Man Catches Fire After Being Tasered 13
An anonymous Coward writes "West Australian Police tasered a man while arresting him for sniffing petrol, and managed to set fire to him in the process. Details seem to be scanty so far, but I trust the audience here to do the maths as to whether the ignition source was the taser itself."
Re:Why? (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes, because I'm sure all of that is much cheaper than sending out armed squads of men to pick people up, put them through the court system, and then keep them in jail. You do realize that it is far cheaper and more effective to treat people, right? To paraphrase Bill Hicks, drugs addicts are sick, you don't put sick people in jail. Besides, why should it be the government's business if you want to harm yourself? By your rationale the government would have to monitor your food intake, make sure you are exercising, and bust into your bedroom every time you are getting it on to make sure you are wearing a condom. Oh yeah, and alcohol, tobacco, skydiving, and motorcycles are all out. Why do we respect and insist on personal freedoms in all of these areas and then have such a mental disconnect when it comes to drugs? Why does it matter that some people hurt themselves while on drugs? Why not improve education and treatment? It is cheaper, more effective, and more humane.