Zimmerman. George Zimmerman, by Mike Gold – Brainiac On Banjo #334 | @MDWorld

July 22, 2013 Mike Gold 3 Comments

Even though I have come to respect his work as an activist, I think Al Sharpton is on the wrong track with his call for demonstrations in 100 cities to encourage the Justice Department to go after George Zimmerman.

Then again, I’m not opposed to the feds going after Zimmie. I’m talking strategy and tactics here. The man we love to hate really isn’t the issue. The issue is, we have these laws on the books in a number of states that allow people to shoot and kill those folks by whom they feel threatened. That’s not self-defense. That’s dangerous nonsense. It’s a license to kill.

The Zimmerman case brings this to light, and demonstrations in 100 cities should focus on the real problem. Trying to undue the jury verdict is not going to bring Trayvon Martin back to life. Focusing on the law that set Double-O-Zimmie free will help prevent future Trayvon Martin situations.

I’m also not opposed to Martin’s family suing the begeezus out of the guy. After all, that was a sweet revenge tactic when it was applied to O.J. Simpson, so it would be fair to use it on a white guy as well. More important, it would be interesting to see George Zimmerman be forced to testify under oath. The rule against self-incrimination only applies in criminal cases. If the court would permit it, even Fox News would broadcast that one live. If he screws up, Zimmerman won’t have to steal back his sports trophies to get himself incarcerated.

The jury (I’ll admit I don’t get the “six person jury” thing) did not rule on whether Zimmerman is a racist, nor was it their place. They said the two got into a physical altercation and George ended it with extreme prejudice. How would they know what was in Zimmerman’s heart? He wasn’t asked this question in court, standing on his Constitutionally provided right to avoid the possibility of self-incrimination. And that’s a good rule, no matter whose ox is being gored. Or whose son was gored.

Would Zimmerman have acted the same way if his victim were white? We don’t know, and it’s possible Double-O Zimmie doesn’t know either.

Zimmerman’s lawyer Mark O’Mara said that if his client were black he wouldn’t have been charged. This makes O’Mara either a very dangerous man or, if he actually meant what he said, a nincompoop. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, he could be both. The idea that Florida officials are resistant to the concept of arresting black people doesn’t pass the taste test.

Zimmerman’s brother echoed much the same thought, condemning him as a malicious bigot as well. But both are right about one thing: Double-O Zimmie’s going to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life. There are equally dangerous people out there who are not the least bit sanguine. Some folks have long memories.

In fact, they feel threatened by George Zimmerman’s existence.

Hmmmm.

Mike Gold performs the weekly two-hour Weird Sounds Inside The Gold Mind ass-kicking rock, blues and blather radio show on The Point, www.getthepointradio.com, every Sunday at 7:00 PM Eastern, rebroadcast three times during the week – check the website above for times and streaming information. Gold also joins MDW’s Marc Alan Fishman, Martha Thomases and Michael Davis as a weekly columnist at www.comicmix.com where he pontificates on matters of four-color.