2011-11-22

Pepper Wars

Like many people these days, I'm laughing my guts out looking at the Lt Pike mashups from the UC Davis pepper spray videos.  Even the Amazon customer reviews are hilarious.  It seems a fitting rebuke to the callous nature of his actions.  People like this need to understand that "following orders" is not an excuse for immoral behaviour and, these days, there is no hiding from public view.  Everyone has a camera, anyone can edit video or stills if they want, and everyone is going to laugh at them.

However, this doesn't really help the poor people at the receiving end of the pepper spray.  On the other hand, this will:  UDAP Rescue Pepper Spray Reliever.  At less than $10 per can, it's way cheaper than police-grade pepper spray.  It's not illegal to carry, it's not a weapon, it's not illegal to use.  Imagine what the next protest will look like when all the protesters are carrying these.  It would look like a water fight: imagine protester spraying each other before the cops even had a chance to spray their non-lethal-force product of choice, imagine riot squads being doused with reliever.  Let the arms race begin.  Everyone should buy a can of this stuff.  It should be considered an essential accessory for any college education - don't let your children leave home without it.

No, I don't own stocks in the company.  I don't even know if the stuff works, and I have no intention of finding out.  On the other hand, just having the can, and a video camera, at the ready when some jerk like Lt Pike comes along would be enough to make the guy think twice... okay, maybe once - for a change.