Just Curious

Even though I'm not watching/listening to the Zimmerman trial I can't avoid it - it's sort of permeating the atmosphere right now, for several reasons.  One attitude in particular makes me curious.  Some are saying that even though it appears that Zimmerman was on the bottom and getting pummeled, he should not have drawn and fired, that the situation didn't rise to fear for his life.  How do you draw that line?  You are laying on the ground getting pounded - are you thinking "Well, he won't kill me. He'll just beat me up and it'll be OK"?  Are you having an internal philosophical debate on possibilities and options?  Personally, I don't think I'm capable of that.  Granted, I've never been beaten up, but I'm willing to bet that there's some shock from the pain and surprise.  And some narrowed focus - "Stop stop stop!"  And not a little fear.  At which point you take an action to make it all stop.  In Zimmerman's case it was to fire.  What if he hadn't had a gun?  What if instead he had the physical ability to turn the tables and slam Martin's head on the sidewalk and Martin died from that?  What if he managed to strike him just so, killing him? Would he have been required to have the internal "Is it appropriate to use deadly force?" debate?

And was Martin thinking "I'm just going to pound him some. I'll stop in a bit."?  If people think so, which to me seems to be a corollary of Zimmerman knowing his life wasn't threatened, how do they know?  If there was a mind reader present, I'm pretty sure they never got put on the stand.

And another thing I'm curious about.  How the heck have we gotten to the point where we no longer have to worry about race riots being instigated by these guys:

But we DO have to worry about race riots instigated by these guys:

And how the heck can ANYONE think that this situation is what these guys dreamed of:

Just curious.

To Hell In A Handbasket

I should probably stay away from this subject - it's still evolving.  And I know better than to trust the media for information, but since it is being kicked around as a convenient way of attacking the right to carry I have to reflect on it.  In between cussing the media.

One Treyvon Martin is dead, shot by one George Zimmerman.  Information coming out is evolving - Martin was not an angel and Zimmerman is not a frothing-mouthed bigot.  It looks increasingly to me as if this may all be the horrible end result of a couple bad decisions.  Zimmerman should not have gotten out of his vehicle after the 911 dispatcher told him to stay put.  But Martin should not have confronted him, either.  Martin should have kept his eye on him and gone on home.  Or, if he thought the danger was immediate, called 911.  It appears that instead he confronted Zimmerman.  And because of the bad decisions on both their parts, it all went to hell in a handbasket.  Martin is dead.  Zimmerman may be physically alive, but he's dead.  If the Black Panthers have their way, Zimmerman will be physically dead - the Panthers might as well wear hoods the same as the Klan does.

I have to think:  given the circumstances, what would I have done?  It appears that the screams we hear on the tape are Zimmerman's.  Martin has snapped one to his nose and laid him out and is now sitting on his chest, beating Zimmerman's head against the ground.  There is no time to reflect on what has brought them to this place.  There's no time to think "I really should have stayed in the truck", no time to think "He'll stop soon".  There's just a +6 ft guy who has broken my nose and is pounding my head against the ground.

I would have fired.  What has brought us to this place is no longer relavent.  I have no way of knowing who my attacker is.  I have no time to reflect on what led to this moment.  All I know is that somebody is trying to kill me. I don't have time to review his Facebook page or analyze why he's in the neighborhood.  The concept of tragedy and "Woulda, shoulda, coulda" is for the future. It's all gone to hell in a handbasket.

And with one life destroyed, the media is making its bread and butter over destroying another.