A Liberal Online Site Examines the Trayvon Martin Case and Concludes George Zimmerman Acted in Self Defense

From the beginning of this case liberal groups were quick to call George Zimmerman a racist and bigot and accuse him of premeditated murder.  As evidence began to mount refuting those charges, most liberals still clung to the original narrative.  I seriously wondered if ANY amount of evidence would make a difference.

To their credit, TalkLeft, which advertises itself as "the online magazine with liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news", looked at everything that's known to date and has come to the conclusion that George Zimmerman acted in self-defense and the charge of 2nd degree murder is completely unfounded.

Needless to say, I'm astonished.  They have a lengthy post here that will give you a lot more details about the evening in question than I've seen so far.

Zimmerman Prosecutor Threatens to Sue Harvard Because of Criticism

This is a woman who does not understand the Constitution. Here's part of what Alan Derschowitz had to say:

State Attorney Angela Corey, the prosecutor in the George Zimmerman case, recently called the Dean of Harvard Law School to complain about my criticism of some of her actions.
She was transferred to the Office of Communications and proceeded to engage in a 40-minute rant, during which she threatened to sue Harvard Law School, to try to get me disciplined by the Bar Association and to file charges against me for libel and slander.

She said that because I work for Harvard and am identified as a professor she had the right to sue Harvard.

When the communications official explained to her that I have a right to express my opinion as “a matter of academic freedom,” and that Harvard has no control over what I say, she did not seem to understand.

This is why I doubt they'll ever get a conviction in this case. Zimmerman was overcharged, criticism that Derschowitz had made when the charges were announced, and the entire prosecution just smells of politics.

Trayvon Martin Had Been Smoking Marijuana The Night He Was Shot

He was in Sanford because he'd been suspended from school for possession of marijuana.  He apparently didn't learn anything from the suspension:

Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old who was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer, had the drug THC in his system the night of this death, according to new information obtained by ABC News....

The autopsy report shows traces of the drug THC, which is found in marijuana, in Martin's blood and urine.

The autopsy also shows that Zimmerman shot Martin from a distance of between 1 inch and 18 inches away, bolstering Zimmerman's claim that he shot Martin during a struggle that landed Zimmerman on his back, Martin straddling him and banging Zimmerman's head on the ground.

The autopsy also confirmed injuries to Martin's hand that was likely caused by a struggle.

The government's case is getting weaker by the moment.

The Case Against George Zimmerman Just Got a Lot Tougher

The claim of self defense in the shooting of Trayvon Martin just got a little easier to justify:

A medical report compiled by the family physician of accused Trayvon Martin murderer George Zimmerman and obtained exclusively by ABC News found that Zimmerman was diagnosed with a "closed fracture" of his nose, a pair of black eyes, two lacerations to the back of his head and a minor back injury the day after he fatally shot Martin during an alleged altercation.

Zimmerman faces a second degree murder charge for the Feb. 26 shooting that left the unarmed 17-year-old high school junior dead. Zimmerman has claimed self defense in what he described as a life and death struggle that Martin initiated by accosting him, punching him in the face, then repeatedly bashing his head into the pavement.

Also today, a trove of documents are being examined by lawyers for both the defense and prosecution as part of discovery in Zimmerman's trial -- including 67 CDs worth of documents, video of Martin on the night of the shooting, his autopsy report and videos of Zimmerman's questioning by police.

Zimmerman's three-page medical report is included in those documents that the defense could use as evidence.

Oh, and there's more.  Martin had scrapes on his knuckles when he died, undoubtedly from hitting Zimmerman.

There was a report that the FBI was considering hate crimes charges against Zimmerman. There's not a chance they could get a conviction on that, but it's Eric Holder's way of appeasing the race pimps.

Bottom line - I think Zimmerman walks on all charges.  At worst it's a hung jury.

20 Years Since the Big Los Angeles Urban Renewal Project

Twenty years ago today I was driving my family from Oklahoma City to Springdale, AR to meet my cousin's family for dinner.  About the time we arrived in Springdale the jury on the Rodney King beating trial was delivering their verdict on the LAPD officers involved:  Not Guilty.

My reaction:  I'm okay with that.  If you're going to drive drunk at over 100 mph risking untold lives in the process you probably deserve to get your butt beaten.  The message apparently didn't get through to King since he's been in and out of trouble in the 20 years since.

However, I apparently did not represent the majority view, at least not in Los Angeles.  Within minutes people looking for an excuse to steal stuff and burn buildings were taking to the streets.  My guess is that 99% of them couldn't care less about Rodney King - this was just a chance at a free TV or some tennis shoes.  Because we were busy with our family visit and taking the kids swimming in the hotel pool, I didn't get to see much coverage that night as things started going crazy in LA.

The next day we headed north with plans to spend a day or two with a friend in Nixa, MO.  We stopped for lunch in Neosho, MO where they had CNN on TV in the Wendy's, and for the first time I really began to understand the scope of what was going on back home.  The TV showed multiple fires, roving bands of thieves and vandals, and general lawlessness infecting large sections of Los Angeles.  What I found out later was that truckloads of armed men had been seen heading toward the Beverly Hills area where I had three bank branch locations I supervised.  The company had to close those branches and pull our people out of there to keep them safe.  Some of them were actually safer at the branch because of problems in their neighborhoods.

The creeps tearing things up weren't very bright.  They managed to burn down grocery stores and other businesses serving them in their own communities.  There were some areas where you had to drive 5 miles to buy a loaf of bread because everything was gone.  Real bright.

I managed to miss nearly all of it because of our vacation.  By the time I got back to work it was all over, but the city was changed forever.  It took mutual aid from many local police departments plus a serious show of force from the National Guard to calm everything down.  And it was months and even years before some of those affected areas were back to what they call normal.

One of the most impressive images from the riots was that of Korean shop owners who took to the roof of their businesses armed with rifles, shotguns and handguns and basically dared the rioters to try and hit their shops.  Those guys came away with their businesses and livelihoods intact while many around them suffered devastating losses.  Good for them.

NBC in Los Angeles has created a special Twitter account which will document the LA Riots as if Twitter existed at the time.  You can find it here.

As I've watched the whole Trayvon Martin travesty I can see this whole thing setting up to be another LA Riots, but this time on a national level.  The people who have been promoting incorrect and inflammatory racial angles on that shooting are hoping to create the kind of racial divide that resulted in the riots.  And they just might do it.  It could be a long, hot summer.

How to Achieve Racial Harmony

A good cartoon someone sent me:

"In the Navy, You Can Sail the Seven Seas, In the Navy...."

Cue the Village People:

A congressman wants the Navy to name a ship after slain San Francisco gay rights activist Harvey Milk.

Congressman Bob Filner, a San Diego Democrat, says naming a ship after Milk would be a great tribute to Milk, who served as a Navy officer in the 1950s.

Milk was shot to death on Nov. 27, 1978, while serving as a San Francisco supervisor.

We name Navy ships after places, famous battles, presidents, or great military heroes. We don't name them after murder victims.

The next thing you know they'll want the USS Trayvon Martin.

Apparently "Justice for Trayvon" Means It's Open Season on White People

This is just one of several incidents:

MOBILE, Alabama --
Tuesday 8:35 p.m.
Mobile police tell News 5 they still hope to make an arrest in the Matthew Owens case before the end of the night.

Owens was beaten Saturday night in front of his home on Delmar Drive. Witnesses, including Owens sister, say 20 black people attacked Owens with pipes, paint cans and chairs. Owens is still in ICU at USA Medical Center. Weaving in and out of consciousness, Owens told his brother Lloyd, "Don't let me die."

Police continue to downplay the Trayvon Martin connection to the beating. But a neighbor confirms what his sister told News 5. The neighbor, too scared to go on camera, told News 5's Lauren Vargas that they heard one of the suspects say "This is justice for Trayvon" as she drove away.

Tonight, an angry mother who lives on the street told News 5's Blake Brown that the kids who live on Delmar Drive are the real victims.

Yeah, the kids are the victims. Mr. Owens went to beating on the poor kids' pipes, paint cans and chairs with his head. He should have known better.

Every situation like this can be laid right at the feet of Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and every race pimp that's been trying to profit off the Martin case by inciting racial hatred.

UPDATE: Another "Justice for Trayvon" case.

Political Cartoon of the Day

It's been an ugly 30 days:

When Memes Collide

I love this so much (h/t Ryan):

Zimmerman Gets $150,000 Bond, Prosecution Embarrasses Themselves

The bond hearing for George Zimmerman has concluded.  The prosecution was completely embarrassing and the judge set a $150,000 bond.  Prosecutors wanted a million.  That tells you what the judge thought of their case.

Gun Control Quote of the Day

Michelle Obama decides to weigh in on the Trayvon Martin shooting:

'There Isn't A One-Shot Solution To This'...

Actually, I think there was.

Media Bias Cartoon of the Day

How true:

Another Take on the Zimmerman Criminal Affidavit

Andrew McCarthy, a career prosecutor, takes a look at the George Zimmerman criminal affidavit and finds it wanting:

I strongly disagree with David French’s analysis. I’m inclined, instead, to agree with commentators ranging from former Reagan Justice Department official Mark Levin to Harvard’s Alan Dershowitz that the affidavit is stunningly weak — “unethical,” as Prof. Dershowitz puts it. In fact, I go further (which, after nearly 20 years of writing and supervising the writing of complaint affidavits, I think I’m qualified to do). This affidavit is not law, it is agitprop: invoking, for example, the explosive term “profiled” but carefully avoiding any discussion of what it means and failing to note that (a) there is no evidence of racial profiling, and (b) absent an invidious racial component there is nothing wrong with profiling (indeed, we want police to do it so that innocent people don’t get hassled).

You can read his points at the link. He closes it with this paragraph that seems to confirm some of what I wrote yesterday:

If I were a cynic, I’d say that an ambitious special prosecutor — exploiting the rabble-rousing of the U.S. attorney general and the racial grievance industry — filed an exceedingly serious charge for which she lacks evidence, second degree murder, in order to bask in the mob’s adulation while pressuring Zimmerman to plead guilty to a lesser charge, manslaughter, on which the special prosecutor runs a high risk of losing if Zimmerman forces a trial. So I’m sure glad I’m not a cynic.

This is what I said yesterday:

My own feeling is that the prosecution had to charge Zimmerman with something that included the word "murder" to keep the neighborhood from going ape**** crazy and burning the place down. Had they charged him with negligent homicide or something along those lines, the race pimps would have gone nuts and incited a riot. This charge also takes the pressure off of Florida officials...for a little while.

I think what they've done is postpone the looting to a more convenient date.

Let's see what happens if this case ever gets to trial. There's still a chance that the entire thing could be challenged under the "Stand Your Ground" law and the case dismissed. That would be a gutsy move on the part of the judge who ordered that.

If it does make it to trial, I expect that 2nd degree murder, which requires a finding of intent, won't be the only option available to the jury. Expect them to be given the option of a lesser charge, because the prosecution won't want to put all their eggs in the 2nd degree murder basket. They know they won't get that. I personally think they expect to lose on 2nd degree but hope the jury will throw them a bone with a lesser charge that will keep the natives happy.

Yes, I'm a cynic, but I also know these people and the way they work.  Personally, I hope Zimmerman refuses to accept a plea deal and forces a trial.  He'll win, either through acquittal or a hung jury.  I don't see a downside in going to trial.

UPDATE:  John Lott's take on the affidavit is very similar to the two above:

The charges brought against George Zimmerman sure look like prosecutorial misconduct. The case as put forward by the prosecutor in the “affidavit of probable cause” is startlingly weak. As a former chief economist at the U.S. Sentencing Commission, I have read a number of such affidavits, and cannot recall one lacking so much relevant information. The prosecutor has most likely deliberately overcharged, hoping to intimidate Zimmerman into agreeing to a plea bargain. If this case goes to trial, Zimmerman will almost definitely be found “not guilty” on the charge of second-degree murder.

Read the rest of it here.

Harvard Law Prof: Zimmerman Arrest Affidavit Will Result in Aquittal

I'm no Harvard Law Professor, but I said basically the same thing earlier today (from Mediaite):

Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz appeared on MSNBC’s Hardball where fill-in host Michel Smerconish asked him his opinions of the arrest warrant issued and carried out for alleged Trayvon Martin murderer, George Zimmerman. Dershowitz called the affidavit justifying Zimmerman’s arrest “not only thin, it’s irresponsible.” He went on to criticize the decision to charge Zimmerman for second degree murder by special prosecutor Angela Corey as being politically motivated.

“You’ve seen the affidavit of probable cause. What do you make of it,” Smerconish asked. “It won’t suffice,” Dershowitz replied without hesitation.

“Most affidavits of probable cause are very thin. This is so thin that it won’t make it past a judge on a second degree murder charge,” Dershowitz said. “There’s simply nothing in there that would justify second degree murder.”

Dershowitz said that the elements that would constitute that crime are non-existent in the affidavit. “It’s not only thin, it’s irresponsible,” said Dershowitz.

Dershowitz went on to strongly criticize Corey’s decision to move forward with the case against Zimmerman. “I think what you have here is an elected public official who made a campaign speech last night for reelection when she gave her presentation and overcharged. This case will not – if the evidence is no stronger than what appears in the probable cause affidavit – this case will result in an acquittal.”

Or a hung jury, which I think is really the more likely result.

The Race Card Is Over It's Limit in the Trayvon Martin Case

Let's just say George Zimmerman was overcharged.  Second degree murder?  No way.  Looking at some of the information provided to support the charge the prosecution seems to be offering a completely different story than we've heard so far.  For instance, the complaint alleges that Zimmerman attacked Martin, and yet with the exception of the bullet wound Martin was untouched while Zimmerman had obvious injuries to his nose and the back of his head.  Even the funeral home director confirmed no other injuries on Martin.  The two don't add up.

My own feeling is that the prosecution had to charge Zimmerman with something that included the word "murder" to keep the neighborhood from going ape**** crazy and burning the place down.  Had they charged him with negligent homicide or something along those lines, the race pimps would have gone nuts and incited a riot.  This charge also takes the pressure off of Florida officials...for a little while.

I think what they've done is postpone the looting to a more convenient date.

Let's see what happens if this case ever gets to trial.  There's still a chance that the entire thing could be challenged under the "Stand Your Ground" law and the case dismissed.  That would be a gutsy move on the part of the judge who ordered that.

If it does make it to trial, I expect that 2nd degree murder, which requires a finding of intent, won't be the only option available to the jury.  Expect them to be given the option of a lesser charge, because the prosecution won't want to put all their eggs in the 2nd degree murder basket.  They know they won't get that.  I personally think they expect to lose on 2nd degree but hope the jury will throw them a bone with a lesser charge that will keep the natives happy.

However, it may never come to that.  The potential jury pool in South Florida has been hopelessly polluted by all the racially inflammatory coverage.  Zimmerman couldn't possibly get a fair trial there.  Even moving the case north won't guarantee that they can find a jury not already badly influenced one way or the other.  Since it's a state charge, moving it out of Florida is not an option.

If this ever does go to trial, I would give the chances of a hung jury at better than 75%.  The racial make-up of the panel will be critical.  Neither side will accept a panel too heavily Hispanic, White or Black.  And all it takes is one to hang a jury.  Zimmerman will be put through a very expensive wringer and it will all be wasted on the part of both parties.

And then after the case collapses, and especially if Zimmerman is found not guilty, expect Eric Holder to step in and file civil rights charges.  Anything to placate the race pimps.

NBC Fires Producer Who Tried to Turn George Zimmerman's 911 Call Into a Racist Rant

But they won't name him:

NBC News has fired a producer who was involved in the production of a misleading segment about the Trayvon Martin case in Florida.

The person was fired on Thursday, according to two people with direct knowledge of the disciplinary action who declined to be identified discussing internal company matters. They also declined to name the fired producer. A spokeswoman for NBC News declined to comment.

The action came in the wake of an internal investigation by NBC News into the production of the segment, which strung together audio clips in such a way that made George Zimmerman’s shooting of Mr. Martin sound racially motivated. Ever since the Feb. 26 shooting, there has been a continuing debate about whether race was a factor in the incident.

Yes, a debate fueled by misleading media reports, such as this NBC story, the ABC story that said Zimmerman didn't show any signs of injury that night (since corrected), and the story that Zimmerman used a racial epithet during his 911 call (also since corrected).

This NBC editing mess was not just an innocent error, it was an attempt to make the facts fit the already established narrative, and it blew up in NBC's face.

Preparing For the Sanford Riot

Trouble brewing:

The city of Sanford is preparing for the outcome of the special prosecutor's decision about George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin but has not been charged.

Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett said on Thursday that the city's emergency management team has met regularly with the U.S Department of Justice to construct a plan. Officials said extra police officers and fire department officials are on standby. Neighboring agencies have also been asked to assist, if needed.

"You always prepare for the worst and hope for the best," Triplett said. "We're planning for the 'what-if' case scenario, and that would be to make sure that all of our citizens get the protection they pay their taxes for."

You better prepare for the worst. Given the racially inflammatory press coverage of this case, if the special prosecutor declines to file charges the state and maybe several states will erupt.

The fact that the narrative of a racist "White-Hispanic" gunning down an innocent unarmed black kid has been destroyed by several revelations in recent days, there are those who will not believe the truth. They won't be satisfied with anything less than a murder charge.

However, think about this for a moment: Where in Florida could George Zimmerman possibly get a fair trial? Nowhere, and while this fact may not have been a factor in the early days when the District Attorney refused to file charges (based on a lack of evidence), it's certainly a factor now that Zimmerman has been publicly lynched by the media. The special prosecutor knows that the evidence to support a criminal charge is thin at best, and the chance of a fair trial is non-existent. Filing charges on the basis of political correctness would be a travesty of justice.

This thing ain't over, that's for sure.

Tale of Two Videos

Five days ago from ABC:

Trayvon Martin Video Shows No Blood or Bruises on George Zimmerman.

Today from ABC:

George Zimmerman: Enhanced Video Shows Injury

If you go to the first story you will see no sign of correction or link to the second story. They're apparently happy to leave that first story out there.

Zimmerman Family Tells NAACP To "Call Off the Dogs"

Gutsy move by the family of George Zimmerman:

In a letter obtained exclusively by The Daily Caller on Monday, a family member of George Zimmerman ripped Seminole County, Fla. NAACP president Turner Clayton for a rush to judgment in the Trayvon Martin case.

“It’s time for you to end the race issue in this matter and call for cooler heads to prevail,” the letter reads. “If something happens to George as a result of the race furor stirred up by this mischaracterization of George there will be blood on your hands as well as the rest of the racists that have rushed to judgment. You need to call off the dogs. Period. Publicly and swiftly.”

George, the letter adds, “has been called a racist and a bigot and there have been very few that have stood up for him.” The letter was addressed to Clayton at the NAACP’s national headquarters in Baltimore.

The family member, whose identity TheDC has confirmed but is withholding out of concern for the Zimmerman family’s safety, said George Zimmerman “has been found guilty” in the court of public opinion “until proven innocent,” adding that the details of what happened on Feb. 26 — the night Zimmerman shot Martin in what he claims was self-defense — “will not be disclosed until the police report is made public.”

“Regardless of this fact, George Zimmerman has been hiding for his life because of the death threats made against him by the black community … all of our family is in hiding and frankly scared by the threats,” the family member wrote in the letter dated March 26, but shared with TheDC on Monday.

“There has been an unprecedented rush to judge George regardless of the facts. The black community as a whole has turned their backs and blindly followed the furor stirred up by self-proclaimed leaders of your community. These leaders have rallies and chant horrible things of a person they know nothing about.”

This weekend the NAACP called out Al Sharpton and now the family is calling out the NAACP. Somebody needs to call out everybody and tell them to calm down and let the system do its thing.