Happy Friday all! As you may be aware, jury selection is under way in the George Zimmerman trial. A few people have asked me if I'll be watching and for my thoughts about the case. Here they are...
Let me say upfront that I have not watched or followed the proceedings in the Zimmerman case nearly as closely as I did with Jodi Arias. I do believe, however, I will watch some of the Zimmerman trial, I'm just not sure if I will be as glued to my TV screen or computer. I do believe in the concept of innocent until proven guilty so I will reserve my final opinion until I get a chance to see all the evidence. That being said, however, there are a few conclusions I believe I have already drawn.
I do not believe that vigilante justice should be allowed in our country. Yes, I think that alert and proactive citizens are a necessary part of making our cities and towns safe for all of us but there is a reason that police officers are the ones tasked with upholding the law and a very good reason they are the ones who carry guns. They have endured rigorous training which prepares them for the types of situations that occur on a daily basis. Sadly, that is not even enough for some of them. I believe firmly in the United States Constitution and specifically the right to bear arms, although I personally have never owned a gun and don't plan on it anytime soon (potential burglars be aware....I'm still a very big guy and I have plenty of knives and a baseball bat). All that being true, however, I find it a scary thought to think of a bunch of armed individuals who take it upon themselves to administer justice. George Zimmerman had no right or obligation, in my humble opinion, to do anything more than dial 911. Once he proceeded to act past that, and indeed in direct violation of what the 911 operator had told him, I believe he stepped outside the bounds of what an ordinary citizen is expected, required or even allowed to do.
As such, George Zimmerman broke the law. I don't believe that anyone has a legal or moral right to provoke a confrontation and then to claim self defense. Had he done nothing more than call 911, Trayvon Martin would probably be alive and well today. But he didn't. He picked a fight, contrary to what he was told, and then finished the fight with an overwhelming display of force against a young man who carried nothing but a package of skittles and a bottle of coke. It really is of little consequence to me that George may have suffered wounds in the attack. Trayvon Martin had no idea who George Zimmerman may have been and, in fact, he is the one who would've been justified in claiming self defense. Given the same situation, I would have fought like hell if confronted by a mysterious individual.
I do believe that George Zimmerman is guilty of something. I'm not sure the prosecution will be able to meet the legal requirements to prove second degree murder however. It seems more like a reckless homicide to me. I'm not sure if there are lesser offenses included in the charge, but I just have a feeling the prosecution will have a hard time proving the elements of second degree murder.
Until next time.................this is Steve, over and out.
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