The Zimmerman Trial

[cajuncocoa]

I agree.

I post Zimmerman's past because his supporters are always drudging up Martin's supposed past (most of which is not proven) while extolling Zimmerman.

I did a lot of research into this tragedy last year, because I was first offended by many so-called Libertarians (on another forum) who were accusing Trayvon based solely on the fact that he wore a hoodie. The extreme prejudice against the kid, without an ounce of fact, was mind boggling.

Everything that I studied and listened to, pointed to a determination that Zimmerman is guilty of extreme stupidity and profiling, with a whole lot of ego thrown in. He broke every rule of the Neighborhood Watch instructions that he was given, and asked for, BTW.

All that has been said about Trayvon's involvement in the incident is from Zimmerman's mouth. I believe that everyone should take that with a decided grain of salt and actually research the event. And, by researching, I don't mean finding blogs with hysterical & very questionable "information" supporting either Zimmerman or Trayvon.

Well, there were only two people who know for sure and one of them won't be talking.


I don't subscribe to the "asking for it" theory....for one thing, who is asking for what? Martin was "asking" to be killed? Zimmerman was "asking" to be jumped? You've said you don't even believe Zimmerman was jumped, so I just want to make sure we're clear on who was doing the asking and what were they asking for.

But let's assume that Martin did jump and attack, as I can only assume that's what you're suggesting Zimmerman was "asking for". Whether Zimmerman broke NW rules or not by exiting his vehicle, it wouldn't excuse someone to attack him in any way. What if it had been someone else other than Zimmerman? What if it was someone who lived in that part of the complex and they exited their vehicle to go home but decided to take a look around first? To say that someone in that situation is "asking" to be attacked is the same as saying a woman wearing a miniskirt is "asking" to be raped. The attacker is to blame in an attack; you don't get a pass because the attack victim was arousing you (in the case of rape) or pissing you off (in this case).

As to whether or not Zimmerman's wounds were life-threatening, he said he was getting his head pounded on the ground! Any subsequent hit could have been the one that cracked his skull and threatened his life. If someone were doing that to me, you'd better believe I'm going to use my gun and I'm going to do what I can to stop them. If I'm fortunate enough to walk away with only scratches, don't blame me if the asshole who was banging my head on concrete lost his life for his assholery.

 

[Zippyjuan]

One point I am confused on. Zimmerman was unable to use his arms to somehow defend himself (which is why he feared for his life- he was getting punched and his head banged against the sidewalk- must not have been able to block the blows) yet he was able to reach into his waistband to pull out the gun and hold it in the space between himself and Martin (who was sitting on top of him) and fire it.

 

[AFPVet]

Isn't she a little young for WWII?
http://voxday.blogspot.com/2013/07/isnt-she-little-young-for-wwii.html

Cops are issued different medals and citations. Any visible similarities between civilian cops and military awards are purely coincidental.

 

[Contumacious]

One point I am confused on. Zimmerman was unable to use his arms to somehow defend himself (which is why he feared for his life- he was getting punched and his head banged against the sidewalk- must not have been able to block the blows) yet he was able to reach into his waistband to pull out the gun and hold it in the space between himself and Martin (who was sitting on top of him) and fire it.

Yo Zip

Have you ever heard of the verb "Prioritizing"?

.

 

[Zippyjuan]

Isn't she a little young for WWII?
http://voxday.blogspot.com/2013/07/isnt-she-little-young-for-wwii.html

Bit more info on the ribbons: http://blogs.militarytimes.com/batt...ribbons-following-navy-cross-recipients-call/

The change came as a result of a phone call made by Jeremiah Workman, a former Marine who earned the nation’s second highest valor award for heroics in Iraq. Workman was watching the trial of George Zimmerman, who has been accused of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, on TV on Monday.

That’s when the former staff sergeant said he noticed a police officer from the department who testified was wearing Defense Department-issued ribbons she likely would not have rated during her reported three years in the Army. So he called the department that afternoon to ask why she was wearing them.

They told him they didn’t have their own ribbons, Workman said, so they picked DoD ribbons from the local Army-Navy store and repurposed them for department use.

“It certainly wasn’t meant to be offensive to anyone,” McAuliffe told Marine Corps Times. “It was a matter of convenience and obviously wasn’t well thought out. But it’s been rectified.”

When the department changed their awards system about 10 years ago, McAuliffe said there wasn’t a lot of access to police-specific awards. Since then, they’ve found places where they can purchase awards designed for police officers, and they’ll move in that direction.

Workman said the department told him on Monday that they selected ribbons like the World War II Army of Occupation Medal because because they knew there weren’t many veterans from that period alive so they didn’t think people would notice.

 

[Zippyjuan]

Yo Zip

Have you ever heard of the verb "Prioritizing"?

.

If somebody is on top of me hitting me, I am going to be more focused on trying to stop him from hitting me than on trying to dig my guy out from my waist- especially when he is probably sitting on my waist.

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

just sayin...

An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.
Robert A. Heinlein

 

[Contumacious]

If somebody is on top of me hitting me, I am going to be more focused on trying to stop him from hitting me than on trying to dig my guy out from my waist- especially when he is probably sitting on my waist.

If you sit on my stomach and punch my face then MY PRIORITY will be to reach for my .38 snub nose and send you to meet your maker.

Esther La Vista, dude.

.

 

[Dr.3D]

If somebody is on top of me hitting me, I am going to be more focused on trying to stop him from hitting me than on trying to dig my guy out from my waist- especially when he is probably sitting on my waist.

Shooting him seemed to do that pretty well.

 

[amy31416]

If somebody is on top of me hitting me, I am going to be more focused on trying to stop him from hitting me than on trying to dig my guy out from my waist- especially when he is probably sitting on my waist.

If I were being assaulted by someone larger than me, that would be the only thing I'd be trying to do. I suspect that if he had the gun in his waistband, the biggest fear is him getting hold of it and using it on him. Once the gun comes out, I'd think that Trayvon would try to get it--from there it's inevitable that one of these guys gets shot.

I haven't been following the trial, so that's strictly opinion.

 

[BlackTerrel]

The Snooze media is all about distraction. They will do anything to divert our attention away from Fed. spying on every move me make; and now to learn the U.S. Postal Service is logging mail !!

I won't tune in to the Zimmerman trial under any circumstances.

Why does someone always have to come and tell people how irrelevant it is what they care about. Obviously this is important to many people who post here - that's why there are nearing 600 posts on the subject.

Whether or not someone can just gun you down coming back from the store IS relevant to me and a lot of people I know and grew up with. How it impacts me and my personal life is likely far more reaching than anything the postal service does with my mail which by the way I'm pretty sure I haven't gotten anything from the post office in over a decade.

Also pretty sure me and the people in my life are 100 times likelier to get shot by a Zimmerman type than a drone. Different people have different priorities.

 

[BlackTerrel]

Yeah, you're allowed to if you fear for your life. Especially if TM was going for his gun. GZ was perfectly within his right to use his gun.

"Keep crying for help"... yeah easy for you to say. Puhleeez

I have been in a lot of fistfights and none of them have ended with anything other than a few scrapes and everyone moved on with their life. We're at this point now because Zimmerman brought a gun to a fistfight.

And if he can't handle a 17 year old unarmed kid without a gun then he should have stayed back and not confronted him.

TM was a punk, and got what he deserved that night. He knew what he was doing. That's the risk you take when you attack someone.

The guys dead man. You're a heartless SOB.

 

[BlackTerrel]

If I were being assaulted by someone larger than me, that would be the only thing I'd be trying to do. I suspect that if he had the gun in his waistband, the biggest fear is him getting hold of it and using it on him. Once the gun comes out, I'd think that Trayvon would try to get it--from there it's inevitable that one of these guys gets shot.

I haven't been following the trial, so that's strictly opinion.

You're not a guy.

I am very respectful of firearm ownership. But I would never be the first person to raise the stakes from fists to guns.

If I was losing a fight to an unarmed man I'd take my lumps and be done with it. Happened before.

Zimmerman stalked a guy, provoked a fight with a 17 year old. Then when he started losing he took out his gun and shot him. That's murder - plain and simple.

 

[kahless]

You're not a guy.

I am very respectful of firearm ownership. But I would never be the first person to raise the stakes from fists to guns.

If I was losing a fight to an unarmed man I'd take my lumps and be done with it. Happened before.

Zimmerman stalked a guy, provoked a fight with a 17 year old. Then when he started losing he took out his gun and shot him. That's murder - plain and simple.

Probably someone you know that you think is not going to kill you.

If someone I do not know is beating me and I think the next blow could knock me on unconscious, I have no idea whether this person is going to kill me or let me live. I am not going to take that gamble with my life and that gun is going to come out.

 

[tmg19103]

Zimmerman does not get much sympathy from me, but the way this trial has played out, there is no legal justification for him to be charged, let alone convicted, of anything. That's why the county DA did not originally press charges. He had no case. The State then came in with meritless charges due to public pressure and made this a political prosecution. The mob mentality of a democracy and not the rule of law of a republic.

Zimmerman's story just can't be disproved and it can't be proven beyond a reasonable doubt he did anything wrong.

To remind the above posters - Zimmerman's story is he followed Martin to tell the police where he was but stopped when the dispatcher told him to, Martin came back and attacked him, was on top of him and went for his gun, so Zimmerman shot in self defense.

If that story is true, Zimmerman was in the right.

Problem is, the prosecution has been a joke and has not proven any alternative beyond a reasonable doubt - though they have raised some doubt about Zimmerman's story. Problem is, the burden is on the prosecution not to just raise doubt (that's all the defense has to do) but prove Zimmerman killed Martin not in self-defense, but intentionally killed Martin with a depraved mind and ill will beyond a reasonable doubt - that is with almost a 100% certainty based on the evidence presented.

No chance Zimmerman gets convicted no matter what people want to "believe".

At the same time, Zimmerman lost some credibility in this trial. There are no winners here, but the evidence and the law as prescribed by the legal system is on Zimmerman's side.

 

[matt0611]

I have been in a lot of fistfights and none of them have ended with anything other than a few scrapes and everyone moved on with their life. We're at this point now because Zimmerman brought a gun to a fistfight.

Sounds smart to me.

And if he can't handle a 17 year old unarmed kid without a gun then he should have stayed back and not confronted him.

The kid was as big as any grown man. Much bigger and stronger than GZ.

GZ claims that he wasn't looking to confront him and TM attacked HIM first.

If you're not ready to face consequences then you shouldn't attack someone because they might be armed and be ready to defend themselves as GZ rightfully did.

 

[Dr.3D]

Looks to me it was more like TM brought fists to a gunfight. He instigated the fight and lost.

 

[matt0611]

Looks to me it was more like TM brought fists to a gunfight. He instigated the fight and lost.

Sounds about right.

 

[Antischism]

There have been cases of one punch killing a person, so would it then be okay to fear for your life and kill someone if they were trying to land a punch on you? Where would you draw the line, personally?

 

[liveandletlive]

Looks to me it was more like TM brought fists to a gunfight. He instigated the fight and lost.

using deadly force should be the LAST RESORT

A weakling wannabe loser like George is the poster child for banning guns, like it or not.