Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, and Joe Ricketts: The Music Never Ends

This is all going down hill so fast that it makes the head swim. Details of Trayvon Martin's just released autopsy say that he was killed by a single shot to the chest from "intermediate range." Does anyone even know what intermediate range means? I'm assuming that George Zimmerman was far enough away so as to not leave powder burns on Martin's clothing, but close enough to hit his target with a fair amount of accuracy. In other words Martin and Zimmerman were not locked together in a clench, or even at an arm's length apart when the trigger was pulled.

A doctor has written a report saying that the day after the shooting, Zimmerman came to him with what appeared to be a broken nose and two black eyes, which is not uncommon when you get your nose broken. That I can personally testify to. He also had two lacerations to the back of the head. Neither of the cuts were significant enough to require stitches. There was also a bruised lip and he complained of lower back pain. Zimmerman's lawyers and supporters will point to these injuries saying it proves that the neighborhood watch captain was attacked by Martin.

That of course, as we say in Oklahoma, is horse shit. It proves he was in a fight and nothing more. It doesn't discount the fact that Zimmerman told police dispatch that Martin was running from him. It doesn't explain away two audio experts who have said the voice yelling for help in a recorded 911 call was not George Zimmerman's.

It does tend to confirm that at some point in the chase Zimmerman cornered Martin and a confrontation ensued. If Martin felt trapped he probably decided he had no other option, but to turn and fight. If he was here to defend himself he could and no doubt would cite that same stand your ground statute that the defense is going to use in the upcoming trial. Unfortunately, thanks to Dead Eye George, young Mr. Martin isn't available at this time.

In other proof we are headed toward a complete racial dystopia the New York Times uncovered proposals made to a republican Super Pac for TV ads that would air this summer. Joe Ricketts, who owns the Chicago Cubs among other things, operates the political action committee. One of the ideas was to link Obama to Reverend Jerimiah Wright and insert the issue of race into the campaign. In order to offset the inevitable charges of race baiting the ads would cause, the proposal advocated the use of an "extremely literate and conservative African American" as a spokesperson. This unnamed person would accuse Obama of misleading the public by presenting himself as a "metrosexual black Abe Lincoln." 

It is a concept so vile the Romney people immediately disavowed it, although they did accuse Obama of running a negative campaign in the very next breath. Republican operative Steve Schmidt said Sarah Palin wanted to do the same thing four years ago, but John McCain wouldn't allow it. The McCain camp believed it wouldn't swing any Obama supporters to them and in fact would energize his base and probably disillusion many independents.

Ricketts himself is now claiming he'd never use such tactics, even though he was quoted in the proposal as saying that, "If the ad had run four years ago Obama would never have been elected."

God how we love to hate each other. Actually we love to hate everyone. If there were Martians we'd hate them too. The list is practically endless.

At times like these the republic appears to have been one giant and ghastly mistake. The grand American experiment somehow went all afoul and instead of a tolerant and civilized people we turned out to be caricatures of Dr. Frankenstein's monster.

It is time for a drink. Maybe two.



5-17-12