Posted on 07/18/2013 4:31:39 AM PDT by marktwain
Trayvon Martin is dead, George Zimmerman has been acquitted, and millions of people are outraged. Some politicians are demanding a second prosecution of Zimmerman, this time for hate crimes. Others are blaming the tragedy on “Stand Your Ground” laws, which they insist must be repealed. Many who saw the case as proof of racism in the criminal justice system see the verdict as further confirmation. Everywhere you look, people feel vindicated in their bitter assumptions. They want action.
But that’s how Martin ended up dead. It’s how Zimmerman ended up with a bulletproof vest he might have to wear for the rest of his life. It’s how activists and the media embarrassed themselves with bogus reports. The problem at the core of this case wasn’t race or guns. The problem was assumption, misperception, and overreaction. And that cycle hasn’t ended with the verdict. It has escalated.
I almost joined the frenzy. Yesterday I was going to write that Zimmerman pursued Martin against police instructions and illustrated the perils of racial profiling. But I hadn’t followed the case in detail. So I sat down and watched the closing arguments: nearly seven hours of video in which the prosecution and defense went point by point through the evidence as it had been hashed out at the trial. Based on what I learned from the videos, I did some further reading.
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
The United Stated is more divided than it was in pre 9/11...things have changed - and it seems the press and political apparatus want division and violence to spur at their whim — they use stories and events at their will - and keep the ball rolling to gain sponsors and viewers...when the first Gulf War occurred - they had their first taste of 24/7 coverage and the power they wielded over their viewers — and now they will continue until the street burn and innocent lives destroyed - all for the sake of this new type of journalism where they believe they are the overlords of us all!
Bottom line: Tryavon Martin just another ghetto bred thief, thug, gangsta, race hater, anti ‘Gay” brother, and druggie!!! End of story!!!
I maintain that liberals, race pimps, anti-gunners, etc. NEVER embarass themselves. To feel embarassment, you must be able to feel shame, and they're so dedicated to the worship of the state or to their sense of entitlement, that they are incapable of feeling shame for being wrong. For that matter, I think they're incapable of realizing that they're wrong even when the facts stare them in the face. How many times have you heard some Democratic politician say, when presented with evidence that some idiotic initiative failed, "We didn't go far enough.?"
The liberal mindset - they are never wrong. They just didn't go far enough. If doing a little of A makes situation B worse, then doing ten or a hundred time A won't make situation B ten or a hundred times worse, it will make it better. This is true as long as A is something that fits the liberal philosophy such as paying women to have bastards (and expecting the number of unwed mothers to drop) or disarming law abiding citizens (and expecting criminals to disarm themselves - liberal view on weapons is that the more helpless you are the safer you are) or extending unemployment (and expecting the unemployed to seek jobs sooner), etc.
Not all that much, and only bey comparison to garbage like Holder, Sharpton and the NAACP. He lists what Zimmerman did wrong. I read the article twice to see where he listed by number Martin's mistakes like attacking Zimmerman which is what got him killed. Does't appear to be mentioned.
In spite of this ‘high-minded’ reflection, the real simple issue can be covered in one simple sentence, “Don't punch or mug someone because he might shoot you in self defense.” We haven't really heard or read that too much, have we?
I doubt to a moral certainty GZ shot Trayvon because he had a hoodie or because he was black or even because he didn't know him. No, it's clear he shot Trayvon because he was getting pounded on MMA style.
You see, when you are getting pounded on MMA Style, thoughts move more quickly to defending your life and less quickly to the social ramifications of “Two Worlds Colliding.”
Hey, Maya Angelou, Maybe you can write a poem about that!?
Translation:
My side isn’t winning.
We are sinking as fast as the Ella Fitzgerald.
I want to leave the sinking ship early and pretend not to have been part of the lynch mob.
If I attack my own side no maybe I can salvage part of my credibility.
there is no evidence that Trayvon was an “innocent young man”; there is no evidence what he was doing there or why he was there, it is an assumption to say he was “innocent”, it is more likely he was casing the neighborhood, in light of the backpack of burglar tools
That is why I ask the same question on any of these idiots’ web sites...
If you look outside tonight and see a man walking through your backyard in the dark, would you consider that ‘suspicious activity’ ?
Add that it was raining, and he was covering his face with a hoodie, and was walking around with his hand in his waist-band (like he was ‘carrying’) and you got a situation where GZ did exactly what he should- Call the non-emergency line and try to give tham an address
he could have been in his car OR walking the whole time- whether he ‘got out of his car’ or not is irrelevant.
I certainly don’t meander around other people’s neighborhoods, it is suspicious, if I am walking for exercise, it is clear that is what I am doing
Remember always, the prosecution refused to discuss Trayvon’s character. They referred to him as a child but not to his personality, experience, behavior or attitudes. They understood they could not open that can of worms. There was massive evidence that he was a wannabe thug, street fighter, thief, racist and on and on.
Suspicion is neither illegal nor immoral. And that applies to Martin and Zimmerman both.
It wasn’t Trayvon’s suspicion that Zimmerman might be a pervert that was wrong. It was what he did because of that suspicion.
Zimmerman’s suspicion that Martin was a burglar wasn’t wrong either, and for the same reasons. That would be true even if Zimmerman hadn’t been a member of the Neighborhood Watch.
Suspicion that others might do us wrong is why we have a military, police, locks on our doors, passwords on our online accounts and gates and fences protecting our property. It’s why we don’t go into certain neighborhoods without good reason, why we carry weapons, learn martial arts and have lawyers vet our legal agreements and contracts.
The right to be suspicious is just one of the aspects of the right to self defense, which is just one of the aspects of the right to life. To demonize people for exercising that right is evil.
Yep. Sad state of affairs when an article like this passes above the bar.
At least the author was willing to actually find out what happened (then still color the facts with his own opinion) rather than just regurgitate whatever the current talking points might be.
Ultimately, the author might wind up as a conservative. That kind of curiousity is an anathema to liberals. He'll either find his way to the truth himself, or get drummed out of the herd by his liberal "comrades".
Suspicion is healthy and useful. It is how we avoid danger, assess people we encounter who act in ways that seem unusual, and investigate the world around us. It is how we, as mammals, ensure we survive to pass on our genes.
The right to be suspicious is just one of the aspects of the right to self defense, which is just one of the aspects of the right to life. To demonize people for exercising that right is evil.
Right on.
They view as "rights" whatever they think they ought to have, and blame others for not providing those things.
They reflexively refuse responsibility for their thoughts, words and actions, and seek scapegoats for their failures.
If Mr. Zimmerman had not been armed that night, he may well have been killed by Trayvon Martin. And today, you would never have heard either one of their names.
Besides, if Martin had killed Zimmerman, who would liberals blame?
That's right: they'd blame you. Liberals deny that crime is caused by bad character and immoral behavior. They believe that it is the product of poverty, racism and inadequate funding for social services.
And whose fault would that be? That's right: the very people now being set upon by the Trayvonistas: the responsible, the honest, the productive, the innocent.
Sad but true. Liberals always know what's best for other people and are unceasing in their attempts to inflict their worldview on the rest of us. And, because they lack the ability to force the rest of us to follow their ideas they venerate government as a means to compell us to do their bidding through force. Conservatives OTO really just want to be left alone to enjoy life liberty and the pursuit of happiness without the overweening interference of government.
I had to do the same, all whudda-shulda-culda (sic) on Z, not much on TM.
Reading the comments, I noted pretty much the same, but at least it was more civil than most.
Really surprised Slate this one slip in there to post.
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