In the Seattle Times today, I read this report about a Florida police officer being fired for Tasering a 15 year old boy.

A rookie police officer in central Florida has been fired after supervisors learned that he Tasered a teenager at a birthday party that involved underage drinking.

Eustis Police Chief Fred Cobb says 22-year-old Dan NeSmith lost his job, but the department will not charge him for shocking a 15-year-old boy in the back with his police-issued Taser last month.

A video taken at the party shows the teen volunteering to be stunned while other guests at NeSmith’s Leesburg home cheer them on.

So, tell me this… was this firing an incident of “abuse of power” akin to that which Democratic Alaskan Congressmen allege about Sarah Palin? After all, she purportedly “abused her power” when she fired her Public Safety Commissioner — for not firing a trooper that Tasered her 10 year old nephew. Sarah Palin had additional reasons for firing Walter Monegan, including public insubordination over budget conflicts. Even so, those reasons were ignored over the “pressure” to fire her former brother-in-law.