George Zimmerman

[Amskeptic]

A small history of Shelby Steele, I bet he understands the topic.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Shelby_Steele.aspx

I think Shelby Steele has a point, and I think he could make Jesse Jackson look a little bit exploitative in this situation, grandstanding and all.

But the actual situation as it stands, is that a citizen has killed another citizen and is not being held on charges.
And rather than be distracted by general race issues, I am most interested to know what sway Zimmerman's dad has held over the decisions made by Florida law enforcement.
Colin

[Amskeptic]

Now he is being held on charges. Let's see what happens within the law. . .

[RussellK]

Its really tragic on both sides. He looks like a scared kid in his mug shot. I prefer evil looking demons..

[Amskeptic]

Its really tragic on both sides. He looks like a scared kid in his mug shot. I prefer evil looking demons..

Like that guy on the right, would you trust him with your, let's say, air-cooled Volkswagen?

[Bleyseng]

I have never felt the need or have ever wished that I had a gun.

neal

I have a 32. handgun (loaded) by my bed in Suriname as there is 2 or 3 gangs going around breaking in in the middle of the night to rob people. They always kill any dogs first then sneak onto the property killing alarm systems. Takes about 20 minutes for security people to respond to that. They only want gold and money but they always beat the shit out of the men and women killing some elderly folks. We do have bars and metal gates on the doors and a metal gate at the top of the stairs which is to slow them down if they do break in while we are sleeping. Pump Shotguns aren't allowed to be owned unfortunately. I hate guns but I will not let myself or Monique be beat or killed because I don't like guns.

Now while in Seattle I feel so safe....I walk around with cash in my wallet.

[ruckman101]

I'm not anti-gun. I was encouraged to invest when I lived essentially in isolation on the coast, an hour out from any response from a 9/11 call. Cougar, coyote and bear were a concern many kept weapons for, beyond riff-raff. I opted for a dog. My rationale was that a first response by canine would enable me to run away.


neal

[DjEep]

I thought Justifiable Homicide was already written into law. By granting immediate immunity, a person holding a gun has two options, don't shoot, and risk death in the moment or prosecution for assault and/or menacing, or shoot the witness and walk free.

If a situation is serious enough to require death, it is serious enough to require subsequent scrutiny.

I think the "racism" thing has been way overblown and exploited in this case. It's not about race, it's about how one person's fear and prejudice towards another, be it because they are black, white, hoodied, polo-shirt-wearing, whatever, is enough to justify deadly force under the law. And that's not a good thing.

[BellePlaine]

I thought Justifiable Homicide was already written into law. By granting immediate immunity, a person holding a gun has two options, don't shoot, and risk death in the moment or prosecution for assault and/or menacing, or shoot the witness and walk free.

If a situation is serious enough to require death, it is serious enough to require subsequent scrutiny.

I think the "racism" thing has been way overblown and exploited in this case. It's not about race, it's about how one person's fear and prejudice towards another, be it because they are black, white, hoodied, polo-shirt-wearing, whatever, is enough to justify deadly force under the law. And that's not a good thing.

I agree with you, Eep that scrutiny is warranted especially when the unnatural death of a person in involved.

My dad carries a handgun on his hip, out in the open, that’s how I know a little about this stuff. He’s an instructor teaching the instructors how to teach the folks getting their permits how to manage a handgun. My dad wears it every day but he began with it long after I moved out. So it took a while to get used to it and we were worried at first about having our kids around Grandpa but it’s ok now and it’s not a big deal. .

I’m glad to see that Zimmerman was arrested. I’m sure that he’s suffering but we need to understand his story to pass judgment on this one. I also feel like race tensions have been escalading because of this case which is too bad because Zimmerman might not be, and is probably not a racist. To give a fair trial to Zimmerman, I think that we first have to find out what happened with Zimmerman and Martin before we dig into the Sanford PD.

[Amskeptic]

To give a fair trial to Zimmerman, I think that we first have to find out what happened with Zimmerman and Martin before we dig into the Sanford PD.

Looks like the Sanford police chief's resignation was refused.
I am far less into the "race" elements as I am in "undue influence" of his dad.
Colin

[BellePlaine]

To give a fair trial to Zimmerman, I think that we first have to find out what happened with Zimmerman and Martin before we dig into the Sanford PD.

Looks like the Sanford police chief's resignation was refused.
I am far less into the "race" elements as I am in "undue influence" of his dad.
Colin

The little bit of news that I saw regarding the chief's resignation showed a packed city council meeting room with citizens cheering the refusal.

I’ve lost most of my energy for this story. The story is contaminated by too much racism; not from Zimmerman but from everywhere else, both ways. Facebook for instance, it’s too easy to forward a photo of a white supremacist over the caption, “If your proudest achievement is being white, that says a lot about what you’ve done your life”. That kind of stuff is divisive and fuel for fights. Will my kids learn to think and communicate for themselves?

[Amskeptic]

Will my kids learn to think and communicate for themselves?

Sure. They watch and feel your every interaction with others . . .
Best to be well-rested, huh?
Colin