Demographics are destiny? Let’s talk race…..

George Zimmerman had a right to carry a gun and a right to defend himself.  What rights did Trayvon Martin have?  Should he have had a right to cut through yards to walk home in early evening?  What if a black vigilante shot and killed a white teenager, who was armed only with a package of Skittles and a can of Arizona Iced Tea?  Wouldn’t he have been arrested immediately; and found guilty?  Why was Anthony Good  considered a more credible witness than Rachel Jeantel?  Why did the police neglect to administer a drug/alcohol test to George, who had a history of race-based paranoia and a record for resisting arrest and battery to an officer?  I read that some of George Zimmerman’s neighbors were concerned by his overly-aggressive behaviors.   Why was the lead homicide  investigator who wanted George charged with manslaughter overruled by his police chief?   George was frustrated and didn’t want this thug to get away as others before him had.  George was scared?  Even though he was   packing heat and decided to follow the “transgressor” against the advice of the police dispatcher.  Would George have viewed a white teenager in a hoodie as suspicious?  Why was there not one black person on the jury?  Jurist B37 said that race was not even discussed in their deliberations.  What was the impact of the jury viewing, as facts, the defense’s antimated video of their theory of events?    The defense claimed that Trayvon attacked George ,who then had the right to defend himself, but what if George pulled his gun on Trayvon and a stuggle ensued?  What if the gun was knocked  away and George retrieved it and shot Trayvon?   Do you think that Trayvon was scared and fighting for his life?  George said he didn’t regret the outcome, which “was God’s will”.   The right-wing media and their fan’s reflexive rationalizations are repugnant!  They’ve decided George was the victim in this case.  Many want to say that we live in a post-racial America, which is not true.  And that is why we need the Voting Rights Act reinstated, for the states that continue to prove the need for it; for states that seek to make voting more difficult for minorities and the poor.  We have to get past our reluctance to open-mindedly discuss the racial divides that exist in our country.  We need to challenge our friends, relatives, and neighbors to drop their prejudices and open their hearts to embrace the concepts of  equality, liberty, and justice for ALL.   Let’s stop racial profiling.  Calls for “Stand Your Ground”  laws everywhere to be revoked are being heard, but with concealed carry laws on the books in all states that won’t happen.   It seems only right that “Stand Your Ground” is supposed to enhance your right to defend yourself from attack; not to expand one’s desire to be on the offensive in confronting others.  Trayvon Martin obviously didn’t have the right to stand his ground!  George Zimmerman is alive and free, and still gets to carry his gun.  No probation.   Ironic now, George must “watch his back” as he walks through the valley of the shadows of death.