Quote Originally Posted by Lemur View Post
Again, if this case, and the interest in it, is largely driven by racial animus, why did the Wisconsin case get a pass? I don't buy it. I'm interested in this case, and a bit horrified by how it was handled, and I don't give a flying gah about the racial angle. Everyone I know personally who has talked about it, likewise, has been disturbed by the use of force, not the white/black/whatever angle.
Wisconsin is a different situation. Also, people are trying to turn it into the next scandal anyway:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1381325.html

Anyways, surely you understand that what happens to bring a local case into the national spotlight depends a lot on how it's publicized, so two similar cases may end up with vastly different levels of attention. I don't think this would be a national case if it weren't for the racial angle. Would all the black politicians and celebrities care if it was a white kid who got shot by Zimmerman?

The "Stand Your Ground" law originated with ALEC, a group which pushes a variety of far-right legal agendas. ALEC has been pushing various versions of "Stand Your Ground" in all 50 states, and this case marks a real setback. What to do? Ah yes, declare that the dead person was a thug who had it coming. That will work!
You're watching to much msnbc: http://www.kochfacts.com/kf/moredistortionatmsnbc/
It is a great shame that some are using this tragedy to further their political ends. Indeed, Paul Krugman describes advancing his political goals as the “silver lining to Trayvon Martin’s killing.” That is as callous as it is cruel, and it is also incorrect. Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law was the basis for the American Legislative Exchange Council’s model legislation, not the other way around.
CR