Blood sacrifices are not the sign of a civilized nation.

[The Backlash Cometh]

The first time I heard the term, blood sacrifice, it was in relation to Irish history. Since then I've noticed that throughout history, innocent blood has to be spilled before the public's anger finally moves in one direction to confront those who have saddled them with laws that are unjust, or just to change the course of the dialogue. What is regrettable is that somebody has to die before people finally unite against issues which many in the community identified long before tragedy struck. It shouldn't be that way, but if we understand what we're fighting against, maybe we can prevent the next Martin-Zimmerman encounter.

Not too long ago, just four to five years ago, I was posting on DU about the alarming, violent comments that were common in conversations in my community. Each year it seemed to get worse as right-wing talk radio either echoed the sentiments or opened the door to a way of thinking that reached its peak in January 2011. That was the month of the Arizona massacre that took many lives, and almost took Gabrielle Gifford's life. That was a blood sacrifice. Because of it things changed. I don't know how exactly, maybe it was the withdrawal of corporate sponsors from Glen Beck who was the worst offender of hate talk, but, the right lost its main megaphone.

What we still have to contend with are bad laws which were pushed by Republicans during America's moment of insanity. The Stand Your Ground Law is the most obvious example. I think Trayvon's short life must count for something. I think as a nation we should have done better, but if this is the way our uncivilized world works then we owe it to him and his generation to not just fix what's wrong with SYG, but also begin looking at the laws which were forced on us by a party which shoots first and asks questions later. They can't keep us safe and they certainly haven't made this a better world.

Maybe what we should start doing now is begin rescinding the knee-jerking legislation that many Republican legislators passed for no reason than to make it past their next election.

[RKP5637]

1. Well said!!! n/t

[DonCoquixote]

2. Hahahaha

Friend, the modern era, for all it's silicon glamour, kills more people in the name of existence than the Aztecs ever did. Think of Chinese workers who die to make our tools, or our infantmortality rates.

The brutal fact is...this law passed because a bunch of white people want to be able to kill the Black kids they are scared of, same reason we allowed this nation to go to war for the past decade. America was foudned by people who were oppressed, and the line was that since government hates you, you can be sent overseas where, if you kill enough indians, you can finally be free, of course, after that, there was another enemy, and another, until the ability to kill/screwover/be agressive became ONE with the idea of success.

Watch Florida laud Zimmerman after the smoke clears.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Florida is already attempting to laud Zimmerman.

The other side will continue to push forward, no matter how much the evidence is against their case. That's why this needs to be an onward push, not just putting the SYG law on trial, but every other law that doesn't make sense.