Won't be fooled again

I was duped. I saw the e-mail, the enticing headline. The words "Kerry" and "tasered" in the same sentence got my hopes up for a second. And then I clicked on the link. I watched the video, helping to contribute to the number of views it received, launching it into the upper echelons of YouTube stardom. It would appear that YouTube stardom was exactly what Andrew Meyer was hoping for.

This guy seems to have made a career of sorts out of heckling celebrities. Read on his web sit about how he heckled Ken Griffey Jr. http://www.freewebs.com/newforum/bioandpersonalstories.htm I mean, who heckles Ken Griffey Jr?

Anyway, if you read the police report, some interesting details resolve. http://michellemalkin.com/2007/09/19/document-drop-the-andrew-meyer-taser-stunt-police-report/ Like the fact that once he was in the squad car out of view of the cameras, he started laughing and joking around. Or the fact that before the video started, they announced that the question and answer period was over and he pushed his way up to the mic and started making such an ass out of himself that they decided to let him speak.

Then there's the little details that nevertheless speak volumes about the guy. Like the fact that he didn't have his wallet or driver's license on him, but he had business cards with his picture on them and the URL of his web site "TheANDREWMEYER.com". Or the fact that it appears that he was begging to be arrested. He had already started shouting "These officers are going to arrest me" long before any of them made any move. And of course, the video? It came from his camera that he handed to a girl he met so that she could tape the whole thing.

Interestingly, the man who pulled the plug on his mic and told the cops to remove him was the organizer of the event, Accent Director, Max Tyroler. Now I don't know what the political affiliation of this Accent group actually is, but I'm guessing that it wasn't the campus Republicans who invited Kerry to speak.

So the guy wanted to make a huge stink, wanted to get the video up on YouTube, probably wanted to get arrested. I don't think that he was counting on getting tasered but after he forced all of those people who wanted to hear a serious political discussion to sit through his tirade he probably deserved it. Maybe tasering was a bit much. But a good old fashioned MoB beat down was definitely in order. Oh, no, wait, that's worse.

The big question is why did he do it? Just a tragic cry for attention? Maybe he thought it would be funny? Here's a theory. Could this have been part of a viral media campaign to promote the book "Armed Madhouse"? Palast responded to the event almost immediately with an e-mail which used the incident to promote his book. Naw, he couldn't be that clever could he? Then again does anybody know what Rove's been up to lately?

So I feel like I've been hoodwinked, snookered, bamboozled, used. This guy wanted my attention and he was willing to manufacture an incident in order to get it. It's kind of like one of those ads that say "A virus was detected on your computer. Click here to remove it." I should have realized it was a sham, but he got me.