While Jesse Jackson tries to figure out who on his staff needs to be disciplined for failing to notify him of the events in Sanford, thus allowing Al Sharpton to get a few days head start on the self-aggrandizing exploitation; and while the special state prosecutor appointed by Governor Rick Scott works on finding the actual truth as to what happened that night between George Zimmerman and Treyvon Martin; let’s pause to take a look at the rumors, charges and outright absurdities that have been happening around this story for the last 48 hours.
New Black Panthers scream for blood and offer a reward
Many people have seen the videos of this goon squad called the New Black Panther Party talking about $10,000 rewards for the “capture” of George Zimmerman. Some Black Panther thugs have even been talking about having their own trial and administering their own punishment.
Two reminders here: First, the racist (an actual proper use of the word) rantings of David Duke; and secondly, the hateful rants aimed at our soldiers and at gays by Fred Phelps, the “pastor” of the Westboro Baptist Church. These gangsters in the New Black Panther movement have no more traction and respect in the black community than David Duke has among white people or Fred Phelps has among Baptists. When whites and Baptists hear of the outrageous actions and statements of Duke and Phelps they shake their heads, walk away, and pray that the public won’t somehow associate those two idiots with them. Precisely the same thing happens in the black community when these Black Panther ignoranuses engage in their diatribes about captures, trials and punishment.
These Black Panther characters are simply trying to make a name for themselves – seeking their 15 minutes of fame – by piggy-backing on the Treyvon Martin story. Let them wallow in their own ignorance and just walk away shaking your heads.
Treyvon’s mom files for a trademark of her son’s name.
Many people seem to be upset that Treyvon Martin’s mother has filed for trademark protection for her son’s name. I can’t help but think that if people knew the real story here, they wouldn’t be outraged at all.
As soon as the Treyvon case gained national attention opportunists across the country started printing t-shirts, signs and other little goodies with Treyvon’s name on them. Some simply said “I am Treyvon.” Some t-shirts were vile – with pictures of Treyvon over printed racial insults. One “entrepreneur” announced plans for a collection of Treyvon hoodies.
Now put yourself in the place of Treyvon’s mother. She sees people across the country using her dead child’s name to make money and deliver messages, some of which she may not necessarily agree with. What does she do? She says something about it to her lawyer. Her lawyer tells her that she can protect her son’s name by filing for trademark protection. So she does. How can a rational person have a problem with this? If I had been her lawyer I would have given her the same advice.
Oh! You say that she also trademarked “I am Treyvon” and “Justice for Treyvon?” So? It was her son. Now she feels she has a cause. Perfectly understandable. Are you going to tell her that she cannot use her son’s name in promoting her cause?
The left wants to use this to take down the “Stand Your Ground” law
Leftists, for some reason, really just hate the idea of private citizens owning guns and using those guns for self-defense. Perhaps it has something to do with the left’s antipathy toward the concept of individualism. Liberals are collectivists, not individualists. The act of self-defense is the ultimate act of individualism. Also, to a leftist government is there to provide all that we need – including protection. Never mind that the Supreme Court has explicitly ruled that police have no duty to protect private citizens … to a liberal protection is the role of government, and for a person to act to protect and defend themselves is “taking the law into your own hands.” A liberal believes the law belongs to government, not the people.
For whatever reason, liberals absolutely HATE the Stand Your Ground (SYG) law the concept that if your are accosted or attacked by another person you have no duty to turn and run; you can stand your ground and defend yourself. Progs see in the Treyvon Martin case the opportunity to repeal SYG laws across the nation and further disarm the American people. Plus .. there’s this: The more effective you are at disarming the people the safer your plans for more and more government are.
As for the SYG law and the Treyvon Martin case, I haven’t seen anyone else bring this up, but both Treyvon and Zimmerman had the SYG law on their side under the three possible operating scenarios here:
1. George Zimmerman. If Zimmerman was attacked by Treyvon, as he claims, he had the legal authority to use deadly force to repel the attack. BUT .. and this is a big but here .. if he was pursuing Treyvon, as he said he was, the SYG law would not protect him from prosecution. Zimmerman wasn’t standing his ground. He was in pursuit. I see no reason for repeal of SYG here because the law will not stand as a defense for what Zimmerman did. By the way …. I heard Juan Williams on Fox News Channel say – not once, but several times --- that George Zimmerman had been told by the police to stop his pursuit of Treyvon. First of all, there is no evidence that the 911 dispatcher Zimmerman was talking to was a police officer. Secondly, the dispatcher didn’t say “Don’t do that.” The dispatcher said “You don’t need to be doing that.” Telling someone that they don’t need to be doing something is quite different from telling someone NOT to do something. Williams should understand this.
2. Treyvon Martin: How would the SYG law stand to protect Treyvon? If Treyvon had noticed he was being followed, and if he elected to flee his pursuer he would have every right to do so. He would also have every right to turn and to confront his pursuer. That would be “standing your ground.” So the rumored testimony of this eyewitness who said he saw Zimmerman on the ground with Treyvon pummeling him does not necessarily implicate Treyvon. If he was standing his ground he was acting within the law.
3. Now here’s where it could get complicated. What if Zimmerman had ceased his pursuit of Treyvon and retreated to his car. What if Treyvon then pursued Zimmerman to his car and attacked him. Treyvon would then lose his protection under SYG, just as Zimmerman did when he initiated a pursuit. But if Zimmerman than became the pursued instead of the pursuer, does he then have the SYG law to rely on? That’s an interesting question, and one that I think would have to be put in front of a jury.
As for those pictures of Treyvon Martin in gang-type attire
I started getting those pictures over the weekend … and refused to post any of them in my blog or to ReTweet any of them to my followers. Come on, folks. Don’t you know how easy it is for people to falsify pictures like this? Take all of this with a block of salt.
NOW … SOME TALKING DANGEROUSLY
There have been rallies all over the country in support of Treyvon Martin. That’s understandable … though none of us have all the details of just what happened in that confrontation between Treyvon and Zimmerman.
There are some other people who could hold rallies as well … perfectly legitimate rallies. I heard some young lady at one of the rallies saying: “We’re tired of it. We’re just tired of it.” Well, other people are tired too. They’re tired of the culture of criminal behavior and violence that persists in young black males in this country.
The statistics are readily available from the FBI. They show what most of us, black and white, already know to be true. Young black males commit violent crimes way out of proportion to their percentage of the population. It’s a fact. You can scream “racism” until you pass out, but it’s a fact and your screaming isn’t going to change that fact. And it doesn’t have anything to do with skin color either. It’s culture. The greatest criminal threat to young black males in this country is other young black males, not self-appointed neighborhood watch cop wannabes.
Law abiding black and white citizens are tired of if too … just tired of it. They’re tired of learning of a violent crime and just instinctively knowing that when the mug shot comes out it is more likely than not going to be of a young black male. In light of the statistics more rational minds will understand the suspicions that accompany young black males wearing hoodies waling down residential streets at night. Sorry … but facts are facts.
Not going to dwell on it here … but if the people rallying for Treyvon Martin were to turn just some of their attention to the culture of violence that dominates young black urban males it might do more to prevent future tragedies like Treyvon Martin than screaming racism and demanding repeals of self-defense laws.