George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who was cleared of all charges in the Florida shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, was stopped for speeding on a highway near Dallas, officials said Wednesday. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Less than a month after being acquitted of second-degree murder charges related to his killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman was reportedly caught speeding Wednesday, with a gun in the glove compartment of his vehicle. The incident took place in the town of Forney, Tex., TMZ reports.
Zimmerman, who informed police that the weapon was in the car shortly after being pulled over, was asked where he was going, to which he responded, “nowhere in particular,” according to the site.
This is the second time Zimmerman has been in the news since his trial ended on July 13.
Read More…
More on Trayvon Martin
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
ALEXANDRIA, VA — The death of Trayvon Martin is, of course, a devastating event for his family. That a 17-year-old boy returning from a visit to a nearby store for a snack should have his life taken is difficult to understand and accept. On many levels, the incident was, as President Obama has said, “tragic.”
Still, this event has provoked demagoguery that ignores the complex facts of the case itself and has provided an opportunity for provocateurs to proclaim that race relations in America are similar to those of the segregated Old South, as if the notable progress we have made in recent years had never happened.
The Deceptions
Consider some of the things we have heard.
* Jesse Jackson referred to the trial as “Old South Justice.” NAACP President Benjamin Jealous declared, “This will confirm for many that the only problem with the New South is it occupies the same time and space as the Old South.” He invoked the memory of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was killed in 1955 after supposedly whistling at a white woman “and whose murderers were acquitted.” An article in The Washington Post drew parallels between this case and that of Emmett Till, as well as the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, and the 1933 case of the Scottsboro Boys, nine young black men accused of raping two white girls.
* “Trayvon Benjamin Martin is dead because he and other black boys and men like him are seen not as a person but a problem,” the Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnick, the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, told a congregation once led by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
* In Sanford, Florida, the Rev. Valerie J. Houston drew shouts of support and outrage at Allen Chapel A.M.E. as she denounced, “the racism and the injustice that pollute the air in America. Lord, I thank you for sending Trayvon to reveal the injustice, God, that lives in Sanford.”
* One of those who organized demonstrations against the verdict and promoted the idea that our society is little better than it was in the years of segregation is the Rev. Al Sharpton, always ready to pour fuel on a fire, and now provided by MSNBC with a nationwide pulpit. How many today remember Sharpton’s history of stirring racial strife? In 1987, he created a media frenzy in the case of Tawana Brawley, a black teenager who claimed she was raped by a group of white police officers. A grand jury found that Brawley had lied about the event in Wappingers Falls, New York, and the case was dropped. The event that Sharpton used to indict our society for widespread racism never happened.
* In 1991, Sharpton exacerbated tensions between blacks and Orthodox Jews in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. A three-day riot, fueled by Sharpton’s inflammatory statements, erupted when a Guyanese boy died after being struck by a car driven by a Jewish man. At the boy’s funeral, Sharpton complained …read more
By NewsEditor
Rev. Dr. James David Manning uses a story from his past to help illustrate why Zimmerman “delivered justice to Trayvon and America.”
The mother of slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin and a prominent black lawyers’ organization are keeping up the pressure for repeal of “stand your ground” self-defense laws. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
A week after the Trayvon Martin verdict and a month before the autumn budget and debt ceiling battles, President Obama is saying the unsayable. During a NY Times interview about the social costs of growing income inequality he commented on Congressional Republicans who always criticize his use of executive authority by saying “some of those folks think I usurp my authority by having the gall to win the presidency.” What a quote. He put into words the unspoken thoughts of many frustrated Americans, like me: for some in Congress a black man in the White House remains an uppity who needs to be put back in his place. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Whatever one’s views on the Trayvon Martin controversy and jury verdict, two things are crystal clear. First, the racial divide in America, despite undisputed progress over the last decades, remains deep, wide, and extremely sensitive. Clearly, Americans of different ethnicities often view events through very different prisms. Second, the controversy exposes the limitations of the legal system in healing American’s racial wounds. While the law can, and should, do many things, it cannot do what matters most: changing hearts and minds. …read more
Source: The Christian Post
By Matt Barber
I am your humble servant. You have entrusted me with the tremendous honor and responsibility to serve you as president. I am not president of black America, Hispanic America, or white America. I am not president of liberal America or conservative America. I am president of the United States of America.
Regrettably, as a nation, we have become divided. I confess that I have contributed to this division. For this failure in leadership, I ask your forgiveness.
We were each created equal by a God of forgiveness. It is now time that we do as He commands, that we forgive one another as we are forgiven and that we come together, once and for all, as one America.
With this goal in mind, I ask that every American join me in praying for the family of Trayvon Martin. No parent should have to bury a child. I also ask that you join me in prayer for George Zimmerman and his family. This tragedy has taken an unimaginable toll on both families. Finally, I ask that you join me in praying for national calm and racial reconciliation.
Today, I will share with you certain truths that may be difficult for some to hear. But truths they remain.
First among these truths: The death of Trayvon Martin was a horrible tragedy.
But not all tragedies are crimes.
This case should never have gone to trial. Probable cause for charges of second-degree murder did not exist. Unfortunately, it has become evident that charges were filed based upon a purely political calculus, rather than upon the legal merits of the case. This is legal malpractice, and those responsible should be held accountable.
Before charges were even filed, I publicly and inappropriately said: “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.” This was irresponsible of me. It was a politically motivated abuse of the presidential bully pulpit. It presumed Mr. Zimmerman guilty until proven innocent. The implication was racially charged and cynical. To the extent that I may have contributed to the spurious filing of charges, I apologize to Florida. I also apologize to George Zimmerman, his family, and the American people.
Nevertheless, the trial did go forward and, after 20 days in court and 16 hours of thoughtful deliberation, a jury of George Zimmerman’s peers ultimately found him not guilty. Whether or not we agree, this is our criminal justice system, and the system worked as designed.
Justice was served.
Although none of us were there – and few can know for sure – the not guilty verdict indicates that the jury found, based upon the weight of the evidence, that this tragic shooting was, in fact, legally justified on self-defense grounds. This is true whether or not George overreacted by following Trayvon in the first place. Florida’s “stand-your-ground” law was never even triggered.
The jury further found, by all accounts, that at some point during their interaction, Mr. Martin turned, pursued, and attacked Mr. Zimmerman without legal provocation. This decision ultimately cost him his life.
How does this make sense? How could this have justified …read more
The Huffington Post has perfected the smear technique of expressing shock and anger at things that conservatives say which make complete sense and are factually based. “Hannity’s Awful Reaction To Obama’s Trayvon Martin Comments” was the headline over Fox News host Sean Hannity’s reaction to President Obama comparing himself to Trayvon Martin. Hannity said he wasn’t sure how to interpret Obama’s remarks because “he was part of the Choom Gang and he smoked pot and he did a little blow” and “we know that Trayvon had been smoking pot that night.”
Obama, of course, was not deliberately comparing himself to Martin because of their common interest in smoking dope. But the comparison by Hannity was not unreasonable, since Obama was in fact a heavy dope smoker, a member of what his biographer David Maraniss called the Choom Gang; and Martin was smoking dope before he was killed by George Zimmerman following a violent confrontation. Obama had also admitted doing cocaine, or “blow.”
It was an opportunity for Obama to say something important, such as that young blacks should avoid the drugs that got Martin into trouble, and that black parents should strive to keep their children out of trouble. Instead, Obama harped on racism.
The alleged “awful reaction” of Hannity would only be awful if Hannity had said something about Obama and Martin that was not true. But it is true and worthy of comment because of the effect that marijuana may have had on Martin the night he was killed. The subject came up during the Zimmerman trial.
The influence of marijuana in the Martin-Zimmerman confrontation has taken on more significance in the wake of the exchange that CNN’s Piers Morgan had with Martin’s friend, Rachel Jeantel:
Morgan: What about drugs?
Jeantel: Drugs. OK, weed, marijuana. In my area, we say weed. My area, we—for Trayvon, I can explain one thing, weed don’t do make him go crazy, it just make him go hungry.
Morgan: But he did—
(Laughter)
Jeantel: Like it’s the best thing I can say. It made him hungry.
Morgan: Did he take a lot of weed?
Jeantel: No.
Morgan: How much would you say?
Jeantel: Like twice a week.
Morgan: Twice a week?
Jeantel: Yes.
Morgan: Is that normal for teenagers in your community?
Jeantel: Yes. Real normal.
Writing in The New York Times on July 11 under the headline “Reefer Madness, an Unfortunate Redux,” a professor named Carl L. Hart ridiculed the idea that Trayvon Martin was aggressive and paranoid from smoking marijuana, and that his marijuana use led him to attack George Zimmerman. Hart, an associate professor of psychology at Columbia University, claimed there wasn’t enough dope in Martin’s system to affect his behavior.
But marijuana can have lasting effects on the brain, depending on how much he had been smoking and for how long. During the trial, Shiping Bao, the medical examiner who autopsied Trayvon Martin, testified that marijuana “could have” altered Martin’s mind and body the night he died.
A pro-marijuana website, “The Weedblog,” also ridiculed “the pot made him do it” line of attack on Martin. …read more
By NewsEditor
Bill O’Reilly opened his show Monday night by examining Obama’s Friday afternoon speech on race and the Trayvon Martin case. O’Reilly began by saying Obama was “correct in addressing the race issue” but then proceeded to hammer the president for failing to address the “real” problems facing the African-American community.
The acquittal of George Zimmerman for the death of Trayvon Martin has brought national attention to “stand your ground” laws. One concern is that there may be a race-based component to how the laws are applied in practice. …read more
Source: The Christian Post
Bishop T.D. Jakes was asked to weigh in on Tuesday on whether he thought President Barack Obama’s comments on Trayvon Martin after George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the teen’s shooting death were misdirected, considering the deadly violence plaguing his home city of Chicago. …read more
Source: The Christian Post
By hnn
Beyonce has urged supporters of Trayvon Martin to be inspired by the protests that followed the death of another black teenager, Emmett Till. She is only one of a number of Americans who have drawn a parallel between the two cases – though others point out there are major differences. So who was Till?
After attending an event in New York in memory of teenager Martin, who was shot dead in Florida, the pop singer wrote a message on her website.
“We have made so much progress and cannot allow hatred and racism to divide us,” she wrote. “When we all join together, people of all races, we have the power to change the world we live in. We must fight for Trayvon the same way the generation before us fought for Emmett Till.”
In the summer of 1955, the 14-year-old Till was far from home when his life ended in a most violent way, apparently for whistling at a white woman….
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University
By NewsEditor
This is the first known sighting of Zimmerman since his acquittal…
By Matt Cantor
Natural disasters, political scandals, and stories ranging from the Middle East to Trayvon Martin have diverted the national conversation away from the economy, and President Obama is launching an effort to bring it back. The administration is planning a new batch of speeches—up to six, with the first one… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Perceptions of the fairness of the U.S. justice system increasingly break down along racial lines, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.
In the poll, taken days after George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the death of Trayvon Martin, 68 percent of blacks, but just 25 percent of whites, say the American justice system is biased against black people.
“Although data … before the Zimmerman verdict was announced — show that in a number of instances, blacks have become more positive about the status of race relations in this country, that is apparently not the case in terms of whether the justice system in this country is biased against blacks,” wrote Frank Newport, Gallup’s editor-in-chief.
Read More…
More on Trayvon Martin
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
One must seriously weigh the decision to write about George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. But one must not miss the opportunity to talk about sin and how this case can bring the gospel to millions. …read more
Source: The Christian Post
Officials say George Zimmerman helped rescue four people from an overturned vehicle last week, just days after he was cleared of all charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
George Zimmerman, who has not been seen publicly since being acquitted in the murder of Trayvon Martin earlier this month, surfaced last week to rescue someone trapped in an overturned truck in Florida, police said Monday.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
It’s been a week since the jury found George Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder for the killing of Trayvon Martin. And it’s been that long since America has been unmercifully subjected to non –stop coverage of false indignation manifesting itself in “demonstrations,” self-righteous laments about the verdict’s implication, continued emotional manipulation of black Americans for political gain ($harpton, Jack$on, M$NBC, the NAACP, the president, Eric Holder, etc.) and so-called discussions about race and what it means to be “a black man in America.”
As a parenthetical, president Obama injecting himself- again- on Friday was particularly and expectedly disappointing. Rather than saying something constructive, seeking to extend a sense of calm regarding the situation, he did the exact opposite. But what else can one expect from a community organizer.
Now to be honest, all this talk about race is intentionally shortsighted, disingenuous to those who actually need to hear the tough talk surrounding race- namely black Americans, and self-serving of those who would benefit most- specifically the dishonest and soulless profiteers of the racial grievance industry.
And because of the proliferation of media attention regarding the “discussions about race” and its implications- especially in such a short period of time, I’m suffering from a diagnosed case of acute racial fatigue.
I’m sick and tired of hearing superficial “discussions” about race. Especially when that talk implicates whites and infantilizes blacks.
Actually I’m sick of “race,” period.
I’m tired of Trayvon Martin being compared to Emmett Till- which by extension projects upon contemporary America a racial ethos similar to that of 1955. Martin was no Till, period.
I’m tired of hearing that Martin sacrificed his life or that he was some kind of martyr. Please, already. Those making these comments deserved to be slapped and or openly ridiculed.
I’m tired of seeing the Rev. Martin Luther King photoshopped into a hoodie. This is nothing short of repulsive and it denigrates the memory of Rev. King’s contribution to racial justice. Our country shall forever be in debt to Rev. King; the same cannot and should not be said nor insinuated about Trayvon Martin.
I’m especially exhausted of hearing talk from condescending white progressives who enable and encourage blacks into maintaining their embrace (revelry) of the false narrative of victimization at the hands of “the system,” the amorphous, undefinable organism whose sole purpose is keeping blacks from “getting ahead.”
These embarrassing “demonstrations” happening across the county increase racial fatigue because those engaging in them do so at the expense of their dignity and credibility. These people have willingly ignored the facts and evidence of this case in a grandstanding attempt to keep whites responsible (guilty) for perpetuating racial discrimination and at the same time obligated to perform penance of indeterminate length- defined by the racial grievance industry- with no assurance of absolution.
And they do all of this in light of the black-on-black crime that is much more destructive and prevalent in America than a “white Hispanic” killing a black male.
The whole charade is disgusting.
And I’m tired of it.
This trial wasn’t about race. Martin’s family …read more
