Blog #4 3/29/12: ....AND JUSTICE FOR ALL? nah

As I sit here listening to Neil Young scream "keep on rockin' in the free world" and wearing my favorite blue, hooded sweatshirt, I recall the other night. It was around 8 or 9 o'clock and I suddenly got this undeniable urge for Reese's peanut-butter cups. I mean, really, can anyone fight that battle and win? I can't. So, I got up, walked to the local convenience store, and purchased a pack, the "BIG cups" of course. I think to myself now of what a luxury that is. If I get the urge for a snack, I can easily walk around the corner, wearing my favorite, comfy, hip, hooded sweatshirt, and not be bothered by a soul. To me, that's living in the "Free World." YOU know where I'm going with this, unless you have been living under a rock for the last month. Do I really need to ask the question? OK, fine. Why didn't Trayvon Martin have that same right? Oh I don't know, let me think for a second. You know what? We'll get back to that. Let's review what actually happened.
On Sunday evening, February 26th in Sanford, Florida, Trayvon Martin was enjoying the NBA All-Star Game with his family. Being a basketball fan myself, I also watched the first quarter of that game and it was quite a spectacle. Dunks and no-look passes were getting issued all over. During halftime, Trayvon went out for a snack and an Arizona iced tea for his stepbrother. I can only imagine the possible excitement and anticipation Trayvon was feeling to get back in time to catch the second half and see Kevin Durant, Lebron James, and Kobe Bryant continue putting on their show. While walking back, Trayvon realized that someone was following him. That someone was George Zimmerman. Zimmerman, a 28-year-old neighborhood watchman, was aware of many burglaries in the neighborhood. As a neighborhood watchman or woman should do, he contacted the police when he discovered a suspicious person walking down the street. The police instructed Mr. Zimmerman to let them deal with the situation. Did he do so? Nope. He followed the young man. Oh yeah, did I mention that Trayvon was 17-years-old? There was an apparent confrontation followed by George Zimmerman, in what he calls self-defense, shooting and killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Let's look at this situation. Zimmerman, 28, armed with a 9mm pistol, claims he was fighting in self-defense against a 17-year-old kid armed with Skittles and Iced Tea. Hmm, I'm no mathematician but that just doesn't add up. Then again, you don't have to be a mathematician to know that 4+1 does not equal 8. Let's also look at what Zimmerman was confronting him about. Some people's houses got robbed? People's houses get robbed everyday. Would you classify a thief as a murderer? Sure, there are some thieves who do murder but there are many stories of breaking and entering where once the thief realizes someone discovered their presence, they go running out the door. So, is it really worth pulling out a gun on a suspected burglar when you're not even sure you have the right person? The kid was walking down the street, on the sidewalk, at 8 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT, not 3 O'clock in the morning. If Trayvon was sneaking around people's yard, peaking into their windows, I would definitely be suspicious.
Who the hell is this guy anyway? Why does he feel like he's ABOVE the law? A neighborhood watchman? Come on dude, police officers are police officers for a reason. They are trained for situations like this. Oh, you want to be a police officer? Well, take your ass to the police academy. Until then, let the big boys handle it.

How about this guy Joe Oliver? Joe Oliver, an African-American, that's right, an African-American, claims to be close friends with George Zimmerman and is defending Zimmerman's claim of self-defense. Why am I pointing out Oliver's race? Well, guess what? I was gonna bring it up later but Trayvon Martin just happens to be an African-American child. Hey Joe. GET OFF THE STAGE! You are a traitor to your race. There's only one word involved in this case that sums it all up, "coon." Excuse me, but where I come from that is a word used in a hateful manner towards African-Americans. He might as well have said the "n" word. The word "coon" is almost worse. Just recently I watched an interview with Joe Oliver on an MSNBC telecast of "The Last Word" and Mr. Oliver got exposed for the phony that he is. If you haven't seen it, I highly suggest checking it out. Joe Oliver goes from being a close friend with George Zimmerman to just basically a co-worker who he might have share lunch. He even defended the use of the racial slur. HUH?!! "To me it's just a matter of interpretation of whether he is saying coon or goon," Oliver says. WHAT?!! He continues on with even more ridiculous nonsense.

"There are large parts of this country where people refer to themselves as 'coon-asses'." OK. Wait a minute. Stop it. "I don't know people younger than 40 who use that term as a racial slur." Please, just stop talking. "According to my daughter, the term 'goon' is a term of endearment." ENOUGH! ENOUGH! That's right folks. This came from an African-American man defending a man who shot and killed a defenseless, unarmed, African-American kid. Did someone just drop acid in my generic, HEB cola? Fortunately, Mr. Oliver got absolutely drilled into the ground. His credibility was flushed right down the toilet. Too bad he quit his job.
Then, there's "the hoodie." DUMB-DA-DUMB-DUMB!! ("Dragnet?")Are you kidding me?! Are we gonna stop selling hooded sweatshirts in retail stores now? Are we gonna ban them from our school system? Are we gonna create a law that prohibits hooded sweatshirts from being worn at night? Oh my goodness, will the hipsters be upset. Geraldo Rivera? SHUT UP! GO FIX ME TURKEY POT PIE.

But seriously folks, There are many opinions about this matter and there are many so-called facts coming out everyday on each side of the spectrum. The fact of the matter is that an unarmed, 17-year-old, African-American kid, carrying a bag of candy while walking home in a neighborhood at 8 o'clock at night was shot and killed by a 28-year-old, armed man, who has a history of anger management, shortly after he referred to the kid as a "coon." CASE CLOSED. Arrest him and throw him in prison. Oh yeah, did I mention that he hasn't been brought up on charges and he may walk free? Dang. I always forget the little things.










"Trayvon Martin Was Just Trying to Get Home to Watch the Second Half of the NBA All Star Game." - Democratic Underground. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. <http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002488295>.

"In Case You Missed It: George Zimmerman’s “Friend” Joe Oliver Exposed as a Fraud (videos) : Sandra Rose." In Case You Missed It: George Zimmerman’s “Friend” Joe Oliver Exposed as a Fraud (videos) : Sandra Rose. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. <http://sandrarose.com/2012/03/in-case-you-missed-it-george-zimmermans-friend-joe-oliver-exposed-as-a-fraud-videos/>.

"Join the Conversation." Examining the Facts in the Trayvon Martin Case – NextGen Journal. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. <http://nextgenjournal.com/2012/03/examining-the-facts-in-the-trayvon-martin-case/>.