Does anyone remember those old western movies where the townspeople storm the town jail and drag some guy out into the street and lynch him because the people wanted 'justice'? This is the image I have of what is going on in this case.
Between 2005 and 2010 there have been 95 examples of the 'stand your ground' defense in Florida. Of these, 65 have been upheld as justifiable shootings. This means that 65 people did not get 'justice', 65 people 'got away with it'. What makes this shooting different? There is NO difference. But, to hear tell it, this particular case is a travesty. Why? There are two issues here, the law and racism. If Mr. Zimmerman acted in accordance to the law, then he will not be charged. If he broke the law, he will be arrested and charged. The big question is, did he or did he not break the law. A grand jury will decide this issue. The Feds have stepped in to determine if he violated Federal law. In both cases, the system is working as it is supposed to. Does this satisfy certain people and an ethnic minority? No. They want what they call justice, even if it means denying Mr. Zimmerman his due process rights, his rights under the US Constitution.
Now I do not profess to know or understand what was going through Mr. Zimmerman's mind at the time. None of us can. We are Monday morning quarterbacking if we think we know all the facts of the case. These groups are not interested in facts, they want blood. Eye for an eye. How is justice served if Mr. Zimmerman is denied an opportunity to defend himself? How is justice served if the jury pool is tainted and intimidated, if he is charged and heads to trial?
If you read and listen to some of these people, what you hear is hatred towards whites, racism in it's worst form. I will not deny that this was a terrible mistake, the shooting. I lived in Los Angeles when the Rodney King verdict came down. We were all listening to the radio for the verdict and when it came down, I and many knew what was going to happen next. A friend of mine, who was from India, asked me what was going to happen next. I told him they will riot. I told him not to get off the freeway until his exit, do NOT take the side streets. Well, we all know what happened. Total breakdown of civil control. Now, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that justice was not served in this case, but still does not justify what happened next.
Lately, we have heard of the rantings of these people who claim that Negroes are being singled out for execution, presumably for crimes they did not commit, even though they were tried, convicted, went through the entire appeals processes and ultimately the Supreme Court, that the death penalty should not apply, rather life in prison is preferable. Well, if the person is innocent, then why settle for life? Yet, within 2 days of that execution, a Caucasian was terminated here in Texas for killing a Negro and they did not stand up for him, demanding life in prison. What does that say about justice being blind? Is there a double standard? It would appear so.
The point here is that all of these rantings are a result of pent up racism in the Negro community. Certainly I am not the only one who see's this. If you are going to blame anyone or anything, blame the law which allows for this sort of thing. If this was such a terrible law, then why not scream for justice for the 1st or 2nd or 65th victim also? No, this won't happen because they were not an unarmed Negro youth. Justice is only required of certain people.
I have become so disappointed in mainstream media and certain personalities that I have had to either defriend or unlike them on Facebook because they are on a racist rampage to demand their kind of justice, regardless of the law or due process. To attempt to deny this man his rights in the interest of a mob mentality out to lynch him is just as wrong as the the shooting in the first place.
We will never know what really happened. To suggest racial bias is yet to be proven. This profiling charge is nonsense. The race of the child did not become an issue until Mr. Zimmerman was asked to describe him. A hoodie? One could argue that issue any number of ways. One must remember the most notorious person to wear a hoodie was a Caucasian, the Unabomber.
I am not saying that Mr. Zimmerman was justified or not, I was not there, none of us were. Under our system of laws, a man is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law by a jury of his peers. As of this writing, no charges have been filed. I suggest we let the system run it's course. To calm down the racial rhetoric.
In the mean time, I would suggest than those who demand justice, find another route, such as trying to get the law changed. That would be a fitting resolution. So put away your ropes and go home. Let the system work as it is designed to do. As for the family, if they have not already done so, file a wrongful death suit. Get your pound of flesh that way.
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