Response to Annie and Tasers

First, I wanted to congratulate Annie on such a good presentation. She was the only person willing to step up and present her own speech. I feel that it was much more difficult for her to present her own work rather than to analyze someone else’s work. So…job well done! I think that she did a wonderful job presenting her topic.
I liked that she began by stating that she was only referring to the tasers in reference to police officers and officials, not in reference to civilians. I think that this is an important distinction to make. I felt that she quickly established her ethos as a speaker because she is the daughter of an official, who put his life on the line everyday. She also furthered this ethos with the amount of research she had done on the topic of tasers. Her research also contributed to her logos because she was able to use a great deal of statistics and quotes from professionals. I also thought it was important that she specified which statistics and quotes came from the taser website and which came from unbiased groups. She had told me (and mentioned in her blog) that she was having a difficult time incorporating pathos into her speech. She was able to incorporate a small bit at the end of the speech; however, I believe that the lack of pathos was helpful to her speech because she was able to use more logos (which is more important).
I also liked the way that she addressed the arguments that are used against the taser gun. She took the arguments and countered them with statistics and facts. I also liked the quote (I don’t exactly remember it) that it is the person, not the weapon that is in control. I believe that this is true and that if an officer is going to misuse the weapon then he is likely to also misuse other weapons and perhaps should not be given power. She also presented the idea of a counter on the gun which would allow the use of the gun to be tracked.
I must say that I did not know that much about the use of tasers prior to Annie’s speech; however, I felt that I am now well-informed. I do see the potential dangers of the use of the tasers; however, I believe that these risks are much less than those associated with a handgun. Also, if a person is threatening an officer to the point of the officer’s drawing his gun, then I believe that these risks are acceptable. I must say that Annie’s speech has convinced me that the use of tasers is a good middle ground between a baton and a gun.