Am I the only one who's suprised (and a little relieved) that George Zimmerman was acquitted?
Put aside Trayvon Martin's parents' grief. (I do feel for them.)
Put aside the race of both men. (If Zimmerman had been 100% Caucasian, instead of half-Hispanic, God help him.)
Put aside the pictures that the media chose to air. (Why always a little-kid-looking photo for Trayvon Martin, when he was 17...and quite tall?)
Both had things to hide -- Zimmerman, for his temper and refusal to listen. Martin, for being suspended from school for marijuana. (Up to this point, his parents portrayed him as squeaky-clean. And true, he didn't have a criminal record.) It's still a tad foggy why Martin was there...and Zimmerman too, quite frankly.
Think about the witness who testified at the trial, who saw the incident. And said that Zimmerman was on the bottom, getting beat up, when he shot Martin. He was adamant about it. Does this sound like the teenaged innocent Trayvon was claimed to be?
Sure, I have reservations about the whole thing. Who wouldn't, when there are so many unanswered questions and holes about the incident. I'm not convinced that George Zimmerman was completely innocent.
But then again, I'm not convinced that Trayvon was, either.
(Update: Martin's autopsy results showed liver damage and a connection to DXM (codeine cough syrup), as well as damage consistent with marijuana use and "Lean," a street drug mix that combines cough syrup with a sweet drink and candy. (Yes, Skittles are one of the primary candies used.) Lo and behold, Martin's Facebook page (now magically removed) included several conversations with friends about drugs, including Lean. (Go here for more on this.
Here, too.)
Our legal system argues that the person on trial is considered innocent before being proven guilty. Zimmerman was convicted in the media from the getgo, which probably messed up any chance to properly present the evidence, both pro- and anti-Zimmerman. Even President Obama got in on the publicity:
("I think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out: How does something like this happen?" Obama said.
When it comes to the bottom line, I'm guessing that the jury just wasn't certain. And that meant they weren't willing to condemn an innocent man. (If he was indeed innocent.) That would have been a travesty on top of everything else that's gone wrong in this far-too-public trial.
You know very well that something like this will happen again. And again. And when it does, people will be sprinting to the scene, pulling out their "rascist" cards as they go. What will they say if a black man is attacked, and shoots, another black man?
P.S. The protests about the verdict have been more peaceful than first feared. (The media sounds almost disappointed about it, too.)
The bottom line: only George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin know for sure what happened on that night.
What a mess.
Other news in Internet-Land:
An easy way to get rid of pet stains, from Money Beagle. (I know, ironic -- he's actually got cats.)
Barbara Brackman, on asymmetry, 'mistakes' and hoo-doo blocks in quilts. There is an 'error' in this quilt...see it? (Read Barbara's second blogpost, referenced on the bottom of this one, for the answer.)
What are the most important money lessons parents should teach their children? (from Get Rich Slowly)
A beautiful hanging mirror, made from wood shims! (Thanks, Ciburbanity...this is gorgeous.)
Dollar seats on Megabus? Save Outside the Box shows you more. (Daughter #2 and I have gotten these before -- it actually works.)
Buying 'bits of history' -- i.e., antiques. (From It's All Connected)
A Brazilian ref gets in a fight with a player, stabs him -- and ends up with his (the referee's) head on a pike in midfield. I'm not making this up -- the Brick noticed the article. (We still tend to keep track of Brazillian news, ever since we went there some years ago.)
What if you woke up broke? Mr. Money Moustache ponders the question.
A Steampunk lamp that's amazing. Started out as a clock in the hands of Plum Doodles...wow.
Crappy timing in your life decisions? Punch Debt in the Face bemoans his fate, including having to pay a higher home interest rate, now rates are rising. (I'd say his timing may be a bit off -- but he's still got an awful lot of opportunities others don't.)
Quickie last-minute cleaning tips, from Apartment Therapy.
Yard sale flipping, by Money, Life and More.
An interesting travel blog - Quitting My Job and Living In Costa Rica. She makes an excellent point that keeping track of your purchases -- and being careful about it -- lets you spend that money for far more interesting things. Like living somewhere wonderful, instead of just visiting it for a few weeks. (The Brick and I are hoping to do this a few years from now.)
From the Department of "Wow:" Every week, the numbers of people looking for the latest "Monday Stuff" posts increase. I cannot tell you how honored I am. I hope you'll also take a minute and sign up to 'follow' my blog, or at least get the posts via e-mail. You'd be very welcome to join me for the ride!
Thank you so much. And have a great week.
 | |
| Chrysanthemums, the flowers of "hope," in the Language of Flowers. Hope that our messed-up world gets a whole lot better. |
3 comments:
Update: President Obama has released a statement about the Zimmerman trial. Here it is:
"The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy. Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America. I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher. But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken. I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son. And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities. We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis. We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that’s a job for all of us. That’s the way to honor Trayvon Martin."
And here's the link, if you'd like to read the full article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/14/obama-george-zimmerman_n_3595631.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
Cindy, I appreciated your thoughts. I don't really have an opinion of whether GZ is innocent or guilty, but I do have an opinion about everyone who did not hear all the evidence being up in arms about the verdict. I feel that while the justice system is not perfect, it's a lot better than many systems in other places, and we have to respect what this jury decided. It's not right for the whole world, and the federal government, to convict GZ because they don't like what the jury decided. Remember that this jury was approved by both the prosecution and the defense. Each had a chance to disapprove of these jurors beforehand. I agree with you that there was too much publicity, and that the media decided for itself that GZ was guilty. Which makes many Americans follow suit. And I agree that things would have turned out differently if their races would have been different. My bottom line: it's complicated, there is no perfect answer, and we should respect the decision that was made by this jury.
You're right, it IS complicated! (And I suspect that the jury heard some things -- a lot of things -- we didn't.)
Will we ever know the complete truth? Probably not.
Now tell that to the bloggers and websites that are rushing to judgment...
Thanks so much for writing.
Post a Comment