Greetings. Some police officers appear to be finding their latest toy -- the electrical shocking "Taser" gun -- to be irresistible. And hey, since it works on adults, it's apparently even more effective when used against children with behavioral problems.

In the past few weeks, Miami police used the device on both a 12-year-old truant girl and a 6-year-old boy. In both cases, the officers seemed to claim that "they had no other choice" -- but one wonders what they would have done if they didn't have the Tasers -- shoot the kids with service revolvers? I suspect not.

The Taser represents the "push button" method of child control -- even faster than high doses of Ritalin. The Taser's manufacturer claims the device is safe to use on anyone weighing at least 60 pounds. Tell that to the unarmed man who died recently after police tasered him when he wouldn't come out from a closet where he was hiding.

Mostly "non-lethal" weapons are certainly an improvement over usually lethal ones. But when weapons such as the Taser are used inappropriately, it's still abuse, plain and simple. Tasers and their like are also reportedly used for torture in various quarters, but that's another story.

--Lauren--