There are a lot of people who hate Comcast in the DC area. Maybe this’ll be enough to make up for all the bad stuff?

FIRST MOVIE OF THE SUMMER ANNOUNCED

Washington, DC, June 10, 2009 – Comcast and the Trust for the National Mall announced today that they are joining forces with Time Warner’s HBO to bring back a cherished summertime tradition and ensure that Screen on the Green returns this summer to the National Mall. Their partnership will allow the event’s thousands of fans to continue to enjoy this unique experience: movies framed by the spectacular beauty of the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol Building and viewed from the National Mall.

Screen on the Green will be back on Monday evenings at sunset from July 20th – August 10th. Classic films will once again be shown on a giant 20? x 40? outdoor screen on The National Mall between 4th and 7th Streets. The screenings will remain free and open to the public.

This year’s opening night film will be the 1977 sci fi classic, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Steven Spielberg takes us from Mexico to Mongolia, from India to Indiana to show that we earthlings are not alone. Richard Dreyfus portrays Roy Neary, who embarks on an obsessive quest for answers after witnessing a low-flying UFO. The complete line-up of this year’s movies will be announced in the coming weeks.

Really, the title just sums it all up, doesn’t it?

There was an article in yesterday’s Washington Examiner about Montgomery County beginning to install cameras on the dashboards of the county’s police cars. I think this can only be a good step, especially since, in the words of one of the people quoted, “[they] provide the most accurate depiction of what occurs.”

So, browsing my Google Reader, I came across a post from Foggy Dew about a Texas police officer who tasered a 72-year old woman.

Long story short: Kathryn Winkfein was speeding when she was pulled over, and issued a ticket. She refused to sign the ticket, and Deputy Chris Bieze told her she was going to be arrested. Winkfein was tasered while resisting arrest.

Later, Winkein told some local news stations that she’d been mistreated:

“I was not argumentative. I was not combative. Every bit of this is a lie.”

In response, the constable’s office released the dashboard video of the arrest, which shows Winkfein using vulgar language and daring Bieze to use his Taser. According to the time stamp on the dashboard video, it was at least seven minutes from when Bieze told the elderly woman to get out of her truck until he finally hit her with 50,000 volts of low-amperage electricity and she fell screaming to the ground.

The woman gets out of the truck and walks along the side of the road, close to the fog line separating the shoulder from the traffic lane.

“Give me the [expletive] thing and I’ll sign it,” she tells Bieze, but the officer has already told her she is being arrested. When Winkfein strays close to the traffic lane, the officer pushes her onto the shoulder.

“You’re gonna shove a 72-year-old woman?” Winkfein yells at him.

“If you don’t step back, you’re gonna be Tased,” Bieze says.

That’s when Winkfein said, “Go ahead. Tase me.”

Even then, Bieze did not use the Taser he had out and ready. He attempted to grab her, but Winkfein twisted away.

“Step back or you’re gonna be Tased, ma’am,” Bieze says again.

“I dare you,” she said.

Winkfein then decided she was leaving and tried to walk back to her truck.

“I’m getting back in my car,” she said.

“You’re gonna be Tased,” Bieze said, blocking her path.

“I’m getting back in my car,” she insists.

“No, ma’am,” he says.

That’s when he finally fired the Taser and Winkfein went down screaming.

Thank goodness for Bieze that his cruiser was equipped with a dash cam, or I’m sure a lot of people would be going after him for tasing this lady, who, and I’m astounded by her stupidity, who dared him to tase her.

Honestly, I don’t know what else Bieze could have done. Should he have put his hands on her? Maybe tackled her to the ground and put his knee on her head while he handcuffed her?

There’s a saying: Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. Y’know what? Here’s one to add: Don’t do the speeding if you can’t pay the ticket. And don’t dare a cop to tase you if you don’t want to be tased, especially when he’s trying to arrest you and you’re resisting. I know if I was a cop I’d rather tase someone then have to tackle them.

Modeled on Germany’s Lichtenstein Castle, I came across Castle Rockenstein while browsing Brickshelf this afternoon. As a fan of Lego, architecture, and castles, I fell head-over-heels in love. Check out all the cool detail!