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800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
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But regardless of specifics, it seems pretty clear that Zimmerman was looking for trouble. Carrying a gun and following someone around even after being told by 911 to stop and let authorities deal with it? Regardless of the trial outcome, he sure got the trouble he was looking for, and then some. He'll never feel safe again, which is ironic given his (claimed) motivations.
But then again, it's a criminal case and the best thing to do is just shut the fuck up. Bail isn't abnormal in a case like this, he has very little of a record, and without a gun, he only poses a threat to himself: Prediction; Zimmerman will commit suicide within 30 days.
Hypothetically speaking.
And @3: there were more than two witnesses (Zim. and Martin), as anyone who had been keeping barely abreast of the case would know. Honestly, I think Zim. thought he was helping make his community safer by patrolling, and is probably a paranoid twat, which is why he carried the gun. Why would someone looking to shoot a kid call 911 before he did it, and ask them to come help him?
This does not excuse what he did of course, but I do not think he got in his car that night hoping to kill someone.
But in the middle of a street? After you've already called 911? After you've followed him when you've been told not to? After you could have quite easily pulled the gun and told him not to move? That's manslaughter at least - which is the charge the prosecution should have gone for, since they'd be much more likely to get a conviction.
What he did was morally reprehensible, and is that way to any rational gun owner. Sadly, I doubt there are many of those in Florida. And I'll bet $1000 he never does any time.
Hard to say what he wanted to do. We can be fairly certain he doesn't want to be in the situation he is in now, so in hindsight, perhaps he'd want to take it back. But didn't he say something along the lines of, "These assholes always get away," to the emergency dispatcher?
I just realized who he reminds me of, more than anyone; Seth Rogen in Observe and Report. That's exactly who he is to me.
So, once again, deal with it.
Nah, this guy doesn't think he did anything wrong. He feels perfectly justified in his actions. Plus, his daddy's a rich judge - there's no way on earth Mr Zimmerman would deprive the rest of us of his much-cherished oh-so-righteous scintillating self.
:p
@11: All we can do is speculate, and honestly, we are all just talking out of our asses for the most part, since we lack the vast majority of the puzzle. I just got the impression from the 911 tapes, and his behavior with the cops that he was a scared little man who had wrongfully started a ball rolling that he lacked the ability (will, brains, bravery, whatever) to stop.
I imagine his head was filled with dreams of heroism for possibly stopping the rash of break-ins in the neighborhood. Seems like the kind of guy who has little power, and grows obsessed with gaining more, which would explain the need to carry a gun, stalk people on a neighborhood watch, etc. but these actions are done out of fear, not malice or desire to kill.
But only Zimmerman knows for sure, and it is possible that not even he really knows.
This isn't some big mystery, a Rashomon for our times. There is plenty of evidence to reconstruct what happened. What makes this case so difficult is that the agency empowered w/ gathering and assessing that evidence is actively on the side of the perpetrator. Trayvon may or may not get justice, but for me, the real eye needs to be put upon the law enforcement officials. It doesn't matter if there are "Stand Your Ground" laws or not: If the cops & DAs are corrupt, people will continue to be killed. Kenneth Chamberlain, anyone?
OK, asshole...I support "kill at will" when we meet in an alley.
What makes you think that the former can't lead to the latter? Seems to me that being afraid of something can make a person feel malice toward or a desire to kill that thing. It's certainly a common explanation for wartime atrocities.
"Yes, he did say something on those lines, but that does not prove he wanted to kill Martin or even harm him initially...I would say this is why he stupidly just kept following Martin after he was told not to."
But it does show that Zimmerman had mentally profiled Martin into the "asshole" category based upon nothing more than what he could see.
And then Zimmerman pursued the "asshole" after the cop told him that he did not need to do that.
Were that blood his?
I mean yes the back of his head was covered in blood.
But after having it wiped up by the EMT (did they preserve the cloths as evidence) did it reappear?
Seems not.
He was covered in Treyvon Martin's blood!
Also, @19, careful what you wish for... that guy packs heat! And knives. Sharp knives. Lots of them. I've seen them.
Not quite the same thing.
It does say "Most of the 1,922 people surveyed nationwide from April Monday through Thursday said they supported laws that allow Americans to use deadly force to protect themselves from danger in their own home or in a public place." It doesn't give us a number, though.
This is typical behavior of psychopaths and serial killers.
John Wayne Gacy for example had excellent relationships with police and local politicians. He had his car, a big boxy police cruiser type bedecked with lights.
These psychopaths and serial killers try to shift attention from their own sick torment by finding someone to shift the blame to and make a scapegoat in order to make themselves look better.
And the latter hardly means that Americans support Stand Your Ground or even know what those laws specifically entail. I doubt there are many people who aren't hardcore pacifists who oppose self-defense in situations where the victim can't escape the attacker.
It's a good move. The game maximum for both sides is:
Zimmerman cops a plea to manslaughter
Makes a public mea culpa and pledges to donate all his money to a charity in TM's name
He apologizes profusely to the family and promises to make amends
He gets the minimum sentence.
I'm sure the Zimmerman defenders will conveniently forget this admission in their defenses of him.
http://home.nra.org/
If there's something on this list that the NRA doesn't actively oppose, then a lot of the people holding a favorable opinion of them don't understand what it is they do.
I'd really like to see the actual questions, answer choices, and crosstabs, and see how they found the people for this poll. I saw that it was "online," which makes me wonder about how scientific it could be.
If there's something on this list that the NRA doesn't actively oppose, I'd be very surpised. Assuming they do, then a lot of the people holding a favorable opinion of them don't understand what it is they do.
Really? That story is awfully convenient and very much at odds with the evidence.
I really hope the "You got me" line is actually in Zimmerman's statement to the police, if only because it demonstrates to all and sundry what a lying scumbag he is.
"74% support laws limiting the sale of automatic weapons."
The sale of automatic weapons has been limited since the Gun Control Act of 1934
"91% support background checks for gun purchasers."
This was already required by the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Brady Handgun Act in 1998
"62% oppose allowing people to bring a firearm into a church, workplace or retail establishment."
A business or property owner already has the right to restrict firearms on their property.
A couple years ago there were a bunch of burglaries in my neighborhood. I had uncharitable thoughts about young men hanging out in the streets when this was going on. I'm not the type to carry a gun, but I totally understand the impulse to watch closely & possibly confront a young stranger in your neighborhood after your next door neighbor has been burgled.
The neighborhood where this happened was Zimmerman's home also, not just Martin's.
The way the media paints it, you'd think Zimmerman was volunteering for neighborhood watch at some random neighborhood miles from where he lived just for the experience.