"...black-on-black crime is a serious problem in this country. Yoohoo, Reverend Jackson? Anybody home?"

Forget it - without the "racism" aspect, you can't generate outrage. Without outrage, you can't make money. Also: if it's not a racial issue, the white progressives don't have anything to feel guilty about.

Many years ago, Bill Cosby tried to get blacks interested in fixing the problems with urban black culture. He was resoundingly ignored.

OK, it's not that this isn't tragic... especially if it turns out that Zimmerman WAS just a racist vigilante gun-happy psycho.

BUT

Even if that's true, and yes it is horrible... is it really the most important news story in America right now?

It's just as tragic if Zimmerman acted in self defense. You really ought not have to go through life with a bounty on your head, especially if you're innocent. Mob justice isn't famous for justice.

I thought I was the only person in America waiting for facts to make up his mind. Even in Syracuse we've got the perpetually outraged taking to the streets - about something that happened in Florida. Meanwhile, there is silence about the last young man shot down on the streets here, and it will be followed by silence when the next one is killed. Race hustlers can't make those narratives work. Move on.

The DA falsely accused in the Tawana Brawley case, Steven Pagones, is still waiting for an apology from Al Sharpton, but that doesn't stop some people from listening to Sharpton. I have less tolerance for liars than most, I see.

>>You really ought not have to go through life with a bounty on your head, especially if you're innocent.

In my mind,Zimmerman lost all claim to innocence when he continued to stalk Trayvon after the police dispatcher told him it was not needed. And when he got out of his car. His actions likely put Trayvon in a state of fear where Trayvon felt he was defending himself from a stalker. In fact both men could easily have been in fear for their lives, but Zimmerman is the one who caused the situation to occur.

Zimmerman may not go to jail, but I predict he will lose the inevitable wrongful death lawsuit.

Personally, I care way more about what the SUpreme court is doing.
I want to know if next year the gov't will require me to buy an electric car, for my own good.

As to the Travon-Zimmerman stuff, I'm more interested in the obvious media bias shown with which pictures of each is shown.

It's news because it's such a rare occurence.
The most significant thing for me about this case is the call to review the "stand-your-ground-" type gun laws. Martin may have been a bit of a screw-up, but everything I've read indicates that Zimmerman WAS a "racist vigilante gun-happy psycho" who should go to trial for manslaughter, at a minimum. But the lefties are using this as a rallying cry for more gun control and pushback of self-defense laws.

I am another one that will wait and see what the investigation reveals.

We had a somewhat similar shooting in my area not long ago. I bet it didn't make the national headlines since both shooter and shootee were white. Tragic and unfortunate, yes. Stupid actions of both parties escalated the situation well past where it needed to be ending up in a death.

Sorry but good gun handling means you NEVER get within range where your firearm could be grabbed by the other guy. Never, ever, ever.

Why does every mainstream media source, including Fox, call the shooter "a white Hispanic"?

Why does every mainstream media source, including Fox, call the shooter "a white Hispanic"?

He's bi-racial, like the current President. A fact a helluva LOT of people seem to like to "forget". How conveeeeenient.

I'm waiting to see how this thing shakes out too, and I'm betting it won't be pretty.

Oh, and gun control? Means using BOTH hands.

@damaged justice: Because Hispanic can be any color- my Dominican buddy is hispanic and black. Mexican aristocrats tend to be white. Usually when people say "white" they mean "Anglo." Even if he didn't have an anglo Dad, he'd still be white (but hispanic) for census purposes. Notice that now, when you're filling out forms that ask about your race, one of the options is "White-non-hipanic." There's never a "brown" option. You're either white, black, asian/pacific islander, american indian, or "other."

On the FBI uniform crime report,if a Hispanic is a victim of a "hate" crime, they are listed as "hispanic" for statistical purposes. If they are the perpetrator of a "hate" crime, they are listed as "white" for statistical purposes. I am sure there is no nefarious reason for this. None whatsoever.
Well, I offer to the libs my best wishes this turns out well - that this is finally, finally, FINALLY the one that doesn't fall apart and you get the racist murder you have been hoping for, but history tells me I'll just wait for the facts to come out. When they do, may everybody get what they deserve, whatever that is.
Too bad the mob never does.
Most instructive will be wacthing what others do. I will be taking notes on the conduct of my betters, and paying particular attention to who stands for facts and procedure, and who doesn't.

Of course, the truth is, there's little fame or profit in race-baiters Jackson and Sharpton speaking out against the epidemic of black-on-black crime or the epidemic of unwed motherhood in the black community -- which is also higher than in any other group in America.

The truth is that it's easy to take on white (or semi-white) suburbanites. Drug dealers and gang-bangers tend to shoot at people who are marching and demonstrating outside their houses.

> Mob justice isn't famous for justice.

Word

My memory tells me we have been here before. It has never ended well.

Dave Burge is awesome. Thanks for the link, Crid.

Here are the 2009 stats: http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/offenses/expanded_information/data/shrtable_06.html

3,518 white victims (2,963 white perps, 454 black perps, 40 other and 61 unknown perps)

2,867 black victims (209 white perps, 2,604 black perps, 13 other and 41 unknown perps)

I'll note that blacks make up 12.6% of the US population. And mostly, whites kill whites and blacks kill blacks with a modest amount of crossover.

But if you want another name of a young black man killed in Florida were his killers remain unarrested, I'll give you one: Robert Champion. His is a sad, sad tale and too long to get into here. Where's the protest, Jesse and Al?

I get annoyed with this story and others that complain that the victim "didn't deserve" whatever happened to them.

Most victims don't deserve whatever befell them.

Some victims though, could have minimized their risk and the negative result by being a lot smarter.

Like when a female college student wears a tube top and a micro mini to a frat party and then proceeds to drink herself stupid.

You need to always be looking out for number one.

In my mind,Zimmerman lost all claim to innocence when he continued to stalk Trayvon after the police dispatcher told him it was not needed.

And the police dispatcher was... who, exactly? With what legal authority?

It's bad enough that people think that the police *should* be unquestionably "obeyed" - but even if you want to believe that (and there's precious little legal precedent to hang that on except in the last few years), it's a lot harder to say that about the dispatcher.

Continued to stalk? The current latest from the eyewitness was that Martin approached Zimmerman from behind.

In fact both men could easily have been in fear for their lives, but Zimmerman is the one who caused the situation to occur.

Based upon what, do you say that, Assholio? What reports/events?

ahw:

but everything I've read indicates that Zimmerman WAS a "racist vigilante gun-happy psycho" who should go to trial for manslaughter, at a minimum.

Yes, that is the dominant media paradigm that's being undermined more and more by those pesky facts.

Laura:
Sorry but good gun handling means you NEVER get within range where your firearm could be grabbed by the other guy. Never, ever, ever.

The apparently scene was Zimmerman was on his back, after being punched in the face, his nose broken, and with his head being slammed into concrete.

And people like ahw and Assholio are *still* saying that it was unconscionable that Zimmerman shot him.

Had he fired at the first confrontation, what do you think they'd have said then?

Facts! I don't need no stinkin facts. I listen to MSNBC. The white mexican murdered the innocent and harmless little boy.

You can't even believe the police report - it didn't even mention the little kid's skittles and tea.

The 17 year old Muslim girl also trips all my alarms re being a liar. There is no way that I trust what she is putting out. Still, ultimately, I am only guessing. For instance, she might be a grieving teenager who was caught in an emotionally depleted moment, yet felt compelled to try and conjure up an emotional show for the television camera, resulting in her coming off as a big liar. Still, for the sake of justice, I hope police do a thorough investigation.

I could go all "brian" on a terrorist. It would take a lot for me to see a woman as a terrorist. I would go for the husband, not the wife, as my first choice. This does not sound right.

Annie has her tits out for this one...

I (sincerely) wish her the best of luck. When the only thing you know is that you're working with the limited information provided by 19th-century media in the 21st century, these are courageous thing for her to say.

...Unless, y'know, she's RIGHT.

I like this quote from the late great Booker T. Washington:

"There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs and the hardships of the Negro race before the public.

Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances because they do not want to lose their jobs.

There is a certain class of race-problem solvers
who don't want the patient to get well."

What's ridiculous is i posted this quote on www.sj-r.com during a discussion that was very respectful on both sides, and the moderators deleted it because it used the word "negro." That was beyond stupid... it was from a scholar from a century ago. Not like it was anything offensive. Just goes to show the mindset.

I like this quote from the late great Booker T. Washington:

"There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs and the hardships of the Negro race before the public.

Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances because they do not want to lose their jobs.

There is a certain class of race-problem solvers
who don't want the patient to get well."

What's ridiculous is i posted this quote on www.sj-r.com during a discussion that was very respectful on both sides, and the moderators deleted it because it used the word "negro." That was beyond stupid... it was from a scholar from a century ago. Not like it was anything offensive. Just goes to show the mindset.

Yeah, but your blogname is goofy and emotionally manipulative.

Wait I know Zimmerman is not a hispanic last name but I thought he was hispanic? or mixed race? some sources say he is "white hispanic" whatever the hell that means.

I see have so many "Why isn't this story being told?"

I don't if the guy should ultimately be convicted or even for what (manslaughter? murder?). It does seem ridicules that he has not been arrested. I mean from the 911 recording we know he was moving forward (not standing his ground) and I don't know of any reason to believe something changed there. Ultimately he may be able to convince a jury it was self defense. But the claim of self defense as to not be arrested at this point...

It does seem ridicules that he has not been arrested.

Why? He was detained and interrogated.

You've got to have reason to be arrested, and while you've already sentenced him, there is that pesky bit of a due process in the way of you and Spike and Roseanne...