I respectfully disagree: he was drunk. (Though, admittedly, these days drunks and common “conservatives” — or is that common drunks and “conservatives”? — can be hard to tell apart.) The giggly-ness was a definite clue. Body language, or incoherence thereof, was another. The “profound” non sequitor leaps, a third.

The camera crew were, I hope, embarrassed. To the degree that they were not, they were probably a couple of sheets to the wind, too. To the degree that they were, and still agreed to participate, they were — what’s the term? — enablers. Of the paid variety. In either case, not something I’d want on my resume.

so this guy is basically a hybrid of right-wing wacky, Michael Moore (without the talent or the awareness of the laws that cover speech rights on private property), the “don’t taze me, dude” guy (without the actual complaint of mistreatment at the hands of security/police), and your standard issue protesting DFH (again, without the actual tazing, macing, being shot with rubber bullets, being hit upside the head with a baton, or being mocked by the media for opposing a “preemptive” war waged against a country that posed no physical or political threat to the US). That should work out well for him. Let a thousand wing-nut welfare loons bloom.

Tase him, bro! Please.

Poor baby!! This mofo feels put upon by the campus cops who gave him a booboo on his wrist. What a sheltered child he is.

When push came to shove, his “journalistic integrity” disappeared alongside his dignity. so much for standing up to the man.

Motherfucking douchebag. Shoulda curb stomped him and pissed on his face. Fuck tasers.

The way he acted as the security guys were trying to cuff him would result in a face full of pepper spray at my workplace. But then, I work at a prison.

But on the whole, corrections officers would have had that guy knocked down and on his face the moment he tried that not-being-escorted-away crap Ziegler pulls. They aren’t supposed to use pepper spray on a restrained person, however. Sometimes that’s a pity, but the rules are the rules.

As for the marks on his wrists, those would have been avoided had he cooperated. Really, that guy’s not just a drama queen and a giggly girl, but a wuss.

Ziegler has always struck me as a complete douche (and certainly no journalist), but I’m really not sure why cuffing him and threatening him with arrest were necessary in this instance. His purpose in life is to be an ass (something he does extremely well), but apart from being an ass, I’m at a loss for an explanation for why he couldn’t stand where he was and continue to be an idiot. I seem to recall a very different attitude when Max Blumenthal was manhandled in the midst of doing his thing — which is transparently to be a thorn in the side of Right Wingers. I’ve usually felt that Blumenthal has served a useful purpose, but then, I’m in general agreement with his politics, whereas I despise Ziegler and his agenda. Still, watching the video, I couldn’t come up with a compelling rationale for the behavior of the security people.

yeah, I too was struck with a sort of bizarre ironic “well, I guess their OUR fascists now” on seeing this. If this guy had been on our side, there would have been OUTRAGE I tell you, OUTRAGE!!!!1!!111!

He seemed to be out of the direct line to the door, not blocking traffic like the cops claimed, being a douche … but being a douche SHOULD be protected speech. Isn’t that what we always SAY we stand for?

Not drunk, I think, but on some drug.

He says that he’s not a “protester”, but he certainly acts like one. At any rate, hardly the “fly on the wall” journalist.

He seems to have missed the key word: journalisim EXCELLENCE.

You’re supposed to drink the gin n’ tonics after you do the journamalism thing.

Still, watching the video, I couldn’t come up with a compelling rationale for the behavior of the security people.

Why were you expecting one? I think that’s really the more important question.
I can give you one, it’s called Obedience to Authority. Those who do not obey must be shown the error of their ways.

Insofar as the “fascism” goes – for my part it’s “Ha ha! [/nelsonmuntz]. Funny how they’re overstepping their authority when it isn’t a dirty fucking hippie in the handcuffs.”

David Foster Wallace interviewed John Ziegler for a magazine cover story, and subsequently killed himself.

Why wasn’t he standing in the free speech zone?

The University of Southern California campus is a privately-owned place, so if the security guard or someone else with authority asks you to leave, you have to leave. Just like a shopping mall, your uncle’s hardware store, my house, Ted Turner’s ranch, or someone’s private car, you’ve got to get out if the owner or his agents say it’s time to go.

The reporter was asked to stop, but didn’t. It doesn’t matter if he was asked to stop juggling handguns or whatever, the security guards have the authority to remove people who don’t go when asked. It may be frivolous or serious, but it’s their right.

The dude wanted to be tased, then he can start a big brouhaha about how the librulfascists are torturing poor, innocent, right-wing truth-sayers. That’s probably why he got pissed and/or stoned beforehand – to ease the pain.

He was on something.

Or, he crazy.

John Ziegler is that guy you see your ex-girlfriend with a few years after she dumped you, and suddenly, you feel really good about yourself again.

Part “Don’t Tase Me, Bro!”, part a scene from “The Office” with much wincing as a viewer. And more embarrassing than the flopping around and giggling may have been the embarrassing partisanship of whining about Katie Couric interviewing Sarah Palin.

Couric asked her what she read. Ohh…she must have been an advocate for…something. Literacy, maybe? And why he thought the constitution was involved is a mystery.

I don’t know the rationale of the security people but I know they’re not the U.S. government.