What is up with US Repubs?

[pieces o nine]

Not yet.

I haven't yet discussed the outcome of the TM case, nor the outrage against two dramatically different (and equally morally outrageous) verdicts in two cases hinged on that law antwhere. I was shocked beyond immediate reaction by the TM verdict -- and the pointed comments that George gets his gun back (!) to go right back out keeping the mean streets of his gated community safe for the pale residents therein -- but not surprised by the callous, arrogant Business as Usual ignoring of the peaceful protesters by the Florida legislators, and I am being very careful to not even see clips of Faux News commentary.

I sincerely hope that Eric Holder and the White House show some backbone and use that bully pulpit to do something about these horrendous laws.

Although the following is comedy, the Daily Show brutally summarized the entire outrage. The audience kept laughing, but John Oliver was not playing this for laughs.
[youtube=425,350]jLxHyxtiS2s[/youtube]

[Opsa]

That show is the only thing I miss about having satellite TV.

I am bothered by the thought that a woman could be followed by some rapist, turn and confront him, possibly use some sort of physical self-defense, and he could shoot her dead with a gun and get away with it.

I don't think that the Stand Your Ground law has anyone's safety in mind other than that of a gun carrier. I thank TGW that I don't live in a SYG state. I don't want to go to any of those states that have it.

[Swatopluk]

SYG has strong incentives for 'leave no witness'.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I have the pleasure to live in a state redistricted in a way that allows the a$$hats control of the state senate and not only pass what I would call "Cowboy Wannabe Laws" but to prevent any changes to those (per NRA orders). Note that the enforcement of said laws isn't uniform, it came to my attention the case of the (black) woman who shot a gun in the air to avoid been beaten by her partner and sentenced to 20 years, because having bad laws isn't good enough, we have a prejudiced law enforcement and justice system.

In the end I would think that the a$$hats are a symptom of a larger disease with american society. The fact that so many people vote for them means that there is a good segment of the population that agrees with their views and methods and until that changes we will have to deal with their shiny turds laws and enforcement.

[Opsa]

Either that or they're afraid that someone will shoot them and get off scot free if they don't vote for them.

If that woman had shot her husband (instead of into the air) , she would have been okay in the eyes of the law? It was her mercy that convicted her? What does this tell people?

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I think it would have been worse, not because of the laws themselves but because she is black. Had she been a non-poor white we wouldn't be talking about it.

[Opsa]

I wonder how that might have turned out if she'd been a man.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Worse for the black man, and I imagine that the record of the white man would define if he went to jail, or not. Of course this is all conjecture, the biggest factor is how good/expensive the defense lawyer is, and as a secondary factor how interested the fiscal office is on the case, that is, if there is a perception that the man should be behind bars the prosecution will use all the resources available, but that point is moot if the defendant has no actual defense (ie, an ill experienced/underpaid/overburdened public defense attorney) because the case would be likely settled out of court, or literally not contested in court, with all the advantage to the prosecution. That applies to all the US of A, BTW.

[Griffin NoName]

Am I right?? You can shoot a black man in the street if you get an irrational idea that he may turn round and attack you? It's all just a teensy bit hard to understand.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

You can if:
-You live in Florida
-You have a conceal carry weapon permit
-The black person is stupid enough to confront you.
-You have a good lawyer.

or

-You are a member of the Police force.

[Opsa]

Correction: You can shoot ANYONE whom you feel is threatening you, if you are in a Stand Your Ground state. Whether you get away with it or not is up to what your budget will allow for a defense lawyer.

You may not, however, shoot at the sky if someone is threatening you. Unless, of course, your budget will allow for a fancy defense lawyer.

[Griffin NoName]

-The black person is stupid enough to confront you.

I thought he wasn't confrontational, it was just an idea that he might be..   ?

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Nobody knows who actually started throwing punches, what is known is that when Zimmerman was losing the fight he decided to kill the kid.

[Opsa]

That's what's so ph***ed up about the law. If you kill the person you suspect to be threatening you, he can't tell his side of the story.

It seems that Zimmerman, if he was armed, was looking for trouble. Normal people don't go for strolls with loaded guns. Paranoid people do.

He should not have followed the kid. He was told not to. I wouldn't follow someone whom I thought was there to make mischief. I might have called the police if I saw someone lurking around, definitely if he was armed. But I would not follow him. Zimmerman knew he had a gun, and he followed this kid. What did he expect to be the outcome? If the kid had started running instead of confronting him, would he have shot him then?

If a strange man was following me, I don't know what I'd do. I have had strange men follow me before. Sometimes I have walked faster and darted into the first shop I could find open. But I have, in some instances, confronted them. Once I was on a subway and a strange man kept following me and actually leaning on me, presumably to cop a feel or something. So finally I announced loudly that this weirdo was touching me and that I didn't appreciate it. He looked very sheepish and faded away into the crowd. Was I threatening to him? Maybe in his eyes I was, since I was calling him on his behavior.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

If we want to be fair, how do you articulate a proper self defense law? Considering that many of these cases will be low on actual evidence how do you balance the trigger happy vs those legitimately trying to defend themselves? Part of what made the case hard to judge was the uncertainty over Trayvon's ability to actually place the life of Zimmerman in danger (nil in my view but that was the jury's excuse).

So long deadly force is in the cards without repercussions we will hear of more cases like this.