Hay 6 idiots in Florida! Thanks a big hefty freakin' load!

[MarianJack]

Hello, everyone, it's been a long time since I started a thread here, but THIS is worth it.

For the longest time, my Sig line was "George Zimmerman needs to go to jail for a long time!!!!!" Last night, I changed it to "George Zimmerman = the new O J Simpson!!!!!" because like OJ, George Zimmerman just got away with murder.

President Obama once said that if he had a son, he'd look like Trayvon Martin. If you don't remember the rightist outrage after that, just think of the rightist outrage exhibited after President Obama says ANYTHING! I do have a son. His name is Jonathan. He is 13 years old and all that the countless numbnut, numbskull, gun nut RWNJs with very likely very tiny penises that they need very large guns to make up for like George Zimmerman will see is the black skin that he wears. They will not see the big heart, the sense of humor, the intelligence, compassion and sensitivity that his black skin contains. They, like George Zimmerman, will only see the kid whom they'll consider to be a "troublemaker" due to his unforgivable blackness.

Yesterday, 6 asses in Florida looked at a simple set of facts and they then added 2 + 2 and came up with 3. George Zimmerman was told not to follow and not to engage Trayvon Martin.. He got out of his car and confronted, scuffled with, lost to and killed Trayvon Martin. 6 idiots in Florida allowed George Zimmerman's lawyers to put Trayvon Martin on trial. They not only let Zimmerman off for his crime, but they criminalized black teenagers going out for snacks.

My son is unapologetically black as his mother and I have taught him to be. About 10 days ago, we took him out to get his ear pierced. He (with a few extra $$$ from dad) also got himself a nice pair of shades and a baseball cap. My wife took a picture of him in his new getup that is now the wallpaper on my phone. I look at that picture of my son and I see a very handsome young man that reminds many of our family of a young Denzil Washington. The thought that went through my mind at the time however, is that somewhere in Florida, George Zimmerman's trigger finger is itching.

Thank you 6 idiots in Florida. For the rest of our lives, my wife and I are going to have to worry about our son when he goes to the beach. We'll have to worry abour him when he walks to the ice cream or pizza shop. We'll have to worry about him when he goes to his friends' house to hang out & play X-Box. Hell, because of you 6 idiots in Florida, we may even have to worry about him walking to & from school.

Our loving, compassionate funny and smart son now has a target sign on his back thanks to you 6 Florida idiots. Just like, I'm sure, Trayvon's parents, we frequently want to throttle our son. Unlike YOUR conclusions, 6 idiots in Florida, our son, like(I'm sure) Trayvon, often does careless and stupid things that make us want to tear our hair out. NONE of these things is a capital offense, but YOU 6 idiots in Florida just made it so.

For the rest of our lives, my wife and I will have to worry about racist gun nuts like George Zimmerman going hunting because their idol, Wayne LaPierre, put the idea that they're "good guys with guns" into their soft and otherwise empty little heads. Because of you 6 idiots in Florida, they now believe that they can get away with murder.

Because of you 6 idiots in Florida, killing the son that we treasure beyond all possible means of measurement, is something
that the gun nuts can now do with impunity.

Thank you very friggin' much, 6 idiots in Florida!!!!!

PEACE!

[pipoman]

1. Idiots are people who refuse to understand "beyond a reasonable doubt".

[MH1]

21. People who try to defend what is unreasonable as "reasonable" are full of shit.

I don't really like to use the term "idiots" so I won't.

Zimmerman's story wasn't remotely reasonable. There is no "reasonable doubt" that he did NOT have to use lethal force to protect himself. There is no "reasonable doubt" that things could not have happened the way he said they did. So, why would he make up a story? The ONLY "reasonable" reason for Zimmerman to falsify his story was to make it compatible with "self-defense". There is no "reasonable doubt" that he shot Martin in an act that was not justifiable self defense.

[joeglow3]

35. You should have flown to Florida and testified

Because the state didn't have dick for testimony and defense provided many unrelated people with no vested interest in either party that provided reasonable doubt. How you came to your "objective" conclusion is beyond me, but you should have testified.

[notadmblnd]

76. They all had a vested intrest. They were paid!

And the ones that weren't paid were his friends and family. I'll give you the State did a miserable job. But Zimmerman belongs in prison!

[joeglow3]

95. Wow. You really believe that, don't you?

You call into coast to coast a.m. much?

[laundry_queen]

111. 2 legal analysts on CNN are convinced they threw the case

the question is why?

[notadmblnd]

121. The expert witnesses for the defense were paid.

It is SOP and that is a fact! You that ignorant much?

[ewagner]

52. I've posted this before....but I think it bears repeating:

When I researched the Florida Law I found that...

The plea of Self-defense requires that the Defense prove every element of self-defense by a preponderance of evidence, a low standard of proof...

on the other hand,

To counter the defense, the prosecution must disprove the claim beyond a reasonable doubt....meaning it the the highest level of proof required.

I posted here on the day of the Prosecution's closing argument that the presentation of their case was inept. They failed miserably to attack, point by point, the evidence that the defense presented and allowed them to present and push (through the animanted reinactiment) a plausible theory that they never even bothered to dispute.

In a pure legal sense, the jury acted properly.

Was it justice? In my opinion no. No it was not

[Skittles]

96. you would have to believe Zimmerman's story

which had big enough holes to drive big rigs through

there was NOTHING "reasonable" about it

[ewagner]

100. I know....but...

the prosecution didn't drive home his inconsistencies and outright lies...they gave the defense a free ride, or more legally speaking they didn't discredit his story beyond a reasonable doubt.

[Skittles]

103. just watching Zimmerman in that tape

it was absurd

[onenote]

104. You did a bad job of researching Florida law.

There is no "preponderance" standard applicable to the defense in Florida. None. The defense has the burden of "going forward" (also known as the burden of production). Its a very low threshold. Even a "flimsy" showing of evidence that might support self defense is sufficient to get the issue to the jury. There is no burden on the defense to show the truthfulness of their claim; rather, the burden of proof is on the state to persuade the jury beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant has not established self defense.

[ewagner]

117. That's what I thought it implied but

thanks for the correction.

[etherealtruth]

29. The jury found reasonable doubt and aquitted Roy Bryant and JW Milam

Idiots are those that do not recognize that personal bias and prejudice (I am not necessarily talking about racial prejudice) inform and effect every decision a human being makes

[JI7]

99. actually they knew Bryant and Milam did the crime, they just didn't think white men should be

punished for killing a black kid. and that is what was most likely the case in the zimmerman verdict.

[JoePhilly]

70. A reasonable person should now fear for their life if they see Zimmerman.

Whatever happens after that, is legal.

[Travis_0004]

2. The fact is there was reasonable doubt in this case.

You may not like the outcome, but the Jury took the time to analyse the facts, and they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

You can blame the prosecution, but don't blame the jury. They could only work with what they were given.

[MNBrewer]

3. ALEC and the Republican Party

[MarianJack]

4. Only because 6 idiots chose to allow the defense to put the victim on trial.

[Travis_0004]

5. The jury doesn't decide what is said in the court room.

Like I said. Who threw the first punch. Even if we can be 80% sure it was zimmerman, there is still reasonable doubt.

[MarianJack]

7. The jury can decide what is and isn't horse manure,...

...which is what Zimmerman's case was.

[joeglow3]

39. Someone has lost their objectivity

Sorry but you cannot change facts and the law. I make you one great big huge promise: if we changed the rules around reasonable doubt and innocent until proved guilty just to get one person you don't like, the overwhelming burden of those shorty policies would be felt throughout every black community for decades to come as the courts will be throwing even more black males in jail.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

56. most people (on either side)

never had any objectivity in this case and had their minds made up from the word 'go'...

sP

[MarianJack]

89. Please enlighten me on exactly HOW I should be objective...

...about 6 morons placing a target sign on MY SON' back? If you'd actually read my post, you might have picked up on that.

Also, please enlighten me on how YOU would maintain objectivity when the target sign ends up on YOUR son's back.

BTW, exactly where did I advocate changing the rules?

[joeglow3]

98. You shitty assumption only has water if you are not objective

The jurors followed the law and ruled the only way they could under said law. If you watched to case, you would know there was no way a reasonable person could convict. However, I will quit posting. It is clear your mind was made up on day one and ANY facts you would see would be explained away as people being paid off or related. Sorry, but I cannot communicate with that type of logic.

[MarianJack]

113. My "shitty" assumption was...

...my reaction to the 6 idiots in Florida putting the target sign on MY SON'S back.

Thank you for not posting in this thread anymore. It'll only improve the discourse.

[MarianJack]

124. BTW, before you take your well deserved place on my ignore list, a few points.

I NEVER said anything in my post about jurors being paid off or related, only about them being 6 idiots.

My mind was made up about the FACTS that George Zimmerman stalked an unarmed young man whom a 911 operator had instructed him to NOT follow or engage. That young man wound up dead.

However, the point of my post, ie, what you consider a "shitty assunption" was MY concern for the safety of MY son. I hope that nobody is ever so cynical about your concern for your child. About YOU personally, I couldn't care lrss.

AMF!

[EOTE]

11. It shouldn't matter who threw the first punch.

Trayvon Martin was the one who should have feared for his life, that's pretty fucking obvious from the fact that he was dead minutes later. It was Trayvon who was standing his ground, and without a doubt it was Zimmerman who murdered him.

[joeglow3]

41. Have you never seen a fight

If you had, you would know how false your statement is.

[EOTE]

42. You are utterly clueless

Not only have I seen myriad fights, I've ended my fair share of them. I've never started a fight in my life, but if a psycho like Zimmerman confronted me as he did Martin, you're god damned right I'd have done anything in my power to neutralize him as a threat. He's a fucking coward who gains all of his power through his gun. A fucking coward like all the Zimmerman apologists.

[marions ghost]

114. For a lot of Zimmerman apologists

the issue isn't about race so much as it is about guns and the right to do anything you want with them. And for their cause they'll ignore the race factor and play up the "reasonable doubt" factor.

Anybody can see that solving it with a gun was way overkill in this case. Anybody can see that Zimmerman was out of control. Anybody can see that Zimmerman was acting out of racism and hate. Anybody can see that this trial was stacked against justice for Trayvon.

Guns won here.

[handmade34]

9. "reasonable" is subjective

the jurors' life experiences and attitudes are responsible for the verdict

[Little Star]

10. I'm sorry but I do think this jury got it wrong and I do think they hold

some responsibility. They were the deciders. They lacked common sense and they bought into Zimmerman's lies.

[Voice for Peace]

61. don't be sorry. I agree with you completely.

I'd like to hear their thinking.

[rusty fender]

88. I'm not a lawyer, but I thought that I might go to law school

after college. I bought a book called, Legal Reasoning, and read it in order to help me make up my mind about applying to law school. What that book taught me was that 'legal reasoning' was the opposite of common sense. I could never change my concept of common sense to its opposite. My head hurt as I read that book because it was so incomprehensible.

I've served on a couple of juries and I have concluded that the 'jury instructions' are given so that juries won't use common sense when deciding the case. 'Jury instructions' tell juries how they must think about what the evidence shows, not what their gut instinct tells them about what the evidence shows.

'Jury instructions' is one of the problems in our judicial system. I wish that when people are selected for juries that they would do some basic research about the jury system and how, if they want to, can use their common sense reasoning when deliberating a case.

[onenote]

105. Jury instructions state the law. Period.

They don't make the law. Compare the jury instructions given to Zimmerman to the statute and case law in Florida.

[rusty fender]

118. Really?

Check out this post from Kablooie:


Wow! It sounds like the JUDGE, not the jury, may have freed Zimmerman.

Florida law states that a defendant cannot claim self-defense if he "initially provokes the use of force against himself".
This clause of the law was deliberately withheld from the jury in the instructions from the judge.

The jurors were instructed to consider the situation only after the scuffle started and were not able to include the fact that Zimmerman tracked down Martin. (Which seems to me to be the primary aspect of the whole situation.)
If they had, Zimmerman might have been considered the aggressor and therefore his whole self defense argument would have been moot and he would have gone to jail.

The defense lawyer argued to keep this clause of the law out of the instructions. The prosecution argued the other way and the defense won, thereby insuring a Zimmerman victory.

It's a fairly convoluted set of arguments but you can read the details of this decision and why it was made here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alafair-burke/george-zimmerman-jury-instructions_b_3596685.html

24


28 replies, 685 views
Thread infoBookmark this threadTrash this thread

[onenote]

119. It was withheld because the prosecution offered no evidence that Zimmerman engaged in any action

that would constitute "provocation" as that term has been interpreted and applied by the courts in Florida. There would be no point in offering the instruction about actual use of force or the making of an actual threat of force on the part of Zimmerman given that the state had no alleged or offered any evidence that Zimmerman had actually used or actually threatened the use of force against him. If Zimmerman had not proffered any evidence whatsoever to support a self defense claim, the judge could have refused to include that instruuction as well. But Zimmerman's defense did proffer evidence that, if taken as true and viewed in the light most favorable to Zimmerman, could support self defense. And thus the court was required by law to include that instruction.

[Dustlawyer]

23. You can blame the cops who f'ed up the evidence and failed to treat the area as a crime

scene. Poor little Zimi couldn't take his ass beating (from a boy) like a man! Trayvon was fighting for his life from this man with a gun that was following him. We just don't know enough about those final minutes to know what really happened, and for that reSon i can understand the jurys decision. i dont have to like it though.
The jury should have been more racially diverse as well as sexually diverse. I bet the Defense had studies showing women would be their best jurors since they obviously did not strike any in favor of a man. I guess men felt that poor fat little Georgie was a wimp and would not have sympathy for him, while the women would, who knows?

[Travis_0004]

25. I'll agree with that.

Of course if the defense thought all women would help their case, then couldn't the prosecution have determined that all men would help their case? If so, they could have struck a few women jurors to get a few men on the trial.

[roguevalley]

47. Zimmerman to me is a time bomb ticking. I think his life like OJ's is going to be

one long string of hell. He has to live in a country that thinks he's guilty as hell and it won't be a life I would want.

[calimary]

59. I think you're correct here, roguevalley. His "sentence" as it were - is having to return to

the civilian population. Maybe if he stays in his little insular conservative community he won't have to deal with this much (at least if what I've heard about that community's general political mindset is true). But across the country, seems to me anyway, the mindset may not always be as insular. I'm in California. He's as guilty as sin, to me, and to everybody else around me - in MY community. Heck, even my distressingly conservative best friend, who lives in a southern state and believes strongly in gun freedoms, came out here to visit recently and hissed angrily under her breath - "he SHOT that child!" I'm sorry - I saw the case laid out, and it just seemed utterly open-and-shut. Total and absolute and undebatable MURDER. All the fancy defense talk or references to the law and the jury and everything else - does NOT change that FACT.

What this outcome says - is just so distressing, I can hardly articulate how I feel about this. This is heartbreaking, discouraging, stunning, staggering, dumbfounding.


The only sense of triumph I feel is from the reaction - all those fucking yahoos and Pox Noise believers and CONS with their stupid dire warnings about how this community was going to riot and disrupt, and they did nothing of the kind. They did NOTHING of the kind. They remained dignified and non-confrontational. Frankly, I'd expected that. And I'm very proud of them.

I get a renewed sense of appreciation of Melissa Harris-Perry's recollection of how her father signed off on cards to her - "the struggle continues." No freakin' shit.

[davidpdx]

110. I think so too

and he and his family are going to have to look over his shoulder the rest of his life. Someone in another thread said there was an accusation of molestation at some point, but it sounded like it had been dropped. It sounds like there might be several different ways he gets himself into trouble in the future.

I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?

[Sparkly]

91. Reasonable doubt OF WHAT?

[kcr]

102. Bullshit.

A white jury let off a murderer for killing a black kid. They didn't need much of an excuse.

[Siwsan]

6. I'd never heard of a 6 person jury, on a criminal case. Do other states do that, too?

I've been concerned about that jury size and make up, from the start. That really seems like a very limited group and near zero diversity.

[MarianJack]

8. I've heard of it for civil, yes...criminal, no.

PEACE!

[MH1]

22. Sad irony: On another thread they said only 6 because "not a death penalty case".

It was clearly a "death penalty case" for Trayvon Martin.

[Siwsan]

24. This is the 2nd high profile Florida case to end in a miscarriage of justice, IMHO

This jury pool, along with the Casey Anthony jury pool, should have been made to DEFINE reasonable doubt, as a part of voir dire.

[99Forever]

12. May those 6 idiots never...

.. find a moments peace in their lives. May the evil they have let stand haunt their thoughts forever.

[GoneFishin]

15. +1000

[newcriminal]

16. Those six women did exactly what they were suppose to do.

The prosecutors did a poor job, and now you wish evil upon these women. I have much more respect for them than someone wishing evil upon others.

[99Forever]

17. Bullshit.

They unleashed evil to walk the streets of Floriduh hunting victims, with impunity.

May Karma not be gentle.

[BlueJazz]

27. You are one of the few on this thread that "Get it" The other ones...not so much.

Look..You are I are watching a commercial at my house.
After the Presentation is over, you turn to me and say "What a bunch of bullshit THAT was...my life experience says that the product they are trying to sell me is NOTHING LIKE the ad"

We both know that that an unarmed kid was stalked and murdered by someone with a gun.
Any other Ad or "presentation" is the same as the commercial... Total Bullshit.

[HardTimes99]

32. Trayvon Martin was 'lynched' by a self-appointed vigilante. (I put 'lynched' in

quote marks to signify that I am using the term in its metaphoric, rather than literal, sense.)

IMO, then, this jury ruled lynching permissible, an action with which the Sanford Police Department had long ago signified its agreement.

I'm led, ineluctably, to conclude that GZ is not the only villain of this piece. To his villainy must be added that of 'neighborhood watch' programs that allow such self-appointed vigilantism and police departments whose actions (e.g., testing Martin's corpse for drugs but not testing Zimmerman for drugs) signify their institutional racism far more powerfully than any verbal statements of racial ill will ever could.

[Blue_Tires]

120. +1

[Beacool]

31. It was not their fault.

It was never a murder 2 case.

[99Forever]

43. Yes, it IS "their fault."

It WAS at least deliberate manslaughter, and the POS who did it is now not only free to walk the streets, but also carry the very same weapon he MURDERED Trayvon Martin with and use it to kill someone elses INNOCENT son for no fucking reason.

Those idiots let evil walk free. Period.

[premium]

66. No, the prosecutor's let this man walk

with their failure to prove beyond a reasonable doubt of guilt to the jury.
The jury followed that law, whether you like it or not.

[99Forever]

73. What part of...

... the fucking law is wrong don't you get? Your "law" has legalized murder.

And no, I don't fucking like it, not one little bit.

That "law" and ANYONE who supports it are fucking evil and not fit to live in decent civilized society.

[premium]

75. Number 1,

it isn't my law, it's FL. law, I don't even live in FL.,
Number 2. Whether you like it or not is irrelevant to the law.
Number 3. You can do all the name calling you want, doesn't change the fact that the State failed to prove it's case beyond a reasonable doubt to the jury and they followed the law.

The only one's at fault for Zimmerman's acquittal is the State.

[mythology]

109. Then change the law

That's not the job of a jury, nor should it be. The law should be made by elected officials, and overseen by judges.

Yes the law in this case sucks, but the jury is supposed to come to a verdict on the merits of the case based on the presented evidence and law at the time of the act, not what is "right" however that would be defined. There are plenty of people who would be just as outraged as you are if George Zimmerman had been convicted because they are convinced that the killing was justified.

[99Forever]

123. Ahhh... way kewl!

It's now in my purview to fix the cesspool know as the Floriduh Legislature from 1500 miles away.

Great.

They are all fired. I'll start interviewing their replacements as soon as I receive the funds required to set up a proper venue. NO Floridians need apply.

[GreenStormCloud]

115. No such thing as "deliberate manslaughter".

The legal charge of manslaugher includes negligence. If something is deliberate then it can't include negligence.

[99Forever]

122. WTF?

Is this a gawd court room? How about DELIBERATELY KILLED AN INNOCENT kid?

That suit your authoritarian sensibilities any better?

Some fucking people.

[Mr. David]

92. No it's no longer a murder 2 case.

It's now a federal capital murder enhanced by hate crimes.

GZ will be indicted tomorrow, and then he gets to start all over again.

[whopis01]

106. That will never happen

As much as it may be the right thing to do, he is not going to be indicted for a federal murder case, a civil rights case, or anything else regarding the killing of Trayvon Martin.

[BronxBoy]

13. While we may never hear from them....

I'm going to reserve judgement on their decision. These 6 women may actually think GZ is a scumbag of the highest order but felt that they had to do what they did based upon the instructions given to them.

If we are going to cast aspersions at anyone, it should certainly be those classless folks in the Zimmerman camp

[Beacool]

33. And the prosecutors.

They failed miserably.

[BronxBoy]

51. Yes they did...

[ewagner]

53. Agreed...

totally inept presentation of the case.

[GoneFishin]

14. Agreed. It's beyond a reasonable doubt GZ had a gun and a 2-ton car, TM did not.

It's beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman could have locked his doors and sped away if he felt threatened.

It's beyond a reasonable doubt that Travon was not running down the street pursuing Zimmerman's vehicle on foot.

It's beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman could have locked his doors and waited for the police to arrive.

It's beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman was in contact with the police by cell phone.

It's beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman had a history of zealotry.

It's beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman was fixated on tracking Travon.

It's beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman had a loaded gun.

It's beyond a reasonable doubt that Travon was in contact with a friend by cell phone.

It's beyond a reasonable doubt that Travon was trying to get away from Zimmerman.

It's beyond a reasonable doubt that Travon Martin had Skittles.

It's beyond a reasonable doubt that Travon Martin is dead.

[MarianJack]

20. Too much beyond a reasonable doubt for this verdict.

Zimmerman got off because the jury wanted him to get off.

PEACE!

[bobduca]

60. That and a criminally inept prosecutor

throwing the fight.. Would not be surprised to see him in a political appointment, or start wearing bling.

[Carolina]

18. Bravo!

Racism is alive and well. My grandfather and his brothers left Florida in 1916 because of the racism... and NEVER went back to their dying days (1980s). Obviously not much has changed there.

White folks don't understand what it's like to raise a black son in America, then and now! I had to teach my son so much and worried throughout his teenage years about profiling, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and even scapegoating when he was with white friends.

My heart is aches for the Martins and the legally sanctioned lynching of their baby Tray

[MarianJack]

19. I'm white and my wife is Puerto Rican, but...

...we do the best we can.

PEACE!

[B2G]

46. I thought you said your son was black?

[Beacool]

64. The are black Puerto Ricans too.

Puerto Rican is a nationality, not a race.

[MarianJack]

90. He is black.

We adopted him as an infant. I cannot fathom loving a child of my blood more than my child of adoption.

PEACE!

[B2G]

93. Thought might be the case. I'm adopted too.

He's a lucky young man.

[Beacool]

26. No, the idiots in FL were the prosecutors who overcharged Zimmerman.

This was never M2. They should have resisted pressure and charged him with manslaughter from the get go. Adding it this past week as an option to be considered by the jurors seemed an admission that they didn't have enough to prove M2.

[truebluegreen]

28. Or they just threw the case.

[etherealtruth]

30. Either that or the prosecution is unskilled and unintelligent

[truebluegreen]

34. Yes. I'm not from Florida

but saw a post on another thread stating the prosecutor was well-known with an excellent reputation. I'm not a lawyer either but it sure didn't look like an accurate characterization to me.

[etherealtruth]

36. What ever the reason

The prosecution's presentation absolutely S-U-C-K-E-D

[truebluegreen]

40. Amen.

[Beacool]

37. I doubt it.

Last edited Sun Jul 14, 2013, 12:29 PM - Edit history (1)

What's likely is that they were pressured to charge him with murder 2. When from the president down this case is on everyone's radar, they must have felt a lot of pressure to be tough. It was a tactical mistake that caused them the whole trial. I'm sure that they are experienced enough to know that it would be very difficult to prove M2.

[etherealtruth]

44. Yes. yes

You've made your opinion well know on the board. Zimmerman never should have been charged with anything

[Beacool]

65. Don't be silly.

I have repeatedly said that Zimmerman should be in jail for killing an innocent kid, but the charge was never murder 2. Get it?

[etherealtruth]

74. I apologize, I did confuse you with another poster that feels Z did nothing wrong

Again, I am sorry

[Beacool]

84. That's OK.

[calimary]

62. I wonder if this is also one of the results of the damned sequester.

I'd read very recently that this is starting to be true - wherein there's less funding among other things - for prosecutors. There's not the funding for assistants and legal staff. Private defense attorneys paid for by clients and their supporters will have the luxury of plenty of funding. They'll have everything they need, the support, the tools, the research, the help with due diligence. And there won't be an equal share on of that on the other side.

[ewagner]

57. You have to wonder, don't you?

Lisa Bloom on MSNBC has expressed downright shock at various times during this trial at the all the stumbles, u-turns, missed opportunities and outright blunders made by the prosecution.

I don't believe that they were out-lawyered....and with their respective trial records I couldn't believe they were making those mistakes.

[backwoodsbob]

77. yep

if they had went in with manslaughter and a lesser of negligent homicide Z would be in jail this morning

[Beacool]

85. That's my opinion too. nt

[locdlib]

38. Six more that now have the blood of this dead child on their hands.

[premium]

67. Bullshit.

They followed that law, the prosecutor's, for whatever reasons, put on a very weak case.

The only one with blood on the hands is G. Zimmerman.

[NaturalHigh]

107. Oh FFS...

The jury followed the law and the judge's instructions. They don't have blood on their hands.

Can anyone still wonder why the jurors prefer to remain anonymous when there are posts like this basically calling them conspirators to murder?

[Ruby the Liberal]

45. Righteous rant. K&R

[WillyT]

48. K & R !!!

[radhika]

49. Florida has now passed AZ as the sickest, most retrograde state....n/t

[Auntie Bush]

97. Don't forget Texass!

[Dustlawyer]

50. While I don't like the Verdict, I understand it from

a legal perspective. No one but Z knows if Trayvon tried to grab the gun to protect himself from this crazy man that was following him. If he did then it is self defense for Z to shoot him. That is reasonable doubt.
The problem for me is that there is no punishment (other than he better have a gun now at all times for the rest of his life) for all of his conduct that led to Travon's death. If he hadn't been such a racist douche bag, Trayvon would still be alive. Also, the cops played a role by not preserving the scene and the evidence b/c they did not treat him as a suspect! Sad day in America, land of the not so free anymore!

[1monster]

54. Being the mother of a child who is "different" is incredibly hard. If my child's skin were darker,

I think I would be tempted to find a cave far away from people and teach him how to live as a hermit.

My heart goes out to you and all parents who now live in even more fear for their children just because of the pigment of their skin.

I hope what we've been seeing in the last eight years is just the last gasp of racism clinging on by the fingernails as they slide down a cliff.

Peace back to you and hope for a better future for your child.

[ananda]

55. Thanks for this post.

I've been thinking a good deal of the fear and worry this case result is putting on Black people now.
As if you didn't already have enough.

[NealK]

58. Here's something I would love those 6 racist morons to read (if they can read that is):

[hack89]

63. Do you know what college he was going to attend? nt

[NealK]

68. Oh my, a Zimmerman appologist.

Martin was 17 when he was murdered, he had just had a birthday. Martin was, in all likelihood, too young to have even begun to visit (much less apply to and be accepted by) colleges, and had probably not yet started that process. And Zimmerman is a worthless dirt-bag.

[hack89]

72. You just posted that he received a full ride to college

I took that to mean you knew what college he was going to. Did he receive a full ride scholarship from some organization instead of from a particular college?

[NealK]

78. I didn't make that banner and had forgotten this line, so sue me.

Doesn't change the fact that an innocent 17 year old was murdered by a creepy gun nut.

[hack89]

79. ok. nt

[wercal]

80. Links?

As far as I can find, his grades have never been released.

Having just turned 17, I assume he was a junior...so a full ride scholarship and college acceptance seems premature.

[wercal]

83. Well which one is it?

You've posted that he got a free ride to college..

And now that he never had that opportunity.

Which statement is true.

And which one isn't?

[wercal]

87. I guess I'm an idiot then

You post lies on the interwebs....and you can't back them up....and I still don't understand.

[backscatter712]

69. That's six Paula Deens, who made a jury straight out of To Kill A Mockingbird.

If Atticus Finch himself had prosecuted this case, these racist fucks would still have voted to let Zim skate.

[Scurrilous]

71. The 'idiots in Florida':

Juror B29:

She is Hispanic and black
She just moved to Florida four months ago from Chicago.
She has eight children and works at a nursing home.

Juror B76:

She is white
She has lived in Seminole County since 1975.
She has called police about kids vandalizing signs.
She has family members who own firearms.

Juror B37:

She is white
She has lived in Seminole County for 18 years.
She used to carry a concealed weapons permit.

Juror B51:

She is white
She has been a resident of Seminole County for nine years.
She moved to Florida from Atlanta, Georgia.
She does not have any children.
She retired from a career in real estate, and also worked as a director, supervising 1,200 employees.

Juror E6:

She is white
She is married and has two children.
She has lived in Seminole County for two years.
Her husband and son own guns.
She was involved in a domestic violence incident in her past.

Juror E40:

She is white
She is married with one son.
She moved to Seminole County from Iowa seven months ago.
She served as a safety officer for 25 years.

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/06/20/who-are-jurors-george-zimmerman

[In_The_Wind]

81. Kicked & Recommended

[indepat]

94. You, sir, imo, have shown much restraint in not calling these "6 (asses) idiots" what you really

would like to call them. Your indictment rightfully extends to all who foster the mindset and worldview that this horrific crime, this senseless fatal wounding of a unarmed child with a handgun, were, in effect, a justifiable homicide. A pox will surely come to roost on those who revel and delight in such wickedness.

[Auntie Bush]

101. It's not just the 6 idiots in FL

It's also all those police that lied on the witness stand. Everyone of the defense witnesses was prejudice, had something to gain or was a friend. Tryvon had very little help.

[GeorgeGist]

108. But the judge told us that 2 + 2 = 3.

and we're too phucking stupid to disagree.

[Cha]

112. Excellent OP, Jack/MarionJack!

Thank you so much for your story of your beautiful family.

We need to turn this around.. Personally, I'm not a prayer person but whatever brings comfort and hope is a beautiful thing.


Sabrina Sheppard, 8, of Sanford, Florida, prays at the Trayvon Martin memorial

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/07/15/pray-for-him/

[Boom Sound 416]

125. Up until the verdict

They were described as 6 woman, five of them mothers.

Now they are idiots and that's the nicest insult they are getting.

Well at least we'll have a woman president soon. What's found to happen when she starts bombing Syria?