Posted by Bob Lord
With the intense focus on the Aurora tragedy, little attention is being paid to George Zimmerman these days. And so whatever debate we have on gun control will be through the lens of Aurora, and Tucson, and Virginia Tech.
There's nothing inappropriate about that, but it's too bad Zimmerman will not be more central to the gun debate. Prior to Aurora, Zimmerman went on Sean Hannity's show for a friendly, softball filled interview. The defense attorneys I've spoken to say it's a virtual certainty that Zimmerman will walk. Once the cops bungle an investigation, they say, it's damn near impossible to get a conviction. Although he involved his lawyer for the Hannity interview to make sure he didn't step in it, Zimmerman didn't go on Hannity to further his defense. Quite the contrary. He went on despite the slight risk it may have posed to his defense. He and his lawyer know that a conviction is highly unlikely, so they're laying the groundwork to fortune and fame after the trial is over. And, with Hannity's help, they'll get there. That, to me, signfies how truly depraved a huge swath of our society has become. Guilty or not, George Zimmerman killed an unarmed kid. And he's going to get rich off it!
Yesterday on the 51 I passed a beat-up old pick-up. One look at the driver confirmed the impression his truck gave — he's not doing well on the financial front. Yet his truck sported a bumper sticker that read "Somewhere in Kenya, a Village is Missing its Idiot." Undoubtedly, he's one of the tens of millions who will make George Zimmerman's future fame and fortune possible. He'd contribute to Zimmerman's defense fund if he had a few bucks to spare, but wouldn't think of contributing to the local homeless shelter or food bank.
So, we've reached the point where we lionize killing a kid, especially if the kid is black. And it won't even be all that unsettling to the vast majority of Americans. Heck, it won't even be noticed.
Surprising? Hardly. After all, we blame our economic ills on organized labor.
We gut social programs so we can give tax breaks to billionaires.
We do nothing, as the planet burns.
We gut our public schools and state universities at the behest of the elite, who send their kids to private schools the rest of us can't afford.
We numb our pain watching sports on TV, while we inhale processed food and guzzle soft drinks that are poisoning us.
And we arm ourselves to the teeth, bring our guns to the bar, lash out at those who seek to limit the carnage, and, yes, lionize the shooter of an unarmed kid who wore a hoody and "looked suspicious."
I couldnt agree more regarding defense spending. And the defense budget doesnt need to be trimmed; it needs to be slashed. If you review my other posts, youll see that my omission of defense spending in this post was an oversight, not an implication.
Indeed, over-engagement militarily is a common thread that runs through all civilizations in decline — Rome, Spain, and Britain all shared this trait.
“So, we’ve reached the point where we lionize killing a kid, especially if the kid is black. And it won’t even be all that unsettling to the vast majority of Americans. Heck, it won’t even be noticed.”
I am not sure what planet you got your above characterization from but I hardly think it was the planet Earth. The planet Earth that I live on started demonizing George Zimmerman from the git go.
“Surprising? Hardly. After all, we blame our economic ills on organized labor.”
You might be half right on this one. For those who want to continue the US foreign policy of bomb and occupy the only remaining angle to maintain a given governmental budget without increasing taxes going after government unions is indeed a tact that some groups take.
“We gut social programs so we can give tax breaks to billionaires.”
Again, this is very true if the budget for bombs and military occupation isn’t cut – why didn’t you mention that?
“We gut our public schools and state universities at the behest of the elite, who send their kids to private schools the rest of us can’t afford.”
What? You seem to be acceding the point that private schools are better than government schools!?! What heresy is this? And as far as gutting state universities I hardly think you are referring to Arizona where I can hardly travel without stumbling over a new ASU building. Perhaps they have closed down the state universities in Flagstaff and Tucson to pay for shiny new buildings in Maricopa county?