Re: [Marxism] Clogged toilet dept.

[Greg McDonald <sabocat59@xxxxxxx>]

NO COMMENT. The article speaks for itself.

Greg

Carmona named to Taser's board
Ex-surgeon general is also serving as director at Clorox
By Levi J. Long
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.14.2007

Since leaving the top medical job as the 17th U.S. surgeon general  
last year, Dr. Richard Carmona has been busy filling corporate posts  
and boards.
Carmona, 57, who served a four-year term as surgeon general from 2002  
to 2006, was named Tuesday to the board of directors of Scottsdale- 
based Taser International Inc., which makes a controversial line of  
stun guns.

After returning to Tucson last year, Carmona, a 22-year-resident,  
accepted the position as vice chairman for locally-based Canyon Ranch  
and in February was named to serve on the board of directors of  
Clorox Co.

As a nationally recognized expert in police special weapons and  
tactics, or SWAT, Carmona has over 40 years of experience in the  
military and law enforcement fields.
He served over 20 years with the Pima County Sheriff's Department and  
currently serves as medical director and a SWAT team trainer.

Those experiences in different fields prompted Taser board chairman  
and co-founder Tom Smith to recruit Carmona to serve on the company's  
board.

As part of the board's compensation package, outside directors make  
$7,500 per quarter and are given stock options, including an initial  
stock grant worth $150,000, according to the company's 2006 proxy  
filing. A stock option to buy at a specific price is also included as  
part of the board's standard plan.

"We're excited to have someone of his stature and his fantastic  
background," Smith said in a telephone interview. "He will be able to  
help us not only with developing technology, but with his medical and  
law background, be able to provide direction for medical research and  
safety issues."

The company makes battery-operated stun guns that are being used by  
more than 10,000 of the 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United  
States, Smith said.
However, critics say the Tasers may cause heart attacks, and the  
company has faced 37 lawsuits stemming from the deaths or injuries  
occurring after Taser use by police. The company and proponents of  
its technology say it is a non-lethal alternative to clubs or guns.  
Taser says it has not lost any product-liability lawsuit.

Carmona said Taser has already done a lot of research on product  
safety and has addressed those concerns.
"I'm very pleased with their due diligence and their continuing  
research with the safety of their products," he said.

His role as a board member is to help guide strategic planning and  
help find answers to challenges facing the company.

Taser's stock has plunged in recent years but has recently started to  
gain momentum. The company's shares closed Tuesday at $7.80 in  
trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, down 5 cents on the day and off a  
52-week high of $11.38.
Carmona said he had no preconceived notions about what to do once his  
surgeon general term ended.

Carmona also heads Canyon Ranch's health division and is president of  
the nonprofit Canyon Ranch Institute. "I just wanted to come home to  
Tucson."
Since returning, Carmona said he has been approached by a dozen  
companies to serve on boards.

"I want to make sure that I'm able to bring added value to the  
boards," he said. "I don't want to be overextended."
Clorox said Carmona's medical background and commitment to public  
health will be invaluable as it builds its health-and-wellness platform.

Carmona said joining Clorox's board was based on the global company's  
commitment to be involved in the public-health sector and to  
developing products supporting that goal.
"It was clear to me they were making a commitment to the public- 
health sector to enhance wellness," he said, adding that it fit  
Canyon Ranch's mission to achieve health and wellness.
Carmona's job at Canyon Ranch includes working with executives of its  
integrative medicine team on major projects such as joint ventures  
with the Cleveland Clinic, one of the country's top academic medical- 
research institutions.

Carmona also serves as the distinguished professor of public health  
at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of  
Public Health, often giving lectures and seminars during the term.


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