George Zimmerman Is Being Hated on Just Like Tyler Clementi Was, Says Worst Guest Column Ever

[Amerigo Vespucci]

George Zimmerman Is Being Hated on Just Like Tyler Clementi Was, Says Worst Guest Column Ever
By Rich Abdill Fri., Jun. 8 2012 at 11:21 AM



George Zimmerman's legal team shared an Orlando Sentinel guest column this morning that defends Zimmerman on a level a step above the others: It's not just that he deserves his fair day in court and people are jumping to conclusions. We should be looking up to Zimmerman. Lots of other people haven't done so well in the face of bullying, hatred, and threats.

It's a curious thesis, with curious evidence. The martyrs mentioned: Two bullied teenagers and a guy who murdered his children.

"What is happening to Zimmerman, on every level, is a national disgrace," writes the improbably named Modesty Avian, from Tucson. "It takes people of a high caliber and moral courage to survive death threats, terrorism, hatred and harassment. People like the Zimmermans deserve our empathy."

It does not appear "caliber" was an intended pun.

[Zoeisright]

1. Oh sure, I always respect murderers.

Especially those who were told by the police to STOP STALKING someone, then LIE about everything.



That column is a piece of shit, and those attorneys need a smack of reality upside the head.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Bad analogy.

[teddy51]

3. He shot a teenager to death in cold blood, what did they expect was going to happen with anyone

who cares about justice? Poor Georgie, who now has to face the music.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. Zimmerman may or may not win in a court of law, but...

...when it comes to the court of public opinion and street justice, he'll never be able to "casually" walk down the street again. He caused it all, there's no one to blame...especially "society." There's no reason for pity or empathy or anything else. The first couple of times he had run-ins with the law should have been warning signs, instead, they just turned him into a bigger prick than he already was. When the time comes for him to face the music, it will be interesting to see how he does it. My guess is that if his Mommy is from Peru, he'd better get his ass to Peru. Stay with an uncle or aunt and binge on junk food and live out his natural life.

[teddy51]

6. I blame the cops in that town for giving him a false sense of being above the law.

For some reason he got the distinct feeling that the cops were on his side, even when he shot Travon.

[juniorbonner]

10. Which cops? It's very complex.

They didn't have a clear eyewitness to the start of the fight, which is of course a very important legal point to clear up. Lead Investigator Chris Serino told one witness that he felt there was more to the story than George told the police, and he pushed for a manslaughter charge to be filed.

The investigation was not going well, however and then the media and public jumped in to the fray, causing the Police Chief to start talking to the press himself.

UNless and until a credible outside investigation into the activities of the Sanford PD and especially Norm Wolfinger's involvement in the case is undertaken, we just don't know enough to say. Holder's DoJ isnt looking into this aspect of the case - they have only gone as fare as to say they are investigating civil rights issues, not cleaning house at a corrupt police department, which they have done elsewhere - like Seattle, for instance - but not yet here.

Read the NYT article on how the investigation was handled in a "shoddy" manner for a peek inside but keep an eye on the fact that all the inside sources for the pulitzer winning author are from inside the Sanford city payroll, not under oath, nor subject to subpoena and that no one from Norm Wolfinger's office spoke at length to the reporter.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/us/trayvon-martin-case-shadowed-by-police-missteps.html

[tularetom]

4. "death threats, terrorism, hatred and harassment"

Sounds like what President Obama has to put up with every day. So by their standards the president is a person of "a high caliber and moral courage", huh?

[nxylas]

7. Not just the President

I'll bet you lots of DUers, particularly those living in red states, have to put up with the same thing every time they speak out.

[Hatchling]

8. As an aside:

I notice that he is growing his hair out so he doesn't look so much like a skinhead. Lost a lot of weight as well.

By trial time he will have a nicely groomed boy next door look

[Amerigo Vespucci]

9. He's grown his hair but he's GAINED weight...a significant amount.

Compare the mug shot above and other photos since his return to jail with the photos from his last court appearance. In a little less than a month and a half, that boy PACKED on the pounds.

[juniorbonner]

11. he's wearing a kevlar vest

That's one reason he looks heavier. O'Mara is using this as a tactic to show that his client might be at risk of violence.

Of course, 2.2 million people petitioned and demonstrated peaceably for an investigation, and only NINE count them, NINE people from a fringe group called the NEW Black Panther Party - a group that is denounced by the real Black Panthers - that's how fringe they are - suggested anything untoward in a publicity-grabbing "reward poster" that got some of press and a lot of mileage on the internet.

As for real death threats, O'Mara has not managed to record one yet, nor have the Zimmermans. Instead, O'Mara has made some statements about how he's passed on information to the police regarding such.

It's a high profile case. Anything is possible. But having his client wear kevlar in the courtroom, as he did in the bond hearing is a bit over the top in my estimation. The defendant's story is that he was attacked by an unarmed 17 year old boy and that he lost control of the situation, forcing him to shoot the unarmed kid in the chest, killing him. For this we are supposed to believe he's in danger at all times, and to have sympathy for him. It's courtroom theatrics, mostly, and won't change a jury's opinion of much, I suspect.

George Zimmerman was battered about the head to some degree. But we don't know how or why the fight started, and until we hear his own statements to the police investigators we only have hearsay to go by.

Everyone is welcome to speculate about what happened. But because 2.2 million people felt this hearsay story doesn't pass the smell test, and peaceably demonstrated the original prosecutor recused himself from the case as the governor of FLorida appointed a special prosecutor - a republican, evangelical christian - to investigate. And a judge with a good reputation has taken the case on and is proceeding is a deliberate and fair manner to determine all the facts and come to a verdict, most likely with the use of a jury.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

12. He's wearing a vest on his face?

Because his face got round again, like his orange jumpsuit photo. I stand by what I said...he's put on a significant amount of weight, and it has nothing to do with a kevlar vest, unless that's code words for Doritos, Jolly Ranchers, cookies, and beef sticks.

[juniorbonner]

13. lol - maybe he should

I agree that he is heavier, it's just that most people don't get that he's also wearing kevlar for propaganda purposes.

I'm not sure the relevance of the weight. The defense scare tactics seem relevant, his personal eating habits, not so much.

[ZombieHorde]

14. I agree some people have believed things about this case without evidence, but

he admits to following Martin in a way that would deeply concern most people, and Zimmerman's behavior initiated the events that lead to Martin's death.

People being upset about that is very reasonable, in my opinion.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

15. "Self-appointed neighborhood watch captain" says it all to me.

Zimmerman is basically a delusional punk and thug, but in a George W. Bush kind of way...he has a daddy who was in a position of power and a mommy who was a court clerk. He's a legend in his own mind. And life/karma caught up with him.

I really don't think he'll get the maximum 25 year sentence. I also don't think he should walk on "Stand Your Ground." He went after an unarmed, innocent kid after being told he "didn't need to do that." He "allegedly" shot and killed an unarmed teenager, and if the legal system is unable to disprove this, he needs to spend time behind bars for manslaughter.

He's not "special." He's just a random guy with issues. Those issues put Trayvon Martin 6 feet under. Let justice be served.