I guess the only way I'll stop is if they taser me.
What has happened to America -- the land that I loved?
This is now AmeriKa!
Taser is Sending Chill Letters to Bloggers who Wri...
"Related
Some things TASER International Inc. would like to keep quiet
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Big Powerful STUN GUN Company On Offensive vs. bloggers - UPDATE
Submitted by Frank_Frink on November 19, 2007 - 5:52pm.
Damn! I had hoped to post something completely different today. Something a bit quirky, light, very cool, and yet worthy and important. Something a bit more pleasant and 'good news' than the topic that has been keeping us busy this past week. But noooooooo, that's down the crapper. It will keep, saved for a different rainy day. That's OK, we have no shortage of rainy days in Lotusland this time of year.
Our blogmistress, pale gets mail. She gets really innaresting mail (I often use the term 'innaresting'. It's from Neil Young. Something he says a lot - innaresting). I'm jealous. I don't get the kind of mail she gets.
In essence, here's what's up. One of the big corporate developer/manufacturer of law enforcement citizen compliance tools STUN GUNS has taken offense to a diary pale posted on Daily Kos.
They are offended on two points.
They object to the use of the term 'Taser Death' in the headline considering it as 'inaccurate, misleading, and was made with reckless disregard as to its truth'. They have also cited 'defamation, trade libel, and irreperable damage to ther company and it's products'.
And to misuse and/or innacurate use of the company's wordmark/trademark.
Now, I should point out that the e-mail correspondance is not addressed to pale personally. It's addressed to the 'Editor-in-Chief' at DailyKos.com, so in that regard this is currently an issue only for Kos and his legal team and any response should only be forthcoming from them.
Also should point out that the 'request' is only specific to that one post on Daily Kos and not for anything posted in Canada on ACR or any other Canadian blog.
That, however, may be the next step should they be displeased with the response from Daily Kos.
Personally? My personal, not a legal, opinion only is 'good luck with that'. The corporate overlords are blowing smoke. It's an initimidation tactic - using an 800-lb hammer to swat a mosquito. They hope to instill fear in one single blogger. They may succeed on that point as pale may indeed be frightened. It's never a happy occasion to receive this type of corporate legalese.
So, what do we do as the people who have pale's back?
First of all, let's wait for these folk to theraten action in regards to Canadian posts, either here at ACR or other Canadian blogs.
QUESTION: Has anyone else received similar correspondance?
Secondly, we do what we already know to do. MAKE the appropriate NOISE.
To kick it off, I'm going to openly call BIG TAY-ZER STUN GUN COMPANY on BS and shenanigans right here in this forum.
One their first point - 'objection to the use of 'taser death' and request for removal of all mention?
Pure BS. Has BIG TAY-ZER STUN GUN COMPANY sent similar C&D notices to almost every traditional media outlet and news agencies world-wide? I suspect not, they don't frighten easily for one thing, and I would be certain that they've already run the term 'taser death' past their own legal representation.
As I mentioned in a comment earlier, there are dozens upon dozens of headlines screaming 'taser death'. A lot mentioned in this news search, too.
Do I need to explicitly point out to BIG TAY-ZER STUN GUN COMPANY that nowhere in the headlines or text of the stories is the demanded requested 'oficial representation of their official wordmark/trademark' used as per the threat contained in their correspondance?
In terms of defamation and 'irreperable damage'? I note in a Canadian Press news wire item published today in many traditional news outlets that:
In the midst of a controversy about their use, the Vancouver Police Department says it's getting 70 more Taser stun guns
Nah, doesn't appear your sales are hurting. And, oops, what's this? Canadian Press didn't use your official wordmark/trademark. Aren't you going to do something about that? It's 'offensive' ya' know?
Hmmmm.. defamation? FF thinks you may have bigger fish to worry about.
An RCMP officer is suing Taser International Inc., its Canadian distributor and the Attorney-General of Canada for injuries he allegedly received when he volunteered to be exposed to the device during a police training course.
Dan Husband is alleging negligence and seeking unspecified exemplary, punitive and aggravated damages in the legal action filed in B.C. Supreme Court.
Can you say, 'oh shit'?
Open note to the general counsel and the execuitive liason of BIG TAY-ZER STUN GUN COMPANY.
Should you wish to 'come after' either ACR, it's owners, or me personally please consider the following:
All of your correspondance and documentation forwarded will be forwarded to and shared with the BC Civil Liberties Association and Electronic Frontiers Canada, as well as our network of Canadian bloggers. In addition, I will personally contact those Canadian Members of Parliament and members of the traditional Canadian media that are in my personal address book with full details of your intimidation tactics.
I am not afraid to take any and all of the above actions. All publicity is 'good' publicity, right?
And, while I may be somewhat fearful of, and very concerned about the apparent misuse of, your products, I am most emphatically not afraid of you! This dog is not easily intimidated, and this dog fights back.
In case you miss this and rely on Teh Google to find out what the cattle citizens are saying, let me add:
Taser Death
Taser Death
Taser Death
Taser Death
Taser Death
Taser Death
Taser Death
Taser Death
Taser Death
Taser Death
Taser Death
Taser Death
Taser Death
Taser Death
There!
UPDATE: No doubt you have all seen and heard various 'apologists', trolls and, yes, wingnuts state that tasers have never been proven to be the cause of death in any incident where they have been deployed, there are always 'other factors' - drugs (prescription or illegal), exisiting medical conditions, and the completely fabricated condition known as 'excited delirum'.
Well, hold on a tick. There is at least one that we know. (h/t to daMule)
A Chicago medical examiner has ruled that shocks from a Taser were responsible for the death of a man in February, marking the first time that the electronic stun gun has been named as the primary cause of death.
This is the latest challenge to Scottsdale-based Taser International's claim that its stun guns have never caused a death or serious injury and comes a week after an Illinois police department filed a class-action lawsuit claiming Taser misled law enforcement agencies about the safety of its weapon.
The death is the 18th case in which a coroner has cited Taser as a factor in someone's death and the fourth case where Taser has been named as a cause of death. But in all of those, Taser was secondary to other factors such as drugs, heart conditions or mental illness.
An autopsy report from the Cook County's Medical Examiner's Office attributed the death of Ronald Hasse, 54, to electrocution from two Taser jolts delivered by a Chicago police officer. The autopsy said methamphetamines contributed to Hasse's death.
So don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Since that report was dated July 2005 I had some concern that BIG TAY-ZER STUN GUN COMPANY used it's mighty legal weight and had appealed and won an appeal reversing that decision.
Seems not, based on this item from the Chicago Sun-Times dated November 1, 2007.
In 2005, an autopsy found a Chicago Police sergeant's Taser caused Ronald Hasse's death.
Drugs were ruled a contributing factor.
Of all the thousands of words written about the recent incident involving Mr. Dziekanski death at YVR I would like to draw your attention to two columns by Victoria Times-Colonist columinst Les Leyne.
The first, published this past Saturday November 17, 2007, is THE one that really nails it. Please also read Mr. Leyne's T-C column published today, November 20, 2007.
From the 'I did not know that' file: Something else I learned today. The origin of the word TASER. Figured it was an acronym, I just didn't the details of the acronym.
The trademarked name Taser is an acronym for "Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle".[10] Arizona inventor Jack Cover designed it in 1969 and named it for the science fiction teenage inventor and adventurer character Tom Swift.
Thanks a lot BIG TAY-ZER STUN GUN COMPANY, you just ruined a whole lot of my childhood memories."
When did the United States become the Torture States of AmeriKa?
