Post by Police Moderator on Jul 24, 2013 2:21:46 GMT -5
Zeroing in on George Zimmerman
By Bill Colrus
Published Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013
By Bill Colrus
Published Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013
Four folks with ideas for moving us forward (clockwise from upper left) are Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, (unpaid) community organizer and volunteer member organizer with Concerned Citizens for Justice; Alex Teach (not pictured, not his real name), police officer and columnist for The Pulse; Patrick Hampton, youth pastor and director of a youth mentoring program; and Mike McJunkin, managing editor of The Pulse. (Image: Contributed)
No story in recent memory has so dominated the news cycle as George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Everyone, it seems, has an opinion about the case; and spending just a few minutes, say, scanning my Twitter feed at any point during the past week has served as an instant reminder of how truly divided we are as a nation.I have a few scattered thoughts about the case, but I missed much of the trial and don’t feel qualified to offer a sweeping assessment of its outcome. Plenty of people did pay attention, however, and I asked a few of them to share their thoughts with me. I selected four locals whom I thought would have interesting observations to share.
They are Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, (unpaid) community organizer and volunteer member organizer with Concerned Citizens for Justice; Alex Teach (not his real name), police officer and columnist for The Pulse; Patrick Hampton, youth pastor and director of a youth mentoring program; and Mike McJunkin, managing editor of The Pulse.
Do you see any common ground in their responses? Where there is disagreement, who has the best ideas? What would it take for everyone to see eye to eye? Let me know in the comments below.
Read more: nooga.com
I purposefully stayed out of the Zimmerman/Martin argument, to date. I have been too busy, recently, working two more extra jobs to support the $4,000 pay cut (With the lack of yet another COLA for most Hamilton County, Tennessee employees) the Hamilton County Commission, Mayor Jim Coppinger and Sheriff Jim Hammond threw onto my, and my kids, unsuspecting laps during the last budget process.
Woo Hoo! No tax increase for the majority of Hamilton County citizens (Who evidently expect more, for less) thanks to the now broken financial backs of a few thousand Hamilton County employees, and their families. We'll deal with that whole thing come election time. It seems that is what we do, and have done, for some time.
Back to the topic at hand..... Kudos to the folks at Nooga.com for presenting the readers with some disparate, conflicting and heartfelt views with a timely, appropriate and retrospective analysis of the case of the death of a young person and the altering of another person's entire life. I'll say this... Both of the participants exercised piss poor, Command Staff Level, stupid ass judgment.
Seriously.
The only way Nooga.com could have done better would have been to add June Griffin for an opposite, just as racist, viewpoint as Ms. Ash Lee Woodard Henderson Sharpton's Black/White Panther Party position did. (Both of these women are traveling on the same plane of illogical, factless, misguided, biased, racist and obviously uninformed, hysterical hyperbole. How's that for some equality?)
Idiots.
Crossfire? On CNN? On Faux News? Put these two women in a room, with a camera and a microphone, and one would have a best seller along the likes of Lizard Lick Towing, but with a African-American chick versus a blue haired daughter of the confederacy chick, both with the apparently same single digit, uninformed and ignorant IQ as a couple of North Carolina wrecker drivers. Then..... Have them all filmed in a pawn shop setting making a great deal. Pure gold, MMA style. Live action!
If anyone could have added more to the discussion, it would have been proffering the ivory tower perspective of David Cook of the TFP.
But, then we would have had to add the exact opposite of David Cook to counter by including comments, from the grave, of Joseph Paul Franklin. Since Mr. Franklin is dead (Thankfully), this point is (Thankfully) moot.
Ivory tower perspectives and the panorama from graves are pretty much a similar, and similarly ineffective, world view. Could they both meet in the middle? Like on the ground?
I've also been hesitant to post an opinion on anything of import as in the late spring of last year, when the High Sheriff told me (In the presence of my FOP lawyer) that I would never, ever, never get another promotion (As long as he was Sheriff) if I posted anything negative about him on the internets. (I didn't put quotation marks on that last quote as I wasn't sure [without checking the recording] whether 'Never', or 'Ever' came first in the actual quotation.) I abhor being forced to stand corrected; therefore, the stated disclaimer.
I'd been feeling less about myself as I, for a time, succumbed to the thought of the potential selfish reward of rank versus doing the right thing. I feel much better now since His word has come true, and since the thought of a higher rank has been irrevocably erased from my future. At least for now.
(I was hoping they'd ask a First Amendment question during this last promotional interview.)(I was further hoping they'd ask me to define 'conflict of interest' and the 'appearance of impropriety,' but then my interview, alone, would have bumped the whole process back by at least two days!)
I'm now officially over 'it.' A great self-imposed burden has been lifted from me and I have to thank the High Sheriff for that! Now, I can freely say what I mean, and mean what I say, and where I meant to say it, without thought to any future rank, or financial benefit, set-back!
Unfortunately, my ex-wives are really pissed that the $$$$ they'd been dreaming of (If I'd just shut my mouth, for once) are as ethereal as the thought of me not actually exercising my right to remain silent. I submit this post as evidence!
I'm feeling even better, now! Woo Hoo!
Say what you want about Sheriff Hammond. He is a man of his word, at least, as he can remember it. Based on the circus of the last HCSO promotional process, I will never, ever, never, ever be promoted under his watch, just as he promised me if I didn't toe his line, on the record.
As a side note.... I thought I was doing pretty good in the internets aspect of the great scheme of HCSO things, but I must have told one too many Incompetent Command Staff jokes, on the here, since then. I'm addressing all that in another venue. We'll see.
So, back to the topic at hand, again...
Regarding the Zimmerman/Martin thing... Our system of justice worked in this case. 6 lawfully chosen jurors (Accepted, and approved, by both sides and a Judge) were presented with the all evidence that could lawfully be presented to them and said evidence presented, and argued, by some very capable advocates. They deliberately deliberated and weighed the evidence. These volunteer jurors made a decision based on the facts as presented. They've stood, and are standing, by their informed decision. None of us, nor none of the talking heads, nor none of the CNN/FNN/HLN reporters/legal analysts/Sheriff Hammond, nor anyone, from either side, heard the completeness, or lack thereof, of the instant case at hand. These jurors should be commended for it, instead of vilified.
This was justice, whether you agree with the verdict, or not.
That is how our system of laws (However one deems them to be flawed,) with Constitutional checks and balances, works.
In my 30 year career as a cop, I have lost more cases than I have won, but, I have never, ever, never, ever and never cried, wailed, worn sack cloth or gnashed teeth that justice was denied me, the victim, society or the defendant. I've have always tried to do my job to the best of my abilities, my training, my knowledge and my experience. The rest is on them.
This case is a prime example of how it should work in a legal vacuum, and I am spiritually renewed that despite the media, the hype, the Monday-Morning-Quarterbacking, the racism (On both sides, sans the Martin family) it all worked out.
Everything seems to work out in the long run, for the better, as long as we do right.
You with me? On that long run and doing right thing?