Posted on 04/08/2012 7:21:12 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Give Cosby credit for not being playing the race card, but he's still not thinking this through completely. If an investigation proves Zimmerman's side of the story, "the gun" will end up being what might have saved his life.
We have a God-given right to patrol our own neighborhoods, which can be dangerous work. And if in the act of doing so we are attacked, "the gun" can come in awfully handy.
Let's also not forget that Zimmerman claims he wasn't following Trayvon Martin when the teenager attacked him.
Washington Times:
"The gun.”
Those two simple words flowed easily from the mouth of social commentator Bill Cosby during an exclusive interview Friday regarding the Trayvon Martin case, arguably the most high-profile, citizen-on-citizen U.S. slaying facing the Obama administration.
Trayvon was killed Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, who told police that a “confrontation” with the unarmed 17-year-old led him to shoot in self-defense.
Mr. Cosby, a Navy veteran, said “the gun” empowered Mr. Zimmerman, whose actions have stirred a firestorm of debate, protests and remarks from President Obama....
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
How old is Bill now?
So disarm Neighborhood Watch. In that case Mr. Zimmerman would be dead which of course is the preferred outcome for the predators.
See, if Zimmerman didn’t have the gun, HE would be dead, and Obama’s thug son would be alive.
I tend to think that when you’re talking high crime areas, police patrols should be stepped up and not left to (generally) untrained civilians, i.e., anyone who signs up and is willing to give a night of his/her time here and there. But in reality, police cannot be everywhere, and they cannot even respond quickly enough for some urgent situations.
A vehicle beyond Neighborhood Watch is needed for high-crime areas, perhaps something along the lines of the Guardian Angels. In those areas where you need armed patrols, they’d have to be identifiable, well-trained, kevlon-vested, and deputized backup to the police.
He has done that in the past and has been dragged over the coals by the black 'leaders' and the black community.
You wrote:
A vehicle beyond Neighborhood Watch is needed for high-crime areas, perhaps something along the lines of the Guardian Angels. In those areas where you need armed patrols, they’d have to be identifiable, well-trained, kevlon-vested, and deputized backup to the police.
You are taking a God’s eye, 50,000 foot altitude view of the situation. Guys like Zimmerman (or you and me, for that matter) can’t affect how the mayor chooses to deploy the police. The mere existence of neighborhood watch groups is the result of the failure of the criminal justice system to find, arrest and incarcerate the perps who are wreaking havoc on their fellow citizens. There’s plenty of blame to go around, ranging from Miranda in 1966, to all kinds of other constraints on police conduct, including tort liability. The bottom line is that an ordinary joe like Zimmerman has to deal with the world as it is rather than the way he would like it to be. And that means being armed while conducting neighborhood watch patrols in his high-crime condo complex (6 burglaries and 1 home invasion in the past month, based on a skim of the Sanford PD web link on the Martin case), or not patrolling at all.
Like turning your back on a suspect.
"Well, tell Bill I said: Have a Coke and a smile and shut the f* up. The Jell-O pudding-eating m*f*er."
He absolutely is - I LOVE pudding pops!
“I get a big kick out of all the gun-grabbers in Hollywood. Do you suppose they’d want their bodyguards and security to be disarmed? I’ve protected several celebrities and I was always carrying a firearm even though I’m a big guy.”
First some qualifiers. I believe in the right of self defense - I am most definitely for the issue of concealed carry permits. I am for the Castle Doctrine and Stand your Ground laws. Also, at one time, in my home state of Oklahoma I was licensed (and worked) as an Armed Security Guard and Armed Private Investigator as a sideline. Also, I have been a member of the NRA well over 20 years, and I own numerous “weapons” (firearms designed only for taking Human life - riot gun, pistols) I don’t want to get beat up for being an anti-gun leftest.
However, I believe Bill Cosby is correct in what he said. He WAS NOT advocating the disarmnent of citizens. He was saying, IMO, that an unlicensed amateur should not be carrying a weapon capable of inflicting death when acting as a “watchman.” Neighborhood watches exist to be “eyes and ears” for law enforcement, not to be law enforcement. Having been someone who “carried” in the line of duty, I tended to be braver when armed, and more cautious when unarmed. I think his points are well made.
There is no further doubt in my mind that Martin was a gangsta wanabee and he had a definite attitude. I am also convinced he did indeed attack Mr. Zimmerman when Mr. Zimmerman was retreating to his vehicle. Under the circumstances Mr. Zimmerman did use justifiable homocide to protect his own life.
Where I agree with Bill Cosby, is that a neighborhood “watch” should not consist of armed persons. The temptation to go beyond what your mandate is great. Although Oklahoma was a concealed carry state, they would not allow an armed person to participate in a police sanctioned neighborhood watch.
I am also now convinced that Mr. Zimmerman wasn’t a gun toting vigalante trying to be a dirty harry. I think his intentions were pure.
However, I think that had he not been armed, as Bill Cosby states, he would never have followed Martin and the resulting use of deadly force would not have been required.
So, I agree that “amateurs” should not be armed while performing a “neighborhood watch.” OR, before they can they should receive state recognized training making them better qualified to do such para-police activities outside of their own property.
Now, IF, Bill Cosby has a hidden agenda to generally “disarm” citizens, I vehemently disagree with him. It is only in this narrow area of a “neighborhood watch” where I agree. Police make mistakes all the time, even those very well trained. Can we expect an untrained amateur to not make mistakes? I think not. It was a mistake to follow Martin. A prudent individual would not have done so.
Remember, like I said, Mr. Zimmerman was correct to use deadly force in his self defense when Martin violently attacked him. However, IF Mr. Zimmerman had not followed him....possibly as Bill Cosby said because he was armed, this situation would not be confronting us now.
I’m afraid maybe good statutes like “stand your ground” may be removed because of this incident.
And also remember, IF Cosby has an agenda beyond this narrow area of “neighborhood watches” I don’t agree with him.
I would actually like to know what professional law enforcemtn personnel on FR think?
“I would actually like to know what professional law enforcemtn personnel on FR think?” I’m not in LE, but I agree with your wise post. This armed Zimmerman NW guy also gave them the opening they needed (a huge can of worms) and they are running with it as far as they can.
Obviously he was thinking like a civilian, but even a civilian like me would have backed towards my car, knowing that a suspicious individual was lurking around and aware I was tracking him. Having a gun isn't some kind of shield against getting stabbed or shot from behind.
Neighborhood Watchmen have the same second amendment rights as everyone else.
Since when did Bill Cosby become a “social commentator”? He is a comedian, pure and simple. And in this case, he is wrong. There will always be bad things that happen regardless of the possession of a gun. The passengers on Flight 93 didn’t have guns when they took on the hijackers. The hijackers didn’t have guns, they had box cutters. This is as silly as Rep. Frederica Wilson’s (D-FL) resolution last week that stated racial hatred should never happen again. Well, Miss Wilson, we wish, but all the resolutions aren’t going to stop people from exercising their free will.
Cosby doesn’t have bodyguards that I know of. Not every celebrity has one.
Just because I disagree with him doesn’t make him “phony”.
Since no one knows the full details of that evening, George Zimmerman’s actions can’t be assessed.
Not all the details of that night have been released. Something new is that Zimmerman was a part of NW, but was out doing business for someone else when he spotted Martin.
True. And think of all the fun “show downs” we could witness.
Sure wish Cosby would have stayed out of it, but since he joined the fray, it would be nice if he would slap down the New Black Panthers for the bounty, and Spike for the address debacle, not to mention suggesting Zimmerman be hanged.
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