I am shocked that the shooting of Chris Cervini by Roderick Scott was overlooked for so long by so many (but not all!) during the Zimmerman hoop-la. Geez, imagine if a black man intent on stopping crime shot a white kid. Or rather than imagine, check this case from upstate New York that unfolded during 2009:
Late Friday evening, a Monroe County jury reached a unanimous verdict in the trial of Roderick Scott: not guilty of manslaughter in the first degree. Scott had gunned down a teenage hoodlum who had been breaking into cars in his neighborhood. The prosecution portrayed it as an act of vigilante behavior run amok; Scott and his defense team presented the incident as the unfortunate result of reasonable behavior by a concerned citizen paired with the foolishness of a teenager under the influence of alcohol, drugs and bad peers.
The kids were caught in the act of breaking into cars and had the drug/alcohol thing, so Scott had that going for him. On the other hand, Scott "had the build of a football player", was never actually struck by any of the teens, and managed to shoot the dead boy twice, once in the back. Ooops.
Unlike Zimmerman, Scott was promptly arrested. Like Zimmerman, he was eventually acquited by a jury that apparently felt his self-defense argument created reasonable doubt.
Here is some eerily prescient speculation from 2009:
Had this same series of events occurred with a different cast of characters, could we expect the public and, more important, the jury, to treat the actors the same way? In this case, Scott was an African American man, his victim a white teenaged male. Had the race of these two been reversed -- a white man shooting an African American youth -- would the trial have received more attention? Would motives have been scrutinized more closely? Would conservative commentators rallied to the shooter's defense (because you know how criminally-inclined those youth are...)? Would activists have championed the cause of the victim as yet another casualty of stereotypes and bigotry? Difficult to say, but all fair questions to ask. Perhaps this community was lucky, in a way, that the characters were cast as they were.
I guess we have some answers there.
Meanwhile, after all their hyperventilating about the hideous Stand Your Ground law in Florida, let's take a nano-second to review the entirety of the NY Times coverage of this upstate New York case:
That was easy. Hello, Charles Blow? Helloooooo?
PILING ON: The DoJ has time on its hands and is trolling for tips on a private citizen without any of those vexing warrants or indictments or the sorts of things that we normally associate with the FBI's Most Wanted list. Well, if they want to investigate acquited citizens, maybe we can tip them off to the Roderick Scott case.
So America had 2 teenage heroes this week, a physical one Tamar Boggs, and a political hero this kidd from the Daily Caller, who snuck in a question to the WH liar: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/rediculous-reporters-mock-sneer-at-daily-caller-intern-who-dared-ask-jay-carney-a-question/
Posted by: NK | July 18, 2013 at 11:41 AM
Is this the woman that claimed she didn't know if Tea Party meant conservative or liberal? Ms. Elizabeth Hofacre
Posted by: Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ... | July 18, 2013 at 11:43 AM
I'm busy as can be and trying to catch up. BUBU would you pls put your name at the tp of posts to save me a ot of time? Thanks.
Posted by: Clarice | July 18, 2013 at 11:45 AM
BTW the kid's question was simple direct and important-- the kid's follow up was snarky, but that's the press's job-- isn't it? The jesters of Court of Emperor Barry I response is both predictable and disgusting.
Posted by: NK | July 18, 2013 at 11:45 AM
No. It was Paz that said she didn't know.
Posted by: Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ... | July 18, 2013 at 11:46 AM
How can Tamar Boggs be a hero? He had no idea about the true nature of the man purportedly acting in a suspicious nature. The man could have been innocently driving the little girl home when he became so frightened by the fact someone was following him that he abandoned her on the road.
Shouldn't Tamar Boggs be punished for following without certain evidence of evil intent?
Posted by: Account Deleted | July 18, 2013 at 11:48 AM
Jane,the minute I typed it,I thought,oh carp,Leicester is the town I was thinking of.Anyway,the Herald says Rakes had been attending court proceedings,but a friend hasn't seen him since Tuesday.Howie Carr will be all over this.
Posted by: Marlene | July 18, 2013 at 11:49 AM
"But Elizabeth Hofacre, the agency's emerging issues coordinator in Cincinnati when the targeting began, has told investigators that she kicked out any progressive groups that other agents tried to put in with the Tea Party cases. She said she understood the term to mean conservative or Republican groups. "I was tasked to do Tea Parties, and I wasn't — I wasn't equipped or set up to do anything else.""
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/06/16/irs-paz-targeting-tea-party/2426773/
Posted by: Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ... | July 18, 2013 at 11:50 AM
Hero Temar Boggs update: LUN
And his friend, fellow hero Chris Garcia? Nothing at all about him. Both teens gave chase on their bikes, meaning they likely live in Lancaster Township, PA, where the child abduction took place. The population there is 98% white, so Temar was spared the black urban "culture" of Trayvon and DeeDee.
Posted by: DebinNC | July 18, 2013 at 11:51 AM
Boy, this Rep. Connolly is sickening. What a liar.
The Dems are trying to make this about Issa.
Posted by: Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ... | July 18, 2013 at 11:52 AM
Connolly is sickening...oh my gosh. What an ass.
Posted by: Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ... | July 18, 2013 at 11:53 AM
you all STILL decline to point out that Trayvon Martin would still be alive today had he only been packing an assault rifle and/or a semiautomatic pistol or two?
He might still be alive, but he would be in prison for murder, attempted murder or aggravated assault.
Posted by: Danube on iPad | July 18, 2013 at 12:01 PM
Posted by: jimmyk | July 18, 2013 at 12:02 PM
According to the Herald story, Rakes was informed on Tuesday that he wouldn't be needed to testify. He was found dead in Lincoln later that day. Suicide, maybe?
Posted by: Dave (in MA) | July 18, 2013 at 12:10 PM
Happened a couple of weeks ago around here. For an Amber Alert out of Cleveland.
Because Cincinnati and Cleveland are practically next door...
Posted by: Rob Crawford | July 18, 2013 at 12:14 PM
This Dem Rep. Lynch is asking better questions than the Republican Rep Mica.
Posted by: Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ... | July 18, 2013 at 12:14 PM
These Representatives are unprepared. I feel like JOMers could do a better job asking questions...putting the puzzle together.
Where is all this going? Are people gonna be prosecuted?
Posted by: Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ... | July 18, 2013 at 12:19 PM
Dave,the story mentions he was from Quincy. The story says he really wanted to testify,it would be a catharsis. Also,why almost 24 hours before reporting his death? A cause of death will have to be announced,because conspiracy theories will grow like weeds.
Posted by: Marlene | July 18, 2013 at 12:19 PM
It makes me reminiscent of that time when Todd Akin supporters rallied behind him.
Posted by: Threadkiller | July 18, 2013 at 12:27 PM
"Are people gonna be prosecuted?"
Janet,
Don't worry, I'm sure the POSAG will direct the Department of Just Us to take appropriate measures, as long as resources earmarked for developing the case against the notorious racist are not diverted.
Posted by: Account Deleted | July 18, 2013 at 12:31 PM
Yeah, TK. hah! (or sob!)
Posted by: Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ... | July 18, 2013 at 12:31 PM
Connelly is known at least im my mind, for expanding the American Madrassa that this is the ISA, the text of the Rolling Stone piece is just as odious as the cover photo, it ignores the ISB connection, which was one of the T-Dawg's main ties.
Posted by: narciso | July 18, 2013 at 12:34 PM
It is better to act like a rapist and win than to have never understood rape at all, Janet.
Posted by: Threadkiller | July 18, 2013 at 12:36 PM
"Are people gonna be prosecuted?"
I very seriously doubt it. Holder's DOJ is terminally corrupt, and even is this nightmarish crew is succeeded by a GOP administration, I'd be very surprised if they pursued it.
Posted by: Danube on iPad | July 18, 2013 at 12:37 PM
Posted by: Dave (in MA) | July 18, 2013 at 12:37 PM
Filner should withdraw, just as Akin should have.
Posted by: Danube on iPad | July 18, 2013 at 12:38 PM
Hero/Fool-- it can definitely be a fine line. Ferago's Bio of George C Patton recounts the story of Patton saving a teenage girl from white slavers- it was a family matter. Patton the young adult was the fool. Temar B is very young and apparently impetuous. Apparently he had no phone to call 911, ao he used the resources at hand --his bicycle-- to intervene in situation which looked 'wrong' to him. His instincts turned out right, so he's a teenage hero. Did he assume risks that this could have turned out badly-- oh yes he did. He's only 15 yo so he's doesn't have suitable age and discretion to fully form judgments, as he's 15 yo he went on instinct. His instincts were good, so he's a hero, but this definitely could have ended badly.
Posted by: NK | July 18, 2013 at 12:39 PM
I feel like JOMers could do a better job asking questions
Congressmen don't win elections based on their ability to ask questions, understand and adhere to the Constitution, provide for the common defense, or promote the general welfare of the United States; they win elections based on their ability to get votes.
Posted by: bgates | July 18, 2013 at 12:39 PM
There's no equivavlence between Akin and Filner. Akin said something foolish and was stubborn about it. Filner's a lying pig.
Posted by: NK | July 18, 2013 at 12:41 PM
Where is all this going? Are people gonna be prosecuted?
It's going nowhere, and no one will be prosecuted.
It'd be nice to be wrong, but after five years of lies, abuses of power and the destruction of the economy in plain sight, it's hard to imagine anything resulting in actual consequences for anyone in the Zero administration.
Posted by: James D. | July 18, 2013 at 12:45 PM
David French, doesn't know these were the same nazguls, who called his fellow soldiers, war criminals in Iraq, was that a misunderstanding,
no it was a deliberate act, the late Michael Hastings, in one of his last pieces, went so far as defending a CIA station chief who was convicted of rape, as part of his attack on the war on terror.
Posted by: narciso | July 18, 2013 at 12:49 PM
"His instincts were good, so he's a hero, but this definitely could have ended badly"
As can crossing the street, or getting out of bed in the morning.
Posted by: jimmyk | July 18, 2013 at 12:50 PM
For those interested in race-reversed cases, here's one from 2003.
And for those who don't want to follow the link, here's my summary:
"The shooting is a tragedy, of course, but there is something hopeful in the reaction to it. As it happens, Sims is black, and James was white, though the news media here were careful not to mention those facts. (It was mentioned on the talk radio programs, especially those with conservative hosts.) From what I can tell, race made no difference to the public. In particular, 2nd amendment supporters, who are mostly white here as elsewhere, were often strong supporters of Sims. For those people often called "gun nuts", self defense, not race, was the salient issue in this tragedy. Fifty years ago, in most parts of the United States, race would have been the salient issue, not gun rights and self defense. That race was irrelevant in this tragedy shows the progress we have made since then."
I don't doubt that you could have found people who wanted to make the case about race, but there weren't many of them, and they got almost no attention from the media in this area.
There are a few crime cases that are about race, but the Sims-James case isn't one of them -- and neither is Zimmerman-Martin case.
To argue otherwise you have to ignore massive amounts of evidence about George Zimmerman.
And to make general arguments about the state of race relations in the US from that case is to commit a common logical fallacy, inferring a general conclusion from a single example. Everyone I know does that from time to time, but we really shouldn't.
(And Sims? He pled guilty to a manslaughter charge and received a lesser sentence. I didn't follow the case closely, so I don't know whether that was fair.)
Posted by: Jim Miller | July 18, 2013 at 12:51 PM
There is a debate going on about what is political activity.
The trouble is that the Dems & MFM would never label "green" groups as political.
Dem ideas are always for the public good & non-political...only evil people would disagree.
I want to hear about "green" groups being screened for political activities.
Posted by: Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ... | July 18, 2013 at 12:53 PM
"but this definitely could have ended badly"
If there were no possibility of a negative outcome then the action could not merit description as heroic. Zimmerman's actions were tactically unsound (Cecil's description) and showed a lack of situational awareness (my description) but they were taken with the full knowledge that young thugs had very recently committed a home invasion.
He could have been a standard issue slug, as Scott could have and as Temar certainly could have. Being a slug is the way to bet if personal safety is paramount.
Posted by: Account Deleted | July 18, 2013 at 12:53 PM
James D:
it's hard to imagine anything resulting in actual consequences for anyone in the Zero administration.
Don't be so cynical. There's always censure.
Posted by: Jeff Dobbs | July 18, 2013 at 12:54 PM
My fishwrap has a particularly annoying piece by some crisis management experts, saying Zimmerman should change his name, move out of state, of course the work of Alvarez and Robles,
Posted by: narciso | July 18, 2013 at 12:55 PM
in turning him into a demon, is left out of the picture, so lets not notice anything, do nothing, that will save our conscience, houses will be broken into, kids will be kidnapped , but we'll feel better.
Posted by: narciso | July 18, 2013 at 12:58 PM
Rick Ballard - Apparently the boys knew the little girl, since they recognized her in the car. The authorities had come around telling the neighbors about the abduction and asking people to be on the lookout.
The boys didn't do anything more than follow the car after they recognized the girl. (And I believe they knew the man fit the description of the abductor.)
A bit reckless? Perhaps. You'd have to know how close they were. But that's not unusual in boys that age.
Posted by: Jim Miller | July 18, 2013 at 01:00 PM
I think the term is called omerta;
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/congressman-benghazi-survivors-forced-sign-non-disclosure-agreements_739975.html
Posted by: narciso | July 18, 2013 at 01:00 PM
(1) Zimmerman was following Trayvon when he was attacked.
True or false?
As far as we know that is false.
(2) Zimmerman was NOT following Trayvon when he was attacked.
True or false?
As far as we know that is true.
So who is misrepresenting the situation, the person who makes claim (1) or (2). Seems to me the person making claim (2) is NOT misrepresenting.
Posted by: boris | July 18, 2013 at 01:02 PM
"He pled guilty to a manslaughter charge and received a lesser sentence. I didn't follow the case closely, so I don't know whether that was fair."
And lest the resident idiots jump on the manslaughter plea, note that the facts of this case differ. In particular, in this case there were apparently witnesses that contradicted the self-defense claim, whereas with Zimmerman there were not, and there were both witnesses and physical evidence to buttress the claim.
Posted by: jimmyk | July 18, 2013 at 01:07 PM
jimmyk - Exactly.
Posted by: Jim Miller | July 18, 2013 at 01:09 PM
One of the few times, this is not a Vizzini expression;
Posted by: narciso | July 18, 2013 at 01:13 PM
Marlene,
I use to live in Lincoln. It is an expensive semi-rural suburb of Boston. I now live two towns away (much closer than Jane). The street where he was found is around the corner from the town dump. He was found on Mill Street which has some houses on it, but also a large section of woods. Although from South Boston, the article I read didn't say where he currently was living.
Whitey is scum, no redeeming features.
Rakes, the man who was killed, wanted to testify in the trial. For some reason the prosecution chose not to have him testify and informed him of that earlier in the week.
I expect that more information on his what he expected to say in the trial will come out later.
Whatever the actual cause of death, it was suicide. If he killed himself, it was directly suicide. If he was killed by someone else, it was suicide because he wanted to testify against the scum Whitey.
Posted by: DGS | July 18, 2013 at 01:17 PM
Jim Miller@100 gives the best take on the Temar kid. They knew the little girl, they didn't recognize the older man, they impetuously (maybe even recklessly) followed to help. Like most 15yo boys they acted on instinct, their instinct was to help a small child, all's well that ends well. They're heroes.
Posted by: NK | July 18, 2013 at 01:20 PM
Interesting notion from Insty:
"Frankly, for the government to help organize and manage rallies and protests against an individual charged with a crime looks like a civil rights violation to me. I hope Zimmerman’s lawyers go ahead and sue, as they’ve indicated. The discovery process will be fascinating."
It strikes me as something worse than a civil rights violation.
I wonder at the silence from the left - with the notable exception of Alan Dershowitz - about Angela Corey's use of a perjurious affidavit to bypass the grand jury process. Were it not for the race of the participants, this case would be seen as an appalling persecution of an innocent man. It is race - and race alone - that paralyzes the left into silence in the face of a horrid injustice.
Did Bruce Springsteen ever dedicate a song to the kid Roderick Scott killed? Ask yourself why not.
Posted by: Danube on iPad | July 18, 2013 at 01:22 PM
It's almost like the Feds are still protecting Whitey, well they watched Bill Allen's back giving him a cushy sentence for facilitating the indictment against Stevens,
Posted by: narciso | July 18, 2013 at 01:22 PM
If I had been Zimmerman, I would have used more than one bullet. He didn't even shoot to kill because the death was a shocking surprise.
Posted by: Frau Schiessgewehr | July 18, 2013 at 01:26 PM
--He's only 15 yo so he's doesn't have suitable age and discretion to fully form judgments, as he's 15 yo he went on instinct.--
Would that a lot more adults couldn't form judgments in such situations because they usually end up stopping them from doing something useful.
As I look back, almost all of my regrets and worst mistakes resulted from fully forming a judgment and ignoring my instincts.
Posted by: Ignatz | July 18, 2013 at 01:27 PM
The IRS legal counsel appointed by Obama administration:
Greta is calling bunk on the reason for him doing it pro bono.
Posted by: centralcal | July 18, 2013 at 01:30 PM
The NonDisclosure Agreements--The Obamaites had these signed AFTER the fact-- THIS SUMMER? That's a huge tell-- NDAs for contractors are regular and routine, that pig J Wilson signed one BEFORE going to Afrique, and no doubt it excepted having to answer in response to subpoena or otherwise required by law. What do these NDAs say, and what consideration was paid to get signatures? This looks like a third rate coverup.
Posted by: NK | July 18, 2013 at 01:31 PM
Jim Miller,
Knowledge of the girl's identity raises the boys actions above reckless and into at least the realm of heroic. Temar and Chris acted and their actions, while not on the level of entering a burning building, were undertaken with some understanding of risk. They have a higher value to me than do those who stand and watch while calculating personal interest.
Posted by: Account Deleted | July 18, 2013 at 01:31 PM
Here's a very brief article on the Sims plea deal.
I'd be interesting in hearing what our legal beagles think of it.
Posted by: Jim Miller | July 18, 2013 at 01:34 PM
What was that about a redline again;
http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2013/07/18/momentum-shifts-in-syria-bolstering-assads-position/
Posted by: narciso | July 18, 2013 at 01:37 PM
Yes, but 15 year olds are able to get the morning after pill!! Because they are great decision makers.
Posted by: Gus | July 18, 2013 at 01:43 PM
At 7:04 p.m. on Wednesday 07/17/2013, Disillusioned Old Hippie Chick Wannabee, Janet. posted, "I am done with the GOP."
_________________________________
WTF? What does that mean? She's been
a Liberal and a Socialist already. Wild 'n crazy, mixed up kids, those old hippies.
Posted by: Nick N.Y | July 18, 2013 at 01:43 PM
RickB/Ignatz-- a bit of dialogue from "Lawrence of Arabia", after defeating the Turks, Price Feisel and the Brits sit down to negotiate the national borders in Arabia and the new colonial rules (in reality the talks included the French.) Col Lawrence is excused because he has no place in the treaty talks-- Feisel Sends Lawrence on his way thusly:
"There's nothing further here for a warrior. We drive bargains. Old men's work. Young men make wars, and the virtues of war are the virtues of young men. Courage and hope for the future. Then old men make the peace. And the vices of peace are the vices of old men. Mistrust and caution. It must be so."
Most of us have 'vices of old men', caution, protect what we have-- so we do nothing even if action is warranted. Temar is a free young man, able to act on his virtuous instincts of 'courage and hope'. I envy him.
Posted by: NK | July 18, 2013 at 01:44 PM
Clarice
One addition to BB headlining his posts. Responding posts should be headlined too. Possibly Tom McGuire could add a subheading to each thread: PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS.
I have been checking here and there to see if the aisle has been cleaned up - apparently not. I must say, I am watching capable instead.
Posted by: NJJan | July 18, 2013 at 01:46 PM
Yes, because Mark Sykes and Christophe Picot, did such a great job, they promised the same pie to three different factions, Wingate through Lawrence, to the Arabs, Balfour to the Jews, and the afore mentioned to the Brits and the French, this is a good way to start the next series of wars. The Hashemites reward was to lose the Two Shrines to Ibn Saud, that worked out well.
Posted by: narciso | July 18, 2013 at 01:50 PM
I think bubu has pretty much shot his wad.
Posted by: Danube on iPad | July 18, 2013 at 01:52 PM
Shot his wad? He is pounding his pud.
Posted by: Gus | July 18, 2013 at 01:53 PM
Thanks,DGS.I will be listening to Howie Carr while driving to the cabin this afternoon.He might have more info. I read Howie's and Laurel Sweet's tweets that are scrolling at the Herald and they said the prosecutors were visibly shaken this morning.
Posted by: Marlene | July 18, 2013 at 01:53 PM
Narciso@1:50-- the "vices of old men" peacemaking is. At least Sykes and Picot understood they were grasping imperialists-- John "reporting for dud-ee" Kerry couldn't find has MiddleEast ass with 2 hands.
Posted by: NK | July 18, 2013 at 01:56 PM
My family has experience with this game, a cousin was captured at the Bay of Pigs because of Dulles's disposal notions, and Kennedy's non involvement.
Posted by: narciso | July 18, 2013 at 02:02 PM
Tucker Carlso/Daily Caller-- a lot more feisty than I ever would have imagined. He called the Legacy Media "the rich kid camp in meatballs'Excellent!! http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/tucker-carlson-politico-meatballs-16-year-old-intern-gabe-finger_b110768
Posted by: NK | July 18, 2013 at 02:06 PM
Marlene,
Two key things to look for are first, was his car parked nearby, or second was he in witness protection and living nearby? There are no bus routes in the area, however it is close to Route 2 which is a convenient transportation route into Boston (I know, I drove it for close to 20 years. So how did he get there?
Posted by: DGS | July 18, 2013 at 02:10 PM
"Dem ideas are always for the public good"
IMO, there hasn't been a Democrat that could be trusted since Zell Miller. IMO, not a single Democrat idea has been for the public good ever.
There are millions of leftists running around telling us how much they care about TM.
I haven't seen a single one tell us how much he carried about Joseph Brewer Jr, the 16 yr old shot to death in Chicago.
There are millions of leftists running around telling us how much they care about TM. Not a single one of them seem to care about the 1800 inconvenient babies that will be destroyed by abortion today.
http://www.numberofabortions.com/
Posted by: pagar | July 18, 2013 at 02:13 PM
My earlier post should have read cspan . My typing is the thing not capable.
Posted by: NJJan | July 18, 2013 at 02:17 PM
"IMO, there hasn't been a Democrat that could be trusted since Zell Miller"
More Identity confusion. You still haven't figured out how useless labels are.
Posted by: boyle | July 18, 2013 at 02:31 PM
I see both Radosh an Taranto make the same mistake --believing that GZ continued t seek out Trayvon after the diispatcher indicated he need not do so.
Posted by: Clarice | July 18, 2013 at 03:25 PM
Identity conservatives, eh? As opposed to what? To your way of thinking, of course?
There comes a point when dividing categories into sub categories and sub categories of those sub categories become asinine, and - Ding! Ding! Ding! - you've reached that point. Usually conjured up by dimwits who barely graduated from college with a 2.0 gp average and a primitive grasp of our English language.
Posted by: Nick N.Y | July 18, 2013 at 03:31 PM
Clarice, see my comment on the "non-conversation thread" or at Taranto's site. Surprised, as part of Taranto's schtick is to be very precise and at times pedantic.
Posted by: jimmyk | July 18, 2013 at 03:37 PM
Justice Department has put a hold on the Zimmerman evidence. Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead.
We are so screwed as a country. Its embarrassing.
Posted by: JIB | July 18, 2013 at 04:25 PM
Confusion over GZ's being asked to identify a street/house number and following the fight club wanna be?
Posted by: Frau Schiessgewehr | July 18, 2013 at 04:45 PM
"More Identity confusion."
Not likely!
Posted by: pagar | July 18, 2013 at 05:29 PM
Patriot4Freedom;
"Fellow traveler"
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy | July 18, 2013 at 07:56 PM
Thanks Clarice, for asking me to put my name at the top of my posts so that you can avoid reading them. I'm sure even the lowest common denominator here at JOM can see that as your unwitting confession that you wouldn't know I'd written it without seeing my name.
As for Martin's text messages: indeed the defense has attempted to authenticate them, but they've only confirmed that the messages were on his phone. We don't know who wrote them, and more important, what context they were written in. What was being discussed? An argument or a staged boxing match? Impossible to say from the alleged texts. Moreover, if we choose to believe they are about fistfighting, it only points to the dog that didn't bark: we know Martin was being constantly surveilled at school, but not one tape has surfaced of him fighting. And if these alleged fights were staged events, the odds of someone having them on tape would seem pretty high. None of have surfaced, which is some indication at least that they don't exist.
Beyond that, even if Martin did brag about fighting, that hardly makes him a thug. In high school, I bragged about winning fistfights, as did all those who won them against me, as did all my brothers and all but the quietest, meekest boys in the school. No one would have called them thugs for that, then or now...
And calling Martin a thug because he indulged the symbols of rap culture is like calling Justin Bieber a thug because he wears the same hats and saggy jeans favored by "real" gangstas...
Posted by: bunkerbuster | July 18, 2013 at 08:21 PM
Is is really odd that no tapes have surfaced of TM fighting? Or is that just what we would expect?
Have any of his friends other than Rachel Jeantel surfaced, or even been identified? George Zimmerman had at least a dozen friends and neighbors that testified to his good character, with apparently lots more that could have been called. Somehow the best the prosecution could come up with in the way of friends of Trayvon Martin was a single sullen halfwit who, so far as we can tell, may never actually have met him. Were his other friends even less presentable, or did he not have any? Were there no teachers (or bus drivers - heh!) to testify what a good boy he was? And what about the other guys on the 7-11 video? Surely they saw the news and realized they were nearly the last to see a famous dead man alive. Why didn't they come forward? Do they have some reason to want to avoid the police in all circumstances?
Of course, the odds are high that quite a few people have tapes of Trayvon fighting, just as some of his friends probably have copies of the pictures of naked underaged girls found on his cell-phone. Anyone genuinely surprised that they haven't come forward hasn't been paying attention.
Posted by: Dr. Weevil | July 18, 2013 at 08:33 PM
By the way, I never bragged about winning fistfights in high school, and neither did anyone I was at all close to.
Posted by: Dr. Weevil | July 18, 2013 at 08:35 PM
Looks like someone's so ashamed of the ignorance, stupidity, and deep dishonesty of his own arguments that he can't bear to sign even a fake name to them any more.
Posted by: Dr. Weevil | July 19, 2013 at 12:43 PM
By the way, anyone who doesn't know who Jeralyn Merritt is is way too ignorant to write about the Zimmerman case. And anyone who can't be bothered to look her up when he's been given her name is way too lazy.
Posted by: Dr. Weevil | July 19, 2013 at 12:44 PM
Stunning display of falsehoods, half-truths and blatant lies by the persistent troll.
There is no point in engaging anyone in an adult conversation when they dispute evidence and sworn testimony that has been accepted and acknowledged as truthful by the prosecution.
Since the lying little troll is so unaware of the evidence and testimony, how about we give him a month to listen to the 911 calls and to watch the trial videos on YouTube before bothering with any of the lies he is spouting?
Posted by: Patriot4Freedom | July 19, 2013 at 01:27 PM