The Gainesville Five (or Six, Depending on Who You Talk To)

I am a supporter of free speech. I am also a supporter of the idea that there is a "time and place" for everything. Andrew Meyer violated all semblance of what is appropriate when he barged in line at Kerry's talk last night and proceeded to steamroll questions at Kerry without giving him a chance to respond.

When I watched the first video, I had the suspicion that Meyer's actions seemed premeditated. Many of my colleagues expressed the same opinion. When the police first approached Meyer, he acted "oh-so-surprised" in a very unconvincing way. Anyone who was really surprised would not have started screaming about being arrested at this point. His "Oh, what did I do?" cries also rang very false. Don't believe me? Check out his website . Think this is just a coincidence, complete with T-shirts to come? Right. This guy had this planned way in advance! This particular web site was created on April 5, 2007, and will expire on April 9, 2009 unless renewed.

I hope Mr. Meyer has enjoyed his few minutes of fame. He may have support (yes, Dad, I know what you think about this one), but he certainly doesn't have anything to offer his supporters except an obnoxious attitude and a few tips on how to turn yourself into the media event of the moment. He did, however, suck 6 UPD officers into his little drama, with no regard for the consequences to them. Isn't it interesting that this SOB would only "resist" when the cameras were on him, but when they were not, he was calm and cooperative, telling the officers that he wasn't mad at them and they were just doing their jobs? Isn't it interesting that this has been reported in the news and by the officers involved? If all the evidence points to a setup by Meyer, then will these police officers still find themselves suspended?

I don't advocate unnecessary force. I also do not believe for a single moment that this was a normal circumstance. Under normal circumstances, I believe that this many officers would have been able to cuff and remove Mr. Meyer. Check out his Facebook Page. Not too many of his peers are feeling sympathetic.

OK, Andrew. You won. You got on the front pages of CNN, ABC, NBC, The Gainesville Sun, the Ocala Star Banner, and the Alligator. Now admit that you are the publicist for this whole thing, let the officers be counseled, and drop the whole mess before you ruin someone else's life for no good reason. (YOU are not a good reason.)