memeorandum: Fired engineer calls 787's plastic fuselage unsafe (Dominic Gates/Seattle Times)

8:25 PM ET, September 18, 2007

Top Items:

Student tasered at John Kerry forum Update: A University of Florida student/eyewitness shares what he saw; 12:15 pm Eastern 9/18 update: Another UF student speaks; Update: UF president schedules 2pm press conference...plus: Andrew Meyer, professional taunter — Update 3:10pm Eastern 9/18.

Nick Antosca / The Huffington Post:

Kerry Should be Ashamed, and the Cop Who Tased Andrew Meyer Should be Jailed — By now I'm sure you've seen the videos of University of Florida student Andrew Meyer being attacked and tasered by university police at a John Kerry speaking event. If not, here's one, here's another, and here's another.

Discussion: GainesvilleSun.com, Preemptive Karma, PSoTD, Galley Slaves and Hot Air

Rick Klein / Political Radar:

Kerry Condemns Heckler Arrest — ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Sen. John Kerry on Tuesday comdemned the arrest of a University of Florida student at one of his speeches, saying that he was engaged in a "good healthy discussion" with 21-year-old Andrew Meyer when he was Tasered and taken into custody.

Discussion: The BRAD BLOG, Liberal Values, The Carpetbagger Report, Pam's House Blend, Crooks and Liars, Shakespeare's Sister and bustardblog

Michael Goldfarb / Weekly Standard:

(Updated) "Don't Tase Me Bro" — Michelle Malkin has the most comprehensive coverage of the taser incident at the University of Florida. — And here's Kerry's statement: … I don't know how Kerry could have missed the shouts of "don't tase me bro," but I'm not sure what his response should have been anyway.

Discussion: Daily Pundit and Balloon Juice

Associated Press:

Student Zapped With Taser Caught On Tape — Florida Student Who Questioned John Kerry To Be In Court — GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A University of Florida student was Tasered and arrested after trying to ask U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., about the 2004 election and other subjects during a campus forum.

Discussion: The Impolitic, CNN, The Huffington Post, The Democratic Daily, Attytood, Truthdig and Neptunus Lex

Naomi Wolf / The Huffington Post:
A Shocking Moment for Society: Tasering at University of Florida

Discussion: Lonewacko

Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:

The Constitution Needs Your Help Today — Let's hit the phones this morning, people. The Habeas Restoration Act is being put forth again — by Sens. Leahy and Dodd, among others — and they are asking for our help. Please call your Senators this morning and tell them to support Amendment S. 2202 …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Newshoggers, Think Progress, Liberty Street, The Carpetbagger Report, Macsmind, Crooks and Liars, Chris Dodd National Blog, The Impolitic, TalkLeft, Taylor Marsh, SWJ Blog and D-Day

Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:
Please Continue Making Calls To Restore Habeas

Discussion: MyDD, Chris Dodd National Blog, the albany project, Open Left, techPresident, Cliff Schecter, My Left Nutmeg and SamSederShow.com

Noah Shachtman / Danger Room:

Iraq Diary: Jammers Beat Bombers (Which May Be Bad News) — Radio-controlled bombs used to be the biggest killer of American troops in Iraq. Now, they've been rendered all-but-useless. Good news, right? Like so much else in Iraq, it's not quite that simple.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, American Prospect, Washington Monthly, The Atlantic Online and Total Information Awareness

Bryan / Hot Air:

Hot Air TV: Rep. Jack Murtha confronted about Haditha accusations Updated — We've just obtained video of Rep. Jack Murtha being directly confronted over repeatedly accusing the Haditha Marines of murdering Iraqis "in cold blood." I'm editing and processing it now, so we should have it online before too long.

Discussion: The Hill, Reuters, The Jawa Report, protein wisdom, Washington Times, Redstate, Jeff Gannon, JammieWearingFool and Gateway Pundit

Beth Fouhy / Associated Press:

AP Interview: Clinton on health care — WASHINGTON - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that a mandate requiring every American to purchase health insurance was the only way to achieve universal health care but she rejected the notion of punitive measures to force individuals into the health care system.

Discussion: Redstate

Horses Mouth:

Glenn Greenwald and Atrios have already taken solid whacks today at the media idiocy surrounding the GOP attack on Dems for not condemning MoveOn's Petraeus ad. But the worst media offender by far has to be The Washington Post's Richard Cohen. — Incredibly, Cohen today devotes an entire column …

Discussion: Eschaton, Shakespeare's Sister, The Strata-Sphere and Booman Tribune

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
'Sister Souljah' Slated For Springtime

Discussion: The Poor Man Institute

CREW:

CREW releases "Beyond DeLay: The 22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and two to watch)" — Today, CREW released its third annual report on the most corrupt members of Congress entitled Beyond DeLay: The 22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and two to watch).

Discussion: Think Progress, The Swamp, Keystone Politics and AMERICAblog

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:

Waxman: State Dept. Official Thwarted Probes — Howard J. Krongard, the State Department's inspector general, has repeatedly thwarted investigations and censored reports that might prove politically embarrassing to the Bush administration, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Gavel, Think Progress, New York Times and unbossed.com

Eric Boehlert / Media Matters for America:

MoveOn.org and the media mess — Last Monday, on the same day that Gen. David Petraeus was testifying before Congress about how important progress was being made in Iraq, the Pentagon announced that nine American service members had died that day in Iraq. Given the death toll to date …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, Eschaton and rubber hose

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:

Poll: Percentage Favoring Withdrawal Has Gone Slightly Up Since Petraeus Show — A new poll from CBS News finds that The Petraeus Show failed to budge public opinion on Iraq. — Indeed, the number favoring withdrawal actually edged slightly upwards since the Scholar Warrior testified before Congress …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Crooks and Liars, Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo, DownWithTyranny!, Taylor Marsh, The Carpetbagger Report, Donklephant, D-Day, Democratic National Committee and Hot Air

Dominic Gates / Seattle Times:

Fired engineer calls 787's plastic fuselage unsafe — A former senior aerospace engineer at Boeing's Phantom Works research unit, fired last year under disputed circumstances, is going public with concerns that the new 787 Dreamliner is unsafe. — Forty-six-year veteran Vince Weldon contends …

Discussion: Wizbang, Hang Right Politics and NewsBusters.org

Mary Beth Sheridan / Washington Post:

D.C. Vote Bill Dies in Senate — Republican lawmakers today blocked the Senate from taking up the D.C. voting rights bill, dealing a major blow to the District's most promising effort in years to get a full member of Congress. — The vote was merely on whether to begin action on the bill.