The First Jury - Response to the Zimmerman Trial

The truth is if you have a monster defense team, you walk.  Just ask OJ 10 years ago.  If Zimmerman would have had a standard legal team with the same set of case facts, he would be in prison already.  That is 21st century justice and we know that is true.  What is also 21st century that did not exist when legal frameworks were constructed was the internet.  This case go so much coverage before one witness came to the stand that a jury was selected very early.  

This jury, not one that acquitted Zimmerman, was asked for money.  A legal defense team fund was created for Zimmerman and right out of the gate it raised money.  Ask Clarence Earl Gideon if he would have been a fan of the internet when he was changing the system the old fashioned way. People who knew nothing about the case, except what was reported in the media and other "reliable" news sources could donate money towards the defense of a man they did not know.  By the end of May they were asking for more money saying, "they’ve raised $26,000 in donations in the last two months and over $300,000 so far, but it’s just not enough."  They went on to tell the public that they needed at least $120,000 to properly defend him or $75,000 to give him a fighting chance.  After that plea another $77,000 was raised from large donors.  Visit the web link below to the see how the money has been rolling in.  Better yet, read the comments that were published with the donations.  i would love to see a full list of these "large donors" and see what interests are being promoted.

If we go back to the assumption that money = victory, then the first jury decided this case for George Zimmerman.  The second jury simply did the formalities.  What does this mean for trial law going forward in this country?  I used to believe in the concept of a court of public opinion but now we have juries of public opinion.  I'm not saying it is fair or not but I know how I will play the game God forbid that I am in his situation.  But that wouldn't happen.  I do not believe in concealed carry and I definitely would not be following suspicious people at night.  I do what all good sissies do, look out my window and talk to the police on the phone from afar. 

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/05/29/george-zimmerman-defense-needs-more-money

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57587877-504083/george-zimmerman-trial-defense-fund-up-$77k-in-one-week-for-man-accused-of-murdering-trayvon-martin/

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/cops_others/clarence_gideon/index.html

http://www.gzdefensefund.com/donate/

Who's Your Captain Miller?

A couple of weeks ago I lost one of my Captain Millers. My 8th grade English teacher, Mr. Forbes passed away as he was enjoying his retirement. To know what a Captain Miller is, you must be familiar with my favorite movie "Saving Private Ryan".

Tom Hanks played Captain Miller in the 1997 film that helped me put real perspective on my life. I have even done a couple of speaking engagements on the parallels between my life and the film and how I have dealt with being an at-risk kid growing up. The message to the kids and teachers that I've spoke to is to be somebody's Captain Miller. 

To capture his full essence watch the clip linked below. A quick summary of his character is this, he is a leader. A leader who can lead by example and put himself out in front of his men to get them where they need to be. He is smart but stays focused. His men saw him as a mystery because he didn't try to make friends with his men he simply put them where they needed to be to accomplish the mission. In then in the end, because the situation demanded it, he showed his humanity to his men to bring them closer.

As I have stated in an earlier post, for poor kids people are currency. I have been lucky enough to have several people willing to be my wealth over the years and thus my Captain Millers. Mr. Forbes was a Captain Miller because I always felt welcomed and valued in his room. He taught me and connected with me. He is one of the few teachers I made a real connection with. I don't think he knew I had become an educator but I'm sure he would have been a bit shocked to learn that. But really that's what you do for your Captain Millers. At the end of the film his last words to Private Ryan were, "earn this."  That's what you have to do for them every day. True Captain Millers don't want a thank you, they just want to know that the sacrifices they were making along the way made a difference.  

Who are your Captain Millers?  Have you earned their sacrifice today?

http://youtu.be/FF6C8MYdzQk

 

The Real Paula Dean Issue

I really need to get away from Facebook. In the last couple of weeks I get to see who supports Paula Dean and those who are utterly offended by her and it is getting sickening to listen to.  The real issue here is money. She stands to lose money and so do the people around her.  Her defense seems to be centered around whether or not she used the word nigger and whether or not it is wrong to do so.  Yes, I am a white man that just typed the word nigger as opposed to using the term "N Word".  I can tell you it is wrong to use these terms. Lets not forget a long list of disparaging words that are projected at any one of any color, race, sexual orientation, or ascribed status. 

These words are easy to use and that's why this debate is completely misguided. If you blindly call me a cracker, it is solely on the basis of skin color. I have more respect for someone who calls me a cracker based on their experiencing the content of my character. Yes the words of MLK are important here. He wanted his children to be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. Lets go back to Paula Dean. Does anyone realize that this revelation came out in a court deposition. She is being sued for discrimination. Do we forget that?  People want us to excuse her for using the word 27 years ago but are they also asking us to excuse her from allegedly being discriminatory towards people of color?

I think I can overlook stupid people using stupid words and the fact that these stupid people fail to find value in their fellow man. It happens everyday sadly because we allow it. I will not raise my kids to be this simple minded. I cannot overlook the fact that in 2013 we are still talking about race and racism. That's the real issue folks. All people must realize that using words that simply label people is weak. It's time to finally judge people by the content by the content of their character.