Like a Old Western Hanging Mob

[dainerra]

my problem with this guy is that he is using a VALID law in a very misguided way. His actions directly affect me because they provide ammunition for groups seeking to take away our 2nd Amendment rights. If Zimmerman had simply not escalated the situation, none of this would have happened.
Therefore, in my eyes, he should be charged with involuntary manslaughter (at least) and taken to trial. He may not have intended to kill Martin in the beginning, but his actions led to the death of an innocent person.

 

[SillyChicken]

Do not be so easily played by the self serving media guys... as more information comes out.. it doesn't sound like this kid was all that innocent.

 

[conny63malies]

How much of the 2-4 years did the murderer of Dano Cicciaro sit in for? And why wasnt there the same witch hunt? His murderer NEVER called 911. Why did Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson stand behind the murderer. George Zimmerman shouldnt sit longer than this man or it would be racist.

 

[turney31]

I agree with cupman...

My DH agrees with you deerman.

 

[Bunnylady]

As is typical in human interaction, there are no angels here. As more details come out, it sounds to me like a situation of two guys being jerks, and one of them had a gun. We can "what if" this thing to death, but all the publicity will make it nearly impossible for Zimmerman to get a fair trial anywhere on the planet, if it comes to that. Clearly, he has been tried and convicted already in the kangaroo court of the media.

I do wish someone could come up with a silencer for Al Sharpton. He is such a media hound! He is so obsessed with getting his face on camera and his name in the news, he weighs in on anything that even remotely involves a person of African heritage. You can count on him to shoot his mouth off on camera, whether or not his point is even relevant. Somehow, I get the feeling that some people may think that his input lends a certain validity to the situation, but I think the reverse is true. As long as he can run around, crying "wolf," some people will listen to him, and make him feel important. Oh, yes, there are certainly wolves around (I don't deny that for a minute), but having him sounding the alarm over every canine he sees keeps the attention on him, and does nothing to advance the safety of the sheep.

 

[thaiturkey]

Thanks for the clarifications, folks. I come from a country where it's now illegal for civilians to even own a handgun and only specially trained police officers can carry guns in certain circumstances and under strict rules. Where I live now, licenced civilians can own handguns but cannot run around the streets with them or even carry them legally in their cars. I'm not debating which laws are correct and appropriate, merely explaining why I don't understand how this unfortunate event occurred.

As I understand it, the local police in this case decided not to charge the gunman with any offence so, if that's correct, it's not simply that they haven't done it yet.

Even with the scant information publicly available at the moment, I can't help trying to imagine what happened. On the one hand, it seems that the gunman ran after the young man and killed him because he felt threatened. On the other hand, there was this young man walking home, we are told, when a man came after him with a gun. I wonder which one was 'standing his ground' and exercising his right to defend himself. Fists don't stop bullets and bullets move faster than legs can carry you so one might suggest that jumping on someone waving a gun is a fair attempt at defence.

Whatever the facts turn out to be, it's very sad that a young man should lose his life in the way.

 

[bakerjw]

The media, as well as portions of the civil rights community, have taken the story and run with it from every angle to inflame everyone that they can find. An example? Look at the picture of Martin in a hoody. Then look for the photo that was not retouched. They are drastically different. Also look this up and see if you can find an answer. Where was the shooting? Where is Martin's father's house? From what I've read he was back at his father's house before returning to confront Zimmerman. Is it true? I don't know as there are so many conflicting sources of information and disinformation.

I am not defending Zimmerman. He is an idiot mall cop wannabe who makes all CCW holders look foolish. Heck, I'd kick his backside for being so stupid if I could.

Now this whole incident is being fueled by people with an agenda. Go Google "Zimmerman offensive t-shirt" and see what you find. The BPP put out a reward for Zimmerman's capture. Martin's mother has tried to trademark phrases with Trayvon in them. It is a 3 ring circus that will make it difficult for the truth to ever be known. Now it is to the point where the truth will ever sate the desire for vengeance and I can only see it escalating.

 

[RHRanch]

None of it would have happened if that Zimmerman had stayed in his car and not stalked Trayvon. We don't know how the so-called altercation began, but we do know that it would not have happend if Zimmerman had stayed in his car and away from Trayvon. Inside car=no fight = no dead teenager

 

[chickened]

I heard that the guy was wearing a hoodie in a known gang environment. I wonder if that is relative.

Lets just blame the police that is what usually happens when it is a black person anyways isn't it?

 

[AquaEyes]

Tragic event (because it resulted in a death), I agree. But oh, how convenient of a distraction this is from other issues. I mean, do you think this is the only recent time that some sort of altercation resulted in one man shooting another man? Before this hit the news, what were we all worried about? Oh, yeah, the possibility of a bigger altercation -- with Iran. This story has simply become "something shiny" to catch our attention. It's sad that the young man is dead, but it was just as sad when all the other young men were killed in similar situations that didn't seem to make it into the news. Sorry if I sound cold, but there's only so much I can worry about, and this case doesn't make the list.