Fascist Much?

Per my friend Lance, I just read the following article: Driver Tased for Asking Officer Why He Was Stopped.

In short, a guy is pulled over for an alleged traffic violation, refuses to sign the ticket because the officer can't explain what law he's broken, and is then tased with 50,000 volts of electricity. The article contains a link to a 9-minute video of the entire incident, which was actually videotaped by the cops. My favorite part is when the man's pregnant wife jumps screaming from the car only to have the officer menacingly wave his handcuffs at her and chase her back in. Other highlights include the man asking for his rights to be read to him only to have the officer arrest him without doing so (which, um, illegal) and the officer joking about the man having taken "a ride with Mr. Taser." (Question: Should people who name their weapons "Mr. Name of Weapon" be allowed to have them in the first place? Talk amongst yourselves.)

According the linked article, 300 people in the United States in the past year alone have died from being tased. Nonetheless, thanks to the ceaseless "pesky rule-breakers deserve whatever they get" rhetoric pumped out by our pathetic excuse for a Fourth Estate, tasing is considered an acceptable way for a police officer to control an uncooperative suspect. This is deeply problematic because the role of the police officer is simply to apprehend potential criminals. The officer's role is not to decide whether or not alleged criminals are guilty, and certainly not to mete out punishment if they are. That's why we have the judicial branch - to adjudicate.

Okay, yes, arguing with cops is pointless and inadvisable - but NOT ILLEGAL. And even if it were, it's not a crime meriting a physical beating. Those facts appear to be lost on a significant portion of the law enforcement population; or even more frightening, many of them seem not to care.

Isn't there some sort of sociopath screening process these people go through before they're all badged up? I know there are a lot of decent people who go into law enforcement because they sincerely want to do good in the world. The police officer who works at my school is a great (and sane) guy who keeps the place safe. My cousin worked undercover in vice for years keeping drugs away from kids. And rednecks. There were mullets involved. Anyway. My beef is not with them, or with officers like them. I take issue with those would-be goosesteppers who become cops because Professional Hall Monitor isn't actually a career. I suspect there are a great deal more of them than we would care to admit.

What sort of society allows its police to harass and attack members of the citizenry simply for demanding that their rights be respected? As a student of history, let me say that there is a right answer to this question, and it is not the sort of society described in the brochure.