Lack of "Racial Empathy" in America is "appalling"

[Sandy]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/16/opinion/o ... google_cnn

Great piece by Dean Obeidallah of CNN.

This was a great interview. I don't know who set it up, but this jury member was the worst possible representative of what was done. How she passed through the prosecution screening is beyond me, her choice of words and use of language tell me she had her mind made up that "George" was all OK, and "that kid" was responsible for what happened to himself. Sounds like she was more interested in capitalizing on a book deal than in justice.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/cnns-anderso ... -decision/

[Stephen Fox]

Sandy:

I heard about this this morning on NPR. Interesting story but the more substantive matter--not tryin to one up you hear--are the links I got for you and others to consider in the Covenant room here at this site.

Do check where Butler is coming from. Read her twice.

BTW as you know CNN is part of the problem, less than Fox, but part of the problem

http://www.npr.org/2013/07/14/201090847 ... ablishment

[ET]

As a white guy, the problem I have is in deciding whether to side with the Hispanics or the blacks on this one. <tic> Tough choice.

[Sandy]

[Sandy]

Is this what you were looking for, Stephen?

http://www.universityherald.com/article ... d-aint.htm

This is a really good piece, and I'd be really, really interested in seeing what some of the other members of the board have to say about it.

[Dave Roberts]

Florida law appear to be appalling. There are three separate "self-defense" statutes, and the basics appear to be that if there is an altercation and one party is killed and there are no eyewitnesses to it, then the person left alive can plead self-defense, no matter how it started. Sounds to me like the reincarnation of the doctrine from the Old West of "the last man standing." If Martin had somehow gotten the gun and killed Zimmerman, his defense would have been the same as that of Zimmerman. Given Florida law, I'm not certain the jury could have done otherwise.

While Travon Martin was hardly a poster child for good behavior, I saw in one article that Zimmerman had several more brushes with the law than did Martin.

[Dave Roberts]

My friend Michael Cheuk has posted a thoughtful article on this issue:

[Sandy]

I'll add this. A bit off topic, but relevant.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/17/opinion/b ... ?hpt=hp_t4

[ET]

If Zimmerman had been black, how much attention would this case have received? Or, if the roles were reversed, how much?

How many of you have heard of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom? Given the propensity of the news media to sensationalize heinous cases, what could be the reason that this case has gone virtually unnoticed? It rivals some of those outlandish fictional cases on the CSI show, except such a horror was really endured by a couple of college students. It's custom-made for 20/20, 60 Minutes and every other news outlet that loves these Scott Peterson, Casey Anthony, O.J. Simpson and other such stories.

If you wish to read about it, here's a good summary: . Please note the graphic details warning. Although I live in the Memphis metro area, I grew up a Tennessee fan and spent a couple of years at UT-Knoxville. Other than the stories of the case in the Knoxville newspaper, I don't think I've seen much of anything reported on this in any widespread manner. It certainly hasn't received the attention that cases less dramatic have received in the national news. My cynical view of things tells me that because the racial aspect "went the wrong way", the story was virtually ignored. Any other "color combination" and this thing would have been national news and the names of these two victims would be as well-known as Martin and Zimmerman, Nicole Brown, O.J. Simpson, Scott Peterson, Casey Anthony, et. al.

[Dave Roberts]

A lot depend on where something happens and if that is a major media market. Sanford is suburban Orlando, and with the massive number of theme parks there, media always seem to be present. It was picked up immediately, and there was never a letup. I can't imagine anyone but a legal student being interested in watching the entire trial. All the ones you mentioned were in major markets. Obviously, Knoxville is not.

[Sandy]

[Dave Roberts]

One major difference would have been the available legal talent for a black teen arrested for murder. Most get a court-appointed attorney. Supporters raised lots of money for Zimmerman and financed high-powered legal talent which is the ultimate inequality in the judicial system. Money buys decisions through the legal talent employed.

[Sandy]

[ET]

[ET]

[Stephen Fox]

Larry Miller of the Tenn House is taking up the ball on the Stand your Ground Laws, a creation of the righwting lobbying group ALEC.

ET is begging the question. At this point the technicalities of the trial are a distraction, and btw Dave, for all his good heart Michael Cheuk's piece is a little sophomoric at this point, even given his platform at John Grisham's pastor at Univ Baptist.

I think I have the link to Butler at the Covenant site. Its an easy google. She needs to be read in full, not just the snippet.

If you read Butler framed by Doug Keene of U Texas of NPR Here and Now Monday, then you have a different vantage point for this whole conversation.

That is where the rest of you so far participating on this board could learn a lot.

Even so you are further along than Mike Hubbard, the speaker of the Bama legislature. Hubbard owns the Auburn Network, the Sports Info Dept for Auburn Universierty. I have appealed to him to bring Anthea and Taylor Branch into the conversation; that is if he really wants to do God's Will in Baptist Christian Bama.

[Sandy]

[Sandy]

[ET]

Interesting to read the . WARNING: graphic language.

[ET]

[Stephen Fox]

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc ... ed/255869/

Bruce Gourley owner of this board did his dissertation with Auburn's Wayne Flynt. Flynt can connect the dots on this matter. Baptists Today should have a scorching article no later than September issue on this matter with quotes from Otis Moss III and Anthea Butler, Charles Marsh and Tim Tyson.

If Flynt can not for whatever reason write the article, I'm more than happy to walk John Pierce through it. And later CEthicstoday should do a piece for Winter issue.

[KeithE]

[KeithE]

[Stephen Fox]