Rangerland Forum Information

[Rocha]

This was a good/sizable discussion in the I Hate thread so I moved it all here.

[Alitaki]

You know, there's a reason why Fark.com has a tag just for Florida.

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

Was this a serious post?

Nope.

You should really do a better job of making this known in the future.

[Greatone]

People down here are up in arms about this. It seems like the community is waiting to see the result of the investigation, but if he walks? Shit will go down big time.

[rightbug]

People down here are up in arms about this. It seems like the community is waiting to see the result of the investigation, but if he walks? Shit will go down big time.

As it should. It's heartening to see the reaction over this.

[jkman61494]

Well hold on here. Does Geraldo mean all people should stop wearing hoodies or just black people? Because I wore a hoodie a hoodie to the gym last night. Thank god no one acted irrationally and overzealous!

He pretty much said any ethnicity or race that isn't white should not wear any hoodies. But according to Geraldo, if you're white, that's not an issue. In his eyes, you don't look like a criminal menace then.

Honestly, I am very sensitive on racism on both sides. I'm objective enough to question why it's ok for example, an African American couple to say on the HGTV show My First House that their priority is to move to a black community. Can you honestly imagine the storm hat would occur if a white couple said their priority is to move where whites are?

But how are people like Geraldo and Fox News allowed to just unashamedly racially profile someone without the FCC or someone getting involved. I know the first amendment, but really? If 140+ companies leave Rush for calling a woman a prostitute, I'd like to believe Fox News would lose advertisers for having an employee spew racist crap on live tv.

This post has been edited by jkman61494: Mar 23 2012, 02:54 PM

[Knight of Dight]

People down here are up in arms about this. It seems like the community is waiting to see the result of the investigation, but if he walks? Shit will go down big time.

I wonder if it will be as bad as the Rodney King debacle.

[jkman61494]

God forbid if the Republicans win an election this year and you see more laws like this passed. You think Occupy Wall St. and this current situation are fun? Just get some more people unemployed and see more rights taken away from women and minorities.

[Knight of Dight]

But how are people like Geraldo and Fox News allowed to just unashamedly racially profile someone without the FCC or someone getting involved. I know the first amendment, but really? If 140+ companies leave Rush for calling a woman a prostitute, I'd like to believe Fox News would lose advertisers for having an employee spew racist crap on live tv.

Because they're Fox News, that's why. People have kind of come to expect shit like this from that network. They don't like it, of course, but it's less of a shock than if it actually came from a reputable network.

And yes, the examples you gave are exactly why "political correctness" is such a ludicrous concept. Everything has a double-standard these days and you have to try very hard not to say something that is upsetting to some group of people. Someone, somewhere is always itching to "get upset" about something. To me, the word "controversy" has lost most of its meaning because it seems like it's used in relation to any kind of event that occurs these days.

This post has been edited by Knight of Dight: Mar 23 2012, 03:02 PM

[rightbug]

And yes, the examples you gave are exactly why "political correctness" is such a ludicrous concept. Everything has a double-standard these days and you have to try very hard not to say something that is upsetting to some group of people. Someone, somewhere is always itching to "get upset" about something. To me, the word "controversy" has lost most of its meaning because it seems like it's used in relation to any kind of event that occurs these days.

Despite your backtracking on your previous comment, if you think the word controversial does not apply to Geraldo's comments or that this whole incident is a tempest in a teacup, your moral compass is out of whack.

[leedsy99]

I don't know enough about the facts, but I'm not sure what you can properly charge him with. Using the New York standards for culpable mental state, it's either intentional, reckless or criminally negligent. The problem is having to distinguish this from a regular police officer shooting at what turns out to be an armed criminal. Do you apply the same standard, just because he's quasi-police? Is he empowered in some way to use deadly force? On it's face, I would call it Manslaughter 1 -- intent to cause serious physical injury, that actually causes death.

[jburns]

He is not even quasi police. He is about as "police" as I am.

[leedsy99]

God forbid if the Republicans win an election this year and you see more laws like this passed. You think Occupy Wall St. and this current situation are fun? Just get some more people unemployed and see more rights taken away from women and minorities.

What laws? An anti-hoddie law? That won't happen. What should happen is that gun rights should be restricted in the wake of this, but seeing as how the NRA is the most powerful lobby in the country, that just won't happen.

[Knight of Dight]

And yes, the examples you gave are exactly why "political correctness" is such a ludicrous concept. Everything has a double-standard these days and you have to try very hard not to say something that is upsetting to some group of people. Someone, somewhere is always itching to "get upset" about something. To me, the word "controversy" has lost most of its meaning because it seems like it's used in relation to any kind of event that occurs these days.

Despite your backtracking on your previous comment, if you think the word controversial does not apply to Geraldo's comments or that this whole incident is a tempest in a teacup, your moral compass is out of whack.

No, that's not what I was saying. The comment you quoted was only in response to JK's comment about HGTV. I do think that people blow a lot of things out of proportion, but this incident isn't one of them. It's fucked up, and people are right to be angry about it.

[Kusand]

I don't know enough about the facts, but I'm not sure what you can properly charge him with. Using the New York standards for culpable mental state, it's either intentional, reckless or criminally negligent. The problem is having to distinguish this from a regular police officer shooting at what turns out to be an armed criminal. Do you apply the same standard, just because he's quasi-police? Is he empowered in some way to use deadly force? On it's face, I would call it Manslaughter 1 -- intent to cause serious physical injury, that actually causes death.

I'm bewildered here. How is he "quasi-police"? It's a problem to distinguish an unaffiliated "neighborhood watch" guy shooting an unarmed innocent from a regular police officer shooting at what turns out to be an armed criminal? What?

This post has been edited by Kusand: Mar 23 2012, 03:15 PM

[rightbug]

Yeah, I think it's manslaughter at least. This guy was not quasi-police. He was not a registered member of a neighborhood watch. He was a racist nut who shot a kid because he saw the kid's race as an inherent threat. Don't we have federal civil rights laws that cover this sort of thing? (I'm asking earnestly -- I don't know.) This feels like a modern day lynching.

[leedsy99]

He is not even quasi police. He is about as "police" as I am.

The statutory section for peace officers is very long and complicated. I imagine that if he had a valid carry permit related to his job, he was a peace officer and hence, quasi-police. My father, 71 years old and a retired fifth grade school teacher, is currently working as a village constable. He's quasi-police and, if he went through the application process, he could carry a gun while working. It's not that hard.

[rightbug]

God forbid if the Republicans win an election this year and you see more laws like this passed. You think Occupy Wall St. and this current situation are fun? Just get some more people unemployed and see more rights taken away from women and minorities.

What laws? An anti-hoddie law? That won't happen. What should happen is that gun rights should be restricted in the wake of this, but seeing as how the NRA is the most powerful lobby in the country, that just won't happen.

I think that's what jkman was getting at. This incident points out why the stand your ground law was ideological nonsense that never should have been enacted. Here in New Hampshire our Tea Party retards passed a law making it illegal to prohibit fire arms in any public place including daycare centers, mental health facilities for wounded vets, schools, etc. The police were furious and vociferously argued against the bill but they passed it anyway.

[rightbug]

He is not even quasi police. He is about as "police" as I am.

The statutory section for peace officers is very long and complicated. I imagine that if he had a valid carry permit related to his job, he was a peace officer and hence, quasi-police. My father, 71 years old and a retired fifth grade school teacher, is currently working as a village constable. He's quasi-police and, if he went through the application process, he could carry a gun while working. It's not that hard.

What makes you think he had a valid carry permit related to his job? Isn't Florida a conceal carry state? Anyone can get a permit to carry a gun down there.

[jburns]

He is not even quasi police. He is about as "police" as I am.

The statutory section for peace officers is very long and complicated. I imagine that if he had a valid carry permit related to his job, he was a peace officer and hence, quasi-police. My father, 71 years old and a retired fifth grade school teacher, is currently working as a village constable. He's quasi-police and, if he went through the application process, he could carry a gun while working. It's not that hard.

No, he wasn't. He was a self appointed "protector" of his neighborhood. See his previous calls to police below:

In August 2011, he called to report a black male in a tank top and shorts acting suspicious near the development's back entrance. "[Complainant] believes [subject] is involved in recent S-21s"—break-ins—"in the neighborhood," the call log states. The suspect, Zimmerman told the dispatcher, fit a recent description given out by law enforcement officers.

Three days later, he called to report two black teens in the same area, for the same reason. "[Juveniles] are the subjs who have been [burglarizing] in this area," he told the dispatcher.

On April 22, 2011, Zimmerman called to report a black male about “7-9” years old, four feet tall, with a “skinny build” and short black hair. There is no indication in the police report of the reason for Zimmerman’s suspicion of the boy.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2012/03/...ing_things.html

[leedsy99]

Time out -- again, I don't know the specific facts. I thought he was an affiliated security officer for a gated community. If he's just a paranoid vigilante that patrols the streets, it's probably a depraved indifference murder (and it might be that regardless).

The racist part, though? Where does that come from? Did he make admissions like that? Or is it just an assumption because he shot a black kid in a hoodie. Because I have to say that I don't find that to be per se racist, just really unfortunate. Legally, you can't just infer racism. It's an element you'd have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

[jburns]

And when he called in to report Trayvon's suspicious activity, the dispatcher emphatically told him to stay in his car and that police were on the way.

[jburns]

The racist part, though? Where does that come from? Did he make admissions like that? Or is it just an assumption because he shot a black kid in a hoodie. Because I have to say that I don't find that to be per se racist, just really unfortunate. Legally, you can't just infer racism. It's an element you'd have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

No one really knows if Zimmerman was racist or just shot because he felt like it. Probably impossible to prove a hate crime and I am fine with that because we just don't know. I just want justice for the kid and his family.

[rightbug]

I think the history of calls to the police shows a pretty clear history of racial bias and, by all accounts, there was nothing at all threatening about Trayvon aside from the color of his skin but, yeah, short of him admitting he is a racist, it is impossible to know what is in a man's mind etc. It walks like a duck though.

[Sed]

I think the history of calls to the police shows a pretty clear history of racial bias and, by all accounts, there was nothing at all threatening about Trayvon aside from the color of his skin but, yeah, short of him admitting he is a racist, it is impossible to know what is in a man's mind etc. It walks like a duck though.

It walks like a duck, but it quacks more like a loon.

[HDH]

He is not even quasi police. He is about as "police" as I am.

But wasn't he in some type of uniform in a marked vehicle? Granted, it's NOT police, but at the same time the kid should know that he's in a "gated community" and if someone was following him he could have easily stopped and spoke to him. Why run?

I honestly don't know what Zimmerman was wearing so I'm asking sincerely.


(And in this case the shooter was as close to 100% as you can be....he followed the kid when he shouldn't have, he was carrying a gun when he shouldn't have, he engaged the kid when he shouldn't have, and he had that buff attitude, like he was going to save the world. I'm just saying that without the fleeing, this kid is PROBABALY alive today.)

[Sed]

But wasn't he in some type of uniform in a marked vehicle? Granted, it's NOT police, but at the same time the kid should know that he's in a "gated community" and if someone was following him he could have easily stopped and spoke to him. Why run?

STAND YOUR GROUND!

[HDH]

I'm not saying there aren't bad people in uniform, because it is obvious that are. But I think it is a tremendous minority and even those officers are likely to to behave properly without provocation (whether or not it is actual or perceived).

Maybe this needs to be in a different thread, but I'm curious what you make of the Village Voice's NYPD Tapes, then.

Overall I think I agree that bad people in uniform are a minority, but I also think holding them accountable seems to be unbelievably difficult. (Though some might say that's our own fault.)

Fudging numbers is significantly different than shooting and/or beating the shit out of someone. I'm only discussing brutatlity level misconduct here.

[leedsy99]

I think the history of calls to the police shows a pretty clear history of racial bias

How do you know that he wasn't completely correct in reporting that those black kids were causing crimes in his neighborhood?

[HDH]

I think the history of calls to the police shows a pretty clear history of racial bias

How do you know that he wasn't completely correct in reporting that those black kids were causing crimes in his neighborhood?

Because that is profiling and the world is supposed to completely ignore any facts or circumstances relating to race. Hence why little old ladies are over-frisked at the airlines.

[LisaLisa]

I think the history of calls to the police shows a pretty clear history of racial bias

How do you know that he wasn't completely correct in reporting that those black kids were causing crimes in his neighborhood?

Seriously? These questions you're bringing up have been covered and answered over the last week. How is it that you're completely out-of-the-loop on the #1 national news story for the last 7 days that's now drawing protests across the country and that's being covered every where?

[Nilan 666]

http://geraldoinahoodie.tumblr.com/ Enjoy.

[HDH]

I think the history of calls to the police shows a pretty clear history of racial bias

How do you know that he wasn't completely correct in reporting that those black kids were causing crimes in his neighborhood?

Seriously? These questions you're bringing up have been covered and answered over the last week. How is it that you're completely out-of-the-loop on the #1 national news story for the last 7 days that's now drawing protests across the country and that's being covered every where?

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012...-an-arrest.html


Wait, forgive me for possibly being out of the loop, but wasn't there a string of burglaries that were reported as being committed by black youths?

According to several homeowners who live at the Retreat, many of the well-groomed townhomes were robbed and vandalized last year by what some say was "a gang of young black men."€� Many now believe those robberies set the stage for a young man's death—and international outrage over it.

"I was told by a neighbor of ours last year that the men causing our problems were black,"€said 35-year-old Jackie Mathews, who lives with her brother in the complex. "They told me to avoid young black men at all times and to call the police if I saw a group of them in the complex."’

Sanford police received nearly 15 reports of burglary and theft from Retreat at Twin Lakes homeowners last year.

(BTW, I totally think Zimmerman was wrong and should be charged (unless it is established that it was clearly self defense). But even if it WERE self defense, it was his own actions that gave rise to the situation. I'm speaking more conceptually about the pre-existing situation and the area and the "do not run" mantra.)

This post has been edited by HDH: Mar 23 2012, 04:09 PM

[rightbug]

I think the history of calls to the police shows a pretty clear history of racial bias

How do you know that he wasn't completely correct in reporting that those black kids were causing crimes in his neighborhood?

Because his basis for assuming this to be the case was the same as his basis for ultimately murdering a straight-A student with no criminal history -- Skin color.

Putting it another way, if you call the police to report a potential crime every single time you see a black person in your neighborhood and if you then shoot a black honor student whose only crime appears to have been being in your neighborhood, odds are, you are a racist.

[rightbug]

(I'm just saying that without the fleeing, this kid is PROBABALY alive today.)

The problem with this statement is that you are blaming the victim. Read his friend's account of their cell phone conversation -- It's heartbreaking:

"He said this man was watching him, so he put his hoodie on. He said he lost the man," Martin's friend said. "I asked Trayvon to run, and he said he was going to walk fast. I told him to run but he said he was not going to run."

Eventually he would run, said the girl, thinking that he'd managed to escape. But suddenly the strange man was back, cornering Martin. "Trayvon said, 'What, are you following me for,' and the man said, 'What are you doing here.' Next thing I hear is somebody pushing, and somebody pushed Trayvon because the head set just fell. I called him again and he didn't answer the phone."

This kid was a good kid and he was scared. He didn't want to run probably because he didn't want to provoke the guy. But what do you do when you're a kid being stalked by an adult? Saying that he'd still be alive if he hadn't run is laying some of the blame at his feet and that is entirely unjustified, if not fucked up, in a case like this. This kid's only crime was being black. That's some fucked up shit right there.

[HDH]

I think the history of calls to the police shows a pretty clear history of racial bias

How do you know that he wasn't completely correct in reporting that those black kids were causing crimes in his neighborhood?

Because his basis for assuming this to be the case was the same as his basis for ultimately murdering a straight-A student with no criminal history -- Skin color.

Putting it another way, if you call the police to report a potential crime every single time you see a black person in your neighborhood and if you then shoot a black honor student whose only crime appears to have been being in your neighborhood, odds are, you are a racist.

That's a bit of hyperbole, no? I posted an article and have seen many others where it states there was a rash of burglaries and vandalism and it was suspected they were committed by black youths. They is at least some basis for calling 911 after noticing what he deemed (and I'm not saying his judgment is all that reliable) suspicious persons in the area?

From what I can tell, many of the neighbors are African American. So to say that he called 911 every time he saw a black person is 100% inaccurate.

And also, there is evidence of a struggle. He was cut on the head. I've been clear that I put responsibility on Zimmerman for creating a situation he should not have, but the fact is there was a struggle. He didn't shoot a black straight A student in the back from 15 feet away.

[Knight of Dight]

Also, did Zimmerman call out anything at Trayvon or tell him to stop or try to get his attention at all to ask what he was up to? Because, to me, it sounds like Zimmerman silently stalked Trayvon and the only verbal exchanges that occurred were after he had already cornered Trayvon and was about to attack him. That's what is suspicious about how he acted. If Zimmerman were merely trying to chase off someone he suspected was up to no good, then why did he stalk Trayvon for so long instead of just calling out "Hey you, what are you doing, get out of here" right when he saw him or something?

This post has been edited by Knight of Dight: Mar 23 2012, 04:32 PM

[HDH]

(I'm just saying that without the fleeing, this kid is PROBABALY alive today.)

The problem with this statement is that you are blaming the victim. Read his friend's account of their cell phone conversation -- It's heartbreaking:

"He said this man was watching him, so he put his hoodie on. He said he lost the man," Martin's friend said. "I asked Trayvon to run, and he said he was going to walk fast. I told him to run but he said he was not going to run."

Eventually he would run, said the girl, thinking that he'd managed to escape. But suddenly the strange man was back, cornering Martin. "Trayvon said, 'What, are you following me for,' and the man said, 'What are you doing here.' Next thing I hear is somebody pushing, and somebody pushed Trayvon because the head set just fell. I called him again and he didn't answer the phone."

This kid was a good kid and he was scared. He didn't want to run probably because he didn't want to provoke the guy. But what do you do when you're a kid being stalked by an adult? Saying that he'd still be alive if he hadn't run is laying some of the blame at his feet and that is entirely unjustified, if not fucked up, in a case like this. This kid's only crime was being black. That's some fucked up shit right there.

Keep in mind, I'm ASSUMING this guy was in some kind of uniform. And I'm more referring to fleeing from police. If Zimmerman was in plain clothes following this kid with the attitude, it makes worse a situation where I DO believe he is at fault to begin with.

He wrongly confronted the kid, and he did so because he was black, but not necessarily because Zimmerman was a racist. He was a buff who thought he was going to be a hero and catch the bad guy WHO DID FIT THE PROFILE OF A RECENT CRIME PATTERN in that immediate vicinity.

[HDH]

Also, did Zimmerman call out anything at Trayvon or tell him to stop or try to get his attention at all to ask what he was up to? Because, to me, it sounds like Zimmerman silently stalked Trayvon and the only verbal exchanges that occurred were after he had already cornered Trayvon and was about to attack him.

Yes, an answer to this could make it even MORE clear how wrong Zimmerman was.

[LisaLisa]

I think the history of calls to the police shows a pretty clear history of racial bias

How do you know that he wasn't completely correct in reporting that those black kids were causing crimes in his neighborhood?

Seriously? These questions you're bringing up have been covered and answered over the last week. How is it that you're completely out-of-the-loop on the #1 national news story for the last 7 days that's now drawing protests across the country and that's being covered every where?

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012...-an-arrest.html


Wait, forgive me for possibly being out of the loop, but wasn't there a string of burglaries that were reported as being committed by black youths?

According to several homeowners who live at the Retreat, many of the well-groomed townhomes were robbed and vandalized last year by what some say was "a gang of young black men."€� Many now believe those robberies set the stage for a young man's death—and international outrage over it.

"I was told by a neighbor of ours last year that the men causing our problems were black,"€said 35-year-old Jackie Mathews, who lives with her brother in the complex. "They told me to avoid young black men at all times and to call the police if I saw a group of them in the complex."’

Sanford police received nearly 15 reports of burglary and theft from Retreat at Twin Lakes homeowners last year.

(BTW, I totally think Zimmerman was wrong and should be charged (unless it is established that it was clearly self defense). But even if it WERE self defense, it was his own actions that gave rise to the situation. I'm speaking more conceptually about the pre-existing situation and the area and the "do not run" mantra.)

Speaking specifically to this case--this was a 17 yr old teen who was being approached by a much bigger stranger. He was not a P.O. And despite his claim, this man was not a neighborhood watchman. I know my brother's sons were taught how to act when approached by a P.O.; just as they were taught how to act when approached by a stranger. And this man was a stranger to him. We can only guess what was going through Trayvon Martin's mind when this man approached him, possibly accosted him and possibly chased him. This kid was screaming for help. He was unarmed. It's not a stretch to assume he was very scared. There's no justification or defense for why this child was shot to death. Unless you're Zimmerman--a wannabe "Watchman" with delusions of heroism who found what he thought was the sacrificial lamb that would elevate him to the status he craved.

[Kusand]

Keep in mind, I'm ASSUMING this guy was in some kind of uniform. And I'm more referring to fleeing from police. If Zimmerman was in plain clothes following this kid with the attitude, it makes worse a situation where I DO believe he is at fault to begin with.

I was starting to wonder where this "don't run" stuff was coming from. He was indeed plain clothes. I am/was quite boggled by the notion that people should be obligated to not run from a random person following them.

[LisaLisa]

The problem with answering some of these questions is that there was no investigation following the shooting. The scene wasn't investigated. Zimmerman wasn't questioned at the scene and he wasn't brought in later for questioning by the police. No drug test. No breathalizer test. His clothing wasn't tested. If he was cut, how? Maybe he cut himself? Whose blood was on him? These are questions that can't be answered because of incompetence and/or indifference on the part of the Samford police. Even when (not if) this guy is arrested, he has had plenty of time to makeup a story to protect himself, and learn it very well.

[Hockey101]

It is becoming a circus this case. People need to be held accountable. I would not want to judge Zimmernman as i'll stand by our system and let the process do its work. But the police investigation was ridiculously flawed, and what is even more sickening are people dipping in this story for PR gain.

There are many people that are murdered, yet we always end up seeing a select cases by media and politicians to heavily follow and comment on. Happens everywhere in the world and it sickens me. Self interest is put forth ahead of real emotions and sorrow for some people.

[steamroller]

Keep in mind, I'm ASSUMING this guy was in some kind of uniform.

He was just a self appointed "captain" of a neighborhood watch that barely even existed. He was just a dude with a gun following/chasing a kid after being told by the police not to.
If anything the law they used to do no police work at all investigating this applies more to the kid than the shooter.

This post has been edited by steamroller: Mar 23 2012, 05:11 PM

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

How is it that you're completely out-of-the-loop on the #1 national news story for the last 7 days that's now drawing protests across the country and that's being covered every where?

This really isn't fair at all to Leedsy as you have idea of his personal life.

I wake up in the morning without turning the tv on. I check my e-mail and get breakfast. I take a shower and I go to work. My commute to work is not very long so in the last 7 days, during my commute, I've heard all of about 5 minutes of coverage on NPR regarding this case and it was discussing neighborhood watches. While I visit these boards, and post a decent amount, I am very busy at work and don't go to many other sites besides this one. This discussion was hidden in the hate thread until today. Not everyone reads every single thread. I don't get home sometimes until after 7 o'clock, after most nightly news shows are over and I REFUSE to watch 24 hour news networks. I cook dinner, do things around the house and watch sports, or tv with my wife.

I do not get a daily news paper. If I was not following this in the hate thread, I wouldn't have known about it. This is also the kind of news stories that most places of business stay away from when it comes to office banter as it is more than likely going to cause a huge discussion that has nothing to do with work and would probably cause unnecessary issues.

So, ya know, if Leedsy leads a life that's even remotely similar to that, maybe THAT'S how he doesn't know.

[Rocha]

How is it that you're completely out-of-the-loop on the #1 national news story for the last 7 days that's now drawing protests across the country and that's being covered every where?

This really isn't fair at all to Leedsy as you have idea of his personal life.

I wake up in the morning without turning the tv on. I check my e-mail and get breakfast. I take a shower and I go to work. My commute to work is not very long so in the last 7 days, during my commute, I've heard all of about 5 minutes of coverage on NPR regarding this case and it was discussing neighborhood watches. While I visit these boards, and post a decent amount, I am very busy at work and don't go to many other sites besides this one. This discussion was hidden in the hate thread until today. Not everyone reads every single thread. I don't get home sometimes until after 7 o'clock, after most nightly news shows are over and I REFUSE to watch 24 hour news networks. I cook dinner, do things around the house and watch sports, or tv with my wife.

I do not get a daily news paper. If I was not following this in the hate thread, I wouldn't have known about it. This is also the kind of news stories that most places of business stay away from when it comes to office banter as it is more than likely going to cause a huge discussion that has nothing to do with work and would probably cause unnecessary issues.

So, ya know, if Leedsy leads a life that's even remotely similar to that, maybe THAT'S how he doesn't know.

But don't make suppositions one way or the other if you're not familiar with what's going on. I have not been watching or reading much news in the last week or two, so I'm not making any comments on this story. If I caught up with all the details, I would.

[Knight of Dight]

How is it that you're completely out-of-the-loop on the #1 national news story for the last 7 days that's now drawing protests across the country and that's being covered every where?

This really isn't fair at all to Leedsy as you have idea of his personal life.

I wake up in the morning without turning the tv on. I check my e-mail and get breakfast. I take a shower and I go to work. My commute to work is not very long so in the last 7 days, during my commute, I've heard all of about 5 minutes of coverage on NPR regarding this case and it was discussing neighborhood watches. While I visit these boards, and post a decent amount, I am very busy at work and don't go to many other sites besides this one. This discussion was hidden in the hate thread until today. Not everyone reads every single thread. I don't get home sometimes until after 7 o'clock, after most nightly news shows are over and I REFUSE to watch 24 hour news networks. I cook dinner, do things around the house and watch sports, or tv with my wife.

I do not get a daily news paper. If I was not following this in the hate thread, I wouldn't have known about it. This is also the kind of news stories that most places of business stay away from when it comes to office banter as it is more than likely going to cause a huge discussion that has nothing to do with work and would probably cause unnecessary issues.

So, ya know, if Leedsy leads a life that's even remotely similar to that, maybe THAT'S how he doesn't know.

But don't make suppositions one way or the other if you're not familiar with what's going on. I have not been watching or reading much news in the last week or two, so I'm not making any comments on this story. If I caught up with all the details, I would.

I actually had to go out of my way to look up a few details on this incident in order to make an educated post about it--- this thread was the first I had heard of what happened. My family gets the local newspaper, but I only really go through it for the word jumbles (part of my wake-up routine-- shower, eat breakfast/drink coffee, do the word jumbles while eating), I haven't watched the TV news in over a year, and I occasionally browse CNN when I am bored but really don't pay much attention to any of the headlines. I am disinterested in the news because most of the stuff that makes headlines is "Murder here, rape there, etc" and why would I want to read about that? Ignorance is bliss. I'd rather be ignorant and happy than "informed" and depressed. There's enough demoralizing bullshit in our day-to-day lives without subjecting ourselves to the misery of others. But that's just my opinion, and I'm sure it's not shared by very many.

This post has been edited by Knight of Dight: Mar 23 2012, 05:47 PM

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

How is it that you're completely out-of-the-loop on the #1 national news story for the last 7 days that's now drawing protests across the country and that's being covered every where?

This really isn't fair at all to Leedsy as you have idea of his personal life.

I wake up in the morning without turning the tv on. I check my e-mail and get breakfast. I take a shower and I go to work. My commute to work is not very long so in the last 7 days, during my commute, I've heard all of about 5 minutes of coverage on NPR regarding this case and it was discussing neighborhood watches. While I visit these boards, and post a decent amount, I am very busy at work and don't go to many other sites besides this one. This discussion was hidden in the hate thread until today. Not everyone reads every single thread. I don't get home sometimes until after 7 o'clock, after most nightly news shows are over and I REFUSE to watch 24 hour news networks. I cook dinner, do things around the house and watch sports, or tv with my wife.

I do not get a daily news paper. If I was not following this in the hate thread, I wouldn't have known about it. This is also the kind of news stories that most places of business stay away from when it comes to office banter as it is more than likely going to cause a huge discussion that has nothing to do with work and would probably cause unnecessary issues.

So, ya know, if Leedsy leads a life that's even remotely similar to that, maybe THAT'S how he doesn't know.

But don't make suppositions one way or the other if you're not familiar with what's going on. I have not been watching or reading much news in the last week or two, so I'm not making any comments on this story. If I caught up with all the details, I would.

Yes of course, agree 100 percent. Lisa was just specifically calling him out for being out of the loop.

[rightbug]

There are many people that are murdered, yet we always end up seeing a select cases by media and politicians to heavily follow and comment on. Happens everywhere in the world and it sickens me. Self interest is put forth ahead of real emotions and sorrow for some people.

In some cases, however, it sets off a national dialog worth having and, I would argue, this is one of those cases.

I am actually mostly in favor of gun rights. I live in New Hampshire where hunting is a common past time and I also appreciate firearms as collectibles and as part of a hobby/competative shooting. That having been said, Stand Your Ground is bad legisltaion and this case illustrates the reasons why perfectly. The discussion on race is also worth having.

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

There are many people that are murdered, yet we always end up seeing a select cases by media and politicians to heavily follow and comment on. Happens everywhere in the world and it sickens me. Self interest is put forth ahead of real emotions and sorrow for some people.

In some cases, however, it sets off a national dialog worth having and, I would argue, this is one of those cases.

I am actually mostly in favor of gun rights. I live in New Hampshire where hunting is a common past time and I also appreciate firearms as collectibles and as part of a hobby/competative shooting. That having been said, Stand Your Ground is bad legisltaion and this case illustrates the reasons why perfectly. The discussion on race is also worth having.

I do have to somewhat agree with 101 though. Look, I want to make something clear, I play devils advocate, we ALL know that, and even I haven't in this case. I do not defend Zimmerman, AT ALL. Ok, I want to make hat clear, this case is disgusting and the fact that he wasn't arrested is appalling to me.

I also believe this is opening up a very important dialogue. I think these are conversations we should be having.

Now, that being said, I think all of us know that unfortunately stuff like this happens everyday and I find it interesting from a social observatory kind of way that this particular incident is a story when many others aren't.

And to be even clearer, I'm not implying what knight did with an earlier post questioning if this is a story because of race, etc. I agreed with all the responses to him.

My question, from purely a curious, solcial studies kind of reasoning, why this case.

This post has been edited by SorryaboutthatWhoa: Mar 23 2012, 07:24 PM