Why Isn't George Zimmerman in Jail?

Let's leave the names out of it for a moment and look at the facts. A 28 year old man is following a 17 year old man. The older man calls the police, as he often does in these situations, and tells the police he is following the younger man. The police tell the older man he should not be following the younger man. A few minutes later the younger man is shot dead with a bullet from the gun of the older man. These facts are not in dispute.

Any thinking person would say that the next logical step is for the police to arrest the older man for the crime of killing the younger man. But, so far, that hasn't happened. This is where logic breaks down. The older man hasn't been arrested because the circumstances of the killing are in dispute.

Mr. Zimmerman, the older man, claims that he killed Trayvon Martin, the younger man, in self defense. But Trayvon Martin was unarmed. Even if Trayvon Martin did attack George Zimmerman in retaliation for being pursued, that does not justify Mr. Zimmerman's use of deadly force.

Because of the petty prejudices and stereotypes that persist in our society, we may never know the exact circumstances of Trayvon Martin's death. But, given the facts that we do know, George Zimmerman should be in jail at least and until we get a version of the facts that prove otherwise. If Mr. Zimmerman is not charged with murder, he should be charged with manslaughter.

All of the character assassination that's going on now is nothing more than a media smokescreen to cover up the incompetence of the Sanford police force. I don't care if Trayvon Martin had smoked pot or stolen jewelry before he met George Zimmerman. When this incident took place, all Trayvon Martin had in his pockets was a bottle of iced tea and a bag of Skittles. Trayvon Martin was not a lethal threat to George Zimmerman. Yet Mr. Zimmerman pulled a gun from his pocket and shot Trayvon Martin dead at close range. And Mr. Zimmerman remains free. That is a crime in and of itself.

The way this case has been handled by the Sanford police force sends a very disturbing message. You can claim self defense based on a stereotypical perception. That opens the door for a lot more unfortunate, unprosecuted incidents. We cannot afford to have a self appointed vigilante police force patrolling our streets. No matter what youthful indiscretions Trayvon Martin may have committed, his death deserves to be investigated and the man responsible for his death should not be walking the streets.

I Just Eat this Stuff UP!!

It's amazing to me the degree to which some people can indulge themselves in self delusion. Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are such wonderful examples. Both of them campaign and talk about what they are going to do for America, yet they can't seem to stay out of their own way. How many completely silly statements have they both made? The list goes on and on. Mitt Romney's Etch-a-Sketch moment, Rick Santorum saying he doesn't care what the unemployment rate is.

But the real self delusion is the thought that either of these men can beat Barack Obama in November. Romney has already lost once. Santorum represents the waning influence of the religious right. Both men are completely out of touch with the aspirations of the average American. Polling numbers consistently show that the loyal Republican base wants someone else to enter the race. Chris Christie's name has been mentioned a bunch of times. But his campaign would end as soon as the videos of him yelling at people were featured in a national commercial. Most recently he called an Iraq war veteran an idiot and all the guy was doing was trying to ask a question. Not good policy for a potential presidential candidate.

One recent moment that stands out for me is when Santorum and Romney trotted out their wives to stump for them. All that it made me do was think of what an incredible job Michelle Obama has done as First Lady. She has consistently conducted herself with class and spearheaded several efforts to improve the lives of children, while remaining outside of the political arena, which never seems to turn out well for any First Lady. If they had a debate featuring just the three wives, Michelle Obama would chew them up and spit them out in pieces.

So let the mainstream media prolong the campaign circus for the amusement of the general electorate. Whether Mitt Romney can shake his Etch-a-Sketch in August or not, Barack Obama is going to win in November.

Welcome Back OWS!!!!!

I predicted the Occupy movement would be a significant force this spring. They are already making their presence felt and I couldn't be happier. There is nothing that America needs more than a loud voice raised in protest. The mainstream media comfortably predicted the demise of OWS when it started to get cold, but I knew the return of spring would mean the return of healthy, constructive protest. The only thing that makes these protests unruly is the shameful behavior of the NYPD. Take the gates down on Wall Street and let the marchers move freely. You disgrace yourselves and contradict the spirit on which America was founded by restricting movement. The protesters have declared their peaceful intentions and are invoking the principles of Gandhi. The egos of the NYPD are preventing them from seeing things clearly.

The status quo badly needs to be shaken up. Thirty years of deregulation have completely destroyed faith in government and corporate governance. The continuation of such policies and attitudes would be just fine with the Wall Street crowd. They move well within the corrupt corridors of power. They wouldn't know how to do business in completely honest fashion. That doesn't provide enough of an adrenaline rush for their collective egos. The resignation of Greg Smith from Goldman Sachs provides indisputable evidence of that.

So welcome back Occupy Wall Street. Please rouse America from its self imposed state of apathy. By the time the dog days of summer are upon us, the movement will be impossible to ignore. I hope Occupy movements make themselves felt in every corner of this once great nation during this election year. They are absolutely essential to restore a sense of transparency in both public and private governance. Please be careful. Policeman across the country are sure to embarass themselves and all of us because they choose to swim against the tide of history.

Mayor Bloomberg's Detachment

On Wednesday, Greg Smith, an employee of Goldman Sachs, publicly announced his resignation from the firm through an op-ed piece in the New York Times. He made it clear that he no longer reconcile his conscience with his employment at the firm. He called the corporate culture "toxic" and said it was the norm for employees to refer to their clients as "muppets" and to worry more about how much money they made off their clients, rather than the other way around. This link will take you to the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/opinion/why-i-am-leaving-goldman-sachs.html

What was Mayor Bloomberg's reaction? He demonstrated his detachment from reality by visiting GS to show his solidarity with the firm and said it was his job to protect the corporate patrons of New York City since they provide so much tax revenue.

This brings up many questions. Isn't it the Mayor's job to protect the best interests of the citizens of New York City. Didn't Mr. Smith's letter of resignation show that GS is clearly not concerned with the best interests of its clients? Isn't this the same GS that marketed securities as high quality when they knew they were not and then bet against them? Isn't this the same Goldman Sachs that was never prosecuted for perpetrating such a fraud?

Of course it's no secret that Mr. Bloomberg's machines are considered standard equipment in Wall St. firms and that GS uses many of them in its operations.

I guess my last three questions are: How much money could GS have made for its clients if they really cared about them? Is it any wonder that the Occupy movement was born on Wall St.? How much money did GS contribute to the Mayor's last election?

I know its commonplace but it's always sad to see money trump one's sense of compassion. It would have been nice if the Mayor was immune to the pollution money causes, but he's only human too.

Without prosecution, the toxic environment that forced Mr. Smith to resign will never be eradicated.