Dan Miller does a great job of filling in the expanse of details occurring over the past week in the identity politics playing out in the month-old shooting death of black Florida teen, Trayvon Martin, so I'll refer you to his knowledge-base for those particulars. However, in as few words as I can muster, 'race-baiting media circus' comes to mind. And coincidentally timed too, just as the fever-pitch of the Fluke war-on-women fallacy subsides to mask the government's overreach in mandates on religious institutions violating the First Amendment, so now this local matter becomes the media distraction of the moment as our federal administration is dragged into the High Court to challenge the constitutionality of its benchmark edict. Perhaps it's just coincidence, but It's quite peculiar which stories the news media decides to sensationalize, as opposed to objectively presenting 'the news'.
I can't help wondering that if we heard this report first...
...then perhaps we could have avoided the Duke lacrosse-like witch-hunt that's ensued. Instead, we've ended up with our post-racial President 'racially' personalizing this story well beyond the Gate's 'Beerfest': "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon..."
...we've got anyone from GOP presidential candidates on down being duped into making judgment calls based on media assertions...
...we've got the usual race hustlers taking their place in all of this misinformation to create an attempted Rodney King/O.J. Simpson 2.0 case...
...and why the HELL is THIS being allowed in the United States of America?!
Silence from the nation's leaders, including the President...
All of this because the media decided to run with the narrative of 'another innocent black kid gunned down by an evil, racist white guy'. They had to tweak this one a bit though, after it was discovered that George Zimmerman is a "white hispanic"...oops. And that softened image of the baby-faced Martin in the hoodie that's become synonymous with this case, yeah, that's been photoshop'd. Many of the others are undated, but obviously younger photos of the teen...but that's not skewed reporting, right? Oh, and everyone seems to be cashing in on this controversy as well: the Obama 2012 hoodie, some unfortunate t-shirts by a local FL company, and even Trayvon's own mother seeks to trademark her late son's name!
This spectacle might have been avoided, but for the media, who selectively picked from the police reports, de-emphasizing the corraborated eyewitness testimony early on that's now coming out, that Martin decked Zimmerman with one blow, then began hammering his head into the sidewalk, or that Martin tried to grab Zimmerman's gun during the attack. Or how about avoiding real investigative reporting altogther, which appears to be coming to some light all-too late...for instance, Martin was actually suspended three times for drugs, truancy and graffiti and 'caught carrying a burglary tool' with a bag full of women's jewelry (this report comes complete with a multitude of interesting photos). Eh, facts...who needs 'em. The media circus and usual suspects couldn't wait to seize on this moment, so the trial by media could begin, with hype and misinformation, presumptions of innocence and guilt based on nothing more than speculation, and placation to the mob mentality.
Has the media asked the President or the New Black Panthers or Jackson or Sharpton about John Sanderson? Or what about the 13-year-old son of Melissa Coon? Or how about Bob and Nancy Strait? Who? Exactly. Crime happens, and it's heinous everytime, despite color or creed. But it's not up to the President of the United States, or for any of these so-called leaders, to pick and choose which cases we should launch into a frenzy over, particularly before knowing the facts. In 2008, I though we were striving for a post-racial America? At points like this, it seems as though we've arrived at a reversed-racial America.
Of course the death of a young person is tragic. That's inarguable. But to cloud the reality of the situation in media sensationalism and race baiting is also a tragedy. And now that this story has leapt into the political circuit, the truth in this case is further mired with agenda-driven incitement. And unfortunately, far too many have taken the plunge into snap judgments condoned by a racialized, media-driven, kangaroo court of public opinion.
ADDENDUM: Thank goodness for voices of reason speaking up!
TheDailyCaller: Former NAACP leader C.L. Bryant is accusing Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton of “exploiting” the Trayvon Martin tragedy to “racially divide this country.”
“His family should be outraged at the fact that they’re using this child as the bait to inflame racial passions,” Rev. C.L. Bryant said in a Monday interview with The Daily Caller.
The conservative black pastor who was once the chapter president of the Garland, Texas NAACP called Jackson and Sharpton “race hustlers” and said they are “acting as though they are buzzards circling the carcass of this young boy.”
Preach it, Pastor! They should be outraged...unfortunately, that's hard to see happening when his own mother is attempting to shamelessly trademark his name!
UPDATE: This one's fizzling fast as more evidence comes to light of doctored audio...
From NBC's Today Show (03/27/12):
From Hannity (03/29/12):
...and misleading video...
...on the part of the MSM to progress a narrative of guilt on Zimmerman's behalf, devoid of the evidence. Disgustingly typical.
UPDATE II: Two months later and more evidence piles up in favor of Zimmerman's defense...and against a liberal media who jumped the gun for their own misleading narrative.
UPDATE III: And more evidence just keeps mounting that backs up Zimmerman's account...
The reports also note that two witness accounts appear to back up Zimmerman’s version of what happened when they describe a man on his back with another person wearing a hoodie straddling him and throwing punches.
In addition, Trayvon Martin’s father told an investigator after listening to 911 tapes that captured a man’s voice frantically callling for help that it was not his son calling for help.
The likes of race-baiters like Sharpton & Jackson, both with a President & a Media propaganda-wing in tow, attempted to recreate a Duke Lacrosse scenario for political gain. Dishonest, disgusting and dismissive.
