Let's talk about Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, and how unbelievably fucked up this all is

yes.

did this little thinkpiece from Debbie Downer Alan Dershowitz make its way onto this thread yet:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/10/opinion/dershowitz-trayvon-prosecutor-nightmare/index.html

This special prosecutor sounds relatively sharp.

Many people would be unhappy with such a mixed outcome, but it is not the job of the law to make people happy.

I lol'd

today, the law is making me happy

rest of the time: good job, law, on not doing what is not your job

kinda don't wanna know what douchewitz thinks the law's job actually is tbh

I hope he enjoyed that three weeks of freedom. Dude in <i>25th Hour</i> only got like 25 hours

yeah but don't expect George to ask his best bro to make him ugly so he doesn't become an assclown in prison

God did that work for him.

is that what "assclown" means?

here's hoping he doesn't join the kl4n in jail

I don't really see what's so bad about what Dershowitz said in that piece. I mean he's basically right - we could wind up with a situation where the physical evidence directly cuts against Zimmerman's account, or we might not, in which case it's his version of the story (and whatever physical evidence) and some hazy eyewitness stuff versus some other also a bit hazy eyewitness stuff and 911 phone calls that are missing key parts of the story. Burden to indict is supposed to be relatively high and to convict even higher.

I didn't say there was anything wrong with Dershowitz's piece, just that it was depressing

nothing's wrong with the piece itself. A great deal is wrong with Dershowitz the person tho.

this is gonna be just like oj can't wait

The very least I was hoping for was an arrest, i.e. some institutional acknowledgement that there may have been some wrongdoing in the killing of an unarmed kid. The trial could still be a travesty, but at least Zimmerman's actions are going to actually be judged.

he should hire casey anthony's lawyer since he was so good that one time

The trial could still be a travesty, but at least Zimmerman's actions are going to actually be judged.

I hope you mean this in the literal sense.

if this trial ends in acquital or a lesser charge but in the process we've "outed" the stupid stand your ground law as unworkable, some justice will have been done no?

dershowitz is a horrible horrible man but that article was reasonable.

seems like everyone was prepping us for manslaughter charges, this is awesome

MURDER WAS THE CASE

it's a weird vibe to be pulling for the prosecutor in a case suffused with racism but here we are

Would have been weirder had it been first degree, which would make Zimmerman eligible for the death penalty, but the 2nd degree charge dodges that bullet, so to speak.

Props to the crazy, racist asshole for having the balls to turn himself in. It could have gone so many different ways, and often does, especially in Florida.

prob safer to turn himself in tbh

Fleeing the country on a murder charge when you're in the heart of the media and millions know who you are is probably not a good look one way or another.

it's a weird vibe to be pulling for the prosecutor in a case suffused with racism but here we are

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Thursday, April 12, 2012 3:40 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah funny to see the right going to bat for a criminal suspect too

tbh i just want a fair trial, whatever that means or results in

^^otm. If the evidence is too f'ed up for a conviction, that's on the police and DA rather than Zimmerman.

my interest is primarily in the repeal of stand your ground; getting rid of a law that's gonna continue to get people killed is the only real good that can come of this imo

smh at R. Maddow saying that today made the TM story a case of national importance that she needs to make note of when the arrest actually decreases the importance of the story. Go back to making fun of Santorum.

... how does the arrest decrease the importance of the story

Presumably because she saw the story as being focused on the lack of charges and now that he's arrested the case is in the hands of the courts? Kind of a shortsighted perspective imo.

Er I think I misread that. Shift gender pronouns around as necessary

Fleeing the country on a murder charge when you're in the heart of the media and millions know who you are is probably not a good look one way or another.

What's sort of wacky is that this guy has had several weeks to legally leave the state, country or pretty much go anywhere he wanted to go, until yesterday.

i didn't hear what maddow said but that kind of thing is common shop talk among journalists; you're not really supposed to say it in public though (and in this case i think she'd be wrong because this case has already become about more than just the lack of arrest)

according to what President Keyes wrote, that's not what Maddow said

what Maddow said: "This arrest makes the case of national importanance"
Keyes' reaction: "smh @ u, the arrest makes the case less important; stick to making fun of buffoons rather than talking about the redress of actual social injustice"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/04/11/Interactivity/Images/2012-04-10T233610Z_01_KB118_RTRIDSP_3_USA-FLORIDA-SHOOTING.jpg

kinda love this photo. grumpy old liberal grandma protestors are like my favorite kind of protestor.

ah got it DJP

grumpy old liberal grandma protestors

except that lady looks like she's in her 30s or 40s.

Look in Trayvon's eyes in the poster she is holding, then shift your eyes first right, then left.

the missing part is that maddow basically said she hadn't been covering this story that much until now (for whatever reason)--but now that there's been an arrest it's become a national story. (???)

So the whole "no one is arresting this guy" thing was less important than "Santorum lol" for the past month, but now that public pressure (from elsewhere) has resulted in an actual arrest (a rare case perhaps of the justice system actually working) she has deemed it important enough to cover--just coincidental that it happened right after the GOP race ended.

so is anybody else following zimmerman on twitter?

i'm pretty sure (?) it's real and its nuts and weird and sad

George Zimmerman ‏ @Real_Geo_Zimmer Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
I know the charges & predict this: It will not be enuf 2 satisfy blood lust of BPP; there will be riots and violence in Sanford 2night.

George Zimmerman ‏ @Real_Geo_Zimmer Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
Whites in Sanford & surrounding areas, listen up: You need to get out now. Or be armed and ready to use it.

George Zimmerman ‏ @Real_Geo_Zimmer Close
The guy who wanted to burn the Koran is holding a rally for me. Not sure this will help.

You down with BPP?

I have a hard time believing that's real.

The guy who wanted to burn the Koran is holding a rally for me. Not sure this will help.

slight lol in the sadness there

I have a hard time believing that's real.

yeah rly. he's tweeting from jail...?

and yeah, i have no opinion on whether or not that's real. it seems too mundane to be fake, but who knows.

George Zimmerman ‏ @Real_Geo_Zimmer Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
At least my cell has wifi! #wwfaddict

eh my skepticism was due to my disbelief that his lawyer would tolerate this, but he's george zimmerman, who am I kidding?