03Lightningrocks wrote:
This argument some of you want to make about what is justified is inconciquential to whether or not Zimmerman should have been acting in a way to cause a situation to get escalated. That is like me intentionally ramming a person who runs a red light when I could have stopped and pretending my actions didn't cause the collision.
Umm no that would be assault. You would have committed a crime and as far as we know Zimmerman did not.
03Lightningrocks wrote:
I realize many of you have never been in a situation where defending your life might have been necessary. I wish I could say the same thing. Have any of you been in a battle for your life while a person is pounding you in the head with a ball bat?
Show of hands.... How many have had a gun put in their back and had all their money stolen because they were aware that the guy with the gun had the jump on them? Anyone here been chased down the freeway by a guy trying to line you up for a blast from a shotgun... While your child was sitting in the seat beside you? How about all of the above?
Actually I have been where Martin was twice. I went to a college that had less than nice parts of town anywhere outside it. Two times I was chased down a road by people (not followed--person walking quietly behind and watching--chased). One of the times I don't know if the people meant any harm (they were only throwing paper cups at me and laughing) but I ran as fast as I could to a Chinese food restaurant and called the police. The second time I know I was in mortal danger. The person following me kept calling to me for me to come and talk with him. I took off to a subway just across the path. A week or so later he raped and murdered a girl close to that street. Now that happened before I had children--heck before I was even married. After that if I had to go somewhere after dark I carried my keys in an offensive manner and got the school escorts to come and take me to my dorm, and as I was still scared of guns at the time I got some pepper spray. However, at no time would I have been justified in attacking the people following me--telling them to go away certainly, but beating their heads into the ground--nope. Now if they had gotten closer and said more threatening things or tried to grab me then I would have been justified in using some force on them. Again that would have been me a 5 foot 4 inch 20 year old girl who at the time was around 120 lbs against a car full of men/a very large man. I do not believe for one minute that a 6 foot 2 inch athlete had attacked Zimmerman being in fear for his life.
I find it much more likely that he felt "disrespected" and decided to teach Zimmerman a lesson. Not realizing that the old adage still stands..never pick a fight with an older man..he does not have time to beat you he will just kill you.
03Lightningrocks wrote:
Maybe your perspective of having a person following you around late at night will change slightly. Maybe your thoughts about following someone around at night will take a different perspective. The problem gentlemen.... Is that both guys are thinking the other guy is the bad guy.
In situations like this one... Neither guy thinks they are the bad guy. Both are concerned the other is up to no good. Don't go on a Tiger hunt, corner a tiger and act surprised when the tiger tries to eat you!
You can't have it both ways folks. You notice someone stalking you while you are all alone at night and you are a fool if you walk up to them like one of the kids from Southpark and ask... Wad Up fella? Most of you know this. I have been around this forum long enough to watch many of you congratulate people for situational awareness in far less threatening situations.
The very problem with trying to intervene in possible criminal situations is that if the guy you are stalking isn't up to anything illegal, they are going to think THEY are the good guy.
I realize I got off the original topic but since the thread and the op has taken it this direction I figured it would be OK for me to defend myself when a post is made in an attempt to discredit a comment I made earlier.
We have been going round and round and round this. You are convinced that Zimmerman's actions caused the death of Trayvon. I say Martin's lethal use of force on Zimmerman caused his own death as Zimmerman defended his life. You mentioned going on a tiger hunt and getting caught by a tiger.....Well that goes more to saying that Zimmerman was justified in his suspicion of Martin. Nothing comes of a tiger hunt that has no tiger in it.
Lets say that Martin had never jumped Zimmerman that night--what would have happened? Two guys would have been walking around the neighborhood suspicious of one another. No lethal action occurs until Martin (according to all evidence we have) jumped on Zimmerman and attacked him with lethal force, then after Zimmerman is on his back being beaten he responds with lethal force.
What would you have done if a man you saw sneaking around your neighborhood, and you have already asked for him to be on his way was beating your head into the ground--sit there and die because you have already asked him to leave. I don't think so.