17y/o Killed By Neighborhood Watch/CHL

[Oldgringo]

I'll tell youone thing. This has made me reconsider the old advice to be the first to call the cops.

No matter how honest your local cops are, and how decent the elected prosecutor is, it doesn't matter any more. Racist lynch mobs can threaten to riot and you will be denied justice. Politically motivated evildoers will smear you in public and a "special" prosecutor and their kangaroo court can subvert your Constitutional rights for their personal and professional gain.

More and more it sounds better to fade into the night.

It is still best to call the cops first if you are in a shooting situation. Fading into the night would only make people think you were trying to hide something when they found you (and they WOULD find you.)

I think the fact that Zimmerman had called ahead of time is what it throwing the monkey wrench into this. He either engaged the guy, then backed away and was attacked (as he said), or he engaged Martin and then was losing the fight and shot him. Hopefully that will all come out clearly out in the trial. Had he not called, then the only evidence they would have had was the eyewitness testimony and his testimony that he was attacked and had to defend himself. It would have been much better. Same thing happened with Joe Horn; he darn near let his mouth on the 911 call cause him to go to jail over a justified shooting. The things that played into Horn's favor were the bad guys were ex-cons and illegals, not some young kid supposedly buying Skittles and a Iced Tea.

Here's the bottom line. Zimmerman made an error (actually more than one, but one big one); he should have never exited his vehicle. Once he had called 911 he should have given a description of Martin, kept an eye on Martin, and if he lost sight of the guy, so be it, then waited for the cops to arrive. If Martin had came to attack him in the vehicle, then he would have been possibly able to redial 911 if he had hung up already, and could have used his vehicle as a method of protection (escape or proof that Martin forced entry.) As it is, his following Martin and confronting him has thrown a gray shadow over who the actual aggressor was in this case and he is paying dearly for it.

So, as many have said, the CHL is not a Batman license; don't go toward a possible problem; and if you do have to defend yourself, don't let your mouth ruin a good shoot.

This! The only thing after this that I would say is that if the the stuff hits the fan to give as brief a statement to the police as possible, (he attacked me, I thought I was going to die, so I had to stop him). Then keep your mouth shut until you get an attorney.

Too long a statement, try this, "he/she tried to kill me"?

[mamabearCali]

Even better old gringo!

[baldeagle]

Isn't it interesting that now that Zimmerman has been arrested, the photos of both him and Trayvon have been changed? http://fxn.ws/IokyMB" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[redlin67]

This is just a thought. The prosecutor knew that she had to do something other than let GZ off, this would incite more racial accusations than are already there. With a 2nd degree murder charge there is a pretty slim chance that he would ever be convicted. Letting this go to court will at least be somewhat of an appeasement and may prevent the riots that would otherwise happen. Also, if she decided he was within his rights to use deadly force, GZ would never be able to go anywhere without the constant fear that he would be killed.

Of course, I am assuming that he is telling the truth. It sounds like he was a fantastic neighbor, giving up his free time to try to make his community safer. I have a hard time believing that he did any type of profiling.

Good Luck George

[apostate]

Here's an interesting analysis of the affidavit of probable cause.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp ... 4#47034974" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[OldCannon]

Letting this go to court will at least be somewhat of an appeasement and may prevent the riots that would otherwise happen.

You were joking, right?

[redlin67]

No, just wishful thinking. I know that if GZ walks, there is going to be a backlash from the brotherhood. In jail or out, George is going to be killed or live with the constant threat. If it is prison, then I guess at least the brotherhood will be happy. Al, Jesse and Obama have done severe damage to race relations in this country, and the media's coverage caused even more.

[Beiruty]

No, just wishful thinking. I know that if GZ walks, there is going to be a backlash from the brotherhood. In jail or out, George is going to be killed or live with the constant threat. If it is prison, then I guess at least the brotherhood will be happy. Al, Jesse and Obama have done severe damage to race relations in this country, and the media's coverage caused even more.

GX would simply move and have a new ID. GZ would ask a judge to have a new name, a new SS#, a new address and new life. 1 in 300,000,000, go find him.

Or, immigrate to another country and start fresh.

[gregthehand]

I think the 2nd degree murder charge won't hold up in court. Maybe if they had charged him with manslaughter. Therefore I *think* GZ will probably not be convicted on the state charge. Federal is another story. Either way he'll be broke and may have to agree to some book deal or interviews in order to have any kind of money to move.

If I was in a similar situation I wouldn't move out of country but would change my name and all ID numbers in order to stay hidden. Also he'll have to change his look. After that he could probably safely move to somewhere like Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Montana, somewhere remote like that, and start new.

[VoiceofReason]

We need a federal law making it easier to sue the news media and “public personalities” for amounts large enough to make a significant impact. The media and individual celebrities are totally out of control with the lies and distortions they print, broadcast and “tweet”.

The First Amendment has been distorted to the point that businesses and individuals no longer are accountable. Rights and responsibilities should go hand in hand. The right to free speech and a free press should also mean the responsibility to tell the truth.

This latest “feeding frenzy” by the media, politicians, and celebrities concerning George Zimmerman is just one instance in many recent attacks on individuals and organizations.

One example. The following is a quote from the Brady Campaign.

“The proposed George Zimmerman Armed Vigilante Acts (S. 2213 and S. 2188), would force virtually every state to allow Zimmerman, and dangerous people like him, to legally carry loaded and hidden handguns in our communities.”

Makes me want to upchuck. If found not guilty, should be able to sue those jerks and get 10 or 15 million.

As a matter of fact if found not guilty he should end up one of the richest people in the U.S.

[ScooterSissy]

Here's an interesting analysis of the affidavit of probable cause.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp ... 4#47034974" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As I said in another thread, this is an important part of what was said by Dershowitz:

everything in the affidavit is completely consistent with the defense of self-defense

And I honestly believe that's what's going to get Zimmerman off. Unless something is presented that doesn't fit what has already been described, there is going to be reasonable doubt. Dershowitz is saying there's not even probable cause, but there is definitely going to be reasonable doubt.

Barring some major changes, this could be anything from a dismissed case (no probable cause), to a hung jury (which I think is the worst case scenario for Zimmerman, unless he appeals).

Don't forget, all it takes is one person firm in their belief that there is reasonable doubt to hang a jury.

The interesting thing will be to see how much money the state of Florida is willing to spend for multiple hung jury trials. In other words, how determined they are to perpetuate this farce.

[OldCannon]

The interesting thing will be to see how much money the state of Florida is willing to spend for multiple hung jury trials. In other words, how determined they are to perpetuate this farce.

Let's also not forget the cost the state of Florida will have to bear by the cleanup caused when the "Hang Him" crowd won't get the results they demand.

No matter how you slice it, it's gonna cost Florida a bunch of money.

[RPB]

here's a link to the actual affidavit if interested
http://media.trb.com/media/acrobat/2012-04/69353440.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If I were the Judge, I'd recuse myself since she has reason to, and get out of the spotlight on this one.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/os-g ... 5064.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My husband works for a lawyer who'll do case commentary for CNN

Judge in Zimmerman case may have conflict
http://www.wmctv.com/story/17411176/hea ... nn-analyst" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[XinTX]

On a slightly related note, a young lady came by canvassing for a candidate for the TX House race here. She asked what I thought was important. I mentioned the GZ case and told her, in light of this, TX needs to strenthen protections for individuals who are in a position of having to defend themselves. The economy is going to get worse, and the Occupy hippies are going to start rioting this summer. So a lot more people will be placed in a situation where they will need to defend themselves. Both against the bad guys as well as some prosecutor looking to make a name for themselves.

I have a co-worker who is by not a 2A guy. Kind of left wing. But even he thinks the prosecution of GZ is just a response to mob rule. He even stated "what's the difference between that and the banana republics?" to which I have no refutation.

[VoiceofReason]

I'll tell youone thing. This has made me reconsider the old advice to be the first to call the cops.

No matter how honest your local cops are, and how decent the elected prosecutor is, it doesn't matter any more. Racist lynch mobs can threaten to riot and you will be denied justice. Politically motivated evildoers will smear you in public and a "special" prosecutor and their kangaroo court can subvert your Constitutional rights for their personal and professional gain.

More and more it sounds better to fade into the night.

It is still best to call the cops first if you are in a shooting situation. Fading into the night would only make people think you were trying to hide something when they found you (and they WOULD find you.)

I think the fact that Zimmerman had called ahead of time is what it throwing the monkey wrench into this. He either engaged the guy, then backed away and was attacked (as he said), or he engaged Martin and then was losing the fight and shot him. Hopefully that will all come out clearly out in the trial. Had he not called, then the only evidence they would have had was the eyewitness testimony and his testimony that he was attacked and had to defend himself. It would have been much better. Same thing happened with Joe Horn; he darn near let his mouth on the 911 call cause him to go to jail over a justified shooting. The things that played into Horn's favor were the bad guys were ex-cons and illegals, not some young kid supposedly buying Skittles and a Iced Tea.

Here's the bottom line. Zimmerman made an error (actually more than one, but one big one); he should have never exited his vehicle. Once he had called 911 he should have given a description of Martin, kept an eye on Martin, and if he lost sight of the guy, so be it, then waited for the cops to arrive. If Martin had came to attack him in the vehicle, then he would have been possibly able to redial 911 if he had hung up already, and could have used his vehicle as a method of protection (escape or proof that Martin forced entry.) As it is, his following Martin and confronting him has thrown a gray shadow over who the actual aggressor was in this case and he is paying dearly for it.

So, as many have said, the CHL is not a Batman license; don't go toward a possible problem; and if you do have to defend yourself, don't let your mouth ruin a good shoot.

Keith,

Per your post;

It is still best to call the cops first if you are in a shooting situation. Fading into the night would only make people think you were trying to hide something when they found you (and they WOULD find you.)

There are thousands of unsolved murders (6,000 is the most prevalent number I have seen) in the U.S. every year. Bernhard Goetz (the New York "Subway Vigilante") would probably not have been caught and would be a lot better off if he had not turned himself in. I am not advocating “fading into the night”, just pointing out that contrary to what we want to believe, some criminals doget away with their crimes.

So, as many have said, the CHL is not a Batman license; don't go toward a possible problem; and if you do have to defend yourself, don't let your mouth ruin a good shoot.

Personally, if necessary, I would call 911 then do what I believe is necessary. I could not live with myself if I walked away or just stood and waited for the police while someone was stabbed to death. That would be the case even if I was not carrying at the time.

As far as the “lynch mob”, this will become more prevalent as long as good people do nothing except complain. , People should be demanding that the “black separatists” that offered the $10,000 reward be arrested but people will be content to think “it does not affect me so why get involved ?”.