NPR DAILY HEADLINES: New Missiles In North Korea; Misleading Amazon Reviews; Bubble Tea Battle 31JUL18

Daily Headlines Tuesday, July 31, 2018

FIRST UP North Korea Reportedly Building More Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles Satellite imagery suggests North Korea may be building new ICBMs at a facility on the outskirts of Pyongyang, according to a Washington Post report published Monday. The news follows the June summit in Singapore between U.S. and North Korean leaders, after which President Trump tweeted, "There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea." Read more. Positive Amazon Reviews May Have Been Bought and Sold The giant online marketplace has fostered a separate, shadow marketplace where positive product reviews can also be purchased. NPR spoke with several people who write these comments for money, and outside auditors found that more than half of the reviews for certain popular items are questionable. Read more. Rest In Power: A Look Back At Trayvon Martin's Death Andrew Burton/Getty Images A six-episode cable series re-examines the 2012 shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida; the trial of Martin's shooter, George Zimmerman; and the polarizing social movements that emerged. "Trayvon was the victim in this case," his father, Tracy Martin, told NPR’s Karen Grigsby Bates. "They tried to make him the villain in this case." Read more. North Dakota Prison Officials Are Rethinking Solitary Confinement Following a trip to examine Norway’s prison system, the state’s correctional administrators have implemented changes that drastically reduce the number of inmates in isolation and offer them therapy. A growing consensus among officials views “solitary” as both cruel and ineffective. Read more.

DIGGING DEEPER Flaws And Fraud In Hospice Care A new federal report finds that some hospice providers are improperly taking money from Medicare and neglecting patients even as funding for the industry continues to grow. The inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services says the agency needs to step up reviews of hospice providers to ensure patients are treated properly and Medicare isn't getting bilked. The report cited other distressing findings. Some dying patients got fewer services on weekends, regardless of the patient's level of pain. One hospice provider billed Medicare for two weeks of high-level care without visiting the patient; another provider just called the man's family to see how he was faring. The report mentioned a scam where hospice providers targeted people already in nursing homes or assisted living centers, then billing Medicare for services that patients were already getting. The cost to the government? Four times as much as basic, in-home hospice care. In 2012, Medicare spent $268 million for inpatient hospice care that patients didn't need. The agency’s Inspector General has 15 recommendations for improvements. But the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, Seema Verma, rejected half of them. BEFORE YOU GO Courtesy of Starz Kendrick Lamar’s TV debut: he’s got, he’s got, he’s got, he’s got seriously impressive acting chops inside his DNA.  San Francisco is banning plastic straws — the preferred sippy utensil of the city’s 200+ bubble tea shops. Nine states filed a last-minute lawsuit to stop a Texas company from publishing instructions for 3-D-printed guns. “Joy is better than crack” — Tiffany Haddish, at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. A shark named Ms. Helen was smuggled out of the San Antonio Aquarium in a stroller. Today's newsletter was written by Korva Coleman and Patrick Jarenwattananon.

Remarks by the President on Trayvon Martin 19JUL13

WELL said Mr President......

http://youtu.be/MHBdZWbncXI

Remarks by the President on Trayvon Martin

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

1:33 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  I wanted to come out here, first of all, to tell you that Jay is prepared for all your questions and is very much looking forward to the session.  The second thing is I want to let you know that over the next couple of weeks, there’s going to obviously be a whole range of issues -- immigration, economics, et cetera -- we'll try to arrange a fuller press conference to address your questions.

The reason I actually wanted to come out today is not to take questions, but to speak to an issue that obviously has gotten a lot of attention over the course of the last week -- the issue of the Trayvon Martin ruling.  I gave a preliminary statement right after the ruling on Sunday.  But watching the debate over the course of the last week, I thought it might be useful for me to expand on my thoughts a little bit.

First of all, I want to make sure that, once again, I send my thoughts and prayers, as well as Michelle’s, to the family of Trayvon Martin, and to remark on the incredible grace and dignity with which they’ve dealt with the entire situation.  I can only imagine what they’re going through, and it’s remarkable how they’ve handled it.

The second thing I want to say is to reiterate what I said on Sunday, which is there’s going to be a lot of arguments about the legal issues in the case -- I'll let all the legal analysts and talking heads address those issues.  The judge conducted the trial in a professional manner.  The prosecution and the defense made their arguments.  The juries were properly instructed that in a case such as this reasonable doubt was relevant, and they rendered a verdict.  And once the jury has spoken, that's how our system works.  But I did want to just talk a little bit about context and how people have responded to it and how people are feeling. 

You know, when Trayvon Martin was first shot I said that this could have been my son.  Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.  And when you think about why, in the African American community at least, there’s a lot of pain around what happened here, I think it’s important to recognize that the African American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that doesn’t go away.

There are very few African American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store.  That includes me.  There are very few African American men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars.  That happens to me -- at least before I was a senator.  There are very few African Americans who haven't had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off.  That happens often.

And I don't want to exaggerate this, but those sets of experiences inform how the African American community interprets what happened one night in Florida.  And it’s inescapable for people to bring those experiences to bear.  The African American community is also knowledgeable that there is a history of racial disparities in the application of our criminal laws -- everything from the death penalty to enforcement of our drug laws.  And that ends up having an impact in terms of how people interpret the case.

Now, this isn't to say that the African American community is naïve about the fact that African American young men are disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system; that they’re disproportionately both victims and perpetrators of violence.  It’s not to make excuses for that fact -- although black folks do interpret the reasons for that in a historical context.  They understand that some of the violence that takes place in poor black neighborhoods around the country is born out of a very violent past in this country, and that the poverty and dysfunction that we see in those communities can be traced to a very difficult history.

And so the fact that sometimes that’s unacknowledged adds to the frustration.  And the fact that a lot of African American boys are painted with a broad brush and the excuse is given, well, there are these statistics out there that show that African American boys are more violent -- using that as an excuse to then see sons treated differently causes pain.

I think the African American community is also not naïve in understanding that, statistically, somebody like Trayvon Martin was statistically more likely to be shot by a peer than he was by somebody else.  So folks understand the challenges that exist for African American boys.  But they get frustrated, I think, if they feel that there’s no context for it and that context is being denied. And that all contributes I think to a sense that if a white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario, that, from top to bottom, both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different.

Now, the question for me at least, and I think for a lot of folks, is where do we take this?  How do we learn some lessons from this and move in a positive direction?  I think it’s understandable that there have been demonstrations and vigils and protests, and some of that stuff is just going to have to work its way through, as long as it remains nonviolent.  If I see any violence, then I will remind folks that that dishonors what happened to Trayvon Martin and his family.  But beyond protests or vigils, the question is, are there some concrete things that we might be able to do. 

I know that Eric Holder is reviewing what happened down there, but I think it’s important for people to have some clear expectations here.  Traditionally, these are issues of state and local government, the criminal code.  And law enforcement is traditionally done at the state and local levels, not at the federal levels.

That doesn’t mean, though, that as a nation we can’t do some things that I think would be productive.  So let me just give a couple of specifics that I’m still bouncing around with my staff, so we’re not rolling out some five-point plan, but some areas where I think all of us could potentially focus.

Number one, precisely because law enforcement is often determined at the state and local level, I think it would be productive for the Justice Department, governors, mayors to work with law enforcement about training at the state and local levels in order to reduce the kind of mistrust in the system that sometimes currently exists. 

When I was in Illinois, I passed racial profiling legislation, and it actually did just two simple things.  One, it collected data on traffic stops and the race of the person who was stopped.  But the other thing was it resourced us training police departments across the state on how to think about potential racial bias and ways to further professionalize what they were doing. 

And initially, the police departments across the state were resistant, but actually they came to recognize that if it was done in a fair, straightforward way that it would allow them to do their jobs better and communities would have more confidence in them and, in turn, be more helpful in applying the law.  And obviously, law enforcement has got a very tough job.

So that’s one area where I think there are a lot of resources and best practices that could be brought to bear if state and local governments are receptive.  And I think a lot of them would be.  And let's figure out are there ways for us to push out that kind of training.

Along the same lines, I think it would be useful for us to examine some state and local laws to see if it -- if they are designed in such a way that they may encourage the kinds of altercations and confrontations and tragedies that we saw in the Florida case, rather than diffuse potential altercations. 

I know that there's been commentary about the fact that the "stand your ground" laws in Florida were not used as a defense in the case.  On the other hand, if we're sending a message as a society in our communities that someone who is armed potentially has the right to use those firearms even if there's a way for them to exit from a situation, is that really going to be contributing to the kind of peace and security and order that we'd like to see? 

And for those who resist that idea that we should think about something like these "stand your ground" laws, I'd just ask people to consider, if Trayvon Martin was of age and armed, could he have stood his ground on that sidewalk?  And do we actually think that he would have been justified in shooting Mr. Zimmerman who had followed him in a car because he felt threatened?  And if the answer to that question is at least ambiguous, then it seems to me that we might want to examine those kinds of laws.

Number three -- and this is a long-term project -- we need to spend some time in thinking about how do we bolster and reinforce our African American boys.  And this is something that Michelle and I talk a lot about.  There are a lot of kids out there who need help who are getting a lot of negative reinforcement.  And is there more that we can do to give them the sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them?

I'm not naïve about the prospects of some grand, new federal program.  I'm not sure that that’s what we're talking about here. But I do recognize that as President, I've got some convening power, and there are a lot of good programs that are being done across the country on this front.  And for us to be able to gather together business leaders and local elected officials and clergy and celebrities and athletes, and figure out how are we doing a better job helping young African American men feel that they're a full part of this society and that they've got pathways and avenues to succeed -- I think that would be a pretty good outcome from what was obviously a tragic situation.  And we're going to spend some time working on that and thinking about that. 

And then, finally, I think it's going to be important for all of us to do some soul-searching.  There has been talk about should we convene a conversation on race.  I haven't seen that be particularly productive when politicians try to organize conversations.  They end up being stilted and politicized, and folks are locked into the positions they already have.  On the other hand, in families and churches and workplaces, there's the possibility that people are a little bit more honest, and at least you ask yourself your own questions about, am I wringing as much bias out of myself as I can?  Am I judging people as much as I can, based on not the color of their skin, but the content of their character?  That would, I think, be an appropriate exercise in the wake of this tragedy.

And let me just leave you with a final thought that, as difficult and challenging as this whole episode has been for a lot of people, I don’t want us to lose sight that things are getting better.  Each successive generation seems to be making progress in changing attitudes when it comes to race.  It doesn’t mean we’re in a post-racial society.  It doesn’t mean that racism is eliminated.  But when I talk to Malia and Sasha, and I listen to their friends and I seem them interact, they’re better than we are -- they’re better than we were -- on these issues.  And that’s true in every community that I’ve visited all across the country.

And so we have to be vigilant and we have to work on these issues.  And those of us in authority should be doing everything we can to encourage the better angels of our nature, as opposed to using these episodes to heighten divisions.  But we should also have confidence that kids these days, I think, have more sense than we did back then, and certainly more than our parents did or our grandparents did; and that along this long, difficult journey, we’re becoming a more perfect union -- not a perfect union, but a more perfect union.

Thank you, guys.

END
1:52 P.M. EDT 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/19/remarks-president-trayvon-martin

This is what one cop thinks of George Zimmerman 15JUL13

TOO bad this guy isn't still a cop, it is obvious we need more like him. From Daily Kos....

The verdict was ridiculous but not surprising.  The only way I would describe the way that I feel is nausea.  I am just sick that this guy got off and his lawyers are going to shamelessly be doing victory laps on TV for the next several weeks.  I also feel so terrible for Trayvon Martin's parents who had to live through that clown show just to see this punk Zimmerman walk. But right now my burning issue is with all of the police officers that defended this idiot from the beginning.  Because as a cop of 11 years myself this burns me especially deeply.

First off I'll just say that for me to write this post I have to be brutally honest about a side of the job that most non-police don't even know that much about, the police-adjacent characters that play a pretty significant role in the career of the average police officer. NO not fireman and EMS.  I'm talking about the other people that if you work the street you get to know by name because you see them that often. They are the medical examiners, the tow truck drivers, and yes at times the Security Types. Security types come in basically two flavors; bouncer types and security guard types.

Security Guard Types:

If you've gone to the calls and done the job you know dudes like this.  You usually meet them pretty early on in your career and you get used to them, they can be clingy at times.  As you gain experience you learn what they do well and what they don't. Most of the time the whole precinct knows who they are.  They will work security at an apartment complex or a gated community.  In my case I worked a pretty rough side of Atlanta so there were no gated communities there, only apartments, and trust me the apartments that had gates were the roughest of all. These security guard types usually know all the neighborhood "stuff".  They know (or purport to know) who sells the drugs and who is breaking in houses.  They definitely know about the noise complaints and the unruly kids.  The teens smoking weed.   Most of the time they wan't you to run some dope-boy off or break up the couple having sex in the parking lot. Or maybe they are in over their head with a thug that they have talked a little to sassy too and they have been told they are going to get beat up or worse.  Sometimes they do get beat up and worse.  There is a place for people like this.  They should be respected for what they do. But they should always respect what role they play and even more than that the limits of their authority.

In my experience this person gets in over their head a lot. There seems to be this struggle between what they perceive as their authority and what they know is their responsibility.  As a cop they can make your life easier if they just keep the little stuff tamped down, (i.e. kids running at the pool, loud music complaints).  But When you drive up and the security guard hands you a 27 ounce bag of weed that they just "confiscated" from someone in a car that is now unoccupied, the occupant of which has since run into a now locked apartment that Mr security just happens to have the key to, and they are begging you to enter (with no warrant), so that they can "help you apprehend the perp", well I think you get the picture. Every single day police officers have to make decisions like this.  All are trained, some better than others. Security officer's choose to make these decisions without the training.

The Bouncer Types:

I can't lie, I've worked off duty at night clubs and been thankful for the security there. I have been in bar fights so massively bad that they looked like a scene from brave heart.  When you are alone and the music is loud and everybody is yelling and screaming and running its hard to get backup so the only thing that has saved my ass a few times was the folks in security until the cavalry got there.  Some of these folks are top notch, some are ex-pro athletes and martial artists. Some are even models and actors so you get a healthy mix. Many a night standing in the cold waiting on my shift to end I've talked to these guys about their dreams and some I've thought would be some really excellent police officers and I've told them so. I've encouraged them in the process, called friends in the department that were recruiters, even given personal references for them.  So I definitely appreciate and respect what they do. At times I've worked with security that were more professional than some of the sworn officers that I worked the streets with. But then of course you've got the real knuckle-dragger's that just love to beat people up and then bring them to you looking like a grapefruit expecting you to look the other way.  They are just clowns through and through and most likely sociopaths.  Some of them may be doing drugs on the job but if they are real turds they may be the ones selling the drugs in the same club they work in. It's a dirty business. But they probably only make up a small part of the population.  

In both groups, a lot of these guys probably work security because they have a desire at some level to be a police officer.  I always took that as a compliment not with disdain.  Law enforcement is an honorable profession and people do good work. But like any other job you have to have good people to do the good work.  I've always believed that it is the combination of intelligence, integrity and courage that makes an average police officer a good officer, but I believe it is empathy that comes with experience that makes a good officer great.  It is the same dynamic for security officers.  The vast majority of these people are hard working folks that are very good at what they do.  They are a true asset to law enforcement as long as they stay in their lane and do what they are supposed to do.  I'm no longer a police officer I'm actually a counselor now.  We have this term in the mental health field that we use that's called "scope of practice".  If you are a mental health counselor, practicing outside of your scope will get your ass in trouble and your license revoked.  Practicing outside your scope of practice in law enforcement will get your certification revoked and your ass prosecuted and put in prison.  But what happens if you are a security guard and you "work outside of your scope of practice"?  Well it looks like you can shoot somebody and walk free.

George Zimmerman:

George fits into a special category that we will just term the perpetual wanna-be. He loves guns, he loves MMA, he watches cops.  He fancies himself a criminal investigator in the making.  He patrols in his personal vehicle, keeps a police scanner and thinks that he has a direct line into dispatch.  The dispatchers on night shift probably do know him by name only because he shows up on caller ID so much.  On the night in question he probably sees Trayvon and for some tragic reason made his mind up that this sneaky perp wasn't going to get away from him this time.  His GUN makes him do things that he shouldn't do because he is basically a coward.  He follows, attacks, then is bested in a ground fight by a 17 year old boy that he outweighed by several pounds that he then decides to shoot at point blank range.  Even the fight scene that played out in Zimmermans mind was written like an urban contemporary movie with Trayvon's last words saying "you got me". (really?)  As a police officer you are trained to use the necessary force to subdue the threat but if there is no longer a deadly threat, deadly force is no longer necessary or approved. Translation = Had this been a real police officer, his ass would be in deep shit.  The local police knew he was a cheese ball. That's why they never hired him. They probably knew him by name.

I think what we have in George Zimmerman is a person who very likely has tried to be a police officer many, many, many times but couldn't for some very good reasons. He has probably tried to apply to police departments and could not pass the entry requirements.  Now from the surface you would say this is because of his size.  You may surmise that he probably couldn't meet the weight or fitness standard. But I disagree.  I would wager that Mr. Zimmerman has probably never gotten past the psyche evaluation.  I'm sure laws prohibit the release of applicant information but I would bet that he has applied to at least 2 or more sheriff or police departments in the area and has been declined.  You see even in a big city it's a relatively small community.  Once you begin applying and fail a polygraph or fail a psych, that follows you.  Chances are he's failed a few and has likely been blacklisted.  Judging from his demeanor and some of the witness statements he may have some delusions as well.  As many voter purges as FL has done it is amazing that this man was able to purchase a weapon after an altercation with police and a DV but I assume that is what having a father in law enforcement will get you.  Just from the 30,000 foot view Zimmerman probably never should have been able to purchase a gun.  Zimmerman never should have held the job that he did. And Zimmerman never should have been able to get away with murder but he did.

That is what is so infuriating and confusing about this case.  Good police officers that I know personally very well, that I have policed with, bled with, have taken sides on this case that are completely contrary to everything they have ever demonstrated in their entire professional lives.  People that would be pulling their eye teeth out with pliers if they had to deal with a guy like Zimmerman on their beat are cheering his acquittal. People that supervise officers.  If this scenario had played out with one of their subordinates shooting an unarmed teen after pursuing them under these circumstances they would have recommended termination at the least and gone all in on an Internal Affairs Investigation are saying the prosecution never had a case.  I am sure that my old department would not have hesitated a moment to prosecute any off duty police officer if they had done the same thing that George Zimmerman did. But for some reason this case triggered some sort of collective fugue state that has clouded every bodies mind.  At some point this became a basketball game for them, our team versus their team. Now we've got defense lawyers doing victory laps, cops cheering prosecutors losing a case and 60% of the country feeling like a guilty man is going free.

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO MILITANT APATHY ON SUN JUL 14, 2013 AT 03:29 AM PDT.

ALSO REPUBLISHED BY BARRIERS AND BRIDGES AND TRIAL WATCH.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/14/1223459/-A-Cop-s-take-on-the-Verdict?detail=email

• A Cop's take on the verdict , by Militant Apathy


• Chambers Brothers singer assaulted on stage dedicating set to Trayvon Martin, by Zwoof


• Most viral Daily Kos Facebook meme of the week: Sarah Silverman on anally probing Scott Walker


• PA-Gov: Tom Corbett (R) Calls pregnant women and breast cancer patients healthcare moochers, by poopdogcomedy


• Has Cumulus Media already thrown in the towel on Rush Limbaugh?, by ProgLegs


• Erick Erickson tells liberals to go buy coat hangers after TX abortion bill passes, by weatherdude


• Southern Republican governors discover hurricanes, decide sequestration is bad, by Hunter


• Walmart tries—and fails badly—to push back against workers' awful stories, by Laura Clawson

In love and solidarity,
Sarah Burris, Daily Kos

Good news from the Trayvon Martin tragedy & more from Daily Kos 17JUL13

INTERESTING articles and commentary for the past week from the Daily Kos, starting with some good news as the wake of the zimmerman trial verdict....

The witness mocked by many for sounding ethnic has been given a full ride scholarship to any historically Black college or university.

Instead of taking resposibility for our pathetic education system racists pilloried this young woman for her diction and perceived ignorance. Now she has the chance to do what many children need, have the opportunity to get a proper education.

She will also have the tutors to assist her graduating from high school and taking college entrance exams.

Thank you Tom Joyner.

Tuesday morning on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Joyner offered an olive branch to the embattled teen, offering her a possible full scholarship to any HBCU through the Tom Joyner Foundation.

Joyner proclaimed, “Hi Rachel, this is Tom Joyner, I love you, I really do love you”, Jeantel, shyly giggles before responding, “I know.”

But, Jeantel didn’t know how much she was loved because, Joyner was soon to dramatically change her life in a matter of minutes, saying, “If you want to graduate from high school, and go to an HBCU, even if it’s not in Florida but especially Florida,like Florida Memorial, Edward Waters or FAMU, if you want to do that, I want to help you do that.”

Take that victim blamers.

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO HORACE BOOTHROYD III ON TUE JUL 16, 2013 AT 07:43 AM PDT.

ALSO REPUBLISHED BY DKOS FLORIDA AND BARRIERS AND BRIDGES.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/16/1224079/-Good-news-from-the-Trayvon-Martin-tragedy?detail=email#

• Good news from the Trayvon Martin tragedy, by Horace Boothroyd III


• Elizabeth Warren reduces CNBC "Squawk Box" team to rubble, by Upper West


• Black shooter of white victim in Florida claimed 'Stand Your Ground,' still arrested & tried, by vyan


• Viral Daily Kos Facebook meme thanks to Bill Maher: How could anyone in their right mind vote for some of these clowns?


• Man arrested for having a stroke while black, left to die on jail floor, by Kristina4


• There's one sequester cut Marco Rubio is sad about, and it's not Meals on Wheels or Head Start, by Laura Clawson


• John Oliver BLASTS Zimmerman verdict, by BruinKid


• The GOP pickup artist's guide to seducing female voters, by Tom Tomorrow


• A letter from Marissa Alexander - the battered woman serving 20 years for firing a warning shot, by Leslie Salzillo

Keep fighting,
Sarah Burris, Daily Kos

A lamentation of sorts for Sunday July 14th, 2013 (the day after the Zimmerman verdict)

MANY have had much to say about the verdict in the george zimmerman trial. I do not agree with the verdict. I believe he wanted to have the "experience" of actually killing someone, and Trayvon Martin was in the wrong place at the wrong time giving zimmerman the opportunity to fulfill his fantasy. I do not believe justice has been served, but I do believe it is important to use this tragedy to promote nonviolence, racial harmony, compassion for all parties involved, and to motivate people to become active politically, to vote for candidates who will review and amend "stand your ground" laws and support reasonable gun control. Here is a great sermon on the trial and verdict and our nation and each of us from Rev Nadia Bolz-Weber, the Sarcastic Lutheran, and I recommend you listen to as well as read her message......

July 14, 2013 By Nadia Bolz Weber 

(My intern, and not myself is slated to preach this evening. But as the pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints, I wanted my voice to be in the room. I’m certain it will be a shaky voice.)

click here to listen along ——> 2013-07-14 NBW sermon on Trayvon Martin

I would like to take this opportunity to “stand my own ground”.

I would like to stand my ground as a voice for anti-racism and non-violence.

For gun control and a justice system that actually hands down justice.

I would like to take this opportunity to say something defiant and super clever and something that would be memorialized for the next 48 hours in Facebook memes.

There are a million reasons for me to want to stand my ground but every time today that I have tried, I am confronted in the following ways, by, of course, myself.

1. I want to be a voice for non-violence but the reality is that this morning on NPR when I head George Zimmerman’s brother say he rejects the idea that Trayvon Martin was unarmed because the teenager was actually armed with a sidewalk on which he broke George’s nose, well, when I heard that, my first reaction was not to reach through the radio and offer that man a sign of peace, my first reaction was to reach through the radio and offer that man a punch in the throat.

2.Yesterday I heard that a Federal Law Enforcement officer at my mom’s church has shown up the last 3 Sundays carrying a concealed weapon. Which is insane and something I would normally want to post a meme about on my Facebook wall for all the liberals like me to “like” except for the fact that that law enforcement officer a) is my brother and b) carried that weapon to protect his family ever since my mother’s life has been threatened by a crazy man who wants her dead. A man who was escorted out of church last week by police.  So when I heard that my brother was armed to protect my own mom I wasn’t alarmed like any good gun control  pastor would be…, I was relieved… and now what the hell do I post on Facebook? What do I do with that?

3. Despite my politics and liberalism when a group of young black men in my neighborhood walk by I brace myself in a different way than if they were white and I hate this but it’s like 44 years of having every message I hear in the media and culture around me say that I am superior – superior by accident of birth well, 44 years of that cannot be erased completely by my university education and progressive beliefs.  So if I said that there is not residual racism in me that I simply do not know how to escape I would be lying. Even if I do have an “eracism” bumper sticker

I want to stand my own ground but this morning all I could do was quite literally stand in my own kitchen and cry. Cry for all my own inconsistencies.  Cry for all the parents of kids with brown and black skin who feel like their children can now legally be target practice on the streets of suburbia. Cry for a nation divided – both sides of which hate the other.  Cry for all the ways I silently perpetuate the things I criticize. Cry for the death threats toward my family and the death threats toward the Zimmerman family.  Cry for Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton whose child was shot dead and were told yesterday that it was more his fault than the fault of the shooter.

His mother Sybrina, is a woman of faith and her first public statement was a prayer

“Lord during my darkest hour I lean on you. You are all that I have. At the end of the day, GOD is still in control. Thank you all for your prayers and support. I will love you forever Trayvon!!! In the name of Jesus!!!”

So tonight I want to use her prayer as our own.

Let us pray,

Lord who taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, in our darkest hour help us to not lean on self-righteousness but to lean only into the sweet arms of our loving savior. You are all we have. Help us to believe, even when it is hard, even when it seems like there is nothing but anger and despair, that somehow you are in control. Thank you for those who pray. When we cannot pray for our enemies may the prayers of others suffice. And help us to love. It doesn’t come as naturally as we’d like to believe. But help us to love wantonly, extravagantly, and fearlessly as you love us. And in times as dark as these help us to boldly speak the name of Jesus. The name above all names that demons fear and angels sing. It is in this name we pray, Amen.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nadiabolzweber/2013/07/a-lamentation-of-sorts-for-sunday-july-14th-2013-the-day-after-the-zimmerman-verdict/

Selling Trayvon Martin for Target Practice from MOTHER JONES / MOJO 11MAI12

THIS is sick and disgusting, and I am sure the vast majority of gun owners are offended by it. At least the seller of these targets didn't try to justify his greed with some warped moral or civil liberties argument. From Mother Jones / MOJO......

—By Mark Follman

Screenshot from WKMG

There's a new low in the highly charged Trayvon Martin case. According to a report from Florida TV news station WKMG, an unidentified entrepreneur aimed to profit by selling paper gun targets depicting the unarmed teenager slain in February. The targets, which were advertised for sale online until Friday, feature a hoodie with crosshairs over the chest—the place where George Zimmerman shot Martin at point-blank range. While there's plain black in lieu of Martin's face, tucked into the hoodie's arm are a bag of Skittles and can of iced tea like the kind Martin was carrying on that fateful night.
An advertisement for the targets had been posted on a popular firearms auction website, according to WKMG, in which the sellers stated that they "support Zimmerman and believe he is innocent and that he shot a thug." In an email exchange with WKMG reporter Mike DeForest, the seller acknowledged: "My main motivation was to make money off the controversy." The ad reportedly has since been removed, but the seller told the Flordia news station that the response was "overwhelming" and that the targets were "sold out in two days." Customers included two Florida gun dealers, he said.

Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's attorney, offered condemnation in an interview with the TV station. "It's this type of hatred—that's what this is, it's hate-mongering—that's going to make it more difficult to try this case," O'Mara said.

A Huffington Post report linked to a cached version of a GunBroker.com web page (the link now appears to be broken) belonging to a seller named "hillerarmco" from Virginia Beach, Va., which showed the paper targets being sold in packs of 10 for $8. The product description read:

Everyone knows the story of Zimmerman and Martin. Obviously we support Zimmerman and believe he is innocent and that he shot a thug. Each target is printed on thick, high quality poster paper with a matte finish! The dimensions are 12"x18" ( The same as Darkotic Zombie Targets) This is a Ten Pack of Targets.

Meanwhile, Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, has appeared in a poignant new gun control video rolled out for Mother's Day in which she advocates against Stand Your Ground, the Florida law which allowed Zimmerman to walk free for six weeks before he was eventually charged with second-degree murder. We'll have much more on Stand Your Ground laws—now on the books in various forms across 25 states—in our forthcoming July/August issue of Mother Jones; in the meantime, catch up on essential background and developments in the case with our comprehensive Trayvon Martin explainer.

Mark Follman

Senior Editor

Mark Follman is a senior editor at Mother Jones. Read more of his stories, follow him on Twitter, or contact him with tips or feedback at mfollman (at) motherjones (dot) com. RSS | Twitter

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  http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/05/trayvon-martin-target-practice?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Motherjones%2Fmojoblog+%28MotherJones.com+|+MoJoBlog%29 

George Zimmerman is charged with 2nd-degree murder in Trayvon Martin shooting &Zimmerman's Murder Charge: Prosecution Must Prove 'Depraved Mind' 11APR12

I was impressed with Florida's state's attorney, Angela Corey, in her announcement of charging george zimmerman with second degree murder. She was cool, calm, collected, and seems to be intent on justice for all involved in this tragedy. This from PBS NewsHour and the Washington Post......

Zimmerman's Murder Charge: Prosecution Must Prove 'Depraved Mind'

SUMMARY

A special prosecutor in Florida said Wednesday that she was charging George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in a confrontation in late February, with second-degree murder. Jeffrey Brown discusses the legal reasoning behind the charge with Florida attorney Jeffrey Weiner.

Listen: MP3

Transcript

Videos of three Wednesday news conferences -- featuring special prosecutor Angela Corey, George Zimmerman's new attorney and the parents of Trayvon Martin -- are posted at the bottom of this transcript.
JEFFREY BROWN: And we turn to the latest on the Trayvon Martin case and a charge just brought in that killing. Martin was shot and killed in a gated community in Sanford, Fla., in late February during a confrontation with George Zimmerman. The 17-year-old was unarmed. Zimmerman told police he'd acted in self-defense.

A short time ago, special prosecutor Angela Corey said she was charging Zimmerman with one count of second-degree murder and that he was now in custody.
Here's an excerpt from her press conference.
ANGELA COREY, Florida state's attorney: We launched an intensive investigation building on all of the work the Sanford Police Department and the state attorney's office in Seminole County had already done.
Unless you've ever been a law enforcement officer or a prosecutor handling a difficult homicide case, you cannot know what it's like to launch this type of investigation and come to the right conclusion.
The Supreme Court has defined our role on numerous occasions as prosecutors that we are not only ministers of justice, we are seekers of the truth. And we stay true to that mission. Again, we prosecute on facts and the laws of the great and sovereign state of Florida, and that's the way it will be in this case.
When we took our oath of office in 2009, we pledged not only to look out for our precious victims of all of our cases, but also to adhere to the rules of the criminal justice system and the rules of our Constitution and statutes that protect a defendant's rights as well.
When we charge a person with a crime, we are equally committed to justice on their behalf as we are on our victims' behalf. So we are here to do that on behalf of our victim, Trayvon Martin, and on behalf of the person responsible for his death, George Zimmerman.
We will continue to seek the truth throughout this case. Every single day, our prosecutors across this great country handle difficult cases, and they adhere to that same standard, a never-ending search for the truth and a quest to always do the right thing for the right reason.
There is a reason cases are tried in a court of law, not in the court of the public and not by the media, because details have to come out in excruciating and minute fashion, detail by detail, bit of evidence by bit of evidence.
And it's only then when the trier of fact, whether it's a judge or a jury, gets all of those details that then the law is applied to that and a decision can be rendered. We will scrupulously adhere to our ethical obligations and to the rules of evidence in presenting this case that way.
Today, we filed an information charging George Zimmerman with murder in the second degree. A capias has been issued for his arrest. With the filing of that information and the issuance of a capias, he will have a right to appear in front of a magistrate in Seminole County within 24 hours of his arrest, and thus formal prosecution will begin.
JEFFREY BROWN: More now on the charge against Zimmerman.
Jeffrey Weiner is an attorney in Florida and former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Welcome to you.
So, second-degree murder, tell us what that means. What is the charge?
JEFFREY WEINER, criminal defense attorney: Second-degree murder basically means that the act was imminently dangerous to another, evincing a depraved mind regarding of human life and without premeditated design, in other words, not first-degree murder and not manslaughter, second-degree murder, punishment up to life in prison.
JEFFREY BROWN: Well, that's what I was wondering.
Among the things she could have charged him with, it's manslaughter on one side and first-degree murder on the other?
JEFFREY WEINER: Basically, first-degree murder is premeditated, so I don't think anybody thought she would charge that.
Most people I believe involved in the criminal justice system thought the charges would be manslaughter. Instead, she charged second-degree murder. It's a very, very harsh and serious charge. Maybe it's justified, maybe not. We'll have to see.
JEFFREY BROWN: It's also, clearly, harder to prove, I would expect. So what is required in the proof?
JEFFREY WEINER: The proof is certainly more than what is required for manslaughter. They're going to have to show that he had really a depraved mind. In other words, he didn't plan this ahead of time. It wasn't premeditated, but it was as reckless and wanton behavior as could possibly have taken place short of premeditation.
JEFFREY BROWN: Now, tied in to all this from the beginning, of course, was Florida's stand your ground law. How does that play into this second-degree charge here?
JEFFREY WEINER: I'm not so sure it has much to do with it.
There's always an inherent right of self-defense in states that don't have this law and even before Florida adopted the law. Mr. Zimmerman's counsel may argue that he had a right to confront Trayvon, that he went to him, and, at that point, he didn't have to retreat when he was attacked.
We don't know enough of the facts yet, but these are more serious charges than most people expected, and it's a very, very heavy burden on the state of Florida to prove beyond a reasonable doubt all of the elements of second-degree murder.
JEFFREY BROWN: But so -- but staying with this stand your ground, so just to be clear, the prosecutor wasn't necessarily building a case around it; she was just saying it doesn't apply or here's the charge in spite of what that law is?
JEFFREY WEINER: I think it's the latter. Here's the charge. You defend yourself now, and good luck.
Now, whether she's looking for a trial, whether she's looking to try to coerce a plea to a less-serious charge, such as manslaughter, we'll have to see.
JEFFREY BROWN: How unusual is this, just having -- in Florida, just having a special prosecutor brought in, in a case like this?
JEFFREY WEINER: It happens often, but not all the time.
This is a case where I believe the governor was correct to do it. And I do salute this prosecutor for not bringing the matter to a grand jury. I think she was right to make the decision herself.
JEFFREY BROWN: Well, explain that. She did make that decision. What would that be based on? What was the alternative there?
JEFFREY WEINER: The alternative was what I would think would be sort of a cop-out, in other words, bring it to a grand jury. A grand jury typically does whatever the prosecutor asks the grand jury to do, and then the prosecutor can say, listen, even though I run for public office, this was not my decision. This was the decision of a grand jury.
Instead, she took the responsibility to say, listen, this is not first-degree murder. I don't have to give it to a grand jury. I will make the decision. And I think that was proper and correct.
JEFFREY BROWN: Now, just yesterday, George Zimmerman's lawyers withdrew from the case. They said that they were having trouble contacting him. They said they were worried about his emotional, his physical state. So where does that -- where does that leave things for him?
JEFFREY WEINER: Well, I'm not sure if he's going to have a private lawyer or an appointed lawyer, if he qualifies.
Frankly, the behavior of the lawyers, in my opinion, was shocking. I have never witnessed anything like that in almost 39 years as a criminal defense lawyer. I think the conduct of those lawyers will be subject to scrutiny by the Florida bar.
JEFFREY BROWN: Because, what, speaking to the media, you mean, or just -- or withdrawing?
JEFFREY WEINER: Well, not just -- not just speaking to the media, and certainly not withdrawing, but all of the facts, the comments that they said, that they haven't been in touch with the client, that they haven't spoken with him, they don't know where he is.
I mean, they said a lot of things that are, number one, privileged, number two, totally inappropriate, and, in my view, it looked like a publicity move more than actual serious representation in this very, very important and serious case.
JEFFREY BROWN: Now, the prosecutor just a few minutes ago said that Mr. Zimmerman is now in custody.
That was after yesterday, where the lawyers were saying his whereabouts were unknown. But the prosecutor, I gather, has said -- she's not saying where -- where he's being held. Is that unusual?
JEFFREY WEINER: No, it's not unusual.
My thought always was, when she announced charges, he would already be in custody. So that happened one of two ways. Either the police went out and arrested him, or he has counsel, or contacted them and said, listen, if you're going to charge me, I'll surrender myself.
We don't yet know the details. There's a very, very strong chance, however, that he will be granted bond, although not immediately, because in Florida, there is typically a secondary hearing in which the state tries to keep someone in custody, if that's what they want to do, on life felony charges, such as this one, and the defense moves for a bond.
And absent an agreement, he will not be released tomorrow.
JEFFREY BROWN: It was very interesting to hear the prosecutor there talk about not trying this in -- not trying this in the public, not trying this in the media.
Of course, this case has aroused national attention and no doubt in Florida as well. Would you think that that played -- or put some special pressure on her to act quickly?
JEFFREY WEINER: Yes.
I don't think she acted that quickly, frankly. But she had pressure, international pressure even, to make a decision in this case. I think she feels she has enough evidence to go forward. She made the obligatory comments of looking out for a defendant's rights. We'll see about that as the case goes on.
JEFFREY BROWN: And what does happen next? What's the next step?
JEFFREY WEINER: Well, the first step is he has an initial appearance. At that point, if there's no agreement as to bond, a bond hearing will be set, it's called an Arthur hearing, in Florida.
After that matter is resolved, whether he'll be held in custody pending the outcome of the case or released on bond, then we have what's called discovery. Florida is one of the best states in the country for open discovery. There's no ambush, like in federal courts. All witnesses must be disclosed. All evidence must be disclosed, and the defense lawyer or lawyers will prepare this case for trial or ultimately a plea.
It just depends how this case plays out.
JEFFREY BROWN: All right, Jeffrey Weiner, thanks so much.
JEFFREY WEINER: My pleasure. Great questions.
Watch Special Prosecutor Angela Corey's News Conference:

Watch Zimmerman Attorney Mark O'Mara's News Conference:

Watch Trayvon Martin's Parents React to Charges Against Zimmerman:

  
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june12/trayvonmartin_04-11.html 

George Zimmerman is charged with 2nd-degree murder in Trayvon Martin shooting

By Sari Horwitz

George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Florida teenager Trayvon Martin 46 days ago, was charged with second-degree murder Wednesday, marking a turning point in a case that has provoked nationwide debate over racial profiling.
Florida special prosecutor Angela B. Corey, who announced the charge in Jacksonville, said that “the search for justice has brought us to this moment.” Zimmerman turned himself in and was brought Wednesday evening to the Seminole County jail.
Criminal justice lawyers said Corey faces an uphill battle in persuading a jury to convict Zimmerman of second-degree murder. Zimmerman told police he was fighting for his life in an altercation with Martin, who was 17 and unarmed, before he fired in self-defense.
Murder in the second degree, under Florida law, refers to a killing carried out without premeditation but with “a depraved mind regardless of human life.” If convicted, Zimmerman faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. His attorney, Mark O’Mara, said Wednesday that Zimmerman will plead not guilty.
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Martin’s parents applauded Corey’s decision to take Zimmerman into custody, calling it a first step toward justice.
“We simply wanted an arrest,” said Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother. “Thank you, Lord.”
His father, Tracy Martin, said: “We got a long way to go, and we have faith. . . . We will continue to hold hands on this journey — white, black and Latino.”
Corey said she had personally informed Martin’s parents of the outcome of her investigation.
“It was less than three weeks ago that we told those sweet parents that we would get answers to all of their questions no matter where our quest for the truth led us,” she said.
Martin was fatally shot Feb. 26 while walking in the Retreat at Twin Lakes, a complex of about 260 peach-colored townhouses in Sanford, Fla. Martin was staying with his father and his father’s fiancee in her townhouse, and he had left briefly to walk to a nearby 7-Eleven to buy a bottle of iced tea and a bag of Skittles.
Zimmerman, 28, who worked at a fraud-detection company, was driving to Target, according to his father. Zimmerman spotted Martin and called 911, saying that there had been a rash of burglaries in the area and that there was “a guy . . . walking around, looking about.”
“This guy looks like . . . he’s on drugs or something,” Zimmerman said.
Before police arrived, Zimmerman and Martin encountered each other in a grassy area between the back yards of two rows of townhouses. Zimmerman says Martin punched him in the face, knocked him down and slammed his head against the pavement.
He has maintained that he was defending himself when he pulled a black Kel-Tec 9mm and shot Martin at close range in the chest after the teenager tried to take the gun. When officers arrived, they found Martin dead in a pool of blood in the grass and Zimmerman bleeding from his nose and the back of his head.
‘Stand your ground’ law
Authorities in Sanford decided not to charge Zimmerman, citing Florida’s “stand your ground” law, which allows a person to use deadly force in self-defense when there is a reasonable belief of a threat and which does not require people to retreat.
Allowing Zimmerman to go free prompted a wave of protests across the country, led in part by Martin’s parents.
The case stirred racial tensions in part because Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, described Martin in his call to police as looking suspicious and “up to no good.” For weeks, the Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil rights leaders have invoked memories of lynching victim Emmett Till and have organized rallies to press for Zimmerman’s arrest. Images of the man and the teenager have played continually on cable television. President Obama weighed in with a comment from the White House: “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.”
Zimmerman’s father has said that his son is not a racist and that he was trying to protect his neighborhood.
Martin’s parents and their attorneys heard the news of the charge on Wednesday in Washington, where they had traveled for the annual convention of the National Action Network, a civil rights organization founded by Sharpton.
“It is about justice, justice and only justice,” said Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump. “We can take a short breath because we are just now getting to first base. This is only first base in this game of justice.”
Zimmerman had been in seclusion for more than 40 days. Two lawyers who have represented him for part of that time, Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig, announced Tuesday they had lost contact with Zimmerman and could no longer work on his behalf. They voiced concern for his emotional and physical well-being and said Zimmerman had taken actions, such as setting up a Web site soliciting donations and attempting to contact the prosecutor, without consulting them.
‘Focus of anger’
O’Mara, Zimmerman’s new attorney, said he has been troubled by the public outcry against him.
“He has been the focus of anger and maybe confusion and maybe some hatred,” O’Mara said.
An activist group, the New Black Panther Party, had announced that it was raising money to fund a $1 million bounty for the “capture” of Zimmerman.
Corey, a Florida state attorney, was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott (R) to investigate the case after State Attorney Norm Wolfinger recused himself. Wolfinger had scheduled a grand jury for April­ 10, but Corey announced this week that she was not going to bring the Martin case before the grand jury.
In many parts of the country, people gathered around televisions at 6 p.m. Wednesday to watch Corey reveal the preliminary results of her investigation. A small group met in the basement of Allen Chapel AME Church in the historically black Goldsboro neighborhood in Sanford.
As Corey said “justice for Trayvon,” people nodded. When she said “murder in second degree,” they nodded again. And when she said “Mr. Zimmerman is in custody,” a cheer went out and people clapped and said, “Yes, yes, yes.”
Then City Commissioner Velma Williams said: “We did not come here to celebrate. . . . We came here to give thanks to the Almighty that . . . the wheels of justice still do turn. We do not rejoice in anyone’s shortcomings,” she said, adding later that “Mr. Zimmerman has a family, too.”
For a moment, there was relief — and then, for some, apprehension.
“Relief comes in one sense,” Cappila Gaines said as her son walked in from the bright Florida afternoon. “But there is still some type of stress that remains, and we’re hoping there aren’t repercussions” from Zimmerman’s defenders.

Staff writer Stephanie McCrummen in Sanford and staff writer Krissah Thompson and staff researcher Lucy Shackelford in Washington contributed to this report.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/george-zimmerman-to-be-charged-in-trayvon-martin-shooting-law-enforcement-official-says/2012/04/11/gIQAHJ5oAT_print.html