Geraldo: We Need Hoodie Control

Everyone has an opinion on the Trayvon Martin shooting, many of them surprisingly dumb:

Geraldo Rivera said Friday he would “bet money” that Trayvon Martin wouldn’t have been fatally shot if the teenager hadn’t been wearing a hoodie, and the Fox News host’s comments immediately drew a fierce response, with one critic branding him a “moron” on Twitter.

“I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies,” Rivera said on “Fox & Friends.” “I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.”

Once again I'll go where no one dares to do. Every day young black men are shot to death...most often by other young black men, and yet I don't see "Million Hoodie" marches or calls for justice for them. I also don't hear Obama talking about how if he had a son they'd look like them. Iowahawk posted this on Twitter:

While we're all soul-searching about Trayvon, let's also soul-search about 100 nameless Chicagoans since Jan 1. homicides.redeyechicago.com

So why is this case suddenly inspiring such angst? Is it about racism? Well, maybe, but I'm sure many Democrats are despondent over the fact the shooter was Hispanic and not white. That makes the racism charge a lot more tricky since Democrats are desperate to avoid angering the Hispanic community.

I've noticed that most of the media reports I've seen refer to the shooter by name, George Zimmerman, but rarely if ever refer to the fact he's Hispanic.  If he was white don't you think that would be mentioned in every report?  Of course it would.  I'll bet the activists are thrilled the shooter's last name isn't Hernandez, or something else that would be easily identified as Hispanic.

No, what this story is about is gun control. Lefties hate the idea that a citizen can carry a lethal weapon and if threatened, according to Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, use it to defend himself. In lefty land only the police, military, and prominent liberals are allowed to have guns and the average citizen has no right to self defense.  This story will be used to try and get the Florida gun law overturned.  Justice for Trayvon is not the ultimate goal - disarming Floridians is the ultimate goal.

I've noticed that the cries for justice are always one-sided toward Martin, but true justice means justice for ALL, including the shooter.  It means doing our best to investigate what we can about the incident, and if charges can be justified and PROVEN, bring them.  Otherwise, justice demands that the shooter be left alone.  Perhaps this is why the police have been reluctant to press charges:

Before an officer arrived, Trayvon and Zimmerman got into a fight, according to police, and witnesses heard one or both calling for help, and Zimmerman shot Trayvon once with a 9 mm handgun.

Zimmerman told police he acted in self-defense. Police found blood on his face and the back of his head as well as grass on the back of his shirt.

That jibes with what Cheryl Brown's teenage son witnessed while walking his dog that night. Thirteen-year-old Austin stepped out his front door and heard people fighting, he told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday.

"I heard screaming and crying for help," he said. "I heard, 'Help me.' "

It was dark, and the boy did not see how the fight started, in fact, he only saw one person, a man in a red shirt — Zimmerman — who was on the ground.

The boy said he is not sure who called for help. After a moment, his dog escaped, and he turned to catch it and a few seconds later heard a gunshot, he said.

"When I heard the shot, the screaming stopped," he said.

He then rushed inside and told his sister to call police.

In his letter, Robert Zimmerman wrote that what happened that night was "tragic … and very sad for all concerned. The Martin family, our family and the entire community have been forever changed."

George Zimmerman has not talked publicly about what happened, his father said, because that's the advice police gave him. Both Zimmerman families have moved out of their homes, at least temporarily, Robert Zimmerman said, because they've received death threats.

Police on Tuesday turned the case over to the State Attorney's Office, saying they did not have evidence to justify George Zimmerman's arrest on a charge of manslaughter.

We don't know exactly how it started, but if Zimmerman ended up in a fight in which he was fearful for his life, the shooting will probably be justified under Florida law.

Some on the left are trying to condemn Republican candidates for not speaking out on the issue.  There's simply no benefit to GOP candidates to get involved in this.  We're not going to win over black votes by speaking out against the shooter, especially since when we still don't really know what happened.  If a candidate is asked about it, here's the answer they should use:

Thanks for asking. It's a tragic situation, but one that still requires a lot of investigation. I'm confident the law enforcement resources that are working on this case will do everything they can to ensure justice for all parties involved.  Until we know all the facts, it wouldn't be appropriate to speculate on what the outcome might be.

Anybody want to hire me as communications director? I know this stuff. That answer would take a lot of the fire out of the left's accusations. After all, aren't they asking for justice?

As long as the left can gin up anger on this story and distract from more important issues, they'll keep it alive.  However, we are suppose to be a nation of laws, not emotions, and we would all be wise to remember that.

UPDATE: Romney's statement almost sounds like I wrote it:

"What happened to Trayvon Martin is a tragedy. There needs to be a thorough investigation that reassures the public that justice is carried out with impartiality and integrity."

Well done, Mitt.