Today is Trayvon Martin's 18th birthday.

[WilliamPitt]

The ‘rabid’ hate aimed at Trayvon Martin
By Jonathan Capehart
The Washington Post

February 5, 2013

Eighteen years ago today, Trayvon Benjamin Martin was born to Sabrina Fulton and Tracy Martin. Nearly a year ago, their son was killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer in a gated community in Sanford, Fla., who viewed Trayvon as “a real suspicious guy.” Instead, the unarmed teenager was found with a bag of Skittles and an iced tea from 7-Eleven and a bullet hole in his chest from Zimmerman’s Kel-Tec 9 mm PF-9.

Zimmerman now awaits trial for second-degree murder. A trial that his attorney is trying to delay. But he will have his day in court. Meanwhile, the court of public opinion is working overtime. Depending on whom you talk to, Zimmerman is an unrepentant murderer and Trayvon had it coming.

That Trayvon brings out the worst in people is well known. What continues to shock me isn’t so much how widely held the negative view of him is, it is how openly people express their racism. Thanks to Wonkette, we know about Todd Kincannon. He is the former general counsel and executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party who felt compelled to mention Trayvon in a raunchy tweet about the Super Bowl. After reading his obnoxious Twitter feed, feel free to reach for the Purell. As if Kincannon’s first Trayvon tweet weren’t bad enough, the filterless fellow went even farther in another shameful tweet.

@DAWNCATHERINE I appreciate you! I agree that Trayvon Martin was a dangerous thug who needed to be put down like a rabid dog.

In a light rain on Feb. 26, Trayvon was talking on his cellphone with his girlfriend. He was returning from the 7-Eleven to his father’s girlfriend’s apartment where he was staying after being suspended from school after being found with an empty marijuana baggie. Trayvon told his friend that he noticed a strange man following him. “We don’t need you to do that,” the police personnel told Zimmerman. But he did so anyway. The ensuing confrontation left Zimmerman with head and face injuries. And it left Trayvon dead.

The rest: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/02/05/the-rabid-hate-aimed-at-trayvon-martin/?tid=pm_pop

============================================

Also see:

3-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot in the Head After Finding Loaded Pink Gun
http://www2.wbtw.com/news/2013/feb/04/3/sc-3-year-old-shoots-himself-head-after-finding-pi-ar-5520710/

"A couple with four children were shot and killed in an argument over dog feces on Monday, police in Texas said."
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/05/16850151-cops-texas-couple-fatally-shot-in-argument-over-dog-feces?lite

Bullying Apparent Cause of 9th Grader's In-School Gunshot Suicide in Oklahoma
http://www.krmg.com/news/news/local/bullying-apparent-root-cause-9th-graders-suicide-c/nWFgN/

Florida father with assault weapon forces wife to watch as he kills two sons
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/04/florida-father-with-assault-weapon-forces-wife-to-watch-as-he-kills-two-sons/

Three dead in Murphys double murder, suicide
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20130204%2FA_NEWS%2F302040310

...and:



It's the guns.

It's the racism.

It's the economy.

It's the bullying.

It's the ignorance.

It's the peddling of fear.

It's the paper tough guys.

Welcome to the 21st century.

[JaneyVee]

1. Rest In Peace, Trayvon. May your family find peace & justice.

[ellisonz]

2. This has got to be a hard day for his family

I hope this day finds them as well as possible.

[patrice]

3. .

[lastlib]

13. ^^This^^

RIP, Trayvon. May your life, and your passing inspire us all to find our way through the hatred and violence in this world.

[patrice]

15. Very fine and wise words, lastlib. Thanks for sharing my thought about Trayvon & his family.

[libtodeath]

4. I just hope his death is not in vain but will help fight hatred and bigotry

[barbtries]

5. today IS Trayvon's birthday.

i'm nitpicking i know - just know that i celebrate my daughter's birthday every year though it was back in 2001, the last time she was here to celebrate with us.

Feb 5 will always be Trayvon's birthday.

thank you for posting WilliamPitt.

[WilliamPitt]

7. Fixed.

[barbtries]

8. aww thanks

[graham4anything]

6. Mr.Trayvon Martin might have cured cancer some day. Fluck Zimmerman.

and may Zimmy be found guilty of all charges and put away a long long long time
so that Mr. Martin may get justice and rest in peace.
May somehow his family go on.
May his family and friends know Mr. Martin will never be forgotten.

Zimmerman is guilty if I were on that jury.

zimmy had time to call police, meaning his life was NOT in any danger and he was told to back off

zimmy disobeyed the authority and stalked and in cold blood executed Mr. Martin.

This case showed all that needs to be shown about the NRA and the rightwing.

Happy Birthday Mr. Martin, wish you were here.

It is interesting-wasn't yesterday the birthday of Rosa Parks? And today is Trayvon Martin's.

[bigapple1963]

34. I hope justice is served in a court of law

by a jury that carefully weighs whether the evidence presented by the prosecution prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman's actions satisfy all the elements of the charges.

[graham4anything]

35. I hope the jury comes back in 18 seconds with the guilty verdict, imho

[HappyMe]

9. Oh lord.

So much anger, bitterness, hatred... and for what?

Rest in peace Trayvon. Rest in peace all who died violently.

[HangOnKids]

10. The Comments Are The Worst!

Those people sound as if they were raised by Rabid Hyenas! Happy Birthday fellow Aquarian Trayvon.

[Fearless]

11. No it's not.

And I think everyone knows why.

[WilliamPitt]

12. See post #5.

[Fearless]

29. To each their own.

[noiretextatique]

31. my sister was born August 15th, 1960

and though she died March 1, 2006, i celebrate her the day of her birth every year.

[Fearless]

42. I'm glad she remains part of your life!

[noiretextatique]

43. she does...i will never forget her

one of sweetest, kindest people i've ever met. i miss her every day

[Blue_Tires]

14. Too sad for me to read

and my blood pressure is already way too high for me to start raging yet again...

For whatever reason, I've never really 'figured out' twitter...It seems no matter the story, topic or subject matter, seemingly normal, well-adjusted people flip some racist/classist/sexist switch...Look at the Joel Ward incident last summer..

[WilliamPitt]

18. Twitter?

Hell, read the comments section on any news site. Read the Yahoo comments, or the comments on YouTube.

Shit, read this place. It's the Anonymous Keyboard Gladiator Syndrome.

[Blue_Tires]

21. True...I remember my early days on AOL

and to be fair not much has changed...

I guess what shocks me about twitter/FB asshattery (as opposed to anonymous news story comments, AOL, etc...) is how many people put their real names and photos on these thoughts...

[WilliamPitt]

22. There's a term for that, isn't there?

When something you post online gets you fired?

It's named, I think, for the person that happened to.

[Cha]

16. May you and your loved ones get Justice, Trayvon Martin~

We're all pulling for it sweetheart

Thanks Will

[apocalypsehow]

17. Kick & Rec. n/t.

[AtomicKitten]

19. We will not forget.

[AverageJoe90]

20. R.I.P. Trayvon. You will be missed.

[NICO9000]

23. This makes me glad that I've steered clear of Twitter and FB

These tweets are beyond the pale. If anybody really truly believes there's no racism or sexism left in this country (snicker...), send them the link to this post. Just disgusting.

RIP Trayvon.

[Scuba]

24. R.I.P. Trayvon. You will long be remembered.

[Auntie Bush]

25. RIP Travon and God Bless Gabby.

I had no idea the Thugs talked like that about her. Every single day I find more and more about these sick people/stupid gun nut asses.

[indepat]

41. Sick people/stupid gun nut asses devoid of even a modicum of humanity, decency, propriety,

balance, or compassion. Houston, we have a really big problem.

[hfojvt]

26. or is it the race-baiting?

We all know Trayvon Martin's name.

Who among us has heard of Brittney Watts?

Or any of the thousands of other young homicide victims since Trayvon's death?

We look for the racism every day. Why? With so many real things going on in the world, why should a few tweets by a few morons be such big news?

It's like we have to get a minimum daily dose of racism so we can maintain our outrage at THOSE people.

[Blue_Tires]

27. Forgive me...

I'm sure that Brittney Watts was assumed to be a criminal by a quasi-neighborhood watchman, followed, reported to police, and then shot unarmed...

I'm also sure that Atlanta Police let her body sit in a morgue for a week before even thinking about investigating the incident...

Do you *really* want to play this game with me? You must, because if you really gave a shit about Watts, you'd make a new thread for a new discussion...

[WilliamPitt]

28. Don't bother.

Jets fans don't do well with reason and stuff.

[johnp3907]

46. True.

Stick with us Pens fans!

[noiretextatique]

33. ...

this Duer always seems to have a contrary opinion on racial issues.

[Blue_Tires]

40. he's just trying to rile me up...

a few particular DUers have had it in for me because I had the nerve to call out their bullshit in almost every thread discussing the case...Now that the "official" narrative of events has proven to be different than they'd hoped, all they can do now is take a quick passive-aggressive piss on threads and leave...

[noiretextatique]

45. he was successful in riling me up

but thankfully too cowardly to face my wrath truly tired of his bullshit

[brindis_desala]

30. Because race IS the gun issue

A little history. The 2nd Amendment was (reluctantly) added to reassure the slave states where blacks often outnumbered whites. The plantation owners wanted to make sure that the Federal government could not draft the white men they relied on to defend them, hunt runaways and crush slave rebellions. The KKK grew out of those "militias" and the attitude of being armed and ready to defend against the rampaging "Nigras and Injuns" has never been assuaged. I would argue that the Southern Strategy, like the 'War on Drugs', was designed to make sure those fears never die.

All crimes are not alike.

[noiretextatique]

32. do you have a son who looks like Trayvon Martin?

or a nephew? i do. do you have a family/cultural history that is filled with thousands of Trayvon Martins'? I DO. sorry you don't think racism is "real," and clearly you have the luxury not to think it is real. I DON'T...nor do my nephews.

[noiretextatique]

37. are you race-baiting by posting about the death of a white woman who was killed by a black man?

if not, exactly are you doing? instead of trying to DIMINISH the tragedy of the Martin's family loss, perhaps you could have HONORED Brittany Watts' family AND informed people about her case. but no...you decide to play the victim, like the jerks mentioned in the article. why don't you just fully uncloak...finally?

[Rex]

38. Wow, all over the road with that post.

I would say some form of baiting is going on here, but not the kind you are talking about. Your last line tells it all about you...thanks for playing.

[noiretextatique]

49. you were too cowardly to post here, but you sent me a pm

with your same ridiculous "Martin is dead because he beat poor Zimmerman" bullshit.

[hfojvt]

50. cowardly?

I just didn't want to kick this thread.

As for the bullsh*t. No, it is a fact.

Martin died less than 300 yards from his home. Zimmerman was on the phone with the cops saying "sh*t, he's running" and then was on the phone for another minute. In that minute, Trayvon could have made it home. And it is also a fact that Zimmerman had a broken nose.

Those are the facts I have. Unless I get new information showing that Zimmerman somehow faked his injuries or started the fistfight, then yes, I place blame on the person who threw the first punch.

[trumad]

51. You do?

Well who threw that first punch? You don't know do you? Nobody knows.

We do know that George Zimmerman confronted a kid walking home from the store and then killed that kid walking home from the store.

[noiretextatique]

52. he is convinced that Martin is dead

because, like all BLACK MALES, he was violent towards poor zimmerman. he is also convinced that the kindly zimmerman was doing a service to the neighborhood by stalking "suspicious looking" people, like Martin. he is also convinced that assholes like zimmerman have some "right" to harass BLACK PEOPLE, especially BLACK MALES. and BLACK PEOPLE, especially BLACK MALES should docilely sumbit to questioning by random, suspicious assholes like zimmerman...because: as everyone knows, BLACK PEOPLE ARE SUSPECT.
and there you have it.
he's on my ignore list.

[1StrongBlackMan]

53. You know, I'm trying to figure out ...

whether you are really that out of touch; or, just trolling, either way ... You are the reason racism will never be conquered. Society can't conquer something that folks like you refuse to acknowledge ... except when you are whining that that Black or that woman took "your" job.

We look for the racism every day.

There is a segment of DU, and many more in the world, myself included, that don't have to "look for the racism" ... it is experienced ... everyday.

[hfojvt]

54. okay thanks for replying to a 19 month old post with more insults

I will go kill myself now and solve all the world's problems.

You have a nice day.

And dude, also way to mis-remember and twist something that I said. I never said nor implied that those were MY jobs. They were, however, jobs that I wanted, and I sort of think that I would have been happier if I got what I wanted instead of NOT getting what I wanted.

But that's cool, I understand that I am the only person in the world who cares if I am happy. Or at least there is no particular reason for you to care if I am happy.

But you don't need to be one of those people who continually reminds me (something I myself experience way too damned often) that you do not care about me.

But of course, I am a horrible and selfish person if I don't respond to your lack of concern about my welfare, by NOT giving my last full measure of devotion to YOUR causes and concerns.

[1StrongBlackMan]

55. More histronics? ...

killing yourself will not solve any of the worlds problems ... least of all racism.

And dude, also way to mis-remember and twist something that I said. I never said nor implied that those were MY jobs.

Bullshit ... you went on and on talking about how some Black guy got a job over you that you should have gotten ... then, you acknowledged that you had no idea about what the successful candidate's qualifications were. I can post a link to the thread if you wish.

But that's cool, I understand that I am the only person in the world who cares if I am happy. Or at least there is no particular reason for you to care if I am happy.

The sad truth is no one is responsible for your happiness, or your misery ... except you. And you will never realize happiness when you blame others for your misfortune.

But that said, you are wrong ... I would like for EVERYONE to be happy; but I cannot make it so.

[hfojvt]

58. you are contradicting yourself then

because I can link to what you just said as well, if you need that (hint, it is right above this post) (but never mind, since I am copying and pasting it)

"You are the reason racism will never be conquered."

So there you go. It is all my fault. Just get rid of me, and racism goes too.

And people ARE responsible for the hateful things they say. Amazingly enough, having people say hateful things to me does not really increase my happiness. Not in the slightest.

So let me see if I can explain it to you.

Me: I didn't get the job I applied for.

Comforting response from a friend: Aw, that's too bad man, keep trying. Something will come your way because you are a hard worker, smart and a really nice guy. (what good is a friend if they won't lie to you?)

Insulting response from a detractor: So what? You're a privileged white male. If you didn't get the job it's because they saw what a whiny a$$hole you are. You are so awful that you are the reason that racism will never be conquered. Well, you, of course, and other people who are just as vile and disgusting as you. Okay, almost as vile and disgusting since you clearly are the Guiness World Record holder when it comes to being disgusting.

Should I quote the rest of the post that did NOT get hidden while my response to its hateful message DID get hidden?

But that's what happens when you carry the message of Jesus and Martin. I mean, look what happened to them. As the saying goes (backward and forward)

Deliver no evil, live on reviled.

[1StrongBlackMan]

59. hfojvt ...

I am finished discussing anything about racism or sexism with you. It is clear that you suffer with something that I cannot address ... but I will address a single part of your post:

But that's what happens when you carry the message of Jesus and Martin. I mean, look what happened to them.

Please don't insult me, or the memory of these two great men, by suggesting that your "poor, poor pitiful me" message even approximates their message. The fact that you think your message approaches their message is a sign of a truly troubled mind.

With that I am done with you.

I hope you find Peace; but I doubt you will in any discussion of race.

[CreekDog]

56. maybe you're unhappy because you keep posting anti progressive things on a progressive board

you keep arguing with us when we attempt to talk about ending racism against minorities.

you keep arguing with us when we attempt to talk about ending gender pay inequality.

you keep arguing with us over just about every liberal or progressive issue.

maybe you would be happier if you had these arguments in a place where your positions were welcome. they aren't welcome here. the reaction to your posts show that you don't seem to get why this place exists.

ALSO, please don't pout that you're a victim when confronted with your own posts.

if you're a victim of your own posts, you aren't a victim at all, but someone unwilling to take responsibility for what they write, someone so ashamed of what they write that they consider it an attack to point out what they write.

oh and don't call yourself a victim when you take shots at a victim of sexual assault using that to take a shot.

[hfojvt]

57. you apparently are the gatekeeper

but I cannot help you since I am no longer the keymaster of Gozor.

I understand that some people preach diversity and tolerance but then in actual practice they don't like diversity and they are intolerant. Plus, they cannot seem to 'debate' without personal attacks.

In the case I was talking about "happiness" would come from real life, not from words on a message board. You know, like when you apply for a job and you get it - that tends to make a person happy. Whereas not getting it means you are stuck working part time or stuck in a temp job with no benefits.

That kind of sucks, and supposedly progressives care about the working poor, until they actually meet one and try to tell him how privileged he is.

Then some want to make sure he gets told that "it is people like you that make the world suck".

Which is just amazing. If somehow I could be forced to accept things that I do not think are true, suddenly there would be no more racism, or sexism, or rape, or poverty, or cancer. Amazing the power that I have if I would just change my stupid, stubborn little mind.

But really, there's no need to give up. I just need probably ten more people to tell me that I am vile and disgusting and I will then be sure to agree with them. I mean, after all, how long can somebody hold out against that kind of logic and truth?

How hard is it to admit that saying "people like you make the world suck" is NOT a very nice thing to say to somebody, whether you believe it is true or not? Suppose you said that to somebody and they really did kill themself? How would you feel if THAT was the last thing you said to somebody?

As far as "being a victim of my own posts" That seems like blaming the victim to me. You seem to believe that if I write something like "I believe X is true" that I have thereby given permission to people who hate X to take potshots at me, that I somehow deserve every bit of hatred that they throw at me.

I don't buy it.

And neither do you.

Because if you were consistent on that, then you'd have to say that other people are victims of their own posts too.

Meaning that post you seem to want to tattoo on my forehead.

[Rex]

36. Still just as mad about it today as the day it happened.

No excuse will ever bring back their son. Cold blooded murder is just that - cold and murder.

RIP young one.

[sheshe2]

39. So please, let us put the hatred aside for one day.

Let us honor, Trayvon's memory in peace.

Happy Birthday, Trayvon. May we remember you always. With love and respect. Fly with the angels.

Thank you Will.

Peace to all of us.

[SomethingFishy]

44. No.... it's not.

[Terra Alta]

47. Happy birthday, Trayvon.

May you rest in peace, and may your killer face the justice he deserves.

[War Horse]

48. Rec'ed. And I'm afraid you've only scratched the surface

when it comes to the hatred on Twitter. Truly disgusting.