Posted on 06/27/2013 7:09:04 AM PDT by iowamark
A teenage friend of Trayvon Martin was forced to admit today in the George Zimmerman murder trial that she did not write a letter that was sent to Martin's mother describing what she allegedly heard on a phone call with Martin moments before he was shot.
In a painfully embarassing moment, Rachel Jeantel was asked to read the letter out loud in court.
"Are you able to read that at all?" defense attorney Don West asked.
Jeantel, head bowed, eyes averted whispered into the court microphone, "Some but not all. I don't read cursive."
It sent a hush through the packed courtroom.
Jeantel, 19, was unable to read any of the letter save for her name...
During nearly two hours of cross examination Wednesday in which he tried to raise questions about her version of events and accused her of telling several lies under oath, including about her whereabouts during Martin's wake.
"Under oath, you created a lie and said you went to the hospital?" asked West.
"Yes," responded Jeantel. She said she lied because she didn't want to see the body.
Jeantel became increasingly agitated and scoffed when West told her that she would have to continue testifying.
She is seen as a critical witness to the prosecution because she is the only person able to say that Martin claimed that he noticed a strange man following him and that he was scared. Jeantel said Martin described the stranger as a "creepy ass cracker."
Jeantel said Martin, 17, was walking home during halftime of the NBA All-Star Game when he became unnerved because he was being followed.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Well if she can’t read cursive, she sure as hell can not write it.
You are kidding, right?
I’ll be 28 later in the year, and I went to school with a few kids that had difficulty reading.
After that exchange, I’m a little surprised that there apparently wasn’t a “Your honor, can we meet in your chambers?” moment.
She’s still in high school?
” West: “You don’t think “crazy-ass cracker” is racial?” Jeantel: “No.””
Says it all!
Teachers are supposed to motivate, but if the student is not receptive, is it the teacher’s fault...
...to the extent they pass the illiterates up the grade chain knowing they aren’t qualified, yes, they are to blame, along with everybody else running the schools...
I told my kids from Day One, “YOU are responsible for your education, not your teachers, and not your parents.”
I’m no lawyer, but is this Judge judicially smart or an affirmative action prop?
"I'm just a bill; yes I'm only a bill. And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill."
And I still can't recite the Preamble unless I sing the Schoolhouse Rock version. "Weeee the peeeeople, in order to form a more perfect unionnnnn...establish justice, insure domestic tran-quillll-iiii-teeeeee...."
She can probably make more than that working for Tarantino.
Jeantel agrees circumstances of BLDR meet led her to modify her testimony under oath.
The Simpson’s did a great Parody of that, even getting the original singer of “I’m Just a Bill” to sing it.
Kid: Hey, who left all this garbage on the steps of Congress?
Amendment: I’m not garbage.
(starts singing)
I’m an amendment-to-be, yes an amendment-to-be,
And I’m hoping that they’ll ratify me.
There’s a lot of flag-burners,
Who have got too much freedom,
I want to make it legal
For policemen to beat’em.
‘Cause there’s limits to our liberties,
At least I hope and pray that there are,
‘Cause those liberal freaks go too far.
(spoken)
Kid: But why can’t we just make a law against flag-burning?
Amendment: Because that law would be unconstitutional.
But if we changed the Constitution...
Kid: Then we could make all sorts of crazy laws!
Amendment: Now you’re catching on!
Kid: What if people say you’re not good enough to be in the
Constitution?
(sings)
Amendment: Then I’ll crush all opposition to me,
And I’ll make Ted Kennedy pay.
If he fights back, I’ll say that he’s gay.
(spoken)
Congressman: Good news, Amendment! They ratified ya!
You’re in the US Constitution!
Amendment: Oh yeah!
Rising Senior.
That was my point - heading into her senior year at the age of 19 suggests that she's been held back at least once - and possibly 'socially promoted' (Egad! I hate that term.) as well.
No wonder she can't read cursive - I wonder if she can read block letters any better. This isn't meant to be a personal attack on the girl; to me, it's an indictment of society. Not that it's to be blamed on society as an excuse, but to say that society is ALSO to blame - I wouldn't begin to suggest that 'we' let her off the hook for her failure to learn.
Yeah, but we got electrolytes.
Man I could really go for a Starbucks, y’know.
Trying to “rehabilitate” the witness.
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