Cross posted at Working Man Radio. Please recommend this diary.
We're talking book deals, movie rights, television appearances, and speaking engagements. George Zimmerman is the next "Joe The Plumber" -- a poster boy for the bigoted right, who is now poised to cash in and profit from killing a 17 year old boy.
That's why Tracy Martin, the father of Trayvon Martin, needs to bring suit against George Zimmerman. Immediately. He needs to seek substantial punitive damages, and he will likely get them. The standard of proof will be preponderance, also known as the "greater weight of the evidence." If he has an unpaid judgement with a punitive damage award -- not dischargeable in bankruptcy -- Trayvon Martin's familiy can levy on every dime Zimmerman earns from his new found notoriety, until the judgement is paid.
A punitive damage judgement will not be dischargeable in bankruptcy, which means that a punitive damage judgment will follow George Zimmerman, preventing him from accumulating a thin dime in net worth for the next 20 years. That is reason enough to bring the suit, and refuse the settle unless Zimmerman is willing to confess judgment including punitive damages.
But wait, there's more.
Who paid for Zimmerman's lawyers? Why the George Zimmerman legal defense fund, that's who. According to the top post at that site, they raised $77,000 in a single week. The web page includes lots of quotes from donors about the need for a "fair trial." Of course, they don't show you messages saying things like "good job killing that n****r." Perhaps they're discoverable, in a civil suit that is.
Meanwhile, Zimmerman said in his infamous Sean Hannity interview how "sorry" he felt for Trayvon's family.
If you say so, George. Why don't you prove it? Why don't you make personal appeal to all of your non-racist supporters, who are just concerned about justice doncha know, to help you out?
While he's at it, what with being "sorry" and all, why doesn't Zimmerman go ahead and negotiate that movie deal, and that book deal, and turn all of the money over to the Martin family? He doesn't have to wait for a jury.
Maybe Zimmerman will do that -- and if he did, I would consider that to be a big step toward redemption. I have my doubts, but we'll see.
As for Zimmerman's supporters, I have no doubt, none whatsoever, that not a single contributor to Zimmerman's defense will cough up a nickle to pay a judgement against Zimmerman. They do not care about George Zimmerman. This case was nothing more than an opportunity to vicariously participate in the killing of a black teenager.
And don't forgot. If you've got a commute, it's always nice to have something to listen to. Try a good, hard hitting audio podcast, at Working Man Radio. Available on iTunes.
This is not an exact transcript, but it's close. The video of course, is much better than the cold text.