Nothing to laugh at, really:

Police in Ohio say officers using a new Taser stun gun briefly set a homeless man on fire while trying to subdue him.

A police report in Lancaster, about 30 miles southeast of Columbus, says one officer had seen the man inhaling a chemical from an aerosol can Monday night. That officer and another then struggled with the suspect, and the Taser was used. A flame appeared on the man’s chest, and officers patted it down.

Police Chief David Bailey says 31-year-old Daniel Wood was not seriously hurt.

The department’s policy warns against using Tasers when flammable chemicals may be present. Bailey says officers acted appropriately.

Set on fire, but not “seriously” hurt. If we set you on fire by using a dangerous weapon, and if we think you’re not hurt “seriously,” don’t expect us to admit guilt or anything, should you find a lawyer who wishes to pursue the matter.

Inhalant abuse is real, and I discovered this recently when I had to show my driver’s license here in Maryland when I purchased a can of dust remover. You know, the stuff that comes in cans at a computer store that you spray on keyboards and the like to get the dust to fly up in the air when you’re bored and just want to watch the dust flitter about the room, settling into the air currents of a still room, tumbling lost and indifferent to the troubles around us, little universes blind to our eyes, dancing between the beams of light shining into the room through the slats on the wooden blinds from Ikea…

Anyway, being a responsible Mommy Blogger now, I have to point out that these products are dangerous:

The parents of a California teenager who died after inhaling an aerosol dust remover sued the 3M Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Thursday [this story is from 2007] for selling the substance, which produces a euphoric state when inhaled, without adequate warnings.

The lawsuit, filed in Monterey Superior Court, said both companies knew 3M Dust Remover was popular among teenage inhalant abusers, but continued selling it for years without warnings or an additive that prevents abuse.

“The product has become widely successful — not so much for its revolutionary cleaning properties — but because of its known association with inhalant abuse by children and teenagers who seek a cheap ‘high,'” the suit said.

And, yes, Snopes.com did check this out–it is bonifide.

I used to be all for the TASER until it was used on me in Las Vegas years ago. Apparently, I got a little wild after winning at baccarat one evening and had to be Tasered in order to get me off of the roof of a limousine I was surfing. Not my finest hour. But, at least I didn’t burst into flames–I just peed myself.

I know, too much information (TMI). Well, that’s blogging for you.

By Norman Rogers
I am an American Lion.