To Late...
Posted on 03/29/2012 8:09:17 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
WASHINGTON — A conservative think tank became the latest target of outrage resulting from Trayvon Martin's shooting, as a few dozen protesters rallied Thursday outside the headquarters of the American Legislative Exchange Council to oppose its role in promoting "stand your ground" laws.
The rally, a few blocks from the White House, looked to highlight efforts by ALEC to spread the law — which allows armed citizens to shoot when threatened — to statehouses nationwide after the Florida Legislature passed "stand your ground" legislation in 2005.
ALEC, a business-funded conservative group that helps develop bills for state lawmakers, adopted the Florida measure as "model legislation" and helped pass it in more than 20 states. Critics blame it for contributing to the death of Trayvon at the hands of Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman.
Others at the rally represented labor unions, the NAACP and various progressive groups. U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, was scheduled to attend, but an aide said she was detained by congressional votes and meetings.
"Over there is where ALEC cooks up its poisonous legislation and spreads it around the nation. It's time for it to end," said Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League. "ALEC, we want you to join us. We want you to repudiate these laws."
In a statement prior to the protest, ALEC criticized activists for politicizing the issue and questioned whether stand your ground laws would apply to the Trayvon case, in which Zimmerman followed Trayvon after being told by a 911 dispatcher there was no need to do so. ....
Protesters said their intent was to repeal "stand your ground" measures, which they dubbed "shoot first" or "kill at will" laws. One woman carried a sign that read "Don't shoot me, I'm a mother and grandmother."
(Excerpt) Read more at articles.orlandosentinel.com ...
Poinsonous legislation = self defense? I don’t think so.
These folks joining in with the NAACP should be renamed, Thugs R Us.
So, these guys still have yet to figure out that stand your ground doesn’t even apply to this situation.
Cornfusion reigns. It’s not even proved yet that this law even figured in the Zimmerman-Martin altercation, or whether older self defense law (how do you retreat if your head’s getting slammed on the pavement?) would apply.
This is moving headlong into an assault on the second amendment.
Every time I see the kids name I can’t help but hear Elton John singing:
“Trayvon...
Trayvon likes his hoodie...”
Then, there are the supporters of "SYG" who seem to think that it applies only to folks with firearms.
Obviously the opponents and the supporters have never read any of these laws. The Florida law, which was a repeal of the earlier "duty to retreat' requirement, doesn't say 'firearm', 'gun', etc. It says you can use force, or even lethal force to defend yourself, and that could be just all sorts of things ~ the mind boggles!
The article here has an opponent of "SYG" Who also thinks it applies only to folks with firearms.
His strange little girlfriend who used to protest in Israel, Rachel Corey, could teach him something about 'lethal force" ~ but she's dead (thankfully).
Seriously, the Florida law, if none of the others, applies to people going about their business peacefully and lawfully who are then presented with a threat to life or limb.
They simply do not have to run away and may lawfully use force!
That's all there is to it.
Wanna bet some enterprising manufacturer of hoodies will get an endorsement agreement from Trayvon’s mom (was there a daddy around?) for a Trayvon line of hoodies?????
You should sit there reading the thing over and over until you see what it's about.
I thought he was visiting his father.
Stand your ground means you don't have to retreat, but Zimerman was probably not following Martin at the time they made contact with each other...... this may not have been a retreat, but it surely wasn't standing his ground.
Next we have Martin on top of Zimmerman rearranging his face. At this point he had no option to retreat and he wasn't standing his ground..... he was getting his ass kicked.
Concealed Carry laws say that force is justified if you feel your life is threatened. Somebody’s fists can be viewed as weapons. Zimmerman was justified to use force to stop the threat. Case closed.
Getting passed around in a broken family... that’s got to be a real encouragement.
Turns out he was visiting with his father at that NON wealthy but still gated community.
He was legally there and not cutting through.
Also, if anyone is at all interested "It was a dark and stormy night.................."
Well so far so good... till as one report involving an eyewitness has it, Trayvon jumped and beat up on Zimmerman shortly after Zimmerman gave up his trail. That’s where Trayvon dumped his high ground smack into the toilet.
I don’t understand why a “stand your ground” law is even needed.
Oh, that was in the works very quickly:
http://abovethelaw.com/2012/03/trayvon-trademark-an-atl-debate/
To Late...
Because too many other laws are out there now that take a far more blinkered view of the rights of victims.
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