Cops Tase Lady Liberty

It must have been quite a sight: A Fort Worth police officer Tased Lady Liberty three times at a busy intersection, reports the Dallas Morning News (as spotted by Boing Boing). The good lady was actually a 19-year-old guy dressed in costume and waving to drivers on behalf of Liberty Tax Services from an intersection median—a city no-no. Police say he refused orders to leave and got Tased when he resisted arrest.

The LoweringtheBar blog assesses things and finds that the cop was probably in the right. But "even if arresting somebody dressed as the Statue of Liberty is justified, you really should try to make sure diplomacy has completely failed before resorting to force," it adds. "It just looks bad." (More strange stuff stories.)