the public by removing an unwanted person from the forum (not to mention that it's taking place on the campus and not some vague "public property," so I imagine they'd have their own rights as to determine what sort of behavior and acts should and shouldn't be allowed)?

True, but then you're violating the spirit of experimentation that colleges are supposed to facilitate, and that all ideas must be allowed a platform even if they are stupid as fuck ideas concerning Skull and Bones/Free Masons/Illuminati/12 Jew Bankers.

Yeah, I guess my school did host that black dude that was telling his audience the jews should be quaking in their seats because their time was up.

I think every school has its Free Speech Zone crazies, and if they don't well what the fuck is wrong with them? I went to a satellite college and we had a guy spreading the gospel that blacks are criminal animals that'll feel the sting of God's wrath.