RobertNashville

For better or worse, that's not the society we live in today and it's a mindset that is just plain dangerous.   If somebody, especially someone I don't know...maybe even already believe is acting suspiciously want's to "give me a but-wippin" am I supposed to assume that's as far as it's supposed to go?  I'm not going to do that and I doubt anyone else here is either.

I don't really care how many ways there are.   Is there any reason to believe that Zimmerman presented a legitimate threat of death or serious bodily injury to Martin?  I say no.   I say no because nothing in evidence/testimony shows that Zimmerman did anything even close to that t and if he then Martin had no justification for starting to beat up Zimmerman; I really don't give a damn how many of Martin's "buttons" were pushed..."pushing buttons" is not in any statute I've ever read on legitimate use of self defense or as justification for assault.   As a practical matter, while we can make assumptions, no one can know what "buttons" are buttons for any single individual - if one of Martin's buttons got pushed and that caused him to start beating up on Zimmerman enough to put Zimmerman in fear for his life then that's really Martin's problem and he got what he deserved.   When you act inappropriately or stupidly you can expect the consequences and sometimes those consequences are severe and final.

Well, just don't act suspiciously or like a thug and you would probably be okay; in a hoodie or not.   Then again, being an old fart like you are I doubt anyone is going to consider you a threat anyway. ;)

Depends...vehicles like my Titan pickup and Armada and QX56 (the earlier one which mechanically was an Armada) are my "everyday vehicles"...I put about 30-40K per year on them but in more recent years I only have them a year before turning them in for a new model which doesn't say much for determining longevity such as 200 or 300K miles, etc but is enough time to ferret out any significant defects.   The only problem I ever actually had with any of them was with the first year of production Titan (brakes and a hard to find electrical issue) which I think can be chalked up to a 1)totally new manufacturing plant, 2)a totally new workforce which had never built any vehicle before and 3)a completely newly designed vehicle.    Their IQS scores have been pretty good since the initial year or two of production.   I've had zero issues with my "Zs" or with any of the Infinities I've had/have...my 330Z Nismo met an early end when a stupid woman turned left in front of me, totaled my Z and sent her to the hospital for two weeks...I've got a G37 IPL Convertible on order to replace my deceased Z. :)

Well, I'm not going to forget this trial but that aside, I guess I'm still just a little taken back and it's difficult not to respond when someone throws out the same unsupported assertions, disproved theories and SWAGS that they did over a year ago when we now have trial evidence and testimony that shows just how ridiculous those theories and assertions are.   Is it important?  Maybe not...but then again, this subject of defending your life IS.   That said; I get your point...there is nothing to be gained by arguing it at this point. :surrender:

Martin didn't "defend" himself; he attacked Zimmerman.   That's what the evidence shows and that's why Zimmerman isn't guilty of either Murder 2 or Manslaughter....he is simply a man that defended his life while trying to do something good for his community.   Of course, the Justice for Trayvon crowd will never believe that.

Well first, we all know that this wasn't some "Hispanic dude", Zimmerman is a "white-Hispanic".   Also, the "white-Hispanic" didn't "jump out of his truck and start chasing" Martin"...I'm beginning to wonder if you've watched any of the testimony.  :shrug:   If you want to keep bring up disproved and/or completely unsupported assertions go ahead; it's still meaningless. :screwy:   The "aggressor" in this Zimmerman/Martin story was the THUG-want-a-be and he got exactly what he should have expected when he started attacking Zimmerman.

Then why even bring up "feeling threatened" and "stand your ground" when as we know and you just acknowledged that the thug had multiple choices that would have avoided a confrontation.

That's fine, Dave...if you think starting a violent confrontation because you "feel threatened" is legal in any state of the union, including TN, then you need to take a refresher course in basic law. You might also want to bone up on the law that is commonly (and not very appropriately) called "stand your ground" because I don't think it means what you think it means.   But go ahead if you want...to do what the thug-want-a-be did and start a violent attack on someone because you "feel threatened" (ore because he "disrespected me; there are still plenty of powerball awards to hand out to people that do that.

I don't know if it's the same in FL as it is here but "three streets" here could mean 10 different street names depending on what 15' of road you are standing on - and was he just looking for a street name or trying to give a specific location to 911 (which entails more than just "I'm on "X" street).

Feeling "creaped out" or "feeling threatened" - what's the difference. Feelings aren't sufficient to justify starting a violent confrontation no matter how "out of water" the person feels. Act like an idiot, especially when you have a multitude of choices that doesnt require a physical confrontation, and you can expect bad things to happen to you. Trayvon acted like an idiot and won the powerball prize.

Then I humbly suggest that you are missing out on learning from the person who is likely the most talented teacher in pistol-craft that has ever lived.   In fact, the Col pretty much invented teaching gun fighting for civilians as well as much of the bedrock knowledge we have of firearms handling/use today...the hundreds of schools and thousands of quality trainers we have today really didn't exist at all until relatively recently...the Col was a trail blazer that made possible what most people take for granted today.   You don't have to agree with everything that someone says or believes to learn from them.

I'm not sure who you are trying to convince here?  If it's me you are never going to convince me that "staying in his truck" is some kind of miracle shield that would have stopped all the bad things that happened.   1. I'm part of my neighborhood watch...my neighborhood is probably smaller than the one in this case...and I don't know all the street names; why is that so hard to fathom?  If I were on the phone with 911 and needed to give them a street location because I saw something suspicious there is a damn good chance I'd have to find a street sign too.   2. As far as the 50 yard issue; what Martin did or didn't do is pure conjecture; it depends on what you believe (or want to believe)...Andrew did a very good analysis of this very issue on his blog including sat pictures, etc.. The only two people who know are Zimmerman and Martin so I guess you can believe what you want.   I mean, it's fine if you want to hang your hat on the "staying in the vehicle" thing but it's still all conjecture.

Last time I checked the rules, you have no right to "defend yourself" against feeling threatened especially when there are many other options such as "call 911 instead an idiot girlfriend" or "go home" instead of turning back and confronting the one who is making you feel threatened or maybe even don't smoke weed if it makes you feel paranoid.

I have an Armada...my second one...they are great vehicles and mechanically are identical to the Titan   Better yet, unlike GM and Chrysler, Nissan doesn't belong to Obama.  ;)

With regards to Cuban cigars; the cigars of today simply aren't what they were, at least not in my experience.   I think the primary reason for this is that as Castro was taking over, all the really great cigar makers took their seeds and most importantly, their knowledge, experience and craftsmanship to other countries including the U.S., and many SA countries.  A good Honduran cigar today is every bit as good as Cubans used to be.

I say it's ridiculous because it seems to me that the underlying assertion is that that staying in his truck would automatically have prevented any altercation and there is simply no way on God's green earth that you, me or anyone else today can know that.   Would it have been better if he had stayed in his truck?  Maybe; that's all anyone can say without delving into the land of free-flowing assumptions.  

The federal government doesn't need to "recognize" anything...there is no reason for the feds to give preferential treatment to any one group over another...no special or even non-special benefits for "married" or "non-married"...just treat everyone as an individual.   My tax rates...my health insurance...my "fill in the blank" doesn't need to be dependent or altered because I'm married or not married; gay or straight; black or white or brown; Christian, Jew, agnostic, atheist or nothing at all.

Hard to say how long it will take them to reach a verdict...I suppose if they go into the jury room already thinking the same thing it won't take long...if you have some for acquittal, some for Murder 2 and some for manslaughter it could take a long while or a hung jury.

There would be no "rift" if the government had kept itself out of an issue it didn't really need to get involved in.   The concept of marriage is a religious one and that's where the issue should stay - if a church wants to "marry" OR not marry a man and woman, two men, two women, a man and a dog or a woman and a cat I really could not care less..each religion/church/denomination, etc.should make that decision for itself.   The only legitimate place I see that government should be involved at all is where this issue impacts a human being's civil rights - if two human beings have decided to live as a "couple" then there needs to be a mechanism to easily recognize that.  Such issues as joint property, etc. The civil issues can be dealt with fairly and simply but instead the government spins it's wheels arguing about what is and isn't marriage.

I have a lot of respect for Mustangs; I've never really admired their technology though.  However, I have a lot of respect for FORD and will likely never buy another GM or Chrysler product again.   My tastes these days run toward Nissan's and Infinities. :)

As I understand it, the FEDS have already looked pretty extensively into this and found nothing to sustain charges.   As I also understand it; Zimmerman has a life record of going out of his way to help African-Amricans even at personal cost to himself - that's one of the reasons that the prosecution looks so incredibly foolish trying to make him into a racist who went after Martin to settle with a "depraved mind" (which is necessary to sustain a charge of Murder 2).

Among cigar aficionados Acids engender discussions bordering on Glock vs 1911s and the truth is, both sides are "right" in their own way.   I love Acids although it's not my only brand.

I'll care and anybody who carries a weapon in public should care as well.   This is one of many cases that shows what can happen when even a totally justified self defensive use of deadly force/your firearm can still carry heavy, heavy consequences.  We can all see what Zimmerman did right and wrong (and no, I'm not talking about the ridiculous "should have stayed in his truck" mantra) and learn from it.   ANY ONE OF US can have this happen to them...we can do everything 100% right and still be charged and have to go through a trial whether it's because of race baiters or an overzealous or gun-hating DA or any of dozens other circumstances that, if they coalesce in the right way can make our lives a living hell.   We need to be prepared for that, mentally and financially or we really need to examine whether we should carry at all.

I love good cigars; most of what I have in my humidor now are Acid 1400cc but I have many others.   I also participate in "Cigar Dave's" Officers Club which gets me 3 or 4 cigars each month that provide a sampling of premium cigars (often brand new releases/not yet released to the public) that I may not even try otherwise.   Nothing quite beats a good cigar and a good glass of wine or a tumbler of good scotch!   I average two to four smokes a month with an occasional pipe in there sometimes as well.   I keep a 500ct humidor which is about 2/3s full so I either need to start smoking more frequently or get another humidor...I hate to stop buying because next to food, ammunition and coffee I figure once the Zombies attack cigars will be worth their weight in gold. ;)