Tag Archives: Trayvon Martin

George Zimmerman’s Father Says The ‘True Racists’ Are African-American

Amazing…

Think Progress

As the murder trial for George Zimmerman begins, his father has released an emotional and highly unusual e-book, publicly opining on all aspects of the case. The book by Robert Zimmerman Sr., called “Florida v. Zimmerman: Uncovering the Malicious Prosecution of my Son, George” was released today on Amazon for $3.99.

The most striking chapter is called “Who Are The True Racists,” an apparent effort to rebut claims that his son’s actions were racially motivated.

Previously, Zimmerman Sr. “believed generally racism was a thing of the past.” He says that, personally, he hadn’t encountered much racism, even though his wife is Hispanic. But after his son shot and killed Trayvon Martin, however, Zimmerman learned that racism is “flourishing at the insistence of some in the African American Community.” He then goes on to list various black leaders and organizations that he believes are racist:

Congressional Black Caucus. “[A] pathetic, self-serving group of racists… advancing their purely racist agenda.” He later adds that “all members of Congress should be ashamed of the Congressional Black Caucus, as should be their constituents.” And finally: “They are truly a disgrace to all Americans.”

The NAACP. “[S]imply promotes racism and hatred for their own, primarily finical, interests” and “without prejudice and racial divide, the NAACP would simply cease to exist.”

NAACP President Benjamin Jealous. “[W]hat I would expect of a racist.”

Trayvon Martin’s funeral director. A “racial activist and former head of the local NAACP.”

Benjamin Crump, Natialie Jackson and Darrly Parks, attorneys for Travyon Martin’s family. “The scheme team.”

The National Basketball Players Association.

Black Chamber of Commerce.

National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers.

National Black United Fund.

United Negro College Fund.

While stopping short of explicitly calling President Obama a racist, Zimmerman Sr. does say that Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have “shamelessly” sought to exploit his son’s case “to obtain great advantage in the African-American community.”

Zimmerman Sr. says that because of Holder’s decision to investigate whether Trayvon Martin’s death violated federal civil rights laws, the FBI did not have “adequate resources to investigate clearly identified potential terrorist [sic] in the Boston area.” Now, “tragically, we have suffered the consequences of Mr. Holder’s politically motivated decisions.”

 

10 Comments

Filed under George Zimmerman, Zimmerman Trial

What Really Went Wrong For MSNBC, And How To Really Fix It

To paraphrase a famous quote: The reports of MSNBC’s demise are greatly exaggerated.  

We’ve seen this before, but in reverse.  Last fall, MSNBC was beating Fox News in certain demographics.  Ratings go up and down and with that thought, there’s no doubt in my mind that MSNBC is here to stay…period.

Mediaite

There has been a lot of virtual ink devoted to the two months of dismal ratings that MSNBC has just endured, some of it sincere, some of it concern-trolling, and much of it tinged with Schadenfreude. There has even been talk that the network might never recover, at least not unless it abandons its Lean Forward identity. In order to figure out how to fix MSNBC’s problems, you have to understand what went wrong in the first place, and you have to actually want the network to thrive.

Before I even start, and more importantly, before any of you even start, let me set the record straight: I hate everything about TV ratings. I hate writing about them, reading about them, and I especially hate getting PR pitches about them. ratings are a terrible way to measure quality, especially in news programming, there are a million ways to slice and dice them, and just looking at them gives me a headache. This is not an invitation for you to email me about how your show is #1 with carpentry aficionados age 63-97. My concern for ratings is confined to their effect on whether I can continue watching programming that I enjoy.

That’s why I took notice when Salon‘s Alex Pareene, in an otherwise excellent column, suggested that MSNBC’s bad stretch has put the network’s progressive-leaning orbit into fatal decay. Are the ratings really that bad?

Well, they are pretty bad, from what I can see, and as Pareene notes, lots of people are taking this opportunity to beat up on All In host Chris Hayes. The launch of the former Up star’s 8 pm show just happened to coincide with an extended series of news cycles that played to rivals CNN and Fox News’ strengths, along with the climax of the HLN-owned-and-operated Jodi Arias trial. Here’s how Pareene describes it:

Meanwhile, CNN’s been given gift after gift by whichever minor demons are responsible for the creation of cable news stories. The channel’s new Zucker-approved softer focus and lack of dignity allowed it to capitalize on Jodi Arias nearly as much as its trashy sister station HLN did. The Boston bombings were a perfect CNN story, even if CNN botched the hell out of its coverage. The Dzhokhar Tsarnaev manhunt was precisely the sort of story that makes people go through their channel guides trying to remember which one CNN is. And then there was the West, Texas, explosion. CNN capitalized on all of this because CNN’s brand is “breaking news.” Fox capitalized because there are simply a whole bunch of people out there whose TVs are tuned to Fox basically all the time. MSNBC’s brand is “people either talking calmly or yelling at you, or each other, about politics.” These weren’t stories that made people think, “What does Chris Matthews have to say?” (Another problem: During huge stories, like the Boston bombing and subsequent manhunt, MSNBC frequently finds itself in the odd position of competing with its own sister network, when NBC News takes over the broadcast network.)

Ironically, MSNBC was alone among its cable news competitors in getting the Boston manhunt story right, a good deed for which they appear to be being punished. Fox News, meanwhile, has been carb-loading like Jabba the Hutt with ringworm on the three-headed Scandalabra™, and bloating its endlessly voracious audience in the process.

Continue here…

4 Comments

Filed under MSNBC, MSNBC Hosts

Twitter Responds to Ruling in Zimmerman Case

I really want to share this with my TFC friends…

The Root

The judge presiding over the George Zimmerman case delivered crushing blows to the defense this morning. Circuit Judge Debra Nelson ruled that “the defense may not bring up Trayvon Martin’s past marijuana use at trial, or his school suspensions or alleged participation in fights.” She also shot down a delay of trial proposed by Zimmerman’s lawyers.

The news injected hope in those hoping for a guilty verdict on behalf of the late teen. Trayvon, 17 years old, was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood-watch volunteer in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman’s lawyers claim self-defense as his motive for shooting the unarmed teen. The defense has been pushing for the admission of texts and tweets in an effort to prove Trayvon’s “hostility” on the day of the shooting.

The news spread quickly across Twitter, inspiring new commentary and debates about the case. Check out some of the conversation below.

 

 

Continued here…

 

1 Comment

Filed under George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin

Rush Limbaugh Compares Suspected Boston Bomber To Trayvon Martin

It’s too easy to say that the Limbaughs, Coulters and Hannitys of the world merely seek and need attention.  These people are simply unadulterated evil

Think Progress

Conservative radio prognosticator Rush Limbaugh used his nationally syndicated show on Tuesday to try and tie Dzhakar Tsarnaev, the captured suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings last week, to murdered teenager Trayvon Martin.

Last March, weeks after 17-year-old Martin was shot and killed, Limbaugh and the rest of the conservative echo chamber spent a considerable amount of time attacking Martin’s character and pushing back against a widely circulated photograph of the teen, claiming that the media was trying to gin up sympathy for the murdered boy.

On Tuesday, Limbaugh compared the media’s portrayal of Trayvon to the treatment of the captured Tsarnaev, citing the media’s use of slightly outdated photographs in both instances:

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh called out a variety of media outlets on Tuesday for trying to [do] “to Dzhokhar [Tsarnaev] what they did to Trayvon Martin.” He said that showing images of Tsarnaev at 14-years-old is an effort to humanize him and frame him as a “normal” or “mixed-up kid,” rather than an accused murder[er] and terrorist.

‘The news media are doing to Dzhokhar what they did to Trayvon Martin,”Limbaugh observed. “They’re regularly showing a photo of Dzhokhar that was taken when he was about 14. Soft, angelic, nice little boy. Harmless. Cute. Big, loveable eyes.”

“Not at all what he looks like today,” Limbaugh added. “The way, when we’re shown Osama bin Laden, it’s in his shepherd pose with his walking stick, walking through the mountains or whatever.”

The implication, subtly made, is that the liberal media is somehow supportive of Tsarnaev, who is responsible for the murders of three people and the injuries of more than 170 others. In reality, the outdated photograph of the younger Tsarnaev brother is one of several photographs in constant rotation on every news network since he was first identified late last week.

The comparison is also deeply offensive for Trayvon Martin and his family. Martin was a victim of gun violence in a state that remains lenient towards gun owners who turn their weapons on other Floridians.

HT: Mediaite

3 Comments

Filed under Rush Limbaugh

George Zimmerman’s Brother: ‘Black Teens’ Are Killers

This is unfortunate because Robert Zimmerman has decided to paint all Black teens with a broad brush, totally disregarding the teens who excel in high school and college.  There are Black teens who can’t go to college but will work hard to achieve their goals.  I am proud to say my four boys fit both examples.

Stereotyping all Black males is what has gotten the police chief at the 40th precinct in the Bronx in hot water over his stop and frisk policies.

Think Progress

Rob Zimmerman

Since he shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last year, George Zimmerman has been trying to convince the public that he was not acting simply out of racist aggression but because Martin attacked him. Zimmerman’s brother, Robert Zimmerman Jr, is not helping his cause. On Saturday, Zimmerman went on a Twitter tirade against “black teens,” equating the boy killed by his brother with De’Marquise Elkins, the 17-year-old suspect in the murder of a Georgia infant.

Zimmerman tweeted the photo at Michael Moore, the NAACP, the NRA, and a Breitbart.com editor. He followed it up with another comparison between the two, tweeting “Teen to West: “Do you want me to shoot your baby?” #TrayvonMartin to #GeorgeZimmerman: You’re gonna die tonight Motherf**ker.”

In case the reason for his comparison of the two young black men was unclear, Zimmerman later tweeted:

Trayvon Martin was unarmed when Zimmerman allegedly followed him and shot him. He had no criminal record. Zimmerman had a history of calling the police to report suspicious black individuals, one as young as 7-9 years old. By his brother’s logic, this frequent suspicion of black people was not due to prejudice but because black people pose a genuine and constant threat to everyone around them.

Zimmerman’s trial is scheduled for June 10.

6 Comments

Filed under George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin Update, In Case You’ve Not Been Following It…

Since the very beginning of the case, TFC has made an effort (thanks to The Root) to cover every weekly report on this case since Trayvon Martin’s death.

Alan Colmes’ Liberaland

Here’s what’s been happening in the Trayvon Martin case, in case you’ve not been paying attention.

1. Zimmerman has spent over $300,000 in donations over the last year and is desperate for more funds to finance his defense.

2. The trial has been set for June 10. Zimmerman recently asked for a delay of the trial until November but a judge denied his request.

3. New forensic analysis “casts doubt on Zimmerman’s timeline on the night he shot and killed the unarmed teen.”

4. Zimmerman has gained 105 pounds.

5. The defense team acquired Trayvon Martin’s school records. According to Zimmerman’s lawyers “some information in Trayvon Martin’s file could be relevant in the defense of George Zimmerman.”

6. Zimmerman is suing NBC News. In the suit, Zimmerman claims NBC unfairly portrayed him as a “racist and predatory villain.”

7. The judged denied Zimmerman’s request to be removed from GPS tracking.

8. Trayvon Martin would have turned 18 on February 5.

4 Comments

Filed under Trayvon Martin, Trayvon Martin Shooting

Todd Kincannon, Former South Carolina GOP Executive Director, Defends Trayvon Martin Tweets

Todd Kincannon

This guy is nuts.  The video link is at the end of this post.

The Huffington Post

Former South Carolina GOP executive director Todd Kincannon is known for making provocative statements on Twitter, but his latest series of tweets has caused an uproar on the Internet and even brought on death threats.

During the Super Bowl Sunday evening, Kincannon sent out a wave of racially-charged tweets bashing the game,including one that referenced Trayvon Martin.

On HuffPost Live Monday, Kincannon defended his tweets, claiming that they were nothing more than satire, but that they highlight just how politicized the Trayvon Martin case has become.

“The left has decided that Trayvon Martin was just this perfect little angel,” Kincannon said. “He was a thug. He
tweeted about drug use. This guy, he was a criminal, and the left has decided to make him some sort of martyr. That is what I don’t understand.”

Kincannon’s inciteful words about Martin didn’t end with those made during the Super Bowl. On Monday, Kincannon went as far as comparing Martin to Columbine gunmen Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris.

Speaking to HuffPost Live’s Jacob Soboroff and Alyona Minkovski, Kincannon tried to argue that the response to his statements are because he is a conservative. He said he understands some find his words to be “tasteless,” but that it’s time for Americans to be able to say what they actually think without being afraid.

“I stand for free speech and I stand for honest speech, and I think more people need to use it,” Kincannon said.

Video

 

4 Comments

Filed under Trayvon Martin

George Zimmerman trial date set for June 10

Zimmerman

USA Today

October 17. 2012

A Florida judge Wednesday set a June 10, 2013, date for the trial of George Zimmerman on charges of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, USA TODAY’s Yamiche Alcindor reports.

The unarmed 17-year-old was killed in February as he was walking in a gated Sanford community toward his father’s house.

Zimmerman, 29, has pleaded not guilty on grounds of self defense.

Zimmerman and his wife Shellie, 25, are living in hiding in Seminole County awaiting trial.

She is charged with perjury for allegedly lying at her husband’s first bond hearing regarding the family’s finances.

Judge Debra Nelson, who was presiding over the case for the first time Wednesday since being appointed, pressed prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda and Zimmerman attorney Mark O’Mara for timing before determining that June would be an appropriate month.

SANFORD: A city struggles to cope with Trayvon killing

INTERACTIVE: The Trayvon Martin case: A multimedia timeline

“June makes sense because it gives us a target date,” O’Mara said shortly after the hearing. “I have no idea between now and then if we’ll be ready. We’re going to try to be ready.”

O’Mara told the judge that the trial would most likely last three weeks. De la Rionda agreed.

O’Mara added that the defense is in the middle of taking depositions and is trying to gather all the information and discovery the prosecution has.

Attorneys for both sides will be back in court Friday to discuss discovery issues, subpoenas for Trayvon’s school records, and motions by the news media to keep the facts of the case public, USA TODAY’s Alcindor adds.

Ed. Note:  The Fifth Column has a page dedicated to the Trayvon Martin case as well.

Comments Off

Filed under George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin Shooting

Why President Obama Is So Terrifying

 

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a prolific writer.

I’ve seen him on several shows in the last few days because of an amazing article he wrote for The Atlantic.  Each of the hosts gave Coates kudos for writing such a powerful essay which is entitled: Fear of a Black President.

The Root

When President Barack Obama was asked about Trayvon Martin’s untimely death during a press conference about another topic, the commander in chief replied: “But my main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon. I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves, and that we’re going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.”

Seems like a perfectly relatable response, but Ta-Nehisi Coates, senior editor at the Atlantic, argues that because those words came from a black president, suddenly the situation became “racialized political fodder.”

Why President Obama Is So Terrifying

But it would be wrong to attribute the burgeoning support for Zimmerman to the blunders of Spike Lee or an NBC producer. Before President Obama spoke, the death of Trayvon Martin was generally regarded as a national tragedy. After Obama spoke, Martin became material for an Internet vendor flogging paper gun-range targets that mimicked his hoodie and his bag of Skittles. (The vendor sold out within a week.) Before the president spoke, George Zimmerman was arguably the most reviled man in America. After the president spoke, Zimmerman became the patron saint of those who believe that an apt history of racism begins with Tawana Brawley and ends with the Duke lacrosse team.

The irony of Barack Obama is this: he has become the most successful black politician in American history by avoiding the radioactive racial issues of yesteryear, by being “clean” (as Joe Biden once labeled him) — and yet his indelible blackness irradiates everything he touches. This irony is rooted in the greater ironies of the country he leads. For most of American history, our political system was premised on two conflicting facts — one, an oft-stated love of democracy; the other, an undemocratic white supremacy inscribed at every level of government. In warring against that paradox, African Americans have historically been restricted to the realm of protest and agitation. But when President Barack Obama pledged to “get to the bottom of exactly what happened,” he was not protesting or agitating. He was not appealing to federal power — he was employing it. The power was black — and, in certain quarters, was received as such.

No amount of rhetorical moderation could change this. It did not matter that the president addressed himself to “every parent in America.” His insistence that “everybody [pull] together” was irrelevant. It meant nothing that he declined to cast aspersions on the investigating authorities, or to speculate on events. Even the fact that Obama expressed his own connection to Martin in the quietest way imaginable — “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon” — would not mollify his opposition. It is, after all, one thing to hear “I am Trayvon Martin” from the usual placard-waving rabble-rousers. Hearing it from the commander of the greatest military machine in human history is another.

Read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ entire piece at The Atlantic.

Comments Off

Filed under Racism, Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic

George Zimmerman’s Wife Arrested

Shellie Zimmerman, wife of George Zimmerman

NewsOne

Shellie Zimmerman, wife of George Zimmerman, 28, the man charged with the murder of  17-year-old Trayvon Martin, has been arrested on perjury charges, reports theOrlando Sentinel.

According to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were alerted by prosecutors that a warrant had been issued for Shellie Zimmerman, 25. She was arrested about 3:30 p.m. “at the location she was residing in Seminole County,” deputies said in a statement.

She was booked on a perjury charge, with bond set at $1,000. She is currently “in the process of posting bond,” deputies said.

See Shellie Zimmerman’s arrest warrant here.

As previously reported by NewsOne, Prosecutor Bernie De la Rionda presented Judge Ken Lester with a partial transcript of telephone conversations Zimmerman had with his wife from jail. Discussing the amount of money they had, Zimmerman spoke in code to tell his wife how to make fund transfers. The code referred to amounts of “$15″ in place of “$150,000.”

When Shellie Zimmerman was asked at the bond hearing how much money was raised from the website, she said, “Currently, I do not know.”

Comments Off

Filed under George Zimmerman