From the Los Angeles Times:
An autopsy of Trayvon Martin, the black unarmed teenager who was fatally shot by a Florida neighborhood watch volunteer, shows that his body had injuries to the knuckles, while a medical report on the shooter, George Zimmerman, shows that he suffered a broken nose, two black eyes, and cuts on the back of his head, according to a Florida TV news channel and ABC News.
What these details, like many others leaked in recent days, will ultimately mean for Zimmerman's high-profile second-degree murder case is unclear, though they could presumably be used by his defense team to bolster his argument that Martin attacked him and beat him up before he was forced to shoot the teenager in self-defense.
What they do not seem to clarify is how the altercation between the two men started on the night of Feb. 26 at the gated subdivision in Sanford, Fla., where Zimmerman had been watching the teenager and reporting him to police as suspicious.
Zimmerman, according to the Orlando Sentinel, has told police that Martin approached him from behind that night, punched him in the nose, and began beating him up. Martin's attorneys have played audio of a phone call to ABC News in which Martin, talking to his girlfriend, reportedly told her he was worried about a man following him, and asked the man why he was doing so.
No, no, no. Nobody has played audio of Martin talking to his girlfriend, unless they are at some secure National Security Administration site. As Gucci Little Piggy explained on March 29, when the March 20th ABC story refers to the "existence" of that phone call, "existence" is meant in roughly the sense of "the existence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire:" it once existed. The phone call that ABC listened to was between the girl, coached by attorney Crump, talking to the parents about what was supposedly discussed on that last phone call. The girl had not gone to the police and all her contacts with the press have been filtered by Crump.
This might seem like a minor point, but it's evidence of how reluctant the national press is to get the facts straight in this local police blotter item that they chose to make a national whoop-tee-doo, and which has been slowly blowing up in their faces ever since.
If you've seen lucha libre, you know that they use head-butting a lot. It's a common Hispanic fighting style.
ReplyDeleteZimmerman might have been head-butting Martin, who was shielding himself with his hands and getting hit on the knuckles.
Occam's Butterknife much?
DeleteZimmerman is a evil white racist, that is the only truth.
ReplyDelete"If Zimmerman had had a gun, he would be alive today."
ReplyDeleteNot a minor point at all, and one which any old-school editor, maybe even Michael Kinsley, would have made them get right. Wish we had some criminal defense lawyers on this board. I'm only a civil guy, but seems to me that unless the prosecution could introduce some alternative reason for the damaged knuckles, that fact combined with the black eyes would entitle a judge with integrity to direct or impose a judgment of not-guilty, regardless of jury predilection. And irrespective of whether Martin's ire was triggered by supposed "profiling."
ReplyDelete(I can't tell if comments 1 and 3 are tongue-in-cheek. This one is.)
ReplyDeleteNasty old Zimmerman beat up poor little Trayvon's fist with his white supremacist face!
What they do not seem to clarify is how the altercation between the two men started on the night of Feb. 26 at the gated subdivision in Sanford, Fla.,
ReplyDelete------------------------------------------
its simple; GZ tried to DETAIN Martin.
"these assholes, they always get away"--GZ
MSM incitement to murder.
ReplyDeleteZimmerman might have been head-butting Martin, who was shielding himself with his hands and getting hit on the knuckles.
ReplyDeleteCould be. It will be interesting to see the press start to "distance" itself from the standard narrative it has been feeding the public, as more hard facts become available. On the flip side however, some seem to think that this news "exonerates" Zimmerman. It doesn't actually. Like you say, what it could mean is that Trayvon Martin enacted his own fighting version of "STAND YOUR GROUND" when some stranger following him possibly moved on him in a threatening manner.
This is like the story of the marriage license application of Elizabeth Warren's great great grandmother, which "proved" that Warren was 1/32nd Cherokee. That document has no more existence than the recording of Trayvon's girlfriend (or the negative letters from Bush's commanding officer). It is almost as if the MSM has a bias that causes them to print thing that are not true.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't get is the ultimate game plan in such instances. Are the reporters like the criminals in Scooby-Doo - "I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for these meddling kids"? Don't they realize that their only capital as journalists is credibility and that they are spending it on their political causes to the point where they are putting themselves out of jobs? Are they such committed ideologues (or so clueless) that they are willing to put politics ahead of their own welfare?
Just FYI, via The Huffington Post, why the media double standard is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteNot proof, for all we know Tray could have been in multiple fights that day. There are a variety of legally dubious ways those knuckles could have been injured.
ReplyDeleteThat EVIL Zimmerman racist...viciously beating innocent young Trayvon's fists with his right eye, his left eye, his nose, and his head. Despicable...
ReplyDeleteYou got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?"
ReplyDeleteWell do you, Trayvon?
"Zimmerman might have been head-butting Martin, who was shielding himself with his hands and getting hit on the knuckles."
ReplyDeleteIt must have hurt Martin so much that he was crying out for help to. What a fiend that Zimmerman is!
the autopsy on trayvon and zimmerman's doctor's report seem to corroborate zimmerman's story. i read this seemingly good news and then followed a link to the Atlantic. i read the comments and now feel very depressed.
ReplyDeleteIf a woman had shot dead some man, and said that he was trying to rape her, the above would have been victim-blamin and you'd see some more slutwalks.
ReplyDeletefor all the universality, it's who?whom? all the way.
"Zimmerman might have been head-butting Martin, who was shielding himself with his hands and getting hit on the knuckles. "
and then in frustration the evil white zimmerman wanted to shoot the little black rabbit who was in a same sex relationship with a white rabbit down the street, and had been the cynosure of the community, but the brave african-american lad jumped in to save the little black rabbit's life.
What would white people do without honorable young men like Trayvon Martin? How would they live without the morals that such kids provide, not to mention the greatest musical genre of the 21st century?
--> Anonymous 3:52:
ReplyDeleteZimmerman was significantly shorter than Martin. So if, as you propose, Zimmerman was head-butting Martin, then he was wasting his time head-butting Martin's sternum.
It would seem far more likely that Martin injured his knuckles by sucker-punching Zimmerman in the nose, and - or - by clutching Zimmerman's head to slam it repeatedly into the sidewalk or pavement, the latter being a scenario that fits perfectly with the injuries to the back of Zimmeran's skull.
Sailer, stop ruining the narrative with your bothersome facts!
ReplyDeleteHe may have been running away on all fours.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteNasty old Zimmerman beat up poor little Trayvon's fist with his white supremacist face!
Actually, he did it with the back of his head first, which explains the gashes on the back of his head.
It was almost a case of suicide by black.
Research data,
ReplyDelete"On the flip side however, some seem to think that this news "exonerates" Zimmerman. It doesn't actually. Like you say, what it could mean is that Trayvon Martin enacted his own fighting version of "STAND YOUR GROUND" when some stranger following him possibly moved on him in a threatening manner."
Exonerates Zimmerman? I'm still waiting for the first solid piece of evidence that his story is false.
You seem to have forgotten that the point of the prosecution taking a case like this to trial is that it actually has enough evidence to convict Zimmerman of second-degree murder. So while your sympathetic nod to the theory that Zimmerman may have used his head and nose to beat up Trayvon's knuckles gets points for creativity, the prosecution had better hope that the jury is made up of people who have a similar type of wild imagination.
I'm waiting for the toxicology report on Trayvon. Better than 50% chance the young thug was high on something, I suspect.
ReplyDeleteTo Steve aka The Whim:
ReplyDeleteDid you notice in that HuffPo link above that "media producer" Bob Cesca racially describes the two Virginia reporters (beaten by the mob of black youth) as a white guy and an Iranian woman? In other words he differentiates between whites and Middle Easterners.
Kudos to Cesca for dealing in racial reality, or at least stumbling around it. Meanwhile radical truth telling race expert Steve deletes such gauche commentary on this site.
Apparently US Gov federal regs apply to this blog: there is no such thing as Middle Eastern for purposes of classification. Choose white, black, Hispanic, Asian. CHOOSE, DAMN YOU!
So Zimmerman didn't only murder this poor child, but injured his hands too. What an asshole.
ReplyDeleteThe MSM has gone totally crazy and shameless:
ReplyDeleteWhat these details, like many others leaked in recent days, will ultimately mean for Zimmerman's high-profile second-degree murder case is unclear
"Unclear"? Really?
"If a woman had shot dead some man, and said that he was trying to rape her, the above would have been victim-blamin and you'd see some more slutwalks."
ReplyDeleteWould you like me to go on a slutwalk in support of George Zimmerman?
"If Zimmerman had had a gun, he would be alive today."
ReplyDeleteWait... you die when you get beat up??
I am Lugash.
ReplyDeleteThe Zimmerman Affair is now almost as sickly comical as the Duke Rape Hoax. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Trayvon's DNA and fingerprints had turned up in one of the burgled homes.
I am Lugash.
I am Lugash.
ReplyDeleteFrom the article:
On the night of the shooting, door-to-door canvassing was not exhaustive enough, said a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation. If officers had been more thorough, they might have determined that Mr. Martin, 17, was a guest — as opposed to an intruder — at a gated community called the Retreat at Twin Lakes.
So where was Tracy Martin? Why didn't he notice the commotion in the neighborhood?
I am Lugash.
This is all very amusing. It is truly hilarious how the Other has overshot and the alien MSM has embarrassed itself.
ReplyDeleteBut... Does this make another Stand and Defend weaker or stronger? Is anyone rushing to be the next REAL 'great white defendant'. Imagine the pent up hostility when they finally find themselves an actual 'live' one.
Who whom. Balance of terror. If they can shamelessly run this campaign against an Hispanic who took a pounding before discharging, what does that say?
Gilbert Pinfold.
http://www.kctv5.com/story/18375518/metro-squad-raytown-man-out-for-jog-gunned-down
ReplyDeleteRead the comments.
"Are [the MSM] such committed ideologues (or so clueless) that they are willing to put politics ahead of their own welfare?"
ReplyDeleteYes, and yes.
"Anonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteJust FYI, via The Huffington Post, why the media double standard is a good thing."
I hope that white apologists for black crime, like Bob Cesca, Louis C.K., and Tim Wise, someday get a big Norfolk-sized helping of diversity. They richly deserve it.
http://www.city-journal.org/2012/22_2_snd-wisconsin.html
ReplyDelete"Zimmerman might have been head-butting Martin, who was shielding himself with his hands and getting hit on the knuckles."
ReplyDeleteCould be.
Could be, those were monkeys flying out of your ass, too. We wouldn't want to rule anything out prematurely.
Thanks to Steve and his creative band of commenters for inspiring the latest Baloo cartoon:
ReplyDeletehttp://balooscartoonblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/zimmermantrayvon-cartoon.html
"Anonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"If Zimmerman had had a gun, he would be alive today.""
I don't know about that, but I do know that if he didn't have a gun he wouldn't be on trial...
...he would have never left his truck.
Glad to read that someone else watches Scooby Doo - and yes, Anonymous, you can die from a beating.
ReplyDeleteThis whole case seems like the perfect setup for a psychology experiment. First, I reveal enough information to give you the impression rhat X is true. I get you engaged in a moral argument about the lessons from X being true, and make sure that X being true fits with your political and social identity. Then I reveal more facts that logically make it clear that X is not true, and ask you whether X is true or not.
ReplyDeleteBy observation, a depressing number of people, having taken a public stand on X, now cannot back down in light of evidence of not X. This is horribly common in politics and it routinely leads whole political movements off a cliff, as they double down on George W Bush or remain certain that Obama is a Socialism Muslim even as he orders another round of bombings and drone attacks in a Muslim country while hobnobbing with donors from Goldman and Citibank.
When I was younger, noticing other people being dumb amused me. Now t makes me wonder where I'm doing the same damned thing. Where is my thinking muddled by identity politics or moral arguments or path dependency?
Occam's Butterknife much?
ReplyDeleteOccam's brass knuckles?
"I hope that white apologists for black crime, like Bob Cesca, Louis C.K., and Tim Wise, someday get a big Norfolk-sized helping of diversity. They richly deserve it."
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't change their minds. They don't constantly excuse poor black behavior on account of caring about the black underclass issues. They do so for self image- it makes them the right, hip, informed, deep, progressive sort of people. Just because a third party kicked you in the face, it doesn't mean you'll lose the need to be liked by your friends.
"By observation, a depressing number of people, having taken a public stand on X, now cannot back down in light of evidence of not X."
ReplyDeleteNo, I think that most people never really cared. They jumped on the bandwagon because it made them feel good, and everyone was doing it, and now they have moved on. Most people don't even know about the bruised knuckles, medical reports, ect, because it's not everywhere, doesn't have fun events associated with it and nobody cares anymore.
In 15 years when an average person's kids will ask him about the Zimmerman-Martin incident after hearing some vague reference, an average person will remember that it was about some guy shooting some black kid and something about skittles.
"When I was younger, noticing other people being dumb amused me. Now t makes me wonder where I'm doing the same damned thing. Where is my thinking muddled by identity politics or moral arguments or path dependency?"
You are doing the same damn thing, and your thinking is muddled everywhere, no doubt. Everyone's biased. However, if you take time to honestly analyze your own beliefs, the degree of your bias is much lower than average. That's all you can do.
"Anonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"If Zimmerman had had a gun, he would be alive today.""
I don't know about that, but I do know that if he didn't have a gun he wouldn't be on trial...
...he would have never left his truck.
If Trayvon hadn't left his house, he'd be alive today. If his mother had been a better mother, he might be alive today. If he had a decent father, he might be alive today, too.
Odds are, Zimmerman will come out of this thing ahead, if he wants to. Nobody can force him to bring a lawsuit, but he'll beat the rap and Trayvon will still be dead.
"Maya said...
ReplyDelete""I hope that white apologists for black crime, like Bob Cesca, Louis C.K., and Tim Wise, someday get a big Norfolk-sized helping of diversity. They richly deserve it.""
It wouldn't change their minds."
I wouldn't expect it too. I only expected it to change their faces. As I said, it's what they deserve, not what's good for them.
So, Zimmerman was the aggressor. He attacked and injured Martin's knuckles with his face.
ReplyDeleteThe Trayvon trayjectory illustrates the prime flaws with Facebook/Twitter fads. I'm not questioning that the outraged black & white participants really care all that much about a teen shot dead by a white/Peruvian/whatever neighborhood watcher in a rapidly slumnifying Orlando-area neighborhood--it's beside the point whether they're genuinely offended, and one may as well take them at their word. But there's no sacrifice or responsibility or even effort involved in being a do-it-for-Trayvon protester, or "supporting gay marriage" (huh?) for that matter. These are things you can get worked up about and participate in easily, with costs shifted to some vague other collection of persons. Drat, I'm sounding like Gladwell now so I'll stop.
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant to conclude with in my overwordy prior comment is that, the press primarily acts as a force multiplier for template-ready mass movements. Now it's easier than ever be in the virtuous civil rights hero column on the topic du jour, and the press abets that illusion of size & strength.
ReplyDelete