Trooper tasered Palin's 11 y.o. nephew, but he asked for it?

[ben_meyers]

I might have tried to fire his ass too just for being a stupid jackass.

http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,6244576,00.jpg

THE police officer at the heart of the 'Troopergate' scandal says he is no threat to Sarah Palin's family, despite using a stun gun on the vice-presidential candidate's nephew.

The Alaska Legislature is investigating whether Governor Palin fired former public safety commissioner Walt Monegan because he would not dismiss state trooper Mike Wooten.

Mr Wooten went through a messy divorce from Governor Palin's sister.

Mr Wooten, 36, has admitted using a Taser on his stepson, yesterday calling it "a poor choice".

According to Mr Wooten, he had returned from a Taser instruction class and the fascinated boy pleaded to be shot.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24325497-5012748,00.html

[Ashy Larry]

1. Its Alaska. Kids get bored.

[JVS]

2. LOL

[ColbertWatcher]

3. Didn't he already get punished for this old, old shit? n/t

[BlooInBloo]

4. Yes. Cops fucking suck. And so do those who use the power of their offfice...

to harass their employees.

[beac]

7. Yup, he did, And that was the crux of Monegan's argument against firing him--

he'd already been punished and going back to re-punish him was impossible.

Naturally, Moosolini didn't share his sense of fairness.

[crimsonblue]

5. my friends would tase each other all the time

One of my friends bought a stun gun, and they would tase themselves to see how long they could hold it (turns out, a very long time, because it becomes almost impossible to remove it from yourself). They would also sneak up on people and give them a nive little buzz on the butt. Really mature friends I have. :P

[uppityperson]

6. Stepdad trooper tased Palin's nephew

[JBoris]

8. He looks like "Heroes" actor Greg Grunberg:

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3384841216/nm0342399

[MiniMe]

9. What I heard was that the kid was curious and Wooten used the taser on

stun setting. Was the guy an ass? Most likely. He certainly was wrong about that. However, no matter how wrong he was, it was wrong for Palin to use her office to get Wooten fired.

[MercutioATC]

11. "Stun setting"??? ....as opposed to "Kill setting"?

There are no settings. It shocks ya. That's pretty much it.

...and unless you tase somebody in certain places, it just causes a little momentary pain from the shock and a short period of a "wooden" feeling in the limb tased.

[MiniMe]

15. Test setting.

Like I said, it sounds like the trooper was an ass. But Palin was still wrong to use her office to try to get him fired.

[MercutioATC]

16. Agreed. Stupid thing for him to do, but he WAS reprimanded for it.

[MiniMe]

20. Yes, he was reprimanded and suspended I believe

But Palin was still wrong to try to get him fired, and then firing the guy who wouldn't fire Wooten.

[MercutioATC]

22. Exactly. That's the real story here.

He did something stupid (a few times) and was punished. He's not the issue.

The issue is that Palin tried to use her position to get him fired after he had already been punished and then fired the official who refused her.

[DemsUnited]

10. Sigh. One more time. It is NOT WOOTEN who got fired, it was MONEGAN

For all I know, Wooten is a scumbucket who deserved more than the slap on the wrist he got three years ago.

But the point is, Palin fired Monegan (a good, well respected man) for saying he had no grounds to fire the ex-brother in law based on a three year old family feud.

Monegan said in the Washington Post: I would die for her (Palin) but I couldn't lie for her.

[yardwork]

17. Thank you for this voice of reason. People don't seem to get it.

[Barack_America]

18. Yep. Wooten is not the source of "Troopergate" nt

[MiniMe]

21. I agree.

But Palin was still wrong to put the pressure on him to fire Wooten, and then to fire Monegan for not firing Wooten.

[TooRaLoo]

12. Incredibly stupid of him.

But, I can totally see how the kid would have been very curious and asked for it. This is what happens when boys get together. Not really a huge story, IMHO.

[sam sarrha]

14. maybe some alaskans want to prove their tough..?? it's where men are men and so are the women

[TooRaLoo]

19. Sure seems like it! nt

[Warpy]

13. When I was two and a half, I kept bugging my Dad

for a sip of what he was drinking. When he'd had enough bugging, he gave me that sip. It was straight bourbon.

It's one of my earliest childhood memories, along with his taking me out to the kitchen and telling my mother "I think there's a little girl who needs a drink of water."

It's probably one reason I don't drink even now. I could certainly never get near bourbon without gagging, I don't care what was mixed into it.

The bottom line is that I can see why the guy did it and I doubt it's all that unusual. Young guys do dumb shit with their kids. It's a fact of life.

Mostly, we live through it.

[TahitiNut]

23. When I was 9, bugging my Dad for some of the special "ice cream" he was tasting ...

... he gave me some. "It's before dinnertime so just one spoonful" he said and started to offer a teaspoon full. "MORE!" I demanded. So, he gave me a heaping tablespoon full. I wrapped my greedy little mouth around it ... pure horseradish ... and was under the kitchen faucet in a nanosecond wishing it were a fire hose. (Things we never forget.)