What is it about nice people that attract total idiots?Nice people are martyrs. Idiots are evangelists.

SOCK IT TO ME BABY!!!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Zimmerman, one last round, and other stuff

I saw three interesting articles with which I shall end my involvement in the Zimmerman-Martin case.  Unless I have to go Troppo on AG Holder at some later date, which is always possible.

The first is from that eminent philosopher, Charles Barkley.  Sir Charles does an eloquent job of explaining why he believes the jury got it right.  His take highlights the double-standards being taken by both sides here:

“I just feel bad because I don’t like when race gets out in the media ‘cuz I don’t think the media has a ‘pure heart,’ as I call it,” Barkley continued. “There are very few people who have a pure heart when it comes to race. Racism is wrong in any shape [or] form — there are a lot of black people who are racist, too. I think sometimes when people talk about race, they act like only white people are racist. There are a lot of black people who are racist. And I don’t like when it gets out there in the media because I don’t think the media has clean hands.”
So, what was his take on the actual evidence?

Like I said, I feel sorry that young kid got killed, but just judging by the evidence, I don’t think that guy should’ve went to jail for the rest of his life,” Barkley continued. “Mr. Zimmerman was wrong to pursue, he was racial profiling, but I think Trayvon Martin — God rest his soul — I think he did flip the switch and started beating the hell out of Mr. Zimmerman. But it was just a bad situation.”
But the worst thing, to Charles, was that justice didn't really get done.

"The main thing I feel bad for is it gives every white person and black person who’s racist a platform to vent their ignorance,” he said. “That’s the thing that bothered me the most. I watched this trail closely and I watched these people on television talking about it. A lot of these people have a hidden agenda. They want to have their racist views, whether they are white or black … Their biases definitely come out. It was a bad situation. We all lost.”
The second comes to us from an unlikely (to me) source:  Fox's Juan Williams.  In this article, he goes down through all the mistakes made by every participant that led to the verdict that was arrived at.

Star with the political pressure for a quick arrest.  Then the prosecutor fails to ask for a grand jury, which would have likely told them that a murder conviction was pie in the sky, instead of scrambling at the end to get lesser charges introduced.  The next level was the media turning it into a race thing, just to sell their agenda.  Was it a race thing?  Well, let's step away from Juan Williams for a moment and look at the third level- An article by Pam Geller in Westernjournalism.com which will make any REASONABLE person say to themselves, George Zimmerman was not motived by racist thoughts.  Many of you have heard the factoids- Peruvian mother, black family members, and shrugged it off.  But, look here:

George Zimmerman launched a campaign to help a homeless black man who was beaten up by a white kid.
George dated and took a black girl to the prom.
George Zimmerman also mentored young black males.

George Zimmerman voted and campaigned for Obama.
George Zimmerman and his black friend opened an insurance company in Florida.


All of which was reported in the London Telegraph, which was a good enough news source to get Eric Snowden exiled for letting you know Big Brother's listening (Hi, Barry!)

So back to Williams, where, after berating the media charge to make it a racist case, also shows the other side.

To make the connection between black men and crime is not evidence of racism. As Jason Riley, who is African-American, wrote in the Wall Street Journal this week there is a disturbing high rate of convictions of black men for violent crime in America. So let’s not tell lies in an attempt to claim race is not an issue. Americans, black and white, are all conscious of race, the history of racial division in our country and the painful curves it continues to throw at us all.
And let me add something I heard on the Piers Morgan clip many of us saw yesterday:  50% of murders in this country are black-on-black killings- that's 6% of the population (the convicted black men) committing half the murders in the nation.  And yet "leaders " like Anthea Butler accuse white America of "stalking young black men" rather than trying to get these young black men from killing in the first place.  And thus you have "white people"  afraid to go out at night because the police are afraid to "profile", and the NAACP are protesting against the "oppressive laws" that might make the streets safe again.

Finally, let Juan have the last say...

Again, the media, like the prosecution, and like the jury – all failed to exercise the honesty required to act wisely.

Whether the young man threw a punch or a rock it is hard to see any wisdom in allowing a killer to walk away because he feared for his safety after scaring the victim.

But one juror, identified by her jury service number as B37, said in a post-trial interview that Martin has some responsibility for his death because “when George confronted him he could have walked away.”


It is also true that “George” could have avoided the whole incident by staying in his car.
The juror, the wife of a lawyer, allowed that Zimmerman “went too far and did not use good judgment.” She also said the laws were “very confusing.” And then she concluded idly that “someone lost their life and nothing else could be done about it.”

Four of the five other jurors issued a statement disavowing B-37’s comments. They simply said “in the end we did what the law required us to do.”
And that is where we must do better.

The limits of the law are no excuse for failing to give justice to the family of a dead, unarmed teen who had his whole life ahead of him. It is no excuse for leaving another man, Zimmerman, as a target of hate for the rest of his life.
We have to demand more of our prosecutors, our media, our juries, ourselves.


_________________________________________

Anyway, here's the other stuff- pictures from our truncated, molten walks lately.



Heron flying away...

...and chillin'.

Damn, it's hot!



Remember when it was pouring?  Evidently we now need the rain...

Mama and fawn last night.




 










Moonlight over the Ponderosa...

Saw the Pope this morning...


A Swallow finally sitting still enough...

By the time they get the trail connected to Foster park, they'll have to re-connect it to itself...


Kitty lounging on the trail...

And this was interesting- two Goldfinches fighting over a lady right out in the street!

15 comments:

  1. Here's my take on the Zimmerman thing. You've probably noticed that I haven't mentioned it at Penwasser Place because it's tiresome and no amount of whatever from me is going to make a difference. but, I like coming here to put in my two cents.
    Would I have gotten out of my car? Ohhhh...hell no.
    That being said....
    Who threw the first punch? Appears to be Martin. Who could have walked away and called the cops like Zimmerman did.
    That being said....
    What would anyone do who had a gun and was having their brains beaten in? If you say you wouldn't shoot to protect yourself, you're either a liar, a masochist, or a fool.
    So, for what it's worth.
    Now back to making fart jokes.

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    1. Damn it, Al! You had a reputation on this blog! How dare you come over here, be serious and make sense?

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  2. I think that there were poor choices on all accounts. What I don't understand is why there's no negligence charges, involuntary manslaughter, or the like? Seriously, nothing. Who care what the color of their skin was.... someone died. There's got to be some accountability for the poor choices we all know he DID make... getting out of the car, etc.

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    1. Like Juan Williams said, if there had been a grand jury to figure out what he should have been tried on, but every body wanted swift justice. Now they have ashes. Nobody's fault but the feds and the media.

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  3. The trail result has made the news here but all I can say is it is such a tragedy that a young person died.
    As for justice, I guess my thoughts are on the same lines as Juli, but I am not familiar with your legal system.
    As always though, i love you walk photos and would be quite happy to send you some of our cold and rain in exchange for your hot.

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    1. Believe it or not, the rain would be welcome...

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  4. BROTHER MARTIN ~
    Here are just a couple thoughts of mine:

    First, I did not watch a single minute of the trial (there's this thing called "work") so all I know about it is what I picked up from talk radio, a couple online articles, and general yak.

    Therefore it's possible that I am not currently aware of evidence or testimony that was introduced in the trial that would change the following opinion if I had a greater grasp of the facts.

    But based on what I HAVE heard, Zimmerman was a Community Watch volunteer. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that he would get out of his car in order to keep an eye on someone in the (crime-ridden) neighborhood who appeared to be a possible burglar (e.g., walking close to homes at night).

    You can't very well keep a person under surveillance strictly from a car, and Zimmerman had every right to get out of the car and follow on foot.

    I also think it is most likely that Trayvon Martin turned the situation into a violent one. I know that Zimmerman is an out-of-shape butterball (and obviously isn't very tough). I also know that someone representing the medical field testified that Zimmerman was physically no match for Martin.

    It's pretty embarrassing that a man Zimmerman's size and age couldn't win a fight against that skinny 17-year-old kid. But it is what it is, and guys who are not very tough KNOW that they're not very tough. I'm sure Zimmerman knew he'd be in trouble if he got into a fight, therefore, he would not be the one to incite a fight. Martin, on the other hand, probably sized up his puffy opponent, figured he could take him, and decided to teach him a lesson.

    I wasn't there, so I don't KNOW what happened, but I'd be willing to bet my analysis above is accurate.

    Now, one last thing...

    Charles Barkley said, "Mr. Zimmerman was wrong to pursue, he was racial profiling..."

    Here we see Barkley's own racism showing through, despite his earlier forceful statement that all racism is wrong.

    First of all, "pursuing" and "following" do not necessarily mean the same thing. Pursing is a more aggressive form of following. Zimmerman was following Martin, to keep him under surveillance. I don't think Zimmerman was ever running after Martin in order to catch him and accuse him of anything.

    Secondly, where does Barkley get off saying that Zimmerman was "racial profiling" Martin? What evidence does he have for that? None. That's just Barkley's own racially-paranoid mind talking.

    For fifteen years I worked as a security guard at the same business. There were countless times when I saw young Black men walk through the parking lot. I would follow at a distance and keep them in view until they were off the premises.

    Barkley and a whole lot of other Blacks would accuse me of racial profiling for doing that. BUT... they'd be wrong. Why? Because I did the exact same thing when I saw young Whites walking through the parking lot. Or young Hispanics. Or Asians. You name it! Anyone who did not appear to have business at that building would be watched until they were no longer on the premises. It's called "doing security work".

    If I could be accused of anything, saying that I was "age profiling" would have been more accurate. But even that wouldn't quite fit, because I'd also follow and watch older guys too.

    So, for anyone to take one single incident, assume something about it and then make a bold statement like "George Zimmerman was racial profiling" is not only a mistake, but it's a stupid, uninformed mistake too.

    How does Barkley KNOW that Zimmerman wouldn't have done the exact same thing he did that night if Martin had simply been White instead of Black?

    I swear, sometimes it's like people are going out without their brains in.

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. Much like you, I didn't watch much coverage. But you raise a valid point on Barkley's otherwise good article, and here's one that stems from it: (And this may have been addressed, IDK) If Martin was wearing the almighty hoodie, do we know if Zimmerman even KNEW he was black when he started following him?

      Barkley's statement wasn't so much of a mistake as a "cultural thing", though. As a white male, anytime I look at a black or Hispanic or (especially here in Ft Wayne) Burmese, I am "de facto" profiling. According to the African American wisdom, I was profiling even as I gave the black dancer a dollar at Showgirl III (Even though I had my eyes closed to prevent perfume insertion).

      But of course, that's because I'm a evil, hypocritical, Bible thumping former slave owner.

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  5. My brother Nappy made a good point also:

    When Zimmerman made his 911 call that night, the operator asked him the race of the person he was following. Zimmerman replied, "He looks Black."

    Zimmerman didn't say, "He IS Black." So, in other words, even at the point where he was reporting this suspicious guy in the neighborhood to the authorities, Zimmerman apparently still wasn't absolutely, 100% sure that Martin was Black.

    So how could he have been "racial profiling" Martin when he wasn't even totally certain what Martin's race was? Maybe Zimmerman was "90% racial profiling", eh? Maybe 90% of Zimmerman should go to prison and the rest of him go free.

    CW, you're a "FORMER slave owner"? Gee, why'd you let 'em go? I still have mine.

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. Why did I let them go? Carter-era emissions regulations.

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  6. Coming from Charles Barkley, that's a pretty well-reasoned statement. Like I said before, they didn't prove their case. And they rushed to convict without really investigating and getting their evidence in line. Honestly, I wasn't a fan of his attorney either (who starts off a trial with a knock knock joke?") And as much as it pains me to agree with Fox...I tend to agree with his reasoning.

    I'd just like to see us move on. And maybe some of those prosecuting attorneys in Florida go back to law school? Just saying...

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    1. I thought it was, too. I had to tell a friend that "people whom I respect" told me there wasn't evidence to convict... and you top that list.

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  7. CWM:
    Another great photo extravagnaza...!

    "I saw the pope"...LMAO!
    That area gets BROWN fast, doesn't it?

    As to the Zimmerman gig...even MY "admiration quotient" jumped UP a few notches wheh I saw Barkley on TV in defense of the verdict.
    (Don't think I'm getting soft, even IF Sir Charles played in Philly once.)

    But he's CORRECT.
    FACTS are just that...facts.

    I saw Jason Riley on TV too, and HE was spot on as well!
    Brilliant commentary.

    You have to remember what I am always saying over at my blog...we CAN do better...we ARE better than what we're settling for these days.
    Amd ALL the race-baiters HAVE to back the hell OFF...period.
    I'd rather see THEAll of THEM out of a job if it means we have safer streets and much BETTER race relations...because we most certainly WOULD.

    And don't confuse "racial" profiling with CRIMINAL profiling.
    Look and behave like a thug...you WILL get "noticed".

    Excellent post.
    Great comments.

    Stay safe (and keep cool) up there.

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