So you think that you've heard enough about the verdict? It takes me a while to simmer and then come to a boil. I'm Irish...Don't make me come over there!
Headings:
If Zimmerman Voted For Mitt, You Must Acquit
Sanford And Sons
Yippeekayay
Enter The Jagoff
Use The Force, Grasshopper (Whatever)
The Tool Of Hard Knocks
The Best Defence Is Offensive
Cheaters Always Prosper
Race? You Mean The 100 Yard dash?
Ladies And Gentlemen Of The Jury, In Summation, Let's Get This Show Off The Road
If Zimmerman Voted For Mitt, You Must Acquit
As with every situation in America today, the opinions about the verdict immediately line up as either Left or Right. Don’t worry, I’m not going to evoke that false equivalence meme. I’m not a believer in an obligatory symmetry for political authenticity. One side is always decidedly more evil than the other. It’s a branding thing. Right Wing, gun-doting, vigilante wingnuts have really jumped the Sharknado with their online expectorations that pass for commentary, as well as outrageous and gratuitous attacks on a dead boy. But one should expect no more from people of such, ahem, calibre.
Trayvon Martin was demonised as a thug by Zimmerman cheerleaders, the Tea Party gun nuts, because they know that he can’t rebut their slanderous bullshit. Notice that I didn’t say ”libelous”. That would presume that they know how to write. A thug would travel in a group of other thugs, would have a criminal record (like assaulting a police officer, maybe?), carry a gun of his own and would have stolen the Skittles.
This tone-deaf Zimmerman jury compares with the OJ jury and the Wisconsin recall voters for “Stand Your Ground” obstinacy that mocks their own self-interest. They had no choice but to acquit? And of course, the OJ jury had no choice but to find HIM “Not guilty” because statutory law made that decision unavoidable.
However, by far the most outrageous aspect of this outcome is the fact that it took less than 24 hours to phone in the decision. They had no intention to put up even an illusion of thoughtful deliberation. They had made up their narrow minds a week ago not to waste their whole weekend pretending to care about justice or due process. Wouldn’t want to keep them. They must have had things to do: Arrange dinner gatherings, golf dates, laundry (sheets to whiten). They were probably back to Church on Sunday in time to hug their guns and reassure themselves how moral they are. Zimmerman declared that “It was God’s plan”, so we’re off!! They are good at producing jokes but they won’t be here all week.
A Right Wing, ALEC promoted agenda lobbied the Stand Your Ground provision into existence and a Right Wing Florida agenda ensures that it’s applied based on whether or not you are either black or a Republican. Marissa Alexander was denied SYG and given 20 years, even though no one died. Let’s see, what colour was she again? Oh yes, Democrat. George Zimmerman was acquitted yet with this lot he is viewed as a martyr. The bar for self-sacrifice has slipped so far lately that it’s a trip hazard. OK, let them lament his plight at his funeral, fifty or sixty years from now.
Was the point of the trial to target a thug? For a gun-loving lot, their aim was pretty bad. Justice truly is blond.
Sanford and Sons
At least these legal tourists, the jurors, should be secure with the knowledge that ten more locked and loaded Zimmermans, on a hair trigger, are patrolling their neighbourhoods, looking to become a hero. There is a great old expression that says that when you are a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail, (A hammer? More on that later). Now they don’t have to worry about holding back. Escalate the situation at “Which way to Starbucks, Bro?” and just claim that your prey was endangering your life, (wink, wink) because he won’t be around to contradict you because, you know, you killed him. Dude, the state has to disprove your claim, otherwise it stands unchallenged! Then, a subsequent brain dead jury will quickly rationalise the path to an easy acquittal and be home in time for “Swamp Wars”, QED.
Yippeekayay!!
Of course, all potential confrontations should be antagonised with the presence of firepower. Every argument should escalate to a fatal conclusion. Only pussies back off. Imagine how short schoolyard brawls would be with a Glock at the ready. School overcrowding would be a thing of the past! It’s just amazing how many things can be solved with a gun! We can gleefully stampede back to the days when arguments were settled with a duel at dawn…without actually waiting for dawn. Morality will side with the participant with the best aim. Evolution can then select for target shooters.
The current predisposition of Florida state law toward flaunting it’s macho swagger is demonstrated by how the moral high ground defaults to the guy who is packing, when a firearm is involved. How is it that the one with gun is the only one who can claim that he was in fear for his life? Zimmerman dove into the confrontation because he wanted to make a name for himself like he was pursuing the top score in a video game. Martin, on the other hand, had the fight brought TO him, as he tried to leave. Apparently, the key to “Stand Your Ground” is movement.
Enter The Jagoff
This “Hero In Waiting”, who spent much time training to become a cop, could easily have learned some manoeuvres to stop an unarmed physical threat, that do not require a gun. Often conflict mitigation means simply knowing when to back off. How far was Zimmerman prepared to go in any given situation? If, as he claims, he was bested by a kid ten years younger and 50 pounds lighter, he is wholly unprepared to handle a situation other than come out with guns blazing. Martin didn’t even carry a knife so was a complete failure as a thug. Instead of boning up on what to say in court to avoid accountability, Zimmerman should have learned some basic self-defence.
Why is this guy allowed to stalk the neighbourhood with a gun, looking for people that he didn’t like? The fact that he had no self-defence training but decided to insert himself into a potentially inflammatory situation anyway indicates that he had every intention to use that gun from the word “Go”.
Zimmerman’s actions were that of an undisciplined amateur, someone who never should have been allowed to be responsible for neighbourhood safety. Safety for the locals certainly was not what was achieved, ya think? He was prepared only to kill and with the recent enactment of laws designed to encourage violence and sneer at conflict mitigation as limp-wristed appeasement, he knew that he could get away with it. Florida zeitgeist, standing on the assumed virtue of having a chip on your shoulder, was his most potent weapon. Florida really needs to back off on the testosterone gel.
This is where those legal classes came in handy. They prepared him to set up the groundwork for credible deniability of criminal intent. There is a case here for the use of excessive force. Although such force is permitted under the “Stand Your Ground” statute, as you may recall, Team Z chose not to claim it as a defence so Zimmerman should not be able to benefit from it’s arrogant provisions.
Use The Force, Grasshopper (Whatever)
Not all disputes need to escalate to a jackpot situation or require the use of a firearm. In fact, you need to prepare yourself for the possibility that your piece may be out of reach when you need it most, prospective heroes. Don’t let the lack of a weapon stop you on your quest for the attention you crave. Or, maybe you just want to protect yourself if caught weaponless in a situation that you can’t extricate yourself from.
I started martial arts training when I was nine. Beginning with Judo training, graduating to “hard-style” Karate practices and then after that instructor retired, onto the “soft-style” techniques of Chinese Kung Fu. They all have an important lesson in common. With a minimum of simple techniques in your repertoire you can disable a much larger opponent if you take the time to perfect them, and more importantly, learn the best time to deploy them. Meaning that you don’t announce your impending attack with flamboyant YouTube-friendly, Crouching Poser Hidden Wannabe choreography.
Unlike their depiction in the ridiculous martial arts movies where the fighters first linger in dramatic poses and then explode to defy gravity using the most articulated and complicated movements (that nobody would ever use in the street), most (real) fights are over in under a minute. The human body is a forest of nerves and obliging weak spots waiting to be exploited to disable someone even twice your size, including those who visit the gym every day. Your most effective weapon is that they won’t see it coming, unless of course you want to stand there and flail you’re arms about (only an idiot would fight with fingers extended as it’s a good way to get them broken) as if you’re going to defeat your opponent with semaphore.
The Tool Of Hard Knocks
Even a gun can be used as a blunt force weapon, without the need to fire it. That is, if you really don’t want to kill. It’s as solid as a hammer. In fact, pioneers did use the butts of their revolvers as hammers because they were actually sold as being able to drive nails also, back in the days of economy of resources. A simple crack across the side of the head would have been enough to stop an assault, if you are in such close quarters as Zimmerman claimed that he was. They’re a ballistic brass knuckles, if you will. If you have ever planted your forehead into the roof above the car door as you get in, you know how a blow to the head can stop you in your tracks.
Film fans may remember a scene from the movie “Hard Times” when Bronson produces a gun when confronted by a belligerent bar owner. The guy, realising that his audience of subordinates and hangers-on is watching, challenges him, “You’re not going to use that”. Bronson immediately clobbers him in the face with the butt of the gun, dropping him to the floor. Bronson then snaps back, “That’s one way. Wanna see another?” Life should imitate art more.
The Best Defence Is Offensive
Women will recognise this one: “He dressed provocatively (a hoodie) so he got what he deserved”.
O’Mara flooded the airwaves, pre-trial, with pictures and sound bites engineered to demonise Trayvon Martin. Before a trial is actually in process, this sort of mud-slinging is legal. At that time, he and his sidekick, Taunto, publically dissed Martin with accommodating suggestive details of the case in order to contaminate the prospective jury pool. Zimmerman subsequently got off and in an attempt to blame the victim, Team Z declared that Trayvon “got himself killed”. Whew, it’s a good thing that Zimmerman had nothing to do with it.
ALEC CRONY: Are you listening, women? The only victims are from Affirmative Action!! Shut that whole thing down!! You’re next on our list!! Is dinner ready??
They weren’t satisfied to demonise just Trayvon Martin. Rachel Jeantel was a witness that could conjure sympathy for Trayvon and dissipate the “thug” image, therefore she had to be sullied by O’Mara so whatever she said could be summarily dismissed. Even the talkative juror admitted that she did not find her to be trustworthy. Of course, her being black helped.
This jury’s verdict solidified the perception that a black teenager is a gang member until proven otherwise. Hopefully THEIR precious offspring won’t get caught in the crossfire but, hey, what price justice? You can’t worry about such unimportant collateral details. They didn’t. I wonder if this can be tied into a national security priority somehow and end all discussion… Hannity??
George Zimmerman even got the murder weapon back. Let’s face it, still out there are many African American perpetrators that just haven’t committed their crimes yet.
Cheaters Always Prosper
Zimmerman was charged with 2nd degree murder, with a side-order of manslaughter. There was no doubt that he willfully shot and killed another human being and the only possible mitigating factor to avoid certain conviction is that if he felt that he was in imminent danger and can therefore make a legitimate claim of self-defence. In Florida, the state has the burden to disprove self-defense “beyond a reasonable doubt”. Remove that excuse and the remaining evidence is explicit and undisputed and certain grounds for a conviction, regardless of any incarnation of the “Stand Your Ground” provision jockeying for precedence. The only element in contention, then, is his perception of the seriousness of his situation at the time.
In order to bolster his claim that he was in mortal danger, he lied about the severity of his injuries and the length of his alleged near death experience. Contradictions by other witnesses demonstrated that he lies, just because it’s Tuesday. Just as certainly, he lied about not knowing about the “Stand Your Ground” law and about not knowing the name of the street that he has patrolled for so long. At what point do you disbelieve whatever a chronic liar says? Acknowledging this repetitive lying is the avenue that should have been followed to attack the certainty of an acquittal. Not that the law is in error but that the facts were subject to interpretation.
So, the verdict was correct? The prosecution didn’t meet its obligation? I keep hearing that the jurors had no choice. The only reason that they had no choice is because their carefully crafted biases couldn’t see the range of their options, still within the law.
So, all the prosecutor had to do is prove ”beyond a reasonable doubt“ (O’Mara’s favourite phrase) that Zimmerman was lying when he made the claim of self-defence, to leave him exposed to an unadulterated 2nd degree murder conviction, never mind one for mere manslaughter. Is the court obligated to accept automatically anything the defendant claims as fact? His own performance in court demonstrated “beyond a reasonable doubt” that he told lies in multiple instances to help his case. Since the physical evidence of his injuries showed that he had no reason to fear imminent death, it isn’t a stretch to conclude “beyond a reasonable doubt” that he is also lying about actually fearing for his life. Check and mate. But these people don’t play chess. Just “Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe”. The Good Ole Boy version, if you get my drift.
Race? You Mean The 100 Yard Dash?
Truth was limited because of a previous agreement to ignore the most insidious factor contributing to this travesty: Racism.
Race didn’t play a part?? By the juror’s own admission she thought that “George” did not profile TM even after hearing those damning comments by Zimmerman that displayed his prejudices “beyond a reasonable doubt”. Yet, she thought that he basically was an honourable man. Contrast that with her opinion of Rachel Jeantel which was that SHE was “untrustworthy”. No reason given. What cognitive dissonance baggage did she drag into that deliberation room, anyway?
If anybody is counting, any white witness was seen as credible but anyone of colour was deemed to be suspect. Strangely, all parties seems to agree that Dr. Vincent Dimaio was a stellar witness. He wasn’t a witness, he was a salesman for the defence, on a commission. Instead of just faithfully recounting his evidence, he tried to turn his testimony into an infomercial for the Defence. He was working the room.
Existing black on black crime does not excuse a gated-community lynching. It’s OK because everybody’s doing it? Despite the claim by both sides that racism was not involved, accounts of past attacks by other black assailants were used to fabricate permission to profile Martin as a criminal, irrespective of his actual history. Such history will never see the light of day in the PoxNews, White Victimhood cover story universe, (“Fear and Maliced“). It seems that the admonishment by the Judge not to invoke the phrase “racial profiling” was a deliberate attempt to file off the teeth of the prosecution’s attack and thus not aggravate the potential for riots prompted solely by the optics. Expediency, not integrity, was the template for this disaster.
Ladies and Gentleman Of The Jury, In Summation, Let’s Get This Show Off The Road
This little bit of callous, scripted reality TV proves “beyond a reasonable doubt” that carrying a gun emboldens people to go looking for trouble. Without question, Zimmerman loses his self-righteous swagger and stays in the car, if he has no gun. Everybody goes home safely and nobody ever hears of “Skittles”. Martin was on his way home and there was no crime in progress that required Zimmerman’s less than useless intervention to prevent but somehow it all culminated in the death of a 17 year old. The Rabid Right thinks that everything ended well. Why is it that everybody else has to hold their nose and cede that the universe unfolded as it should?
Think about it: There was no illegal activity happening and Zimmerman’s incompetence caused the death of an unarmed kid. That’s a working definition of involuntary manslaughter. How is it that there is no accountability? Johnny Cochran proved that even evidence five miles “beyond a reasonable doubt” can be zeroed out with the right jury and a good hard sell. O’Mara proved that Cochran’s jury nullification wasn’t just a single lightning strike. Although, this particular nullification began in the media long before jury selection, thanks to O’Mara’s team. It goes to show what high priced pantomime whores can do. Apparently, the Zimmermans could afford more than just one, (they usually travel in packs).
And here’s how they earned their money: The defence created a workaround for wanting Zimmerman’s own (what passes for a heart)-felt words to be admitted into evidence without actually putting him on the stand for forensic dissection. Getting the Hannity video admitted into court solved that problem neatly and cynically. Those who would empathise with Zimmerman, simply for reasons of political solidarity, got to wallow in the tactile emotional spectacle of his humble (and edited) video testimony, WITHOUT THE DANGER OF CROSS-EXAMINATION!! This is what rape with a condom looks like.
If any of these SYG hypocrites heard that their daughters were being stalked by this same Zimmerman on their way home, they would be scrambling for their guns to blow him away. I doubt that their thoughts would be, ”Honey, it’s lucky that he didn’t attack you because I wouldn’t have been able to stop him without getting killed and I agree with that”. It was obvious at the time of the confrontation that this armed stalker, Zimmerman, was going to pursue Trayvon wherever he went. If, after all, Zimmerman was indeed assaulted by Trayvon Martin, then Zimmerman was getting exactly what HE deserved for stalking Martin, who must have perceived HIM as a threat. That Martin responded by standing his ground and defending himself prompted Don West’s mock indignation at the possibility anybody could believe that Zimmerman committed a crime by killing him. Where is this much touted love for personal responsibility of which the Right is so fond? Apparently vacationing somewhere other than Florida.
Do you want to take that smug smile off of the faces of these Right Wing stooges? Get “Stand Your Ground” laws repealed. That’s losing a battle to win the war.