By now, you have probably heard and/or read about the shooting of Trayvon Martin. If you haven't, you can click on the preceding link. As of 3/21/12, George Zimmerman (the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed Martin) has not been arrested. If you'd like to let your voice be heard over this travesty of justice, there are several online petitions. Below is the link to the one launched by Color of Change:
George Zimmerman petition
29 comments:
please arrest this hateful monster. He should be brought to justice, maybe the electric chair. His one aim was to eradicate the seed of the black race. he is just a local adolph hitler, a low life and a lunatic. The parents of this slaughtered child need justice. I am NOT a racist. I am just tired of encountering hate in America, based on the colour of one's skin.
Thanks for posting this Malcolm. How many petitions must we sign to demand justice for this family? The story sickens me. We need to keep the pressure on until Zimmerman is brought to justice for the murder of this child.
The more I read about this incident, the more disgusted I become. I am at a loss for words.
I agree completely with the sentiment here.
However, do online petitions (which easily get filled with fake, multiple names) ever have any effect?
Gay White Man 54 Alexandria, Virgina
I rarely believe the death sentence carried out in an electric chair on the front lawn televised on prime time. His body should be burnt and his grave with a tomestone- That tells future generations of this story. I believe that thousands of people of color should show up and humilate him as they did in England.
Does anyone actually know the truth behind this story or is the media blowing it way out of proportion?
I am not saying the death of a teenager is right, but I live in a very bad neighborhood, dive-by shootings, drug arrests, robberies, and yep, even had a police stand-off. And I am sad to say most were perpetrated by black kids or black adults. The kids in my neighborhood, are rude, disrespectful and have absolutely no fear of authority and walk where they want when they want. They get in our yards, etc. I am sure, no positive, not all of them are bad, but it just takes a few bad apples to ruin it for the rest.
Did Zimmerman have the right to defend himself? I don't know? Does anyone really know what transpired between the two? Was the man fearful for his life? I am not ready to convict and condemn a man for life it really was done in self-defense. If he did murder that kid in cold blood, then yeah, he deserved to be incarcerated. We just don't know.
What I do know is that the media is turning this into a racial media circus. They want the division between races.
Look, nobody really knows what really happened, at least not yet. Maybe there is more to this than meets the eye, maybe everything wasn't released yet and that's why the police haven't arrested Zimmerman yet? The investigation certainly hasn't been completed-why the rush to judgement? Who knows, certainly not me and certainly not you or Al Sharpton or Jessie Jackson, or the rest of the race-baiters. .
Never before has this country been more divided than it is now, thank you Mr. President!
As for Obama,I have no doubt that he will milk this tragedy to the last day before the election.
As foe Zimmerman, how come they don't mention the fact that he is Hispanic? Why do they report this tragedy as if Zimmerman was a white guy who was out hunting a black boy? Zimmerman is mixed white, black and Hispanic.
And why is Obama jumping to conclusions? Remember the beer summit in the Rose Garden? Obama was wrong then, who knows, he might be wrong again.. To bad the President couldn't comment on how sad and bad this is WITHOUT getting into the race factor and telling everybody to search their souls. I have nothing in my soul to search. .
Ooops! I meant to say "drive-by"
The mainstream media and their usual rush to judgement when it comes to accusing, threatening, deeming guilty before we know the facts isn’t anything new…but the case of Trayvon Martin has been beyond belief and beneath contempt from what we’ve seen so far when it comes to the race-baiting hustlers like Sharpton, Jesse Jackson,NAACP’s Ben Jealous, Black Panthers, the CBC, Color of Change via Media Matters and of course Dear Leader and his side-kick AG Holder inserting themselves ect etc!
This is mob mentality, no doubt about it. They dont care if Zimmerman acted in self-defense or not, and I am not saying that he was. However in America we all get our day in court, we do not live by mod rule. they want whitey and thats the way it really is.
Zimmerman will walk if indeed the witness swears what he saw. So instead , they will not only go after Zimmerman, regardless of the truth, but try to change the gun laws as well.
If the Black Panthers get their way, then by God, we are living in dangerous times...
Anon: Although I won't go as far as you by calling for the death penalty and comparing Zimmerman to Hitler, he does need to be brought to justice. It's going on a month now and he's still free! Thanks for stopping by.
Shaw: You're welcome. This story isn't going to go away and that's a good thing. In the end, I think justice will be served.
Ann: It's eerie that you say "the more I read about this incident, the more disgusted I become." because I said something similar about this story shortly before I read your comment.
dmarks: Yes, online petitions do have positive effects. Here's a link that details what makes a successful online petition and how they have worked:
http://coyoteblog.posterous.com/do-online-petitions-work
Butcher Carneal: I can't get with your proposition of what should happen to Zimmerman. Thanks for stopping by.
Leticia: I don't think this is a case of the media blowing a story out of proportion nor do I believe they want to divide the races. In your opinion, how is the media trying to divide the races?
Shucky: You are wrong on so many counts, I don't know where to start! Your claim that "they" don't mention the fact that Zimmerman is Hispanic is not true. It's been well documented that he is white and Hispanic. As for your statement that he's black, no he's not. Where did you get that piece of "info"?!
Your claim that President Obama jumped to conclusions makes absolutely no sense. Here is a link to his comments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efZNgSEpB1k
Did he jump to conclusions by saying that the death of Trayvon Martin is a tragedy?! As for President Obama's comments that were made over the Henry Louis Gates case, we'll have to agree to disagree.
You also say that the country is more divided than ever before thanks to President Obama. I've heard right-wingers make that claim before with nothing to back it up. If you're interested, here's your chance: you can write a guest post here explaining exactly how this country is more divided than ever before and why it's all because of President Obama. Assuming you take me up on my offer, you can email your guest post to ultfan@gmail.com.
Robinsolana: Your right-wing rant fails to acknowledge the fact that racial profiling does exist in this country. Based on what we know so far about the killing of Trayvon Martin, this appears to be another example of it. Things will look even worse for Zimmerman if it's proven without question that he used the racial slur "coon" during his 911 call.
Also, the police mishandled this case from the get go. Ask yourself this: if everything in this case was the same, except Zimmerman was black and Martin was white, do you think Zimmerman would still be walking around free?
Funny that YOU failed to mention the LYNCH mod AKA the New Black Panthers has put out a bounty on Zimmerman "DEAD or ALIVE" is that what this country has come to UNDER OBAMA?
Is that not what the KKK would have done years ago? Where is the outcry about that? Where is YOUR mention about that? Although I DO believe that Zimmerman is guilty, what has happened to "Innocent until proven guilty"? Yes this country HAS become more divided than ever before because of President Obama, no question about that.
Do we no longer trust the Grand Jury process? Or did we only trust it when OJ Simpson was on trial?
Where is George Zimmerman's civil rights, when we see the Black Panthers, Spike Lee, the NAACP, Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, and the President of the United States already saying that he's guilty?
And all the rest of the racists in America already deciding he is guilty!
I heard someone on the radio today say something to effect of "Trayvon is with God now."
I got to thinking: Assuming that God is real and that this was his plan, which religious people do contend, then it's a good thing that Martin's killer--because he would have been killed regardless--is a man whom media can call "white," because if Martin were killed by another black person, none of us would know anything about it.
At least this gets his name out there.
Yeah, that's all on purpose obviously. How sad it is that no other teenagers shot dead make it to this blog, the national media or the President's lips. A baby killed by AK-47 fire - nothing. More teenagers dead in Cali and New York and DC today - nothing.
But because Zimmerman is this strange thing called a "white Hispanic," Sharpton can glue his hair down and get back out there. The President can pretend that his hypothetical son would be hoodied up at night in a burglarized neighborhood instead of wearing a button-down blue French collar with the sleeves rolled up and penny loafers while vacationing somewhere uber-expensive.
We can show a picture of an good-looking preteen instead of an imposing guy of Tim Tebow's size.
If Zimmerman followed Martin and confronted him without provocation and shot him, he deserves life in prison.
But it's awfully hard to get any facts out of this case. It's all being spun into a racial beef.
"Black Teen Killed by Non-Black" - that's all we need to make national media? It's the opposite end of "Attractive White Baby Goes Missing."
To me, this all seems disrespectful to Trayvon Martin, his memory and his family. And it's utterly repugnant to hold him in higher esteem than the rest of the teenagers shot and killed throughout the country, none of whom have the POTUS commenting or the national media in an uproar.
Right Turn: You took a right turn alright. Right off the cliff...
I didn't mention the New Black Panthers' bounty on Zimmerman because that happened AFTER I wrote this post. Having said that, I think the bounty is way out of bounds. If this is all the NBP have to offer in seeing that Trayvon Martin gets justice, I'd rather they stay out of it.
When did President Obama say that Zimmerman was guilty?! Unless you have footage of President Obama speaking about this incident (besides the clip I posted earlier in this thread), you are a liar!
I'll make the same offer to you that I did to "Shucky" (assuming you are two different people): you can write a guest post here explaining exactly how this country is more divided than ever before and why it's all because of President Obama. It's put up or shut up time.
Josh: "How sad it is that no other teenagers shot dead make it to this blog, the national media or the President's lips."
“A baby killed by AK-47 fire - nothing. More teenagers dead in Cali and New York and DC today - nothing.” Who is the “nothing” directed at Josh?
No one is saying Trayvon Martin’s death is more important than the other teenagers throughout this country who have been shot and killed. As for what’s covered on this blog, you and I went down a similar road a few years back. In regards to no other teenagers shot dead making this blog, Progressive Soup is not a news organization. Pjazzy and I write about what we feel like covering and what we have time to cover. I can't remember when I first heard about the death of Trayvon Martin, but it was well before I wrote this post. It's not like I broke my neck getting to my PC to write about the death of a black teen at the hands of a non-black! If you have a problem with no other teenage shooting victims making this blog, dust the cobwebs off of your own blog and write about them.
Thankfully, the parents of Trayvon Martin kept pushing for justice for their slain son. As a result, black news outlets got involved, social media picked up on it, and now it's a national story. I think President Obama weighed in for this reason. Unfortunately, all teens who are shot and killed don’t make national headlines. Do you expect President Obama to comment on every teen who gets shot and killed?! By the way, do you feel he only made a statement because the story has racial implications?
Before President Obama made a public statement about Trayvon Martin, part of me was hoping he'd stay silent because I knew righties like you would be all over him. After hearing what he said, I'm glad he made a statement. I think what he said was eloquent and deftly avoided undermining the law enforcement officials involved in this case. If you guys wanna hammer him for it, whatever... it's not like you need much of an excuse anyway. By the way, a black teen doesn't have to be "hoodied up at night in a burglarized neighborhood" to arouse the suspicions of some people. I know that from personal experience.
"We can show a picture of an good-looking preteen instead of an imposing guy of Tim Tebow's size."
Trayvon was the same height as Tebow, but that's where the size comparisons end. Trayvon only weighed 140 lbs... they called him "Slimm" for a reason.
As for the Rev. Al Sharpton’s involvement, don’t hate the player… hate the game. If black victims received the same amount of justice/news coverage as many of their white counterparts do, the Rev. Al wouldn’t need to “glue his hair down and get back out there”.
As much as I get on conservatives, I’ll give them credit when it’s due. So far, the only conservative who I’ve heard talk about the racial angle of this case in an honest manner is Joe Scarborough. Last week on “Morning Joe” he said:
“If anybody watching this show — either live or on the Internet — doesn’t believe that if an African-American shot a 17-year-old white boy walking through a neighborhood carrying ice tea and Skittles…if they do not believe that an arraignment would be scheduled by the next morning for the African-American shooter and that the white boy’s family would be called immediately…that an office would actually drive to the white boy’s home and sit down with the parents on the couch and console them because they have lost a 17-year-old son. If you don’t believe that this case and the handling of this case by the people in Florida has nothing to do with race, you are living in a fantasy world.”
If more conservatives were willing to be as honest as Joe on the subject of race, this country would be in a better place. If you think Joe is wrong, tell that to John White:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/24/nyregion/24commute.html?_r=1
The racial angle is exactly why it's news, exactly why Obama commented on it, and exactly why many people are now switching positions on what makes a "minority." 1/2 white = white. Funny. It works the other way 99.9. But that's fine by me.
And I'm not giving our white President grief for speaking out about this. He has a track record of what seems important to him. I don't begrudge anyone their leanings; I only wish they were more honest about them. Something we have in common, but I know that's one-sided -- like Rush not meaning it but Ed being sincere. W/e. Some things just are...
I just don't agree with the implication that his son would be anything like Martin. For better or worse, like or dislike Obama, he's an elite kinda guy. That's not a knock, either, so put the blood pressure meds down!
As to Joe's comments, I don't disagree. Race would play a role there, just as race is playing a role here. If a black man shot a white teen, law enforcement may be be pushing harder, because if they weren't they may be be pressured into it. But it's 2012, not 1963. Those types of things, while there is most certainly a glaring precedent, are happening with far less frequency.
But reversing the situation doesn't make it right, doesn't make me rant any less about the hypocrisy and hyperbole, the fact that the same people clamoring and claiming to care about this "injustice" would be silent if it were black-on-black crime.
I don't deny that race plays a role in a lot of these situations. It shouldn't. Bringing up something stupid to justify something stupid only has one end result: It's all still stupid.
"Honesty" amongst more conservatives certainly isn't the only thing that would make the world a better place. When it comes to "justice," it's deaf and dumb but hardly ever blind. That's on all sides of the board. The voices are just a little louder when it's something that can be construed in any way as racism.
These situations are why I disagree with things being labeled as "hate" crimes. It puts too big a spotlight on things that may very well end up being pure happenstance.
But speaking of honesty: Is Joe Scarborough a conservative? I thought he was a new-age moderate Republican.
Or do we all look alike to you!? >.<
Josh: I don't know anyone who is saying this this would be a story if not for the racial angle. I'm certainly not.
Maybe you're right about President Obama only speaking out about this because of the racial angle. After all, he did go down to Tucson last year to speak at the memorial of all those black folks who were gunned down by Jared Lee Loughner. Oh, wait a minute!
I never heard anyone say President Obama's hypothetical son would be like Trayvon Martin. The president himself certainly didn't. He said he'd look like him. The way I interpreted this statement is that President Obama's hypothetical son, even with all the trappings afforded the child of the leader of the free world, could still meet the same fate as Trayvon Martin.
Even if you meant it as a knock that President Obama is elite, I couldn't care less. Despite what you might think, I don't get worked up over every dig you righties take at President Obama. Much of it became comical a long time ago.
Since you may have missed one of my questions from my first reply, I'll ask again. In regards to your comment, “A baby killed by AK-47 fire - nothing. More teenagers dead in Cali and New York and DC today - nothing.”, who is the “nothing” directed at Josh?
I consider Joe Scarborough a true conservative; not like the phony, hypocritical opportunistic nuts who have taken over what was once a great party. Although Joe and I obviously have differing viewpoints, his criticisms of liberals (including President Obama) are fair and objective for the most part. He's also not a partisan hack, which I appreciate. If that makes him a new-age moderate Republican in your eyes, so be it.
"Or do we all look alike to you!?"
What the hell are you talking about?!
Don't get worked up? Right. Just put the meds down before somebody gets hurt! Small doses, man.
The "nothing" is directed at whomsoever has taken one extremely thin side of the story to play up the narrative that Martin was the victim of white racism. That same "nothing" applies to Congress and its attempt to politicize this issue to no end, indicting Zimmerman.
In other words, I find it hard to believe that people beyond Martin's family actually care about his death. It seems to me that people care about forcing the death to be an innocent black teen killed by a racist white man. (Big credit to Obama for not playing to that narrative, though. I mean that. He could have really inflamed and divided with the equivalent of a "police acted stupidly" remark. Although your interpretation of his words suggests that he was rounding the bases, I took it another way.)
If the man is guilty of murder, let him rot in prison. If it was actually driven by race, let's have the same result. But the way this is being carried as newsworthy compared to everything that's not is disingenuous and a bit nauseating.
In terms of Obama's comment, I'm not busting his chops over it. And let's not pretend that Obama didn't go down to Arizona to speak directly to the right wing about their rhetoric -- one of those "teaching moments." It's cool. He did run on the Democratic ticket after all. (And now all that's in my head is those morons who were hootin' and hollerin' at a memorial service. Ugg.)
And Joe being a moderate Republican in my eyes is something I don't know anything about. You phrase it as if I'm attacking him over it, as if I'm a conservative. News to me. Guys like Santorum and Gingrich make my stomach turn. I just figured he was more McCain than Reagan in terms of political beliefs. Maybe you're right. Discourse and manner and political leanings are different things, though.
As to what the hell I'm talking about, I'm just joking. So, again, I implore you -- put the meds down!
Josh: It's possible there are people outside of Trayvon Martin's family who don't really care about his death. However, to say no one does is a big leap. Assuming you are even partially right, one would have to say the same thing about people's reactions to other victims who've made headlines such as Caylee Anthony.
You say that you find the coverage of the Trayvon Martin story to be nauseating. You must have a sick feeling over the news a lot because certain stories trumping others in terms of coverage isn't anything new. How many MWWS (Missing White Woman Syndrome) related stories have gotten saturated coverage while other missing persons cases which don't fit into that box have been all but ignored?
The "police acted stupidly" comment only inflamed those who can hear, but don't listen. We both know where the other stands on that incident so it's no need to rehash it. Even though President Obama was more careful with his words this time, there are still clowns such as "Right-Turn" who are flat out lying about what the president said.
As for President Obama's motives for going down to AZ, I thought his comments about cooling the heated rhetoric was directed at both sides of the political spectrum. It's funny, because some on the far-right felt he was speaking directly to the left.
If you're not a conservative, what are you? I recall you saying something along the lines of being socially liberal/fiscally conservative.
As for all that hootin' and hollerin' at the Tuscon Memorial, don't get too bent over it. After all, when The Messiah's in town, the people have to show proper love. I'm joking.
Thanks for explaining that you were joking earlier. You write so cryptically at times, it's hard to tell what you mean. By the way, can I borrow some of your meds? In particular, the ones you popped after your "GFY" moment earlier this year. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!
I hate those Nancy Grace stories! That "White Baby Goes Missing" headline gets on my nerves.
Nobody cared about what happened to kids in my neighborhood!
(Don't quibble with "nobody." You have to understand it's a generalization and not specifically meant to mean every single person on planet earth. C'mon, man! There are plenty of things you and I disagree about without getting into QuibbleFest3000 over wording plucked from a broader context. We're past that! :P)
There are tragic things that happen to children all across this country. To hold one in higher esteem is something that bothers me. Maybe if I saw a reason for one to take precedence over another, but I rarely do. (Casey Anthony and not necessarily her daughter may be an exception.)
Make a post about it and I'll give you an equal rant! I'm already longwinded; no one would ever read my comments if I railed on about every little thing I find distasteful in a single swoop.
And to my cryptic style: It's not intentional. I just attempt to say a lot without having to write a lot -- although I do still write a lot! Some things I assume are self evident within the framework. I'm often wrong.
And fiscal conservatism isn't in line with the big-spending, big-government, warmongering conservatives of the Republican party. Fiscally conservative in today's GOP is a platform chosen only to stand opposite Obama. Hardly anyone wanted to put the brakes on spending when Bush was in office. They don't fool me.
There are a handful of fiscally-minded Republicans out there, and most are more libertarian than conservative.
I don't know what I am; I only know what I'm not. I can put a little of my faith in guys like Paul Ryan (at least he tries, FFS), Chris Christie, Thaddeus McCotter and Marco Rubio. They don't seem to kowtow to idiocy. That's all I can ask for.
On the other side of the aisle, Jim Webb and Mark Warner seem to be okay.
But that's neither here nor there. My meds make me a bit loopy at 5am when I'm trying to do anything in the world but work.
My meds would put down Frank from Shameless. Careful!
Not to worry Josh, quibbling over "nobody" wasn't part of my plan. However, I do take issue with your use of the term "handful" regarding fiscally-minded Republicans. What criteria are you using? A small, medium, or large-sized hand?! "Nyuk" 3 times.
"Fiscally conservative in today's GOP is a platform chosen only to stand opposite Obama."
Bingo! The question is, what's the real beef today's GOP has with President Obama? However, that's a discussion for another time.
I was wondering if you even know what you are (in regards to politic labels). Just to be clear, there is nothing wrong with not knowing.
"My meds would put down Frank from Shameless. Careful!"
As Samuel L. Jackson said in "Strictly Business", "It must be some powerful shit!"
Anon: Although I am not in favor of the death penalty, I do think Zimmerman should serve jail time for the Trayvon Martin shooting. If Zimmerman had let the police do their job (as he was instructed to do), we'd never have known his name.
If this is true, Martin should have been in jail or prison rather than wandering the streets in a drug-addled daze. That is, if it is true.
dmarks: I heard about Trayvon Martin having traces of THC in his system. However, for you to say he was "wandering the streets in a drug-addled daze" is a stretch. Is there any evidence that backs up your statement?! And no, having traces of THC in his system doesn't back up your claim. As the story you linked to states, having traces of THC in his system does not mean he used the drug the night he was killed. THC can stay in the human body for as long as 30 days or more, depending on the potency of the individual plant, how much was used and the physiological makeup of the user.
Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/05/17/new-evidence-trayvon-martin-had-drugs-in-his-system/#disqus_thread#ixzz1yrQNhERE
The THC is evidence of intoxication. Unless he has one of those Michigan Medical Marijuana cards, he was engaged in a crime. If he had been in jail where he belonged, he'd not have had the bad encounter with the over-zealous neighborhood "Watch".
It also shows that Martin was already a criminal. Not that this justifies his murder at all. But such a lowlife is not the great hero he is made out to be.
dmarks: THC is not evidence of intoxication. We have no idea when the last time Trayvon Martin smoked weed before he was killed.
Also, why is he a lowlife? Because he smoked weed?! In 2005, George Zimmerman was charged with “resisting officer with violence” and “battery of law enforcement officer.” Surely, you're going to call him a lowlife too.
"We have no idea when the last time Trayvon Martin smoked weed before he was killed. "
But we do know, even in your admission, that he committed a crime that ranges from misdemeanor to felony.
"Also, why is he a lowlife?"
For one, he chose to commit a crime. For another, he chose to be a drug abuser. One of those people who thinks it is fun to damage their own brains and make themself stupid.
Yeah, Zimmerman is a lowlife too. But perhaps less of one, given the evidence you have provided, since his crimes were many years ago as opposed to something done probable that day.
It's good to know that you have such a rigid criteria of what constitutes a lowlife. Also, smoking weed doesn't make someone a drug abuser. Drug user yes, but not necessarily a drug abuser.
Have you ever driven over the speed limit? If you have, you broke the law and by your own standards, that makes you a lowlife... right?
Drug abuse is a crime, and also very stupid. Rigid? Not really. All someone has to do is engage in outrageous behavior. You detailed Zimmerman doing so as well. It seems you are going way out on a limb to excuse drug crimes which are most likely felonies. Drug abuser, most certainly, as you have no evidence, nor is it likely, that Trayvon's consumption was medically necessary. Just brain damage for fun.
I can get a pot plant and sit it in my house and water it and look at it. Pretty green leaves. That's not abuse. But if I choose to do something really stupid (and also criminal) like dry the leaves and burn them with the intention of damaging my brain and roaming around in an uncontrollable intoxicated state, that'a abuse. There's no question that an idiot who choose to do this is a lowlife.
And yes, it is a crime. Martin belonged in prison, not roaming the streets.
Driving over the speed limit is not a felony.
Drug crimes which are most likely felonies?! Please dmarks! All we know is Trayvon smoked weed. That makes him a user, not necessarily an abuser. Also, for all we know if he had been busted for possession, it would have been a misdemeanor. I find it funny how you want to turn Trayvon Martin into a marijuana abuser wandering around in a drug addled daze without a shred of evidence.
By the way, I never said speeding is a felony. However, it is against the law. If Trayvon was known to break the speed limit, you'd probably try to turn him into someone suffering from road rage and endangering the lives of innocent people.
We both know where we stand so it's pointless to continue this back and forth about marijuana. You probably have better things to do. I know I do.
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