Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Remember George Zimmerman, the former block watch leader who is facing second degree murder charges  in one of the most racially charged cases in recent time? The murder took on additional controversy when President Obama appeared to sympathize with the black teenager who was killed during an altercation.

Newly released photos of Zimmerman with a bloodied face are now being used by his lawyers as evidence that the prosecution was slow in revealing the true nature of  his injuries and corroboration of his account of the events. In addition, today Zimmerman’s attorneys announced he is now suing NBC for damages that portrayed him as a “racist and predatory villain” through editing of the 911 tape.

From ABC News: The suit, filed this afternoon, claims, “NBC saw the death of Trayvon Martin not as a tragedy, but as an opportunity to increase ratings.”

An NBC News spokeswoman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The suit claims the network pounced on the story in large part to help aid the ailing ratings of its morning program, “The Today Show.” It centers around “manipulated” exchanges between George Zimmerman and a non-emergency dispatcher shortly before unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin was shot and killed. The audio aired a few times on several NBC platforms beginning March 19.

The suit blames NBC in large part for the media frenzy surrounding the case and hostilities against Zimmerman.

Read the rest at ABC News.

A finding in Zimmerman’s favor would end the criminal case against him, as well as immunizing him from civil action.

“Now that the State has released the majority of their discovery, the defense asserts that there is clear support for a strong claim of self-defense. Consistent with this claim of self-defense, there will be a ‘Stand Your Ground’ hearing,” said O’Mara in a statement.

The law allows people to use deadly force, rather than retreat, if they believe their lives are in danger.

O’Mara described the hearing as a “mini-trial,” with arguments, witnesses, experts and evidence that would be included in a criminal trial, but without a jury. 

Tensions continue to run high in the city of Sanford and across the nation as many believe the shooting was racially motivated.

Al Sharpton’s National Action Network has been a staunch supporter of the Martin family throughout the ordeal. At the time of this post they could not be reached for comment.

Audio experts are working around the clock to find more Zimmerman racism hidden in the 9–1–1 tapes. Maybe if they play them backward...

Good news for Neighborhood Watch celebrity, George Zimmerman. The Associated Press reports that in 23 years only 2,000 people have been exonerated after being wrongly convicted of a serious felony.

Each year there are nearly one million felony convictions, over 10,000 times more than the 90 innocent defendants wrongly convicted. The findings are particularly encouraging for Zimmerman as he faces criminal prosecution for second–degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin and simultaneously a trial–by–media for the same offense.

The miscarriage of justice rate compares very favorably with the hospital medical error rate of 18 percent, where presumably the doctor doesn’t have any animus toward the customer, as opposed to prosecutors who do.

And public opinion is starting to come around. A new Rasmussen Reports national survey found 40 percent think Zimmerman acted in self–defense.

This finding is in sharp contrast to a survey of mainstream journalists that found 85 percent believe Zimmerman should already be doing time in Guantanamo.

Then when it appears justice may finally be allowed to take its course, the Washington Post uses a discredited CNN idea to attack George.

You may recall CNN reporter Gary Tuchman examined Zimmerman’s 9–1–1 call and discovered RACISM! Which is to be expected from someone with a white father. Using “one of the most sophisticated audio edit suites in the broadcast news business” CNN heard Zimmerman saying “(bleeping) coons” after technicians “enhanced” the recording.

Naturally to demonstrate even–handed news judgment, the tape was played for viewers about 300 times during the segment. As the reporter intoned, “Listen closely for “coon,” a word only bigots use. Remember it starts with a ‘c’ and ends with ‘oon.’”

Except the word wasn’t “coon.” Two weeks later, with much less fanfare, CNN re–enhances the tape and sure enough Zimmerman was saying “(bleeping) cold.”

How fortunate Zimmerman didn’t have to hide in the weeds to observe Martin. I can only imagine what the media would have done if George had muttered something about being bitten by a (bleeping) chigger.

Which brings us back to the sound–enhancing WaPo and its recording of a witness call, which FBI analysts have already termed “inconclusive.” The WaPo recycles the lie that Zimmerman ignored an order from the dispatcher. And in a nice touch, writes “…cursing under his breath, Zimmerman got out of his truck and began to follow (Martin).” But, thanks to CNN, we know Zimmerman was cursing the weather, a common activity worldwide, and not Martin.

Martin’s father heard the WaPo tape and told police the voice was not his son’s, But that was before lawyers got to him and visions of wrongful death lawsuits began dancing in his head. In contrast, the WaPo’s expert — who wouldn’t have known Trayvon if the kid had approached him at 7/11 and asked for a loan to buy Skittles — imagines Martin yelling, “I’m begging you!” “Help me!” And then, “Stop!”

Since the story was written by two females, I won’t fault them for their lack of expertise when it comes to fight dynamics. But in the real world the person who lands the first punch usually wins. Since witnesses place Martin on top of Zimmerman repeatedly punching him “MMA” style, it’s reasonable to assume his was the first punch.

Someone winning a fight is also not the one calling for help. The puncher is usually concentrating on pounding the punchee. Evidence shows Zimmerman’s back was wet from ground contact and he had a broken nose, two black eyes and cuts on the back of his head, so Trayvon evidently was doing a thorough job.

You can find the recording on the Post website and identifying any one element is like trying to isolate a single razzberry in a Spike Jones recording. One of the edited audio segments purports to be Martin’s “Stop!” But I’ve been in recording studios for 35 years and I hear “Help!” in both recordings, which stands to reason since Zimmerman is losing the fight.

But this is where it gets interesting. The “expert” asserts those 45 seconds aren’t Zimmerman calling for help during the fight, but Martin pleading with Zimmerman not to shoot him AFTER the fighting was over.

So by his reckoning, the fight is concluded. Zimmerman has his gun out. Martin begs for his life for almost a minute and then Zimmerman executes him in cold blood.

But lab results reveal the gunshot was so close it burned Martin’s skin. We know there was a single shot. If the entry wound is low and travels upward, it supports Zimmerman. But even without that information, if the fight was over and Martin was pleading for his life, chances are he would have been backing or running away, putting distance between himself and Zimmerman.

Common sense would dictate waiting for the evidence and using practical experience to evaluate it, but the Post, along with the majority of the media, has already found Zimmerman guilty and they want us to join them.

The Trayvon Martin case has brought renewed tensions to the race issue, helped along by eager hustlers like Al Sharpton. For liberal America the case was further proof that we still have a long way to go to reach race equality. For many conservatives it elicited surprise that we are still so angry about the issue of race in this country today, over 50 years after the civil rights movement. I’ve received many comments from people in light of the Martin case expressing confusion and frustration. One commenter said “I’ve been shocked to see how this whole thing has become such a huge deal. Why do we still look at each other as this race or that? When I look at a person I truly don’t see the color of their skin. We should all be colorblind…” This comment is completely representative of many, many others I have heard about race in the last few weeks.

So…does race really matter?

As a Black conservative woman, my answer is “Yes! It does.” Understandably this will make many conservatives feel uncomfortable. Conservative America has been the butt of blatantly cruel and false accusations of racism for decades now. Their words are routinely twisted and misrepresented in the media and Hollywood complex. The meme of “racist conservative” has led many of us to shy away from uncomfortable conversations about race. But I fear that in our attempts to pull our society away from the “race first” hysteria of outlets like MSNBC, some conservatives have pulled too far in the other direction. We completely discount the role of race in our society in our attempts to be “colorblind”. I think race does matter. I do think it’s important. In this world race is intimately tied to culture, and culture is what gives the human race it’s flavoring. Have you ever been to a cookout at a black family’s house? It’s a whole lot different from going to a cookout with a White family. Is that because of income level or education? Not really. It’s because of race, which inevitably leads to culture.

I don’t want our society to be colorblind. I am perfectly fine with anyone noticing that I am a Black woman. I’m proud of my heritage. I’m proud of the amazing contributions the Black community has made in building this blessed and prosperous country. Our community has faced incredible odds, discrimination and oppression, while at the same time becoming extremely influential in areas that set the tone for the general American culture, such as the arts and education. All the racial adversity, the struggles – it all added up to an incredibly rich and vibrant culture. I don’t want to ignore that richness in the name of being “colorblind”. I believe the same goes for other race communities as well. To me, diversity doesn’t just mean a bunch of people of all different races in the same place, it means many distinct cultures coming together and sharing their unique experiences/gifts. I don’t want my Asian friends to be just like me. I love learning about their stories and traditions. Their race actually gives them a specific perspective on American life that I just don’t have. Their race does matter to me, because it informs their views and how they relate to those around them and american society in general.

I appreciate so much my White friends who tell me race doesn’t matter to them. They are good people and they just want to be able to see others for the “content of their character” . But if I’m being honest, sometimes it also bothers me when they say things like that. What they don’t understand is that for most black people race does matter. It isn’t just about “Black power” and lingering issues from our enslaved ancestors. It’s about the way we laugh, what we laugh about; how we socialize, worship, recreate; it’s about how we eat, how we communicate, how we raise our families. All of these things hold within them hundreds of years of experiences and development. And of course that holds true for all racial communities. Sometimes, when a White friend says they want everyone to ignore race, it feels like they are saying we should ignore culture too; and what many people may not realize is that for Black people, their culture is a great source of pride, despite the failings and troubles of our community in recent decades.

I’m certainly not saying it’s wrong to see folks outside of their racial designations; but the controversial Derbyshire piece from a few weeks ago got me thinking about this whole idea of race and conversations surrounding race. His piece was disturbing but it made me think – if I were ever going to have a real, open discussion on black/white race relations I would want a guy like that in on it. Why? Because he said uncomfortable things. At least he admitted how he really felt. It’s hard to have the uncomfortable conversations in today’s climate. If you don’t hold the “right” views you are immediately shot down and ridiculed. That doesn’t leave much room for honesty. I’d like for us to be able to really have those cringe-worthy talks, where people say what they really think even if it sounds crazy or offensive. How can we challenge misperceptions and prejudice if no one is willing to take the risk of opening the dialogue? How can we truly become a post-racial America if no one is willing to tell the truth about our differences, similarities, and all the awkward things in between?

Race does matter. It’s okay to see race, because it means acknowledging culture. It just shouldn’t be the first thing we see, and it shouldn’t be where we get stuck.

crossposted at kiradavis.net

Last Thursday in Los Angeles Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson led a march and protest in South L.A in honor of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin. Celebrities and citizens came from all corners to walk with Martin’s parents and hear Sharpton and others speak at West Angeles Church of God in Christ. However, there was another name being spoken among the protesters; a name those following the Trayvon Martin case may not be very familiar with…Kendrec McDade.  McDade- a 19 year old Black man from Pasadena, CA- was gunned down by (white) Pasadena police officers on the evening of March 24th, 2012.  Police were responding to a 911 call that identified McDade and one other teenager as possible suspects in a robbery. Police arrived on the scene and fired on McDade from their vehicle, claiming the teen had reached into his wasteband as he approached.  It was later determined that McDade was unarmed.  It wasn’t until the Trayvon Martin case went public that Kendrec

McDade’s case began being mentioned as a similar crime.  At the Thursday rally, Jackson expressed sadness at the loss of both young men and what it meant to the black community, and he encouraged the crowd to see it as the beginning of a movement. “We cannot stop evil men from crucifying the righteous, and they cannot stop us from resurrecting them,” he said.

But who, exactly, is Jackson hoping to resurrect? By now most people are painfully familiar with the details of the Trayvon Martin shooting.  Fewer know all the details in McDade’s case; including, it seems Jesse Jackson and company.  McDade was not simply an unarmed, well-meaning black man walking through a gated-community when he was randomly shot in cold blood by police.  26-year-old Oscar Carrillo-Gonzalez witnessed McDade and another teen breaking into his car and removing his backpack and laptop.  He immediately called 911 and told the operator that the two young men were armed. He later admitted that he lied about seeing a weapon in hopes that it would hasten police response.  At no point in the investigation or the resulting civil suit filed against the city of Pasadena by McDade’s parents has anyone disputed the fact that McDade was indeed robbing vehicles at the time of his shooting.  His 17 year old companion (who’s name has been withheld due to his status as a minor) is currently in custody on charges of burglary, grand theft and failing to register as a gang member. While the police may still be on the hook for some type of failure or misconduct, this is in no way an open and shut case of profiling. Jackson and company have twisted the details of this case and the Martin case for their own personal notoriety, creating unnecessary  strife across the country in the process.

Holding up the McDade case as a civil rights issue is irresponsible and dangerous. Jackson and Sharpton have to willfully ignore the fact that McDade was engaging in a crime at the time of his shooting in order to make this an example of racist brutality. Is this the best we can do as Black Americans? Making a martyr of a misguided young criminal? Are Jackson and Sharpton trying to tell us that personal actions are irrelevant when it comes to interactions betweens black people and police? Probably…and in my opinion, that’s what makes them even more dangerous to the Black community than so-called hate crimes.

Click here to read more of the NPR interview with Sybrina Fulton.

Zimmerman has been released on bail and is awaiting trial on second degree murder. With no lesser charges of manslaughter included, I fear Ms.Fulton may never see the type of justice she is waiting on. Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey bowed to pressure from media and activist groups by refusing to include any weaker charges that might be easier on which to convict Zimmerman. By only allowing for second degree murder, Corey has now burdened the state with making their case for intentional murder beyond a shadow of a doubt. As we’ve see with the delay in Zimmerman’s arrest, a Stand Your Ground Law, and questions about Zimmerman’s injuries there already seems to be a plethora of evidence to at least suggest that Zimmerman’s actions were not intentional or cold-blooded. Even legal expert Alan Dershowitz has serious doubts about the success of that charge. “If there are riots, it will be the prosecutor’s fault because she overcharged, raised expectations,” Dershowitz said. “This prosecutor not only may have suborned perjury, she may be responsible, if there are going to be riots here, for raising expectations to unreasonable levels.” 

Oh, did I mention it was an election year for Ms.Corey?

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/25/dershowitz-trayvon-prosecutor-overreached-with-murder-charge/#ixzz1tAGyx3lm

As a mother I share Ms.Fulton’s sadness and desperation. I certainly don’t blame her for wanting Zimmerman to pay for the death of her son. I do, however blame special prosecutor Corey, Al Sharpton and an irresponsible media complex for clouding the facts of this case to the point that Martin’s family may never see real, true justice.  I hope a judge and/or jury will be more impartial than the goons at NBC, for Zimmerman’s sake and the sake of the Martin family. However, I’m with Dershowitz on this one – if there are riots after Zimmerman is acquitted of second degree, Corey should hire her own lawyer.

cross-posted at kiradavis.net

A caller at around 8:12 am (audio will be posted as soon as it’s available) told Bob that there’s no way that he would contribute, despite the knowledge of Zimmerman’s financial hardships, because, “I saw the tape from the police station on ABC News, and he didn’t have a scratch on him.”

Bob corrected him and said the CNN tape clearly shows a deep gash in the back of his head, and the caller joked with Bob that he had completely derailed his argument.

Here’s the real takeaway from this snapshot in time. The general news-watching public is clearly still under the massive sway of several main stream news organizations that have either refused to clarify the grainy video (in the case of ABC), misquoted the 911 tape (CNN), or have actively altered the 911 recording (NBC).

5440fight.com examined this situation recently (h/t Conservative Mom):

With the tragic death of Trayvon Martin, the Democrats and media have found the story they needed to exploit in order to prove their position that America’s justice system is racially biased towards White Supremacy, just like Bell’s “Critical Race Theory” asserts, and that Obama is not a radical or racist for subscribing to this ideology.

So far, blame for the incident has been cast on Rush Limbaugh, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, George W. Bush, the Koch Brothers, and even the hoodie Martin was wearing.   Obama said that America needs to do some “soul searching” about the supposed racist guilt of our society, remarking, “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon Martin.”

Over at Breitbart.com, John Nolte examines the actions of NBC, CNN and ABC and how they’ve shaped the debate over the shooting of Trayvon Martin:

[NBC's]Editgate, however, is something much, much worse.

In the case of ABC News, even though the network knew it had the capability to eventually enhance surveillance video of Zimmerman’s arrest, the network still chose to release the un-enhanced video with this declarative headline: “Trayvon Martin Video Shows No Blood or Bruises on George Zimmerman.”

Translation: Zimmerman is a liar who hunted down and murdered an unarmed teenager.

What CNN did was even worse. “The Most Trusted Name In News” told America that, according to their audio expert, Zimmerman called Trayvon Martin a “fucking coon” just prior to shooting him. They’ve since backpedaled, but the gasoline had already been gleefully thrown on the racial fire. And like ABC News, here’s another situation where a major network shot their biased mouths off, knowing there was better technology at their disposal to report something closer to the truth later.

Translation: Zimmerman is a racist who killed an unarmed teenager because he was black.

But the Editgate gold medal goes to NBC News. The Peacock Network didn’t “misinterpret” what was in front of them and they didn’t jump the gun. What NBC did was ALTER what they had to make Zimmerman look racist.

On the storied ”Today Show,” NBC News told America Zimmerman said this on the 911 call:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.

When the truth is that the unedited audio actually went like this:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.

Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?

Zimmerman: He looks black.

TRANSLATION: George Zimmerman racially profiled the unarmed black teenager he shot.

Make no mistake. These efforts have been deliberate and for a clear purpose. It has already been proven over and over again that the mainstream media are not simply in the tank for Obama, but actively assisting in disseminating the talking points directly from the White House. (See Journolist 1 and Journolist 2 for examples.)

And if the White House wants to exploit racial tensions as a wedge issue, the legacy alphabet networks are all too happy to participate.

It’s just too bad that so many of the general public are either oblivious or indifferent to the collusion and tricks by the mainstream media. This is how a caller in to a local radio show can STILL be completely unaware that the information he was fed was a complete fraud.

In an election year, it’s not enough for the full time race hustlers to be on the job, Democrats need all of their public figures to pitch in.  This last weekend, disgraced former employee of the Obama administration, Van Jones, made sure to tell a group of people at an “All In For The 99%” rally that Libertarians “hate” blacks, gays, and lesbians.  And even people with piercings and tattoos.

The sad thing is that this kind of race baiting brain washing has worked before and has the chance to work again, if it’s not constantly exposed for the cheap and dirty tactic that it is.

“It’s time for you to end the race issue in this matter and call for cooler heads to prevail,” the letter reads. “If something happens to George as a result of the race furor stirred up by this mischaracterization of George there will be blood on your hands as well as the rest of the racists that have rushed to judgment. You need to call off the dogs. Period. Publicly and swiftly.”

The previous from The Daily Caller coverage clearly shows the level of frustration that has built, not only in the Zimmerman family. Analyzing what has become of race relations today is an exercise in misery. Civil rights organizations like NAACP have not moved on with the nation, and continues to hold on to the paradigms that were true in the 1950′s. The irony is that an organization that theoretically should be working to improve the situation for African Americans, is holding people back.

It’s been said time and again that this case is only in the news because the victim was black, and the accused is “white Hispanic”. That classification for Zimmerman in itself is proof of a racist agenda. Mixed ethnicity persons aren’t typically referred to in this way. It serves the purpose of the situation, to promote the concept that the evil white man killed the defenseless black boy. It’s a rarity, of course. The vast majority of crimes against blacks are committed by other blacks. Conversely, by the percentages, there are more violent crimes committed against whites by blacks than by whites. (I am not referring to domestic violence in this, just to be clear.) But what does the NAACP focus on? Instead of focusing on preventing those violent crimes in the first place, they call attention to a single case.

And they don’t worry too much about being accurate. They don’t mention that they already knew Zimmerman before this happened, or if they didn’t, they should have. Why? He was apparently the only non-black person in attendance at meetings over the killing of a black homeless man in the area. Zimmerman apparently even helped pass out fliers to call attention to that case. It’s pretty difficult to cast him as an evil racist man, after pointing out that sort of behavior.

Thanks to the NAACP, Zimmerman has been tried and found guilty in the court of public opinion. while it’s unlikely, it should turn into a learning moment for the leaders of an organization that probably lived beyond its usefulness. One shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds it. But who knows? Maybe Zimmerman will be vindicated not only in the Courts, but also in the press. One can hope. In the meantime, we’ll have to see what crime or perceived slight the NAACP will use next to preserve those wedges between the black community and everyone else. After all, they need to keep fighting what is apparently their new cause, since they managed to get rid of “separate but (not-so) equal.” Now, it looks like they’re striving for “separate, and entitled to everything from everyone else.” I guess they figure just plain racial harmony and equality is overrated.

As a bit of a thought experiment, Ai logged into the radio show first, and THEN sent out a tweet asking if anyone would like to host/cohost a show right there on the spot.  Several (two) people responded, and Twitter’s @BryTupper ended up with the spot.

Bryan and Ai talked about many topics, but the least train wreck(y) ones happened to involve: The Trayvon Martin case, Barack Obama’s flexibility with Vladimir Putin, and how the media abuses our trust in order to release “breaking news” “first”.

Please enjoy Bryan and Ai’s attempt to take over the Mitchell and Ray Show.

Click Here for the iPad or iPhone version

[mp3player config=fmp_jw_widget_config.xml file=http://conservativedailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/BryTupper-Calls-In.mp3]

Vultures fly in to feast on the carcass of Trayvon Martin

Neighborhood Watch celebrity George Zimmerman graduated from a high school not too far from where I live in Virginia. I certainly hope he made it to the 10–year reunion of the Osbourn Park Class of 2001, because it doesn’t look like he’s going to be attending many in the future.

Not that Zimmerman is necessarily guilty of anything, but after one has been processed by the MSM’s reputation shredder, the thought of appearing in public and defending yourself for the umpteenth time is not appealing.

Particularly when the President joins the race–baiters and says, “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.” Well, Mr. President, if your mother had married a Mexican instead of a Kenyan you would have looked like George. So what?

If only Zimmerman — a Spanish speaker registered as a Democrat — had been marching in a La Raza protest or a Mexicans Without Borders demonstration. Then national Democrats, including the President, would be happy to claim him as their own. But when George made the mistake of getting a concealed carry permit and dabbled on the fringes of law enforcement, Zimmerman became a “white Hispanic” member of the conspiracy designed to keep the black man down.

Why couldn’t Zimmerman have been like those progressive employees at the Apple store in Bethesda, MD. When they heard a woman screaming in the yoga store next door, they had the decency to mind their own dang business. You didn’t see them barging in on what might have been a private matter. They didn’t even tie up valuable public resources by calling 9–1–1.

Wait, maybe that’s a bad example. Jayna Murray died after being stabbed 330 times.

In Zimmerman’s case, there actually was crime in the area he volunteered to patrol. Police records show there were eight burglaries, nine thefts and one shooting in the prior year. Cynthia Wibker, secretary of the homeowner’s association, observed, “He once caught a thief and an arrest was made. (Zimmerman) helped solve a lot of crimes.”

A rule of thumb to remember in these “white Hispanic” vs. black controversies is the first lawyer to get in front of a TV camera is lying. Benjamin Crump and Natalie Jackson, the Martin legal brain trust, prove my point.

Begin with the photo of an angelic Trayvon wearing a red shirt. It’s a great picture, but he was 14 when it was taken. Trayvon was 17 when he was shot, almost 6’ 3” tall and weighed about 150 lbs. He also boasted tattoos, a gold mouth grill and went by the Twitter ID of “@NO_LIMIT_NIGGA.”

Martin was in the neighborhood visiting his father because he was serving his third suspension from high school. This time for possession of a marijuana pipe and an empty baggie with traces of drugs. In October, Martin had been found with 12 pieces of women’s jewelry and a “burglary tool,” but was suspended for a graffiti offense.

Once this information came to light, Martin’s mother complained, “They killed my son and now their trying to kill his reputation.” Which means it’s okay to demonize Zimmerman, but Trayvon should remain beyond reproach.

In lie number two, Crump declares, “We have to maintain over and over and over again that Zimmerman is the aggressor.”

George may have been an annoying busy–body, but he was not the aggressor. Zimmerman left his SUV to follow Martin on foot, but lost sight of him. George had turned around and was walking back to his vehicle when Trayvon sucker–punched him, breaking his nose and knocking him down. Martin jumped on top of Zimmerman and began smashing his head into the sidewalk.

During the assault there was a struggle over the gun holstered at Zimmerman’s waist and Martin was shot and killed.

This brings us to lies three and four. Jackson says, “You hear a shot, a clear shot then you hear a 17-year-old boy begging for his life then you hear a second shot.” There was only one round fired and Martin wasn’t yelling for help either. He was too busy slamming Zimmerman’s head on the sidewalk, which produced a cut requiring stitches.

The person yelling for help was George.

Although the Martin legal team has proven they are quite capable of prevaricating on their own, they get help from the media. Early stories claimed the dispatcher told Zimmerman not to follow Martin. What he actually said was, “Okay, we don’t need you to do that.” This is not a command and barely qualifies as a suggestion, but that’s not how the story was covered.

Zimmerman, like the Duke lacrosse players, now has the media baying for his blood and as a result a majority of the public believes he should be arrested. But none of that changes the fact that if Trayvon Martin hadn’t punched George Zimmerman in the nose, he’d be alive today.