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T.R.A.Y.V.O.N.

T.R.A.Y.V.O.N.

Andrew Branca and I gave our presentation yesterday at Cornell Law School on the Zimmerman case, and the reasons why the jury reached the correct verdict. I’m hopeful the video will be available to post soon.

One of the things I talked about was the mythology of the case, and how the popular media narrative of racial motivation and hoodie symbolism was not supported by the facts.

Many in the audience were surprised to learn, among other things, that George Zimmerman never was told by the police not to leave his car.

It’s not surprising to see that the deification of Trayvon Martin continues at many levels, including comparisons to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Emmitt Till.

The marching band at Alabama State University also doesn’t seem to understand the case:

ASU Band Trayvon

Alabama State University is responding to controversy surrounding its band and a recent football game’s half-time show.

During Saturday’s game against Jackson State, ASU’s Mighty Marching Band members lined up in a way on the field that spelled out “Trayvon” while they played the song “Amazing Grace”.

Trayvon, referring to Trayvon Martin, was a teen whose case sparked nationwide outrage after he was shot to death by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Florida last year. Zimmerman was later found not guilty by a jury.

Following the band’s decision, the director of the ASU Marching Band, James Oliver, issued a statement on the controversy. It reads:

“ASU’s Mighty Marching Hornets Band’s halftime show utilized the tragic death of Trayvon Martin as a symbolic recognition that far too many young men die of senseless gun violence.

Ours was a call to conscience of all those who wish to protect our children and to build community.

We spelled out the name ‘Trayvon’ while the band played ‘Amazing Grace’ as a tribute to all the families who have lost their children.

It had nothing to do with a jury’s verdict, but everything to do with the sanctity of life and the amazing grace that only God can give as we deal with tragedies such as the loss of a child.”

WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

There is so much ignorance about the case, it’s amazing.

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Comments

legacyrepublican | September 13, 2013 at 1:10 pm

All I can say about ASU is that I am a good Christian from the U of A and I pray for the defeat of the devil no matter what form he takes. Now more than ever.

    Uh, I think you may be mixed up on the ASU’s; the article is about Alabama State University, whose nickname is the “Hornets.” This did not happen at Arizona State University, who have the nickname of the “Sun Devils”. . .

It’s not amazing. It’s an opportunity. Unfortunately, it is also opportunistic. The role of civil rights advocates has been incorporated and perverted. The decent people who recognize individual dignity have been deceived by political and professional actors.

I couldn’t agree more, the level of misinformation about this case is amazing. What perpetuates the ignorance is that both sides are invested in the false narrative that the Sanford PD did not think GZ did anything wrong. So Sharpton promotes this because he believes it shows racism and GZ supporters promote it because they believe it is evidence the case was hijacked and murder charges were trumped up.

The truth is that initially the police felt there was no probable cause to arrest due to GZ’s injuries, but they continued their investigation. The police were troubled by GZ’s strange behavior that night, but at some point the Martin family stopped cooperating due to outside influence. So at some point the Sanford PD turned over the case with a recommendation of manslaughter charges…and the circus ensued.

Redstate had a good post about “Blame vs Responsibility”, I added something to make the post great, I just substituted GZ for TM.

And one Last time, I am not defending TM. I just don’t know why people are defending GZ. So here is the good post from Redstate about “Blame vs. Responsibility” with my addition below,

It’s bizarre for Samuels to wander from Serena Williams and the
Steubenville case into the George Zimmerman murder trial, but there is
one important similarity: in both cases, a model that assigns absolute
guilt and total responsibility to one party in a terrible story demands
an absurd level of disregard for the behavior of the other. Trayvon
mythology is built around the religious conviction that he bears
absolutely zero responsibility for anything he did on the night he died,
right up to slamming George Zimmerman’s head against the pavement.
You’re not supposed to discuss all the opportunities Martin had for
ending the whole encounter without confrontation or violence. You’re
not supposed to ask questions about his state of mind on that
evening, or venture that attacking people because they followed you
around for a little while is a bad idea.

http://www.redstate.com/2013/0

This addition would make the column great,

Zimmerman mythology is built around the religious conviction that he bears absolutely zero responsibility for anything he did on the night that he shot Trayvon. You’re not supposed to discuss all the opportunities Zimmerman had for ending the whole encounter without confrontation or violence. You’re not supposed to ask questions about his state of mind on that
evening, or venture that following people when you are not a trained law enforcement officer is a bad idea.

    JackRussellTerrierist in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 13, 2013 at 2:03 pm

    Thank you. It’s a rare opportunity for LI members to see another poster make such a complete and total ass of himself….and then brag about it.

    How biased was your substitution of “trained law enforcement officer” in the dialogue? Pretty bad.
    Z was doing the activity of neighborhood watch, not LE. He was doing nothing illegal, immoral or fattening.
    M may also have not been doing anything wrong until he made the decision to reappear, apparently leaving a secluded area close to his domicile, return to near the top of the “T” crosswalk and challenge Z. Assaulting someone for watching you is usually a crime. Unexplained is why M shouldn’t be held to the same “let the cops do it standard” as Z? Because he was just a kid? Doesn’t fly.

    Phillep Harding in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 13, 2013 at 3:45 pm

    That is a statist response, that only “authorized” people are allowed to keep an eye on potential criminals. Except that as a neighborhood watch, he was an “authorized” individual.

    Tourists get blamed when they are mauled by grizzlies after they get out of their cars to feed the bears and take pictures. The grizzly is not able to behave in a responsible fashion because he is an animal.

    GZ is being blamed for the attack on him by TM for what reason? Should he have stereotyped TM as an animal? Using what as evidence? The hoodie? (Absurd.) His age? (How to tell that?) His having candy and Watermelon Tea in his pocket? (X-ray vision, anyone?)

    The only things in evidence (to use the term loosely) are his behavior and his race.

    Nothing in his behavior indicated a predilection toward violence.

    That leaves “race”.

    Are you saying that George Zimmerman should have suspected or expected Trayvon Martin to behave like a homicidal animal because of his race?

      Very good points. We also need to consider the fact that law enforcement has absolutely no legal responsibility to protect anyone.

      It appears there had been 8 burglaries and several attempts in the area prior this incident. Whether or not Zimmerman thought of this consciously, he most likely operated from the belief that these ‘punks’ were not apt to act violently (as far as I know, there had been no interpersonal violence in connection with the break ins) and probably didn’t think twice when he exited his car to maintain visual of the guy. Had any of the break ins involved a weapon or violent contact, I think he might have acted more cautiously. But in the end, I don’t think even that matters. We need more people who take charge and are not afraid to do more than just calling 911. It’s too bad Trayvon got killed, but he’s the only one responsible for his fate because of the choices he made. While Zimmerman had no way of knowing what would follow, Trayvon knew and proceeded.

      It was definitely no case of entering a cage with wild animals.

      gene_frenkle in reply to Phillep Harding. | September 14, 2013 at 11:55 am

      TM reasonably believed GZ was a creep and GZ’s behavior should have led TM to call the cops on GZ. Adults should not behave in a manner that would make teenagers call the cops.

        Well bless your heart, you funny little man, I hope you don’t live in Florida then. Over a million of us here have CCW permits, and I’m hard pressed to think of a neighborhood you could live in where at least one (and probably more than one) of your neighbors wouldn’t be walking around armed at any given time.

        I would suggest that down this way, what any “responsible parent” would do would be to teach their precious children not to go around attacking strangers “MMA-style”, throwing them to the ground and bashing their heads into the cement sidewalk. Things’re liable to end in tears elsewise.

          gene_frenkle in reply to Amy in FL. | September 15, 2013 at 11:45 am

          I support CCW and I do not support TM’s decision to confront GZ. TM’s belief that GZ was behaving creepy was reasonable, and I do not support GZ’s behavior.

    “The truth is that initially the police felt there was no probable cause to arrest due to GZ’s injuries, but they continued their investigation. The police were troubled by GZ’s strange behavior that night, but at some point the Martin family stopped cooperating due to outside influence. ”

    Did you read this in People, or at Huffpo?

    What strange behavior? GZ was on the phone with the police as he was driving reporting a suspicious person (he was finally asked by the dispatcher if the person was white, black etc. as he NEVER volunteered that info, contrary to the media). He got out of his truck to read the number of the condo where he last saw Martin when he was ASKED by the dispatcher for an address. It was at that point that Martin stepped out of the shadows and asked Zimmerman why he was following him, then the punch flew. There is myriad trial testimony from neighbors who heard GZ yelling for help.

    How is a neighborhood watch captain,on the phone to the police, reporting a suspicious person wandering in and around a condo complex with a documented recent history of break ins and robberies, STRANGE behavior? Please provide the testimony from the trial in which the police state that Zimmerman’s behavior was STRANGE.

    Zimmerman lived in the complex and was on his way to or from a grocery store. He had every right and reason to be where he was that night.

      gene_frenkle in reply to Uh Huh. | September 15, 2013 at 8:19 pm

      Zimmerman lived in the complex and was on his way to or from a grocery store. He had every right and reason to be where he was that night.

      .

      Why do you believe this when in the same breath GZ implied his wife was at home…you can’t have it both ways!?! GZ is NOT credible.

      I just don’t believe that someone casing a house would be on the phone with Jenteal and then stare directly at GZ so GZ could identify him. I also find it too big of a coincidence that TM was casing the exact same house GZ almost caught a burglar several weeks before. I think GZ was engaged in wishful thinking and overconfident in his profiling abilities. So I do not believe TM was engaged in suspicious behavior.

    SmokeVanThorn in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 13, 2013 at 5:38 pm

    I suggest you try to peddle your nonsense elsewhere, Mr. Frenkle. The readers of this blog know too much about the case for you to have any chance of selling it here.

Great. Yet another Zimmerman blog for all of his worshipers to drive traffic (comments) to LI. This should be fun; hang on to your iPads (Shellie)

You’re not supposed to ask questions about his state of mind on that evening, or venture that following people when you are not a trained law enforcement officer is a bad idea.

Baloney.

Bullspit is remarkably durable.

When you jealously guard the crap packed in your skull, that cannot change.

I respect James Oliver’s explanation for the spelling of T.R.A.Y.V.O.N. during the ASU football game,

but I must ask one question:

“Would they have done the same halftime show had the jury convicted George Zimmerman?”

    Paul in reply to Paul. | September 13, 2013 at 1:57 pm

    Oh, and Professor, I am very much looking forward to seeing the video of your talk. The reaction of the crowd actually learning something will be treat enough itself.

      JackRussellTerrierist in reply to Paul. | September 13, 2013 at 2:08 pm

      Mind the shock. You may wish to be sure to be sitting down and have taken any prescribed heart problem-related meds for the day.

    JackRussellTerrierist in reply to Paul. | September 13, 2013 at 2:37 pm

    Are you saying you respect Oliver because he spelled “Trayvon” correctly, or for undertaking the display of the name itself?

      “It had nothing to do with a jury’s verdict, but everything to do with the sanctity of life and the amazing grace that only God can give as we deal with tragedies such as the loss of a child.”

      He says that his display of Travon had nothing to do with the jury’s verdict. That is what I respect. However, I asked the question “Would he have done the same show, if the conviction occurred?” Because I believe he is being disingenuous. Obviously people missed the nuance.

        JackRussellTerrierist in reply to Paul. | September 13, 2013 at 7:42 pm

        Well, personally, I don’t respect disingenuousness and I have no need to be nuanced about how I express that. I prefer to say what I mean, especially in a written medium. You see, there’s a good possibility he would have spelled it out even if GZ had been convicted, if only to gloat. So your remark really isn’t nuanced, just cluttered.

        He could have spelled out Chris Lane’s name instead because Lane was murdered. Trayvon Martin died during an assault that he was perpetrating on another person and he deserves no such honour in my view.

    Observer in reply to Paul. | September 13, 2013 at 3:19 pm

    I don’t respect it. It’s hogwash.

    Trayvon Martin didn’t die because of “senseless” gun violence. Trayvon Martin died because he chose to sucker punch a man in the face hard enough to break his nose and knock him down, then jumped on him and tried to beat him into unconsciousness or death, while the man screamed for help. The “senseless” action in this case was Martin’s, not Zimmerman’s. Zimmerman had to choose between continuing to allow Martin to pound his head against the concrete, risking brain damage or death, or use his gun. Under the circumstances that Martin created, Zimmerman’s choice was sensible.

    There are far too many black children who have been real victims of “senseless” gun violence in this country, and I would have no problem with the band staging a tribute for them. But we’ll never see their any of their names spelled out on the football field, because the hands that held the guns that shot them were not white.

      JackRussellTerrierist in reply to Observer. | September 13, 2013 at 6:55 pm

      There are far too many white children who have died at the hands of blacks out for whitey blood.

      The trial of the two blacks who shot the white baby in the face for no reason other than the mother pushing the stroller wouldn’t give them her money started this week. No media coverage, no outrage, no outcry, no name displayed by a college team…….crickets.

      n

I just don’t know why people are defending GZ.

Because any of us could be jumped by a murderous, drug dealing, dope addled thug luke Martin, and murdered. We are seeing more of those attacks every day. And we saw the vicious and unethical attempts by the Democrats to lynch GZ, and we read about the continuing desire by Democrats to murder GZ. The poor SOB was getting 4,000 death threats an hour on Facebook from vicious Democrats.

There’s a lot wrong with GZ. He’s not a very appealing character, but any of us could be put in his position.

    gene_frenkle in reply to Mannie. | September 13, 2013 at 2:11 pm

    GZ misled Hannity and he is not credible. I very seriously doubt TM was engaged in suspicious behavior that night, so it is doubtful most people would make as many bad decisions in a row as GZ did that night to put himself in that situation. The series of bad decisions is why the Sanford PD recommended manslaughter charges.

      He was acquitted. Hatemongers lost. Deal with it.

        gene_frenkle in reply to raven. | September 13, 2013 at 2:20 pm

        I would have advocated a commutation of his sentence if he was found guilty of murder. The prosecution botched this case and a grand jury would not have charged GZ with murder. Also, before you go accusing me of being a liberal like most people I will tell you I am a Tea Part supporter and donate to conservative Republican candidates.

          None of that will be good enough for most of the crowd here, unfortunately. If you have an independent mind and find certain things curious, curious enough to open a discussion about even though the case is over, you will be trampled upon by the hardline Concealed Carry advocates (many of whom can’t wait to replicate what Zimmerman did on their own turf) that see Zimmerman as their biggest Concealed Carry national hero. No discussion will be tolerated, period. And then there are the White advocates, and they are particularly vicious here, that are appalled and loathsome with any poor Blacks; those folks are accepted here with open arms.

          Like I said, this should be fun, And the Comments should exceed two to three hundred after Andrew joins in on the fun and agrees with everything everyone (almost everyone) says and pitches more sales of his book.

          I agree the prosecution botched the Z case. I think if they had filed manslaughter they would have convicted him, even though Z had a good defense. The “special prosecutor” overreached.

          Henry Hawkins in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 13, 2013 at 4:15 pm

          “Also, before you go accusing me of being a liberal like most people…”

          LOL. Gene, you really need to change your aliases between blogs if you’re going to disavow your liberalism. Someone might recognize you from your comments on other blogs, buddy. Wink.

          SmokeVanThorn in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 13, 2013 at 5:56 pm

          Today Driveby tries to characterizes himself as one “hav[ing] an independent mind and find[s] certain things curious, curious enough to open a discussion about even though the case is over, [who has been] trampled upon by the hardline Concealed Carry advocates . . .”

          Here’s the real Driveby yesterday, his face flecked with rage-spittle chin as he pounded his keyboard in impotent and incoherent rage:

          “The article also has information about the TWO (2) women that George was cheating with before Shellie had enough and filed for divorce. Woohoo!!!

          But seriously, how did that violent, selfish, childish, slob find one woman let alone two women that wanted to have sex with him while he was still a married man? Maybe it is was the mirrored sunglasses, the Junior G-Man holster, the gross obesity, the cool facial stubble, the raggedy unkempt clothing, the diminutive stature?

          On a positive note, Shellie has lost 30 pounds since she left the cheating man-child.”

          Lying about George Zimmerman, lying about himself.

          Bruce Hayden in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 13, 2013 at 10:25 pm

          Not sure what evidence you think that the prosecution had that they could have presented and didn’t. I think most of our view here is in line with the adage that when you have the law on your side, you argue the law, when you have the facts on your side, you argue the facts, and when you have neither, you just pound the table and yell a lot. Facts just weren’t on the prosecution’s side this time. Sure, you might get the opposite impression from the information utilized to indict GZ, but the special prosecutor and her people left a lot out that they knew about, much of which came out in trial. And, yes, they might have won against a public defender, but that wasn’t what they faced in trial.

          But, shoot away, and let us know how you think that the prosecution could have won this one.

          JackRussellTerrierist in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 14, 2013 at 12:55 pm

          49er, I guess you didn’t follow this case closely. Manslaughter was an available charge for the jury to convict on. They didn’t.

      You were not there so your doubts carry little weight. Z was not doing what a trained law enforcement officer does. He was doing what a neighborhood watch volunteer does. Live with it. You are biased against Z. It’s ok, but admit it.

      Gene, up until A punched B in the face, no laws were being broken. If A had walked away after punching B in the face, then A would have no longer been a threat and it would have simply been assault.

      However, when A punched B in the face, B fell backwards. Then, A *escalated* the encounter by getting on top of B and continuing the assault. This MORE THAN MEETS the pre-requisites that justify the use of deadly force in self-defense.

      Everything that happened before that? No relevance. When B continued his assault on A, he signed his own death warrant without realizing it.

        TB in reply to TB. | September 13, 2013 at 5:25 pm

        Meant A continued assault on B. No edit button on comments. Whoops !

          TB in reply to TB. | September 13, 2013 at 5:26 pm

          last part should read as

          Everything that happened before that? No relevance. When A continued his assault on B, he signed his own death warrant without realizing it.

          Sorry about that, typed that up entirely too fast.

      If that’s so, then why did so much of the evidence corroborate Zimmerman’s version of events? Why did the prosecution repeatedly call up witnesses whose testimony only served to solidify his story?

      What was Zimmerman misleading about with Hannity?

      Phillep Harding in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 13, 2013 at 6:48 pm

      Was the judge’s name “Hannity”?

      seeing_eye in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 13, 2013 at 10:04 pm

      After reading Trayvon Martin’s own statements from his Twitter, Facebook, and phone, and seeing pictures of his burgled stash of jewelry taken on his own phone (for bragging purposes, I suppose), I have no doubt he was acting suspiciously that dark rainy night when he was lumbering slowly along in the rain next to the townhouses in the complex.

      iconotastic in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 13, 2013 at 10:36 pm

      What you imagine isn’t anything approaching reasonable doubt. You wish to claim that M was not behaving in the way described, at length over a period of time, by Z to a police dispatcher. Leaving aside that fact, M’s brutal and continued assault on Z was both illegal and utterly uncalled for.

      That is why that punk was shot. Any attempt to excuse that action is pernicious nonsense. Z has absolutely no responsibility for the events of that night.

      As for Sanford PD finally deciding to recommend manslaughter charges, the (demoted) investigating detective was clear about that–the charges were, like the case, completely political. As seen at the trial, there was absolutely no justification for the charges. As the former city prosecutor and former PD Chief stated.

      This trial was merely a lynch mob looking for revenge.

        gene_frenkle in reply to iconotastic. | September 14, 2013 at 1:57 am

        The Sanford PD chief gave an interview several months ago that indicated that their ongoing investigation was undermined by the likes of Sharpton and he stated that the reason they turned over the case was because the Martin family stopped cooperating. He appeared to stand by the capias request and the eventual charges. So I take issue with your assertion that manslaughter charges were not justified. GZ behaved in such a way that gave TM the creeps, and TM’s belief was clearly reasonable. TM should have called the cops on GZ so if somebody is justified in calling the cops on you then you are behaving irresponsibly. All teenagers should be taught to call the cops if adults are behaving in a creepy manner towards them. Now TM would have been wrong about GZ being a “creep”, but he would have been justified in calling the cops.

          iconotastic in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 14, 2013 at 12:17 pm

          TM could have called the cops. TM could have simply walked inside his father’s home instead of doubling back to the T and confronting GZ. TM could have refrained from sucker punching GZ. TM could have refrained from jumping onto a prostrate GZ and beating GZ’s head against pavement. TM could have refrained from beating on GZ in a MMA style. TM could have listened to the neighbor who said he was calling the police.

          All of which gives credence to GZ’s claim that TM was trying to take the pistol.

          GZ was charged and acquitted of manslaughter charges.

          As for Bill Lee:

          “Bill Lee, who testified Monday in Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial, told CNN’s George Howell in an exclusive interview that he felt pressure from city officials to arrest Zimmerman to placate the public rather than as a matter of justice.
          “It was (relayed) to me that they just wanted an arrest. They didn’t care if it got dismissed later,” he said. “You don’t do that.””

          As for the lead investigator:

          “Telling the FBI that he was concerned that people inside the police department were leaking information, Serino cited Sgt. Arthur Barnes, officers Rebecca Villalona and Trekelle Perkins “as all pressuring him to file charges against Zimmerman after the incident,” an FBI report said. “Serino did not believe he had enough evidence at the time to file charges.”

          There was no case. The PD knew it, the prosecutor knew it, the special prosecutor knew it, the governor knew it, likely the parents knew it, and finally the USA knew it.

    rodaka in reply to Mannie. | September 13, 2013 at 6:27 pm

    What’s the lot of wrong with Zimmerman? I don’t know him personally so can only go off what’s been reported in the news and make sure to take that with a grain of salt, considering…

“It had nothing to do with a jury’s verdict, but everything to do with the sanctity of life and the amazing grace that only God can give as we deal with tragedies such as the loss of a child.”

Sanctity of life. Hmm…We hear that phrase often.

Is such a tribute planned for each aborted child ever lost?

So many tributes….so few football games.

I would say you are lying. No tea party member would support Trayvon Martin and denigrate George Zimmerman in this case. What it boils down to is the rule of law. If Zimmerman had been convicted it would have been a travesty of the law. Self defense is the law in most of the logical states. The law does not say a white man is guilty of murder for killing a black man who was trying to kill or seriously damage him any more than a black man is guilty of the same “crime”. Color has nothing to do with this case yet the blacks, democrats and the media have made it so. Their whole attitude is that Zimmerman should have just taken the punishement Martin was meting out with no kickback. No doubt for being white and deserving it. Martin’s whole problem was that he took on a stranger in a concealed carrying state when he didnt know that stranger had a gun. A sensible person, which Martin was not, would have gone safely home if a person was following him. He didn’t know why Zimmersman was following him. Zimmerman could have been a robber with a gun. But no, Martin, in all his wisdom, had to confront Zimmerman with tragic results. The whole case was an example of how the civil rights movement has gone from making the blacks equal to making the balcks special and exempt from the law. It has been nothing but mob rule from beginning to end.

    gene_frenkle in reply to BarbaraS. | September 13, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    I agree the murder charge was a travesty, but a manslaughter prosecution was legitimate. I also believe the reason people like you support GZ is because of a kneejerk reaction to Sharpton. You would be right 99% of them time if you just took the opposite position as Sharpton, and Sharpton was mostly wrong about this case. That said, the facts should lead one to question the decisions of GZ and place some blame on him.

      The facts show that Zimmerman was physically under attack when the shot was fired.

      If that was not self defense, then there is no such thing as self defense. I don’t think you’re disputing that Gene.

      Rather, you seem to be questioning Zimmerman’s actions beforehand. Well, give it a rest because neither Zimmerman nor Martin were breaking any laws up until Martin assaulted Zimmerman. At that point and afterwards, Zimmerman had broken no laws.

      Even under manslaughter, Zimmerman would have been found not guilty because the moment Trayvon Martin made a physical aggressive move towards Zimmerman with the intent to inflict GBI and/or death, Zimmerman was legally justified to draw and shoot.

      There is NO legal justification for what Martin did. NONE.

      This attempt to find fault with and monday morning quarterback Zimmerman’s actions is also an attempt to justify and/or excuse the actions of Trayvon Martin.

      *That* is the problem folks such as myself have with what you’re posting.

        gene_frenkle in reply to TB. | September 14, 2013 at 1:59 am

        The prosecution botched the case, but the Sanford PD recommended manslaughter charges in large part based on his strange behavior leading up to the incident.

          iconotastic in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 14, 2013 at 12:22 pm

          The police department recommended manslaughter charges based on the anger of the lynch mob, both within and outside the PD. As testified at the trial, there was no reason for the manslaughter charge either.

          GZ was charged of manslaughter and acquitted of that charge as well. As the judge told the jury, the only thing that mattered was the evidence introduced in the trial. Under that guideline the jury came back with full acquittal.

          GZ bears absolutely no responsibility for the death of TM. GZ is all of us at risk of persecution by a legal system driven by a racist lynch mob. TM, not so much.

“and the amazing grace that only God can give as we deal with tragedies such as the loss of a child.” ”

Ok, a state university employee, talking about God? Someone call the athiest action league! This is a violation, of rights or something!

Jesus H. Portillo!

it is time to M.O.V.E.O.N. and for DAMN SURE NOT.org….

My above post was directed at Gene Frenkle.

MouseTheLuckyDog | September 13, 2013 at 3:19 pm

I look forward to the video. Funny how people say if George did not get out of the car TM would still be alive, but no says how if TM listened to John Good when he said “Stop it. I’m calling the police.” TM would still be alive.

    JackRussellTerrierist in reply to MouseTheLuckyDog. | September 13, 2013 at 7:14 pm

    If Trademark hadn’t been thrown out of school for the fourth time in a few months, he wouldn’t have been shipped to his dad so he wouldn’t have been there in the first place.

Alambama State is an HBCU. Don’t be so surprised because this is the ONLY accepted narrative in the Black community. Trust me on this, I went to an HBCU and live in the Black community. That culture is a substantial part of my life. Each and every time that I’ve had discussions about this case with close friends, I’ve always encountered a cognitive dissonance. Even after dismantling their arguments with the facts of this case, there is a refusal to accept both those facts and the fact that their arguments are founded largely on a set of disproven beliefs. The HBCUs, in many ways, are havens for dressed up racial grievance theories and dogmas. The HBCU, and the Black intelligentsia that is produced by them is, in many ways, a farm used to cultivate and foment the type of thinking that is resistant to any counternarrative to the dogmas and theories I mentioned earlier. The “TRAYVON” band formation at ASU is merely one of the many outward expressions of narrow mindedness that prevails at the HBCUs.

If the band would have spelled out “MARTIN”, they could have plausible deniability with a possible reference to Dr. MARTIN Luther King Jr. or Trayvon MARTIN.

To Driveby: You said, “(many of whom can’t wait to replicate what Zimmerman did on their own turf)”

That is the most hateful thing you’ve said in a long time and you’ve said some pretty hateful things about people who post here. I resent the implication that because I’m prepared, that I can’t wait to kill someone. I live a few miles from Spokane, WA, where a man of 80 years was beaten to death by two thugs who tried to rob him while he was waiting for a friend. That’s the world we live in today. I will protect myself and others if need be but I don’t relish the thought. Being prepared is totally different from looking for trouble.

Please do Drive on By. I will never read another post of yours. Ever.

    iconotastic in reply to JoAnne. | September 13, 2013 at 10:40 pm

    DriveBy is merely a troll spewing outrageous lies in order to inflame his enemies. The worst punishment for a troll is to ignore it. After all, they never do this in real life where they could receive a well-deserved punch for their vile statements.

      gene_frenkle in reply to iconotastic. | September 15, 2013 at 4:41 pm

      You took the Sanford PD chief’s quotes out of context…the chief stated that the ongoing investigation was undermined, not that he was pressured to recommend manslaughter charges. Don’t worry, many people saw what they wanted in that interview so you are not alone.

    That was the last straw for me, too, Jo Anne. I pray that no one ever, ever, ever puts me in a position where I have to shoot them. I will if I have to, because I was not raised to be the compliant little victim-in-waiting that Driveby and his new friend Eugene would obviously prefer people like us to be, but I pray I never have to.

      gene_frenkle in reply to Amy in FL. | September 15, 2013 at 3:55 pm

      Here is some very good advice from Branca that I personally do NOT believe GZ obeyed,

      I’d say the biggest misconception is that if you’re carrying a gun you get to take shit from fewer people. The reality is exactly opposite. When you’re carrying a gun you have to take shit from everybody. Except, of course, the guy actually trying to kill you. You can shoot him. That’s the tradeoff. The gun gives you the practical means to end the life of anybody in your immediate vicinity. In exchange for that power it is your moral and legal responsibility to conduct yourself in such a way as to make that outcome as unlikely as possible. The last thing you want to do if you’re carrying is to be the one who even inadvertently escalates a non-deadly encounter to a deadly one. Confronting the drunk loudmouth who’s making a scene at the table next to you in a restaurant, for example, may be seen as a potentially very bad idea if you think a few steps down the line. Best to just let it go, and just go, leave. One of my primary tactical rules of self-defense is to vacate the area at the first sign of a red flag. Let the bad stuff go down while you’re safely somewhere else.

      http://ace.mu.nu/archives/341938.php

      I simply believe that GZ behaved in a way that made a confrontation likely by inadvertantly ecalating the encounter and thus I place some blame on him…I do not think he is a murderer or racist, he was trying to do good and made some bad decisions. Remember, GZ almost caught a burglar several weeks before so his confidence was high with regard to his profiling ability.

And we have some willful ignorance being displayed on this post. Trolls are not welcome here.

I’m so tired of it…GZ can get out of the car if he wants to. Being a part of the NHW doesn’t stop him from being able to do something he otherwise would have done if he weren’t a part of the self help org. I don’t need to be a part of the NHW to go check out a noise in my backyard or screams for help in a park and being a part of that group doesn’t restrict me from taking action either. They would rather I don’t, because they don’t want me to get hurt, but if I see someone getting raped or a kid kidnapped, I’m not just going to stay in my damn car. If I get hurt, I’ll take that chance, but there is nothing that restricts me from being a responsible and concerned citizen…in my own neighborhood or otherwise. So if GZ wants to get out of his car and see what some punk is doing, hey, that’s his right.

    JackRussellTerrierist in reply to Dennis23. | September 13, 2013 at 7:20 pm

    Damn straight! People have an interest in the safety and well-being of their neighbors and friends, and a vested interest in the quality of their neighborhoods.

      If GZ behaved towards my son the way he behaved towards TM prior to the incident I would force GZ out of the neighborhood…and I guarantee you every parent on this forum would behave just like me regardless of what they post here. GZ didn’t ask if TM needed help and called the cops on a neighbor kid at 7 pm…and then just glared at TM while TM had every right to be doing what he was doing. Once again, I do not approve of TM confronting GZ and I would hope my son would use good judgement and call the cops on somebody behaving like GZ.

        Bruce Hayden in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 14, 2013 at 11:30 am

        That is just plain silly. The only evidence at trial was that TM was somewhere he shouldn’t have been (on the front lawn of a house that he didnt live in) walking around somewhat aimlessly on the wet grass, in the rain, appearing to be trying to look in the windows. Yes, he may have been talking to his friend Rachael/Dee Dee on the phone, but he may have also been doing what it looked like he was doing, which was casing the house for burglary. Both the homeowners and the police seemed to be happy with GZ calling the police to investigate this sort of thing. Yes, he may have been a busy body, but every small community has some of those, and they don’t get run out for that. There had been a rash of burglaries in the housing complex, and that was apparently why the Neighborhood Watch was formed and supported by the police. Everything else up until the fatal altercation occurred was just to help out the police find the person who had arroused GZ’s suspicions, and the police had dispatched officers to investigate

        Really wonder what sort of community you live in, where this sort of behavior on the part of GZ is condemned, and not applauded.

        Bruce Hayden in reply to gene_frenkle. | September 14, 2013 at 11:54 am

        A couple more points – you claim that TM had every right to be where he was at the time that GZ called the police. He was first seen on the front lawn of a house, between the sidewalk and the house, on the wet grass. That was the evidence at trial (introduced, interestingly, by the prosecution). He probably did not have the legal right to be there, and clearly not the moral right. He had the right to be on the sidewalk, and the street, but was not on either at the time.

        The reason that you probably got this wrong is that the meme that TM was where he was legally and morally entitled to have been most likely involved where the fatal altercation occurred – by the walk in the green space behind rows of houses (the sidewalk there forming the T). BUT THAT WASNT WHERE GZ FIRST SAW TM.

        Secondly, TM may have been just 17, but he had the height of an adult, likely closer alive to 6’2 than the 5’11 he was measured at on the autopsy table. In any case quite a bit taller than GZ. This was, again, well established at trial (including showing TM on the 7/11 tape with the clerk there, and then putting the clerk alongside the 6’2 defense attorney. With his hoodie up, obscuring his face, there was no way that GZ could have known that TM was not an adult, given his size. And, indeed, if GZ had not shot TM, and instead TM had continued to pummel GZ until he was even more severely injured or killed, or until the police, in route at the time, had arrived, he almost assuredly would have been tried as adult. 14 is iffy, but 6’2″ 17 year olds are most often tried as adults when tried for felonious assault or homicide.

        As has been pointed out before here, many of the commenters here apparently have a far better understanding of the evidence in the case, both what was available, and what was introduced as evidence, than you do. They watched it, day after day, either directly, or through postings by the bloggers, Andrew in particular, who watched and listened to the entire thing, but also Wm, who watched or listened to most of it, and then they reposted it here, where we then discussed the witnesses and other evidence in the case. You obviously missed it, given your seemingly fact-free assertions in this comment thread Instead, you seem to be spouting well-debunked cliches that bear a closer relationship to the meme being pushed by the Martin family attorney and the mainstream media than to reality.

          gene_frenkle in reply to Bruce Hayden. | September 15, 2013 at 11:49 am

          GZ is not credible, he misled Hannity. Also GZ admitted to behaving very similar to TM by looking at home addresses, he may have stepped on somebody’s lawn, but he is not credible.

        Mr. president, you don’t have a son.

        “…and I guarantee you every parent on this forum would behave just like me regardless of what they post here”

        BZZZZZT. Wrong.

The only salient fact is that Trayvon Martin initiated the attack on Zimmerman. It was a vicious assault. Nothing GZ did up to that point justified it in the least in any way – unless you support the “right” of thugs to beat down shorter, pudgier guys for looking at them “wrong.”

Until and unless a person admits that Martin was a violent wannabe thug who brought his fate upon himself, there is really nothing to discuss.

If they cared so much about the loss of innocent life, why didn’t they spell “Kermit”, as in Kermit Gosnell? That doctor was trying to improve life among Blacks in the manner of Margaret Sanger and the Negro Project.

“One man dies, that’s a tragedy. A million die and that’s a statistic.” Or something like that is what Stalin said.

    Or they could have spelled out Chris Lane. He was a college athelete after all. I guess that would not fit the narrative though.

      I agree that they could have spelled out Chris Lane. He was the one shot in the back!!

        JackRussellTerrierist in reply to Aussie. | September 14, 2013 at 1:29 pm

        Chris Lane is only one of many who have been shot while walking down the street, unaware of anybody around them wishing them harm for being white.

          Umm, BS! Most of those that have been shot on the street are Blacks and/or Hispanics, not White.

          Did you see my post from yesterday about the White Racists that love this blog topic on LI? I was referring to you and some others; but you knew that, right?

          Unfortunately for the narrative of the racists on the left, most of the people going around illegally shooting young black men in Florida are also young black men.

Yes, Trayvon initiated the assault. Zimmerman was on the phone with the police, because what he saw Trayvon doing looked suspicious to him. It was raining out. This kid didn’t look like he was “heading home.”

The dispatcher asked George for the address where the cop car could meet him. The units were planned in a circular manner. Street addresses, inside, were not obvious. Even to the local police. So, George got out of his car to look at the address posted on one of the unit’s.

Yesterday, it seems, George’s soon to be ex-wife accused him of punching her dad in the nose. (I wonder what gave her that idea?)

Mark O’Mara got there in haste. As did the local Lake Mary police. The house belonged to Shellie’s dad. And, given the marriage is ending, no one quite explains how George’s belongings get inside.

The police do an aggressive take down of George. Which goes viral. And, O’Mara gets angry enough that he says he’s not George’s lawyer, anymore. (But there are lot of things pending.)

We learned a bit about how “domestic violence” charges fly during divorces. (How molestation charges fly when there are any kids.) And, yes. It’s also about money. (Including Shellie’s dad also smelling bundles of money.) Will money clear the fence when the divorce is final?

Just to add a cherry on top. The medical examiner, Shiping Bao, just sued the State of Florida for $100-million, charging, among other things, “unlawful” termination. And, that Angela Corey kept information from him. And, the State “threw” the case.

The story no longer gets the coverage it used to. But George still can get his name to go viral over stuff that doesn’t really get explained. Nor is it any of our business. Most people’s stories don’t go viral like this.

Dee-Dee, however, after being such a boost to Piers Morgan, did not earn her own show. Nor is she scheduled to join “The View.”

You know, I also don’t think Trayvon’s much of a hero at the high school he attended. I don’t think Dee-Dee will get to be valedictorian, when her graduation comes around, either.

    “George Zimmerman ‘a Sandy Hook waiting to happen’, police chief suggests
    Series of indiscreet emails reveals how Lake Mary chief Steve Bracknell believes Zimmerman, 29, to be ‘ticking time bomb’

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/13/george-zimmerman-florida-police-chief

    Phillep Harding in reply to Carol Herman. | September 13, 2013 at 6:54 pm

    Shellie’s father owned rental units. Shellie and George lived in one of them. Shellie left to live somewhere else.

    George would be wise to move somewhere else, especially now those who wish to kill him know where to find him.

      Carol Herman in reply to Phillep Harding. | September 13, 2013 at 7:14 pm

      It’s not a unit. It’s a house. And, inside was Shellie’s mom. AND, her dad, too! The altercation not seen was between George and Shellie’s dad, inside the garage.

      IF George is the renter, then Shellie’s parents don’t belong “inside the house.”

      The day before there had been scheduled (between the lawyers), a splitting up of the couple’s property.

      IF George is THE “renter,” then it makes sense he’d be at this house. But for some reason not all the puzzle pieces fit together. How did Shellie’s parents get inside? (Even if they had keys, IF they were renting the property to George, they just can’t come in and go out at will.)

      George called O’Mara. (Who is really angry, now. And, said on TV, he’s no longer George’s lawyer.)

      George was not arrested. And, NOT charged with “domestic violence.” And, Shellie denies the contents of her 911 call.

      The medics came out with the police. And, the dad had no facial injuries whatsoever.

      I don’t believe that anyone is truly, actively, looking for George to kill him. Sure, if he wandered in to the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time and announced that he is George Zimmerman, something might happen; but it is not a given that it would be an assassination nor an execution! I just don’t believe that he is being hunted. My reasons are the truck and the house. That is the same truck he had from back then, same color Honda with dark tinted windows (easy to spot and follow if every Black person in that part of Florida wanted a piece of George; also, I could make out most of his license plate from the press photos of him getting stopped several times for ignoring the traffic laws, so can others. I cannot believe that he and Shellie had lived all of that time in the woods in a trailer in fear, and now that he has been acquitted, something that angers many (not just blacks), they move in to much nice accommodations thanks to Shellie’s dad, and then within a few days George blows it all and Shellie has to move out, but George stays in Shellie’s Dad’s home?

      George’s “bodyguard” is just a high school friend that survived cancer and now feels an obligation to George for supporting him, being a friend, through his illness; and the guy weights 400lbs. The bodyguard is not a professional bodyguard by any stretch of the imagination, although he may be armed, like George.

      George is not truly in fear of his life, IMHO.

    gene_frenkle in reply to Carol Herman. | September 13, 2013 at 9:47 pm

    We know GZ is not credible because he misled Hannity about the whereabouts of his wife the night of the incident so I don’t believe TM was casing a house while on the phone. I find it too coincidental that TM happened to be casing the exact house GZ almost caught a burglar at a few weeks before, so GZ may have seen things that weren’t there. I do not think GZ is a racist or a murderer, I just happen to agree with the Sanford PD about the manslaughter charges.

      Yes. Because every single person who has not been 100% forthcoming to a chat show host about the intimate details of their marriage definitely needs to be thrown in jail.

        gene_frenkle in reply to Amy in FL. | September 15, 2013 at 12:49 pm

        Married couples have to spend time apart all the time due to things like work or military service or taking care of sick family members. Why did GZ feel the need to mislead Hannity especially now that we know they were having marital problems that weekend. GZ is not credible, but I still don’t think he is a racist murderer. Dr. Ben Carson even implied that TM’s belief about GZ being up to no good was a reasonable belief. Tea Party people like myself can place some blame on GZ while not defending the behavior of TM.

Did you know Shellie wasn’t home on this night?

Now that O’Mara went on TV and said “he no longer represents Zimmerman,” have the two of them mended their fences?

Lawyers aren’t exactly free to “just walk off.”

As to the “reason” Zimmerman got the journalistic treatment he did, is that he was supposed to be Jewish. Isn’t. Not even close. So he got labeled a “white Hispanic.” And, the pictures turned over to the journalists were of Trayvon Martin when he was 12 years old. And, younger.

His father was not at home, either. A 15 year old, belonging to the girl friend, was the kid Trayvon was supposed to be baby sitting.

Was he gonna introduce this kid to “Purple Drank?”

As bad as the coverage was to Zimmerman, he did get great lawyering. And, a televised trial. Imagine if this trial had not been televised!

Some people, though, feel that they’re just out of the money. Shellie, George’s wife, feels this way. Maybe, her dad, too?

Tracy’s girl friend and her kid?

The 2nd mom who really raised Trayvon?

Because his “real” mom walked out of the picture when he was 3.

I’ll lay odds that the screaming “HELP ME” voice on the tape the police had, was Zimmerman’s! And, that’s the evidence Angela Corey tampered with. Released to the dad. And, became “Trayvon’s calls for help.”

While the medical examiner overlooked the hands. Where the knuckles would have showed punching contact with Zimmerman’s face.

It got this bad due to sloppiness. The State no longer even knows how to collect da’ evidence!

And, blacks? They thought they were going to the bank! Shouting for money. And, yes, the Martin’s received a million dollars. (But I don’t think they can go on the speech giving circuit, and make any money.) The story in its old shape may be deader than a mackerel.

    “EXCLUSIVE: George Zimmerman ‘cheated on his wife with a SECOND woman’ who was with him during dramatic showdown with wife”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2417905/George-Zimmermans-affair-SECOND-woman-arrested.html

      Phillep Harding in reply to DriveBy. | September 13, 2013 at 6:55 pm

      Big deal.

        George was portrayed as the pudgy, bumbling, always good natured, and NON VIOLENT, victim. And O’Mara brilliantly excused his previous history of violence as inconsequential because he had never truly had a serious fine or sentence levied upon him. But he did in fact have a history of violence, and he continues his violence as evidenced by what he did to Shellie, he father, and that completely bent and torn apart iPad – very violent.

        Many have not heard about what transpired between sweet George and his girlfriend, so here is some information:

        “Zuazo and Zimmerman split in 2005 after a torrid relationship that saw both file civil motions for injunctions against the other.

        In August of that year Zuazo claimed that Zimmerman had trailed her round her neighbourhood, prompting a confrontation in which her dog bit him.

        Three years earlier, in 2002, she alleged he had struck her with an open handed slap when she popped bubble gum in his face during a drive to anger management couple counseling.

        Zimmerman responded by claiming that Zuazo was the aggressor and that son two separate occasions she had attacked him with a baseball bat and clawed and scratched him.

        Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2419458/Samantha-Scheibe-George-Zimmermans-blonde-babe.html#ixzz2eohMsmlM
        Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

        George has a history of violence that continues, and a history of blaming the victim(s) for instigating his violent acts that continues to this day as he claims that Shellie hit him on the back with her iPad and that is why he had to go crazy and destroy it. The police looked at Georges back where he said he was struck but did not see any redness or mark(s).

        So those of us that wonder what really happened during the minutes of time after the NE 911 call ended, are left to wonder did George get the address on the other side of the “T”, and if so why didn’t he call it in to NE 911? I am not 100% convinced of his story of being surprised from behind.

        And George threatening Shellie’s father by daring him to come closer REALLY bothers me.

          http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/red-herring.html

          Also Known as: Smoke Screen, Wild Goose Chase.

          Description of Red Herring

          A Red Herring is a fallacy in which an irrelevant topic is presented in order to divert attention from the original issue. The basic idea is to “win” an argument by leading attention away from the argument and to another topic. This sort of “reasoning” has the following form:

          Topic A is under discussion.
          Topic B is introduced under the guise of being relevant to topic A (when topic B is actually not relevant to topic A).
          Topic A is abandoned.
          This sort of “reasoning” is fallacious because merely changing the topic of discussion hardly counts as an argument against a claim.

        Please do not feed the troll.

You need to get real about da’ MONEY.

This case has enriched people.

It started with the Martin’s collecting a million dollars from the condominium. (It was a “settlement.” It wasn’t adjudicated in a court of law.)

George Zimmerman discovered the money that flows in when you have a BIG case out in the public eye. And, people send in money for your defense fund.

George was jailed before the trial! At the bail hearing the judge was trying to determine the amount of bail. And, he was toying with a mllion dollar bail, or more.

George was in jail. Shellie was before the judge. Shellie claimed she and George were broke. And, both were unemployed. (She didn’t tell the judge she’d withdrawn $130,000 from the PayPal account. And, put it in her own pocket.) That’s why she took the misdemeanor deal for lying to the judge.

After the bail hearing, George’s brother, Robert, stepped forward. And, so, too, did O’Mara. O’Mara drew up a “trust” for the defense funds. And, brother Robert was put in charge. Shellie could no longer draw out funds.

You’ve also heard from the woman who raised Trayvon. Tracy’s “wife #2” … who was Trayvon’s mom until he was 15. And, her relationship with Tracy fell apart. The “real mom” got Trayvon back because Tracy divorced “Wife #2.” She’s out of the money.

Shellie’s dad is probably out of the money. Though he was, it seems, collecting “rent” from George. But if this proves to be true, George had no privacy at all. His possessions were there for the taking. And, both Shellie’s mom and pop showed up with her, unannounced … as she tried to retrieve more property. George reportedly said she was taking things that were his. And, not hers.

When it the story blew up in the news.

    That’s a pretty good guess as to the recent situation. If it’s on the money then it explains quite a bit about what happened and why it happened.

    If the police over there had any suspicion at all that there was DV they would have hooked one or both of them. The fact that GZ was not arrested by itself implies quite a bit.

    When the ipad’s data is recovered and they find this recording, if it exists, if it doesn’t support SZ’s story, she is in hot water due to the agreement she has worked out with the court on the perjury charge.

    Here Carol and TB, you obviously need some help in getting the money issue(s) straight:

    Quote:
    “Shellie Zimmerman was accused of lying during one of her husband’s bond hearings last year. She allegedly told a judge that the couple had no money, when they reportedly had received more than $130,000 in donations from internet donors who wanted to aid in her husband’s defense.

    The couple reportedly talked about the donations in recorded phone calls at the Seminole County jail, just days before the bond hearing during which she was accused of lying.

    Prosecutors alleged the two talked in code during the phone calls, referring to $10 when they meant $10,000, reports the paper. During the calls, George Zimmerman reportedly instructed his wife to transfer funds between various accounts.

    Court records show that in the days before the bond hearing in June 2012, Shellie Zimmerman transferred $74,000 – broken into eight smaller transfers ranging from $7,500 to $9,990 – from her husband’s credit union account to hers. It also shows that $47,000 was transferred from George Zimmerman’s account to his sister’s in the days before the bond hearing. Amounts of over $10,000 would have been reported to the Internal Revenue Service.

    Four days after he was released on bond, Shellie Zimmerman transferred more than $85,500 from her account into her husband’s account, records show. They also show that the jail recorded George Zimmerman instructing her on a call to “pay off all the bills,” including an American Express and Sam’s Club card.”

    Read it all here:
    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57600425-504083/shellie-zimmerman-george-zimmermans-wife-pleads-guilty-to-misdemeanor-perjury-in-plea-deal-report-says/

    And Shellie’s Dad’s home, George (and Shellie) was paying “rent,” sort of:

    “The Zimmermans paid $1,000 a month rent, according to statements previously posted about his legal-defense fund by defense attorney Mark O’Mara.

    The house has more than 2,500 of livable square feet and a market value of $240,000, according to the Seminole County Property Appraiser.

    The house was built in 1990, and the backyard is dominated by a two-tier pool and spa with four water jets shaped like lions’ heads. Also in the backyard is a patio with a second-story deck.”

    Read it all here:
    http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/trayvon-martin/os-george-zimmerman-fancy-house-20130909,0,1471535.story

    Regarding the Martin Family’s $1M that they received from the condominium owners, it is currently customary for contingency fee lawyers to collect 40% of the final settlement plus expenses. So the two Martin parents each received a little less than $300K each before taxes, so approximately $204K each after taxes.

    You know, you are connected to the internet and therefore have the ability to do some research on your conspiracy theories…

      Drive by, how is this relevant to George Zimmerman shooting Trayvon Martin?

      How is this relevant to the “DV” incident that happened recently, if that’s what you were aiming for?

      Let me rephrase that. How is this not a red herring?

      Please. Connect the dots for me.

      George Zimmerman could be Mr. Peanut and the reincarnation of Elvis Presley that has Bill Gates under his thumb and rakes in millions of dollars a day or something equally outrageous and it would have no effect on whether or not he shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense.

      I understand you’re trying to get a point across about his character and the character of those connected to him as part of some grand ad hominem attack scheme and I say good luck with that, but I’m having a hard time seeing what, exactly, this has to do with the events that happened that night or with the “DV” incident that happened recently.

      You mentioned I might need some help. I would say the same to you. Might I suggest an introductory course in formal logic? A psychology 101 course would be a good one to take alongside it.

      SmokeVanThorn in reply to DriveBy. | September 14, 2013 at 12:44 pm

      Every time you read a comment by this poster, remember that he is a serial liar who harbors a pathological hatred of George Zimmerman.

This is directed at “Henry Hawkins”, I am a Tea Party supporter, I opposed Bush and the Iraq War and his deficits and now I oppose Obama. The Tea Party is not just conservative Republicans like the media wants everybody to believe. I also support gun rights, I voted for Romney and down ballot Republicans, and I do not believe waterboarding amounts to torture, you can look it up because I am not hiding anything.

This case was a money maker for the media. And, a money maker, too, for George Zimmerman, who got strangers to send him money.

A piece of this money is what got Shellie in trouble in front of the bail judge. Her husband was in jail BECAUSE the State could do this! And, the bail judge was considering a “million dollar bail.”

Shellie said both she and George were unemployed. And, “had no money.” Even though George opened a PayPal account for strangers to help him with his gigantic expenses.

Even the other day’s events were all about money! Not only Shellie who is looking, ahead, for a share of any book or movie royalties. But so too are her mom and dad.

Tracy’s Martin’s 2nd mom, in her marriage to Tracy, where she got to raise Trayvon, before Tracy walked out … gets no money.

The girl friend who lived in the condo gets no money.

And, O’Mara, got quite angry at his client George Zimmerman, saying he was “walking away.” (As if it’s easy for lawyers to divest themselves of their clients!)

George Zimmerman is still gonna make money for people who run with this story. (A story going viral on TV feeds the media.)

And, the whole thing with Al Sharpton was ALL ABOUT MONEY!

We don’t live in a Black & White America! Blacks are surrounded by lots of folk who are NOT White. And, who don’t like them very much. (But White people are accused of being racist.)

Even with electing Obama twice, White people get accused of being racists. You know, there’s a lot of money that gets into Black hands when they do their race baiting schtick.

How much money do you think Dee-Dee Jeantel ended up being given? Sum’s not zero. And, it may be higher than you think.

You know, George doesn’t make the best decisions. He knew his marriage was falling apart. He knew Shellie wasn’t home on that February night in 2012, when he got attacked at the condo. And, ended up shooting Trayvon.

O’Mara and Don West proved to be excellent attorneys in the spotlight.

For the divorce, ahead? George Zimmerman needs to find an attorney equal to the media pressure.

And, he needs to get the heck out of his father-in-law’s house. (What in heaven’s name was he thinking?)

I read in one of the links above, that George Zimmerman was renting this house from his father-in-law for $1,000 a month. The house is about 10 minutes from the Seminole County Courthouse. Shellie moved out in August. And, filed for divorce on August 13th.

My guess is that George kept on paying his father-in-law rent.

Did you know a landlord just can’t come into your home? Yes, the landlord has keys. But you’re the renter. Landlord can’t just mosey in any time he wants to.

The day before this “event” Shellie came over to remove the part of their belongings that were hers.

The next she she not only comes back (without an appointment made through the lawyers) but brings her mom and dad. Who make themselves “at home” inside.

The confrontation takes place when George comes home. And, the father goes after George in the garage, where the door is down.

Shellie calls the police and tries to create a fictitious “domestic violence” scene. Even using “her dad is having a heart attack.” “And, her dad was punched in the nose.” Besides referring to George “ready to shoot everybody.”

Again. If you RENT, you get to keep landlords out. And, soon-to-be ex-wives OUT.

Not only does the media show up. And, the cops do a very aggressive “arrest” on George Zimmerman … but Shellie’s lawyer and Mark O’Mara both show up.

No charges are filed.

The police tell George he’s not arrested.

And, O’Mara shot himself in the foot.

What a terrible thing he did in anger! Lawyers should be held to a higher standard.

It seems George “trusted” his in-laws! Here, it makes him look like an idiot.

But, no, he doesn’t look like a killer.

And, as long as his story generates money for lots and lots of people, no matter what happens to George, it’s “news.”

It pays not to become famous.

For most of my life I had heard of a “propaganda machine,” usually associated with communism, or more specifically, Russia. The main tool of a propaganda machine is emotion. People are manipulated by that machine to use emotion to form opinions. It is geared to make people so emotional about something that they totally ignore that there is a lack of facts or evidence to back up their opinion.

I never expected to see one in the USA. The first one I recognized was the Zimmerman/Martin shooting incident. The propaganda machine got all its gears going by publishing old pictures of a childish looking Martin while publishing unflattering photos of Zimmerman. Then all published reports by the main stream media edited tapes, twisted facts and evidence, continuing to do so even after the trial was over….and obviously continues and gathers strength till this day.

I saw the tape of this incident and George was just walking around aimlessly. Shellie was the violent one following George with a Ipod yelling at him. The hysterical call she made to 911 was IMHO meant to have George killed. Every one knows how trigger happy some police have been lately and the notion that someone was armed and dangerous has caused several people to be killed by the police recently. I’ll bet she hoped to inherit the rest of the money and the insurance money from the policy she hectored George into getting. I don’t know if he bought the policy or not. If he did he needs to change the beneficiary at once. Why else was she there with her family? I cannot find any reason for this stunt. She had already retrieved her things the day before and if she wanted some of George’s she could have taken them then. This is one mean woman with serious issues. I seriously doubt this will be an amicable divorce mainly because Shellie feels cheated. Unfortunately, we will be hearing more about the Zimmermans in the days ahead. The media will make sure of it.

Dear Professor:

Much of the…”Commenting”..above reminds me of something my Dad said more than once while observing the baffling behavior of Control Freaks: “Kids, some people LIVE to find flyshit in the bottom of the sugar bowl.”

Some hoodie wearing ‘yootful thug jumps on my creaky T-Rex azz and starts pounding, my action will–if at all possible–be: BAA-DAA-BING..!! Like dat. ‘Nuff said.

The already-deranged Trayvonistas seem to be becoming increasingly unhinged.

    gene_frenkle in reply to Amy in FL. | September 15, 2013 at 4:47 pm

    Actually as a Tea Party supporter I am trying to help people that I share similar views with. I do not think GZ’s behavior should be defended and do not think he is a responsible member of the community like the vast majority of Tea Party members.