Protests in the US over black teens shooting

[john]

Second degree murder is way overreaching and will probably bite them in the end. Unless there is something about the case not revealed, there is no way I could convict him of murder.

[Lily]

Apr 11, 2012 20:52:56 GMT -5 john said:

Second degree murder is way overreaching and will probably bite them in the end. Unless there is something about the case not revealed, there is no way I could convict him of murder.

I was surprised by the second degree murder charge. At the very most I expected manslaughter. But this case is such a hot potato, politically, who know what strings were pulled? To think that if Trayvon had been white, we'd likely never even have heard about it! It certainly would never have garnered nation wide and international attention. No way.

[Lily]

It seems as if Zimmerman was telling the truth about being attacked by Trayvon. Look at the horrific injuries on the back of his head.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/trayvon-martin-case-new-p_n_1440283.html?ncid=webmail1

[BlueLotus]

Pfft Another political grandstanding by people I don't care about over people I don't care about...

Where is news on a rainbow when you need it?

[Lily]

Matthew Owens Of Alabama Allegedly Beaten By Mob In 'Justice For Trayvon' Rage
www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/24/justice-for-trayvon-beating_n_1449159.html?ref=crime

OMG, this poor guy! The ironic thing is if Trayvon had been white there would have been no hoopla, and it wouldn't be escalating like this. There is no way that Zimmerman shot Trayvon because he was black. That's just ridiculous. I believe that Trayvon attacked Zimmerman, who incidentally, should not have been following him, and in fear for his life, Zimmerman shot him. If any one of us was caught in a similar situation with somebody beating the hell out of us and we had a gun...in the distress and panic of the moment, I'm sure we'd use it too. Not to kill, but just to stop the attack.

Zimmerman ignored the orders of a police dispatcher when he continued to follow Trayvon. To put ourselves in Trayvon's shoes, how would we feel if we were in a strange neighbourhood and someone persisted in following us? Trayvon had no way of knowing that Zimmerman was with the Neighbourhood Watch Committee. Perhaps he thought Zimmerman was out to attack him, that he was some sort of deviant. So he rounded on him and initiated the conflict.

The photograph of Trayvon released by his family had been taken years before, and added to the furore against Zimmerman. How could such a slightly built, innocent looking young guy launch the brutal attack claimed by Zimmerman, who was older and appeared that much bigger? Well it seems Trayvon had changed quite drastically since that photograph was taken and sported gold teeth, tattoos, and (according to some sources) was a gang member. Not so difficult, providing all this is true, to believe that he did indeed launch a brutal attack against Zimmerman.

I believe this is why Zimmerman was not, initially, charged with any crime. The resulting furore, of course, changed all that, and I fear that even if Zimmerman is telling the truth he will still be sacrificed on the altar of public opinion, and in the fear of widespread race riots. In other words, I doubt if the guy will get a fair trial given the present climate of racial unrest and hyperbole. There's no doubt that if he is convicted it will defuse the tensions somewhat. If, on the other hand, he is found not guilty, a great deal of violence is likely to erupt.

If Zimmerman is sent to prison, he'll have to be kept in protective custody, or he'll likely be murdered by the black inmates. I still don't know how this turned into such a racial hot potato, given that Zimmerman isn't even white, although the media has attempted to portray him as such to increase the controversy. Really, the media does have a lot to answer for. They take an already volatile situation and seek to ignite it even further, in order to peddle their wares.

Let's just hope that in this tragic case, justice will prevail.

patdollard.com/2012/03/was-trayvon-martin-a-drug-dealing-gangbanger/

Zimmerman's website to solicit funds has also been closed down.
www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/24/george-zimmerman-website-to-raise-funds-for-legal-costs-shut-down/

[thetourist]

What is not often spoken about in our press is that there is as much concern over crime touching private lives as there is in the possible idea of race and the shooting. There are the same number of red states as there are blue ones.

I carry a licensed concealed weapon--every day. I carry speed loaders, Eldorade +P .38 SPL. I'm a long time cartridge reloader, and I specialize in firing combat pistols like the 1911.

My state calls itself 'liberal.' However when the concealed carry provision was passed and signed, over 100,000 citizens applied for licenses in a little over four months. Such numbers were projected to take one year.

Just because you become the victor does not mean you are no longer the victim. I don't intend to get my wife and I killed because surviving "looks bad" or that I might upset some limousine liberal who has never thrown a punch.

I'm an inactive motorcycle club member. Let me tell you, physical confrontations are not like in the movies. You can get maimed or killed in just a fist fight in a saloon. Not me.

I think before someone opines on violence and the need for an armed response, we should put them in a dark parking ramp at night and surround them be some very determined muggers looking for drug money--knowing they don't care how they get it.

[Lily]

Apr 25, 2012 8:00:59 GMT -5 thetourist said:

I think before someone opines on violence and the need for an armed response, we should put them in a dark parking ramp at night and surround them be some very determined muggers looking for drug money--knowing they don't care how they get it.

Exactly! It's easy to be an armchair quarterback, but when you're right smack in the middle of a dangerous situation, a different set of rules apply. It's basically down to self-preservation: kill or be killed.

[Lily]

Run-ins with pit bull reportedly led Zimmerman, wife to get guns:

Read more: www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/26/encounters-with-pit-bull-reportedly-led-zimmerman-wife-to-get-guns/?cmpid=prn_aol&ncid=webmail5#ixzz1tDCsF3v9

[john]

Zimmerman and his wife have been active in helping black people. They have mentored black teens at their expense, and Zimmerman crusaded to get the son of a police chief arrested for beating a retarded black man. The chief’s son had not been arrested, and Zimmerman handed out fliers at black churches and kept up the pressure until the white chief’s son was finally arrested. He and his wife have also been involved in helping black churches. It seems there is no proof he is a racist, but he will forever be branded as one, thanks to the news media.

[john]

After Zimmerman has been branded a white racist, not only do we learn that he is part Hispanic, we now learn his father is part black. The reporters should be ashamed of their attempt to electronically lynch this man. Exactly what happened may possibly come out in court, if Zimmerman’s lawyer is good enough at his profession, but there is no evidence Zimmerman shot Martin because he is black.

[Lily]

That's really interesting, John. Once the press has spread hyperbole and sometimes downright lies -- either deliberate or otherwise -- the first casualty is the truth. What a wreckage of human lives they leave in their wake. And damn it all, they are seldom, if ever, held accountable.

[Lily]

It's just dreadful that the media has pilloried Zimmerman as a white racist who shot Trayvon because he was black!!! And good golly, it turns out Zimmerman, as well as being half-Hispanic, also has black ancestry. I bet they won't publish any sort of a retraction though. But then, even if they did, the damage has already been done!

www.nypost.com/p/news/national/zimm_own_black_roots_drive_to_aid_acj8TBRV1K2T3VbQZYo9JK

news.yahoo.com/reuters-sympathetic-george-zimmerman-profile-7-takeaways-155500177.html

[Lily]

Witness: Martin attacked Zimmerman

www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/state/witness-martin-attacked-zimmerman-03232012

[thetourist]

The problem I have with this issue is not really in the specific event, at all. It's the chilling effect on how the rest of us act, or how we should act. Let me explain.

I carry concealed everyday. I've been around combat style handguns for decades, and when the 'Barney Fife' attributes of this debate are laid out by liberals, their epithets do not apply to me. The problem then becomes will society expect me to "get in line."

For any individual, future behavior should not be linked or perceived to be linked by how this boy got shot. Remember, the trial hasn't begun. I'm also ticked that societal pressure got the shooter arrested, and I fear a rush to judgement.

However, that kangaroo procedure shouldn't effect me. If I get attacked on the street and my aggressor wears a hoodie, that is a separate and distinct event. If he dies and the condition of race exists, tough.

Will I be forever linked to this Florida event? Probably. And that's not on me, it's the fault of those who want a nanny state and surreal conditions backed by pandering to special classes of people.

[Lily]

The right to bear arms was enshrined in the US Constitution for a very good reason: If a tyrant seized control of the government an unarmed populace would be less able to defend themselves. The Founding Fathers could not have foreseen a post 9/11 world, but the Second Amendment is now essential on another front as well. If a terrorist organisation launched an attack, an armed citizenry would be in a much stronger position to defend their country. We cannot depend on the police and the military to be right there beside us every moment of every day.

In Canada, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon, and all handguns must be registered. Yet the gangs which proliferate in the major cities have an arsenal of handguns and engage in shoot outs on the streets and in the parking lots of shopping malls and community centres! They're totally out-of-control. I think this goes to show that when you make it difficult for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves, it does not stop the bad guys, or make for a safer society.

www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20090209/vancouver_gangs_090209/

www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-vancouver-gangs30-2009jun30,0,961295.story

The gang warfare activity also impacts innocent bystanders. In this horrific case a tenant from a nearby apartment, and a gas repairman were both killed by gangsters. Now if they'd been armed they might not have had a chance to use their weapons, but there again, they might have done. At least it would have given them a fighting chance to survive. As it was, they had absolutely none.

"Shocking story behind six murders in a Surrey tower

‘Something horrible has happened in 1505’: The worst gangland slaying in B.C. history happened last October in Surrey. Two of the six victims were bystanders."

www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=f67e8e35-fe20-4b4c-b515-d6829c5c3461