I have collapsed to the responses to Murf and Psyc for ease of tracking...
Murf - I agree that Zimmerman shouldn't be a symbol and should be judged only by the merits of his innocence or guilt in court. The the behavior of the media, those in the media world (e.g. celebrities & personalities), and those who want to become part of the media world (e.g. Zimmermans first lawyers) has been ridiculous and self-aggrandizing. Those with the desire to be in the media world are neither conservative nor liberal underneath it all; they just want ratings numbers at any cost (see Rupert Murdoch), or want to increase their exposure
http://bit.ly/IfXy19), or, the lowest scum of them all, want to increase the awareness of the ineptitude of Mike Brown (www.mikebrownsucks.com).
That being said, when someone clearly commits an act of negligence and they dont get arrested, the court of public opinion is the only venue people can turn to. It would have been better for everyone, including Zimmerman, if he would have been charged and a formal investigation conducted right away.
Psych - I think the facts are very clear. In this particular situation - being a member of a neighborhood watch, being in possession of weapon, having talked to the police who were en route and told you to disengage - leaving the car was an act of negligence. Negligence is, "Failure to use reasonable care, resulting in damage or injury to another." Neighborhood watch guidelines and police instructions are to remove yourself from harms way once an observation has been made and reported and let trained professionals do their jobs. Zimmerman's unfortunate negligent decision caused a chain of events that ended in a COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE tragedy had those guidelines/instructions been followed. I really don't see any other way to look at it.
- FC
