Anger + Sadness = RAGE

[trialedbyfire]

Originally Posted by Hoovie

Zimmy made a big mistake when he pursued Trayvon. I think that is going to be what he will be nailed on.

In the actual struggle he may have been in fear of his life and responded with lethal force.

My gut says 99.9% chance Zimmerman walks.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by trialedbyfire

My gut says 99.9% chance Zimmerman walks.

You may be right, we have not seen the full case made for self defense, but I think there will be a lessor charge that sticks.

[RandyWayne]

Originally Posted by trialedbyfire

I don't disagree that Al Sharpton and the left are using this case, but each side is using this case to their fancy.

I saw an article where a conservative blogger demanded to see Trayvon Martin's criminal record because he just didn't believe the kid was as squeaky clean as the Sanford Police Department said he was.

This alone fans some pretty emotional flames. It just adds fuel to the perception that conservatives don't think a black kid can be a "good kid" that we all have criminal records and are mindless thugs. We can't act as if the left are the only ones fanning flames of emotion here.

And how exactly is "the Right" trying to make it into a political cause? All I see there are SOME cooler heads trying to say lets not make snap judgements until all the facts are known, or at least enough to satisfy a jury.

[RandyWayne]

Originally Posted by Hoovie

You may be right, we have not seen the full case made for self defense, but I think there will be a lessor charge that sticks.

And the problem is of course that after Sharpton and his ilk are through anything less than Murder One will result in every shoe store in the city being looted. All in the name of justice for poor Trayvon ya understand.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

And the problem is of course that after Sharpton and his ilk are through anything less than Murder One will result in every shoe store in the city being looted. All in the name of justice for poor Trayvon ya understand.

They wont get Murder One.

[trialedbyfire]

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

And how exactly is "the Right" trying to make it into a political cause? All I see there are SOME cooler heads trying to say lets not make snap judgements until all the facts are known, or at least enough to satisfy a jury.

You don't have to turn something to a political cause to use it in your favor. There are certain segments of society that love stories like this. There are certain people who would LOVE to see riots in the streets, it proves (in their minds) their already preconceived notions about certain racial groups and feeds emotions on both sides.

The fact is this case has very little to do with race.

It has to do with a dead child.

This gets lost in the discussion when race is thrown up in the air.

[trialedbyfire]

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

And the problem is of course that after Sharpton and his ilk are through anything less than Murder One will result in every shoe store in the city being looted. All in the name of justice for poor Trayvon ya understand.

Exactly my point.

The mocking "poor Trayvon" comment is unnecessary and condescending. It contributes absolutely nothing to the conversation. Trayvon is a 17-year-old kid and someone's son, and his father is mourning his death. He had no criminal record. Grew up in a pretty decent home. I think it's obvious some people just won't believe he couldn't be at no fault here.

At the very least, the situation was tragic even if Zimmerman can't be placed with the blame legally. It was an accident and a mistake at best. Trayvon was not breaking into houses, was not intoxicated, was not a threat to anyone in the neighborhood prior to the incident, and did not have a criminal record.

I'm sure the "poor Trayvon" attitude many have wouldn't go over well if your child was walking down the street and was accidentally murdered because people thought he was breaking into houses. You can put yourself in Trayvon's father's shoes without being black... try it.

[trialedbyfire]

Originally Posted by Hoovie

You may be right, we have not seen the full case made for self defense, but I think there will be a lessor charge that sticks.

There's no real way of telling exactly what happened. There's no smoking gun to convict Zimmerman. I'll be honest I've seen far better cases thrown out, outright.

Zimmermans claim to self-defense lies in who actually started the physical altercation. We know from witness testimony there was a verbal confrontation, where Trayvon asked Zimmerman "why are you following me?" and Zimmerman replied "What are you doing around here?". Then according to Trayvon's girlfriend she heard what sounded like a scuffle. One could argue that even if Trayvon got physical first it may have been out of self-defense because there was a random man following him. That won't hold up in court though, Trayvon is dead so he can't claim self-defense and that he feared for his life. Zimmerman is going to claim Trayvon hit him first. There's no evidence to suggest that Zimmerman would be lying. His self-defense claim will hold. We'll never actually know. Unless there was a random hidden camera nobody knows about. The fact that Zimmerman followed Trayvon and a witness says that he ran away as did Zimmerman... SUGGESTS this was a stupid move on Zimmerman's part, but I can't think of a charge besides harassment they can get him on.

[trialedbyfire]

Believe it or not... black, white, hispanic...green, yellow, or blue... this COULD happen to your child.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by trialedbyfire

There's no real way of telling exactly what happened. There's no smoking gun to convict Zimmerman. I'll be honest I've seen far better cases thrown out, outright.

Zimmermans claim to self-defense lies in who actually started the physical altercation. We know from witness testimony there was a verbal confrontation, where Trayvon asked Zimmerman "why are you following me?" and Zimmerman replied "What are you doing around here?". Then according to Trayvon's girlfriend she heard what sounded like a scuffle. One could argue that even if Trayvon got physical first it may have been out of self-defense because there was a random man following him. That won't hold up in court though, Trayvon is dead so he can't claim self-defense and that he feared for his life. Zimmerman is going to claim Trayvon hit him first. There's no evidence to suggest that Zimmerman would be lying. His self-defense claim will hold. We'll never actually know. Unless there was a random hidden camera nobody knows about. The fact that Zimmerman followed Trayvon and a witness says that he ran away as did Zimmerman... SUGGESTS this was a stupid move on Zimmerman's part, but I can't think of a charge besides harassment they can get him on.

Agreed. It may be very difficult to get manslaughter or murder... Not so sure anything would be different regardless of race of the individuals or the police investigation.