Who do you think is VJ's biggest GZ supporter?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I think he'll get manslaughter now. The judge thinks it will be a good compromise instead of the all or nothing. No way he was ever going to be convicted on 2nd degree murder chargers, but manslaughter may be a different story. There will be an uproar no matter what the verdict.

Are you for real??? That's what I was trying to explain to you for the past few days and you dismissed my points as being out on the fringe. You owe me an apology.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

i don't think it's stupid. it's about popular culture and basic stereotypes more than it is a particular person 'respecting' a killer. important to understand that - overall - white mass killers like lanza and holmes receive cult status from the media. anyone with eyes and cable tv knows this is true. if gz had been black - and killed a white kid, he would most certainly have been villified first and foremost by the media. there would be none of this 'responsible gun owner' or ' neighborhood watchman just trying to do the right thing'. we would be comparing gz to various rappers and further justifying white america's fear of black men on every media outlet.

and of course, if gz had been black and tm was still his victim - we wouldn't care about any of it in the slightest.

There's another theme to this case and it has to do with carrying a gun for personal protection. Zimmerman represents all the paranoid, freaks who feel a false sense of security by carrying around a loaded gun and Martin represents all the unarmed fools who think their Bruce Lee moves give them the same legal protections of self defense that using a gun does.

[GandD 5,966]

There's another theme to this case and it has to do with carrying a gun for personal protection. Zimmerman represents all the paranoid, freaks who feel a false sense of security by carrying around a loaded gun and Martin represents all the unarmed fools who think their Bruce Lee moves give them the same legal protections of self defense that using a gun does.

Completely agree. I think this part drives all other parts on this site.

[mota bhai 2,675]

Are you for real??? That's what I was trying to explain to you for the past few days and you dismissed my points as being out on the fringe. You owe me an apology.

You are on the fringe, by definition. Wherever you are... that's the fringe. Ipso facto something or the other.

[decocker 7,198]

val is a total leftie nut. if she was a nut she'd be hanging wayyyy over to the left.

lots of room to breathe over on the left. if i know anything about nuts, it's that nuts need plenty of room to breathe. over on the right? those nuts are all kinds of restricted. poor little fellas

[RGinWA 816]

In death, any kid could be construed like they've done with Trayvon Martin.

An examination of ones youth exposes our imperfect selves.

I am a supporter of justice and not "just us".

[mota bhai 2,675]

lots of room to breathe over on the left. if i know anything about nuts, it's that nuts need plenty of room to breathe. over on the right? those nuts are all kinds of restricted. poor little fellas

[GandD 5,966]

An examination of ones youth exposes our imperfect selves.

Well said

I know I've been selectively quoting lots of people today but i'd appreciated not being reported Amri

Edited July 11, 2013 by GandD

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Are you for real??? That's what I was trying to explain to you for the past few days and you dismissed my points as being out on the fringe. You owe me an apology.

We didn't know there would be an option for manslaughter until this morning. He was tried for second degree murder and the prosecution had no chance of winning that one. Now you can sit tight and hope it's manslaughter so you can come back and tell us how you were right all along.

[mota bhai 2,675]

We didn't know there would be an option for manslaughter until this morning. He was tried for second degree murder and the prosecution had no chance of winning that one. Now you can sit tight and hope it's manslaughter so you can come back and tell us how you were right all along.

The legal beagle types are saying lesser charges are always included as a matter of course.

[B_J 2,752]

There's another theme to this case and it has to do with carrying a gun for personal protection. Zimmerman represents all the paranoid, freaks who feel a false sense of security by carrying around a loaded gun and Martin represents all the unarmed fools who think their Bruce Lee moves give them the same legal protections of self defense that using a gun does.

The theme to this case that got me interested is when the media created a racial issue when one wasn't necessarily there. When I first heard of the case, I was outraged. I've said before, I immediately thought of Amadou Diallo. For those who don't know, he was a young black man who matched the description of a serial racist. He was approached by plain clothes cops, and when he reached in his jacket for his wallet, the cops shot him - 41 times. He was armed with a wallet instead of skittles. However, in this instance, there was no fight, just him being shot.

When this was first reported, it was that a white neighborhood watchman shot a black teen armed with skittles. Nothing else reported about the incident. Just unarmed black teen shot, no mention of the fight. Then the phone call to the police was edited to make GZ appear racist. The race issue was manufactured by the media before they even reported about the actual facts. And then the media reported things that weren't even true. I went from being outraged about the incident, to outraged about the reporting.

I don't think I'm a gun nut. I don't carry a gun or even own a gun. I have shot a gun maybe 5 times in my life. But I'm not as tough as the guys on the left. I believe people have the right to defend themselves with a gun. And I definitely believe wimpy guys like myself and GZ have a right to defend ourselves with a gun.

But the media manufactured a race issue when it didn't need to. There are people who only know what they heard on the news the first day. There are those who believe that GZ stalked and killed TM simply because he was a black kid. That clearly is not the case but this is what the media created.

That's the only reason I became interested in the case not the gun issue but the deliberate misrepresentation by the media of what this incident was.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

The legal beagle types are saying lesser charges are always included as a matter of course.

That's been my understanding which is why I was a bit surprised when the defense argued this morning about NOT including any lesser charges.

[B_J 2,752]

That's been my understanding which is why I was a bit surprised when the defense argued this morning about NOT including any lesser charges.

And they'd done such a good job at winning the judge over to their side; I was totally surprised they lost that argument.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

That's been my understanding which is why I was a bit surprised when the defense argued this morning about NOT including any lesser charges.

The defense is almost certain they would beat the 2nd degree murder charges, which is why they have been portraying Zimmerman as a wimp, not the bouncer that used to beat up drunk women. Manslaughter is about fifty-fifty at this point. They just wanted to increase their odds, and the felony murder charge is throwing them for a loop.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

And they'd done such a good job at winning the judge over to their side; I was totally surprised they lost that argument.

The defense did a terrible job in pretty much all of the arguments that were had over procedural and evidence matters. How many times did West really upset the judge just over the last couple of days? He objected to the judge asking questions which the judge is clearly entitled to ask. She had to tell him three times that his objection is overruled. It was hilarious. But it's not particularly smart to pi$$ off the judge presiding over the case that you want to win.