Today's TASER Travesty

Two of the three 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges on a panel who heard arguments on this recent case have decided that it's perfectly fine for three Seattle, Washington police officers to TASER (three times!) a 7-months pregnant women whose sole "crime" was to refuse to sign a traffic ticket:

"The majority [Judges Cynthia Holcomb Hall and Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain] noted that the M26 Taser was set in “stun mode” and did not cause as much pain as when set on 'dart mode.'"

Well that minor distinction certainly changes the circumstances, doesn't it?

According to these learned jurists, it's not the misuse of a less-than-lethal self-defense weapon as a pain compliance tool but rather deploying it on too high a setting that makes it "excessive force".

"An officer was holding [Malaika] Brooks’ arm behind Brooks’ back while she was being shocked."

That sounds like unbelievable brutality to us.  She was already being restrained and would seemingly be unable to put up much further resistance due to her obviously gravid condition, yet these cops saw fit to continue to make her twitch and dance, leaving permanent physical scars, according to the story.

One wonders if these judges would have the same opinion if they were required to personally experience the  two settings for themselves.