George Zimmerman is back

Guess who's back and continuing to be the biggest pile of trash?

George Zimmerman sues family of Trayvon Martin, publisher, prosecutors for $100 million

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article238030539.html

George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer acquitted of homicide charges in the 2012 fatal shooting of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, is suing Martin’s family, prosecutors and others involved in the case he claims rested on false evidence, according to a copy of the suit sent to the media Wednesday.

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The suit seeks $100 million in civil damages, alleging defamation, abuse of civil process and conspiracy.

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This is outrageous and nauseating. And if we still had market squares and pillorying, I'd say his lawyer deserves that much and more for daring to file this case.

regdog said:

Fuck him. I hope he rots.

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He should be rotting in prison. The fact that he's able to reach out and hurt these people again is obscene.

Really takes something to be the most reprehensible person in America right now.

I'm surprised he hasn't thrown his hat in the ring for elected office.

frimble3 said:

I'm surprised he hasn't thrown his hat in the ring for elected office.

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I can't imagine that he's a Democrat. If the GOP didn't have an incumbent, he'd likely be running for President. Don't rule it out in the future. He's someone who might actually be able to tunnel under the low bar set by Trump.

I go over the Martin/Zimmerman incident every semester in my critical thinking class. You have two guys who made poor decisions--Zimmerman didn't need to so obviously follow Martin while Martin didn't need to punch Zimmerman and then slam his head into the ground, giving Zimmerman the right to shoot him--and one of them ends up dead, the other maligned for the rest of his life.

Even WORSE, though, is that the country mindlessly falls into two factions, one pro-Zimmerman, the other pro-Martin, creating needless hostility and division and becoming pawns to a media salivating to exploit that division. We would all be a lot better off if we recognized the mistakes both made so as not to repeat them. I don't care what Zimmerman does with his life as long as he no longer makes decisions that lead to another death.

Dan Rhys said:

I go over the Martin/Zimmerman incident every semester in my critical thinking class. You have two guys who made poor decisions--Zimmerman didn't need to so obviously follow Martin while Martin didn't need to punch Zimmerman and then slam his head into the ground, giving Zimmerman the right to shoot him--and one of them ends up dead, the other maligned for the rest of his life.

Even WORSE, though, is that the country mindlessly falls into two factions, one pro-Zimmerman, the other pro-Martin, creating needless hostility and division and becoming pawns to a media salivating to exploit that division. We would all be a lot better off if we recognized the mistakes both made so as not to repeat them. I don't care what Zimmerman does with his life as long as he no longer makes decisions that lead to another death.

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one of them shot the other one. And I’m pleased that the country fell into two factions about that.

Dan Rhys said:

I go over the Martin/Zimmerman incident every semester in my critical thinking class. You have two guys who made poor decisions--Zimmerman didn't need to so obviously follow Martin while Martin didn't need to punch Zimmerman and then slam his head into the ground, giving Zimmerman the right to shoot him--and one of them ends up dead, the other maligned for the rest of his life.

Even WORSE, though, is that the country mindlessly falls into two factions, one pro-Zimmerman, the other pro-Martin, creating needless hostility and division and becoming pawns to a media salivating to exploit that division. We would all be a lot better off if we recognized the mistakes both made so as not to repeat them. I don't care what Zimmerman does with his life as long as he no longer makes decisions that lead to another death.

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I don't see much critical thinking in this. 'Mistakes were made' is a vapid attempt to avoid analysing the situation.

Helix said:

I don't see much critical thinking in this. 'Mistakes were made' is a vapid attempt to avoid analysing the situation.

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otoh Mistakes Were Made is a brilliant ThisAmericanLife...

Dan Rhys said:

I go over the Martin/Zimmerman incident every semester in my critical thinking class. You have two guys who made poor decisions--Zimmerman didn't need to so obviously follow Martin while Martin didn't need to punch Zimmerman and then slam his head into the ground, giving Zimmerman the right to shoot him--and one of them ends up dead, the other maligned for the rest of his life.

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I'm sorry, if someone is coming after me with a gun and I can't get away from them, you're damn right I'm going to fight back as hard and as fast as I can. There were indeed a series of poor decisions here, but they were only on one side.

A jury gave Zimmerman the "stand your ground" acquittal because this country considers "I was scared of the black man" to somehow be a reasonable position. You know if that bastard had shot me, never mind how hard I'd been slamming his head into the pavement, they'd have put him away for life.

lizmonster said:

I'm sorry, if someone is coming after me with a gun and I can't get away from them, you're damn right I'm going to fight back as hard and as fast as I can. There were indeed a series of poor decisions here, but they were only on one side.

A jury gave Zimmerman the "stand your ground" acquittal because this country considers "I was scared of the black man" to somehow be a reasonable position. You know if that bastard had shot me, never mind how hard I'd been slamming his head into the pavement, they'd have put him away for life.

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Critical Thinking. It’s a Thing.

Dan Rhys said:

I go over the Martin/Zimmerman incident every semester in my critical thinking class. You have two guys who made poor decisions--Zimmerman didn't need to so obviously follow Martin while Martin didn't need to punch Zimmerman and then slam his head into the ground, giving Zimmerman the right to shoot him--and one of them ends up dead, the other maligned for the rest of his life.

In a critical thinking class, I hope at least some students bring up that the whole 'punch ... slam his head...' is Zimmerman's story, not proven by any means. Only looking at one side of anything isn't likely to result in much real critical analysis.

Even WORSE, though, is that the country mindlessly falls into two factions, one pro-Zimmerman, the other pro-Martin, creating needless hostility and division and becoming pawns to a media salivating to exploit that division. We would all be a lot better off if we recognized the mistakes both made so as not to repeat them. I don't care what Zimmerman does with his life as long as he no longer makes decisions that lead to another death.

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I'm sorry? Worse? Worse than some cop wanna-be with anger issues shooting an unarmed kid dead in the street is that people were divided on it?

Mistakes both made? Yeah, dumb kid shouldn't have gone outside where a loony tune was wandering around with a loaded weapon and a rich, involved fantasy life.

How is this critical thinking class material, exactly?

Yes, we only have the killer's account, so why assume a punch? Why do you seem to believe that one part of the story. That injury could have happened because Zimmerman fell. Or he might have pulled the gun on the victim, who only knew that a grown man was stalking him. You think we should teach children to be polite and comply with strange adults who stalk them on the street? That's the better decision you think children should make? That what you'd teach a child?

Heads bleed and when Zimmerman went to the doctor the next day...not for treatment but to get cleared to go back to work...the doctor said there was no trauma. If his story were true, he'd have trauma. But the state didn't want to prosecute and when public outcry forced them to, they made sure they tipped the scales in the killer's favor. I know that area, used to live just south of there, and knew they wouldn't give a Black child, a Black family, justice.

An unarmed teenager was walking home and saw a grown man glaring at him from an SUV, and he did what we tell children to do--he ran away. And that adult, who wasn't a "neighborhood watch volunteer," as has been widely reported, but instead a bigoted cop-wannabe who decided to catch a burglar to get in good with the police (more about that). He was told not to pursue but he stalked that child until he caught him. Then he killed that child.

He strolled into the police station that night calmly, needing no assistance. The next day, at the supposed "reenactment," he was still calling the dead child, who he knew was innocent of the crime he racially profiled him over, a "suspect." I watched the tape. I heard it myself. I remember at least one witness saying after the shooting they saw Zimmerman standing over the body, and reaching toward it. And from the position of Trayvon's arms, I believe he was going through his pockets, maybe checking for a weapon or something else he had no business doing. He is loving this still.

That killer gets to live to torture the grieving parents of a dead child who would be alive if he hadn't shot him to death for trying to walk home. Yeah, let's talk about what's worse. Disgusting.

cornflake said:

How is this critical thinking class material, exactly?

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It's critical thinking in the sense that it shows the amazing feats of mental gymnastics that people twist their minds into in order to justify the murder of an unarmed Black kid.

Dan Rhys said:

Even WORSE, though, is that the country mindlessly falls into two factions, one pro-Zimmerman, the other pro-Martin, creating needless hostility and division and becoming pawns to a media salivating to exploit that division. We would all be a lot better off if we recognized the mistakes both made so as not to repeat them. I don't care what Zimmerman does with his life as long as he no longer makes decisions that lead to another death.

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Forgot to make the point that without the public speaking out and taking to the streets, there wouldn't have even been a trial, farce though it was. In this country, far, far too often, Black people do not get justice and white people aren't held accountable. You can call me mindless and say I am worse than someone who shot an unarmed child who was just trying to get home, but I am glad I marched for Trayvon, glad I raised my voice, my informed voice, and I'll keep doing that. My critical thinking skills look at our justice system and the facts of the case and my basic humanity makes me do something about it Daily (no kidding, I have a spreadsheet). Black Lives Matter, started by three Black community organizers in the wake of the shooting, is doing good, necessary work, and I support them.

mccardey said:

Critical Thinking. It’s a Thing.

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It really is a thing.

Generally speaking critical thinking is about analyzing rather than interpreting; a class in critical thinking takes as its objectives a basic grounding in rhetorical analysis. It's less about how to interpret and more about what questions to ask.

AW Admin said:

It really is a thing.

Generally speaking critical thinking is about analyzing rather than interpreting; a class in critical thinking takes as its objectives a basic grounding in rhetorical analysis. It's less about how to interpret and more about what questions to ask.

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I know, but surely in a case like Zimmerman, an interrogation of time and setting and history would be paramount? So that if you have a young black man being stalked at night by an armed stranger who is playing at vigilante - despite police requests that he stop doing that - in a place and time when young black men are feeling themselves under threat already from armed authority, that has to play into an understanding of the course of event? So it’s not just, Well, if he’d done as he was told when Zimmerman confronted him etc etc etc.

I haven’t studied critical thinking, but I’m sure it must include some kind of analysis beyond the the simple fact under discussion (beyond A Man Was Shot). Or am I wrong about that?

Dan Rhys said:

I go over the Martin/Zimmerman incident every semester in my critical thinking class. You have two guys who made poor decisions--Zimmerman didn't need to so obviously follow Martin while Martin didn't need to punch Zimmerman and then slam his head into the ground, giving Zimmerman the right to shoot him--and one of them ends up dead, the other maligned for the rest of his life.

Even WORSE, though, is that the country mindlessly falls into two factions, one pro-Zimmerman, the other pro-Martin, creating needless hostility and division and becoming pawns to a media salivating to exploit that division. We would all be a lot better off if we recognized the mistakes both made so as not to repeat them. I don't care what Zimmerman does with his life as long as he no longer makes decisions that lead to another death.

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I kind of resent being told my position is mindless. I followed the story and have thought long and hard about the situation as it was presented, and mindfully came to the conclusion that there was a miscarriage of justice.

Never once did Zimmerman's defense give a satisfactory reason for him accosting an unarmed teenager who was doing nothing except walking back to his father's fiancee's house from a convenience store. Martin wasn't committing any kind of crime, or even "loitering" aimlessly. Zimmerman reported him to the police as suspicious, which is inexplicable enough (because no evidence was ever presented that Martin was doing anything besides walking), but he couldn't even wait until they arrived. Oh no. Zimmerman had to play cowboy and aggravate the situation by confronting Martin directly.

Zimmerman created the situation in the first place. Martin reacted. Should he have been all polite and passive and waited for the police to arrive? What would have happened if he'd ignored Zimmerman, or simply shrugged him off and kept walking? Would he be alive now if he had? Possibly, but I don't think reacting with fear and anger is unreasonable or outside the realm of possibility for how many of us might have reacted as teenagers if a stranger got in our faces for no reason.

So casual racial profiling turned into what should have been considered some manner of criminal homicide. Because why in the hell would one approach a kid who wasn't doing anything wrong, while one is holding a gun, and initiate an altercation without some intent to use that weapon?

If Zimmerman's dad hadn't been a judge, and if racial profiling weren't so normalized in our society, Zimmerman would almost certainly have been convicted.

mccardey said:

I know, but surely in a case like Zimmerman, an interrogation of time and setting and history would be paramount? So that if you have a young black man being stalked at night by an armed stranger who is playing at vigilante - despite police requests that he stop doing that - in a place and time when young black men are feeling themselves under threat already from armed authority, that has to play into an understanding of the course of event? So it’s not just, Well, if he’d done as he was told when Zimmerman confronted him etc etc etc.

I haven’t studied critical thinking, but I’m sure it must include some kind of analysis beyond the the simple fact under discussion (beyond A Man Was Shot). Or am I wrong about that?

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Nope. You are not wrong.

For at least the last ten or twelve years I have had on display the flag that was on my wifes grandfathers coffin. He was a world war two veteran. Today, after hearing this, I took the flag down, folded it up and put it away. I can no longer, in good conscience, fly the flag of a government that would allow this sort of shit to happen again. This scum murdered a boy, and now wants to sue his parents because his actions caused him to have ptsd? Pardon my language, but fuck this guy and the country that allows him to survive and thrive. I am now officially ashamed of my country.

Fingers said:

For at least the last ten or twelve years I have had on display the flag that was on my wifes grandfathers coffin. He was a world war two veteran. Today, after hearing this, I took the flag down, folded it up and put it away. I can no longer, in good conscience, fly the flag of a government that would allow this sort of shit to happen again. This scum murdered a boy, and now wants to sue his parents because his actions caused him to have ptsd? Pardon my language, but fuck this guy and the country that allows him to survive and thrive. I am now officially ashamed of my country.

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Wait, you're upset he can file a lawsuit? Anyone can file a lawsuit. That's freedom. That's the system of justice that says we're all equal.

Dan Rhys said:

I go over the Martin/Zimmerman incident every semester in my critical thinking class. You have two guys who made poor decisions--Zimmerman didn't need to so obviously follow Martin while Martin didn't need to punch Zimmerman and then slam his head into the ground, giving Zimmerman the right to shoot him--and one of them ends up dead, the other maligned for the rest of his life.

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You have two guys who made poor decisions---

What?

What were Trayvon Martin's "poor decisions?"

That he was born Black?

That he was a Black male?

That following being racially profiled, stalked, confronted, threatened and murdered by a fat fuck who wanted to play vigilante he dared to defend his life from someone who was bound and determined to take it?

Trayvon Martin's life was taken by George Zimmerman. George Zimmerman was armed. Trayvon Martin was unarmed.

What do you mean "Martin didn't need to punch him?" What was Trayvon's alternate go-to move? Deploy his critical-thinking skills to deescalate a potentially volatile situation.

What do you mean "...then slam his head into the ground, giving Zimmerman the right to shoot him?" Didn't Trayvon Martin have the right to defend his life from George Zimmerman? You make it seem as though the murder victim caused his own death by not allowing Zimmerman to shoot him!

What do you mean "one of them ends up dead, the other maligned for the rest of his life." Who is being maligned here? Trayvon Martin did not "end up dead." George Zimmerman murdered him and now this piece of filth wants $100 million from the family still grieving for their murdered son. Calling this insult on top of injury doesn't even begin to describe this act of cruelty and malice is by Zimmerman and his right-wing creep of an attorney.

This is EVIL. Pure, hateful, spiteful, and vile EVIL. George Zimmerman is a racist demon and so are his supporters and enablers.

All one has to do if they are willing to put in the time and effort of a Google search is to check out what Zimmerman has been up to since he was set free to kill again. Nobody has to work very hard to "malign" Zimmerman. He's a trash human being, always has been and his detestable behavior since he was given the green light by the state of Florida is proof that Zimmerman is malevolent, bigoted, thug.

That's not maligning him. That's defining him.

Dan Rhys said:

Even WORSE, though, is that the country mindlessly falls into two factions, one pro-Zimmerman, the other pro-Martin, creating needless hostility and division and becoming pawns to a media salivating to exploit that division. We would all be a lot better off if we recognized the mistakes both made so as not to repeat them. I don't care what Zimmerman does with his life as long as he no longer makes decisions that lead to another death.

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I do so love it when someone proclaims they are somehow above it all and they alone see the situation with 20/20 vision while the rest of us poor slobs are stumbling around with cracked bifocals. Your premise is false and your hand-wringing is insincere. The murder of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman and his subsequent show trial is what has caused the "hostility and division." Blaming the media is an easy and convenient out and there's zero critical thinking in that particular well-worn, go-to excuse.

What you are doing is what so many others do when faced with an unpleasant reality and that's shift the blame, deflect from the central issues of race and injustice and the inequities of America's justice system. When a man with a gun and an urge to be a big shot can hunt down a teenage boy, confront him, fight him and kill him then go free for taking that boy's life, something is seriously wrong with that and sneering dismissals toward Black people who are justifiably concerned it will be their son or daughter to die at the hands of a murderous, violent freak, do not advance the debate in the least.

The idea that someone with such a wrong-headed perspective about the murder of Trayvon Martin is leading a critical-thinking class is truly disturbing. Hopefully, those young minds will be discerning enough not to simply buy what you're selling and instead question and dissect the fallacious, specious and counterfactual argument you are presenting.

But I kinda doubt it. This is not a country where critical-thinking skills are encouraged. It's easier to go along with the herd than to stand alone.