When the Obama Administration sent in a team to investigate civil rights violations in the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, some of us expressed doubt over the basis for such a charge as well as the timing of the federal move into the case. Indeed, I was highly skeptical of how the case was charged and prosecuted. Now the Washington Post is reporting that, after two years of investigation, Justice officials do not believe that they have sufficient evidence to bring federal charges.
George Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter in a state trial in Sanford, Fla., last year. Various community and political leaders demanded that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. bring a federal civil rights case against him. The protests led to considerable pressure for the Obama Administration to act and the investigation by the Civil Rights Section helped quell some of the discontent over the verdict. However, the case remained weak for both a second-degree murder case as well as a civil rights charge. While many read racist motivations behind Zimmerman motives, Zimmerman succeeded in establishing that he was acting in self-defense.
The Administration has also taken the same quick response to the shooting in Ferguson, though that investigation is centering on the police department as a whole.
Source: Washington Post
Yes indeed Dredd.
Annie
Lovely thread.
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It is great evidence for the hypothesis of the “cultural amygdala.”
Lovely thread.
LaserDLiquidator
…
There’s a wonderful thread at DailyKos, being linked to by the Obamacrat (which is now a/k/a “Mr. Militant Negro”.
I suggest all good faith parties take a look at the Diary titled
“Dear White Racists”
http://theobamacrat.com/2014/10/03/dear-white-racists-is-one-of-the-best-explanations-of-white-privilege-you-will-likely-ever-read/
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Good link.
What Dr. Lakoff has tried to get across to us is that we CANNOT understand what our cultural amygdala brain circuits are not wired to let us understand.
What that means is that it is “quite difficult” (translation near impossible) for us to individually overcome our cultural amygdala wired into us by our culture.
VERY difficult.
The circuitry in the White American Culture that made racism in the form of slaver a part of the “holy constitution” (handed down from Jesus to those who brag about being originalists) is wrapped in 3″ of hard core denial.
Getting through that is really not possible (Hypothesis: The Cultural Amygdala – 4).
The “enemies of Jesus” the General is talking about (in that link) are the Americans who are descendants of slaves.
There are people here blogging today that hate themselves because of their cultural amygdala which is not of their own doing.
It was wired into them, but they are tormented because they cannot escape it and therefore must deny its existence because they think in is them personally.
Technically, it is not them personally.
We need to all work together to escape those bars to real freedom.
@NickS
No, I haven’t been mad at you or anything. I just disagree with you over that particular issue, sooo I just said what I thought. But back on point, of course the DOJ is going to drop the Zimmerman stuff because there isn’t anything to it, and there never was. It was just a made up rallying point for the Neo-Race Baiters. That is why it dissolved in a piddle puddle of pathetic attacks on Stand Your Ground laws, and the lame theory that white people should never ask black people what they are doing at night sidling around the neighborhood.
If Wilson walks in Ferguson, you will see some more of the same, only worse.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
http://www.chaunceydevega.com/2014/10/dear-white-racists-buried-among-750.html#more
You had to know you were ripping off a scab with this story Professor.
@ElaineM
St. Trayvon got shot because he happened to attack a guy who was armed. I guess maybe St. Trayvon could be canonized as the patron saint of “WTF??? Cracka got a gun!!!” Maybe somebody needs to contact the Vatican about this. Oh, and I did dig up this little ditty from the past:
Mug Shot???
An Irish Poem by Squeeky Fromm
The Zimmerman Trial was a goodie!
About a young thug in a hoodie,
Who decided to whack a
“Creepy ass cracka.”
But, maybe he shouldn’t have, should he???
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Nick Spinelli
Anyone who makes vile comments about “defecating and urinating” into someone’s mouth like Bashir did, and still be revered and admired by people, tells you all you need to know. Doubling down on hate. But, haters gotta hate.
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That was a punishment often exacted constitutionally on black people.
Who knows how many millions of Amurkans prey for blacks.
If you can’t figure out who hates how you gonna know if you are one of them?
Racism is hatred.
WordPress must be run by former govt. employees or govt. contractor, because it functions like the Obamacare website. It’s flaws are unacceptable and something needs to be done.
OK, Elaine. Then I will again ask the same question. You made an accusation that someone hates black folk. Who hates black folk?
bettykath,
Worpdress works in mysterious ways. There are days when it gobbles up most of my comments. It can be frustrating.
BK, BK, BK. “Kid” is a term of endearment unless you have a chip on your shoulder. Squeeky is a young woman. I’m an old man. That makes her a “kid” in my book. And, unless you are Squeeky’s attorney or literary agent, she can answer for herself. I seriously doubt she wants you representing her. But, we’ll see.
I didn’t say anything about Squeeky’s quote being an example of hate. It was a follow-up comment to the one that I posted at 3:01 pm.
Gee, didn’t know Squeeky was a kid. I thought she was a woman, and not one needing anyone’s “ok”.
It never ceases to amaze me how people can be so blinded by their own subjectivity, and often mistaking that for fact. How people can form such firm convictions without any basis in fact. Objectivity is awfully hard to find these days.
And my opinion on the how the mere utterance of the “thug” word, without more, automatically being a racial slur or having any racial undertone – redonkulous.
Elaine, That quote does not say, “hate” to me. But, I will let our poet laureate, Squeeky, answer that for herself. She and I have had our differences of late. But I sensed no hate, just passion. Squeeky is passionate and opinionated. Squeeky says what she thinks. She has no airs, condescension, or filters. I find that quite admirable. We have haters here, I don’t see Squeeky as one of them. The kid is alright in my book.
Help. WordPress has grabbed my post. Maybe I missed a forbidden word. I tried twice. The second post has one correction that the first doesn’t have.
BettyKath, your comments were deleted in violation of our civility rule.
One trait I have noticed is that with individuals who have dispositions toward violence and are exonerated somehow in a criminal proceeding, it is only a matter of time before they are arrested again. It happens most of the time, whether it be thieves or whatever.
The downside to this obviously is someone has to be victimized in the process. But, that is the way things happen in our system.
As for OJ, he is one definite example of this. A jury found him not guilty in the criminal case, liable in the civil case, and where did he go recently, prison for another crime. The violent at heart are not easily reformed.
I, Too, Am America: The Poetry of Langston Hughes
http://jonathanturley.org/2013/08/18/i-too-am-america-the-poetry-of-langston-hughes/
Excerpt from a comment left on that post:
Squeeky Fromm, Girl Reporter
Well, I don’t think Old Langston needs to worry much about “Dixie” lynching him. It’s a lot more likely he will get mugged and killed on his way home from a poetry reading by another little Trayvon.