RobertNashville

  Did Zimmerman attempt to follow Martin to see where he had gone?  Apparently.  Did he engage in a “foot pursuit”? No.   Calling Zimmerman's actions a "foot pursuit" seems a pejoritive in this context; designed to paint Zimmerman’s acts as something they weren’t.   If you want to believe Zimmerman is guilty then of course, he was in a “foot pursuit”; I say that because using phrases like “foot pursuit” seems intentionally designed to conjure up a picture of the want-a-be cop chasing down a fleeing suspect just like we’ve all seen happen a thousand times on “Cops”.  Not only does this conjure up a picture of a cop-want-a-be (which the evidence shows the Zimmerman was NOT) but it also ignores Zimmerman’s story that he got out of his vehicle to find the street signs so he could give the 911 operator a good location (and while, again, those want to believe Zimmerman is guilty won’t believe Zimmerman’s story, so far, all the evidence of the PROSECUTION’S own witnesses has not only not contradicted Zimmerman’s story but has actually supported Zimmerman's story).   You make a large and unsupported leap of logic to assume that had Zimmerman never gotten out of his truck there would never have been a physical altercation and no need for Zimmerman to shoot Martin - the assertion is simply without substance.   1.  Were I trying to give police an exact location of some of the streets in my neighborhood on a rainy night I’d probably have to get out of my truck to.   2. Further, there is simply NOTHING WRONG with a man getting out of his truck whether it’s to locate a street sign or to see where a suspicious person has gone. NOTHING WRONG and NOTHING ILLEGAL.   3. Finally; there is nothing about Zimmerman staying in his truck that would have created some magical protection from Martin. Based on what we know of Martin it seems reasonable to conclude that Martin was either a thug or on his way to being one…as such, it’s not unreasonable to conclude that Martin was going to have a “confrontation” and whether it took place on the sidewalk or not doesn’t change that dynamic. In other words, there is zero reason to believe that Martin wouldn’t have attacked Zimmerman even if Zimmerman was in/had never gotten out of his truck and if he had so attacked Zimmerman, the law in most states recognizes that the victim is at a distinct disadvantage when seated in a vehicle and attacked – in those cases, a victim has even less options to resist than if the victim is out walking (sitting in a vehicle and especially if you are belted in is akin to being locked in a cage when someone is trying to pound you).   People are free to believe anything they want but at this point, believing that Zimmerman caused this problem is a belief not based on any of the evidence I've seen.

Wow...maybe she will get Nifong's fate and maybe there is justice available; at least some times.

I have my opinion about this but I'm not going to argue for or against a person deciding to end their life in these circumstances.   The prblem that I think everyone shoudl be concerned about is when teh state (small s) decides for you by saying that "you" aren't worth the medical expense of treating you/keeping you alive if you want treatment.   When the Obamacare debate was going on, there was a famous story of the middle-aged woman with cancer who wanted treatment but the State of Oregon sent her a perscription for these pills.

She should have married Nifong...she really needs to suffer his same fate but of course, she won't.

We cannot predict when a evil person who intends to do us harm will appear...if you value your life/the lives of your loved ones then you always have to be prepared.  This kind of story is just one more illustration of why the statement I just made is undeniability true.

I agree.  That said, we ALL need to keep in mind that anytime one of us is involved in a self defense shooting, we may be charged in a totally righteous shooting...community pressure; racial activitist, a hungy DA looking for a big win, a DA up for re-election and bowing to pressuer, etc....that's why int's simply not enough to be "RIGHT" in using deadly force to defend ourselves; we need to be aware of and be prepared for the aftermath.

Which is why we hae district attorneys.    They can certainly be corrupt or playing to their voters but most of them, at least according to Massad Ayoob, are honest, decent people who try to make the best decisions they can...that's one of the reasons I put as much faith as I did (and do) in the original DA rather then the DA that the state went shopping for.

You forgot to mention that all the evidence presented so far that corroborates Zimmerman's story is coming from the prosecution...kind of makes you wonder just what evidence they actually thought they had to justify any charges; much less Murder 2.

A "foot pursuit"??? You know, I always thought that a pursuer would be chasing someone...apparently however, it must mean that pursuer is the person who is returning to his vehicle and is then attacked including having his bead beat into the sidewalk. I'm so glad we've cleared up the definition of "pursuit". ;)

I heard Jackson and Sharpton are going to throw rose peltles on the ground for Zimmerman to walk on as he exits the court house a free man and all the little racebaiters are going to get to together and take up a collection to pay all of Zimmerman's expenses for this ridiculously unnecessary trial.  ;)

Any employer so draconian that they would use dogs trained to detect firearms is probably not a place I'd want to work at. Everyone's decision about that has to be their own but I'd certainly be looking for a new place to work or taking retirement as soon as I was eligible. Personally, I'm going to be pushing for changes in the law that simply makes it illegal, as a matter of state employment law, for an employer to passively search a vehicle (such as with the dogs you describe) or to even ask or compel a search of a vehicle. No one should be able to compel a search of a vehicle except a law enforcent officer with either probably cause or a search warrant. It should be that way for a person's body...it shoudl be that way for a persons home...it shoudl be that way for a person's vehicle.

One of the predominant thoughts I've taken away from today's two-day class with Massad Ayoob on the rules of engagement for the armed citizen is that the overwhelming responsibility for a "fair trial" when charged in a SD shooting rests with the armed citizen and his defense team...it's their collective responsibility to not be drawn into the traps that will be set by the prosecution and to "educate" the jury who, with almost 100% certainty, will know NOTHING about firearms or what it's like to be in a life or death, violent encounter where you have between 1-3 seconds to make that decision to fire. Whether Zimmerman and his team can do that or not is too early to say but I to think there is at least hope. One thing I truly believe is that had this not been a shooting involving a "white-Hispanic" and a black teenager (i.e. if both had been the same race) this trial would have never happened. What that should tell us, however, is not just what the status of race relations are in this country but also that WE COULD FACE THE VERY SAME THING no matter how righteous the shoot was. In other words, carrying a deadly weapon means the citizen has both tremendous power (to take the life of a citizen) and tremendous responsibility. We need to be ready for the aftermath of a shooting - if we aren't, then we probably shouldn't be carrying.

Well, guys (and girls); this has been a very full day. Massad goes 20 hours per day with short breaks about every hour or so; even lunch is a quick affair. The topics today are so many I don't even know where to start. One thing he suggested to do is, in a couple of weeks, type our out handwritten notes (of which I have dozens of pages) so as to better clarify our thoughts and recollections AND to be used as evidence of our training should we ever be in the situation of being involved in a SD shooting. I suppose in a nutshell, this class is really all about how to stay out of being charged in a SD shooting and if we are, educating us on what to expect from a prosecutor and how to counter the attack we absolutely will receive from the prosecution. As Massad said, from the prosecutor's prospective... "if the law is on your side, pound on the law...if the facts are on your side...pound on the facts...if neither are on your side; pound on the witness." If you've been watching the trial in Sanford FL I think you've seen that this past week. He also said something else I think is worth passing along tonight which is... "If you act to the standard by which you know you will be judged you should not be found wanting in the judgment" That's a lot of what this class is about...knowing the standard. I'll have more to say later however, tomorrow is al propriety information which I have given my word not to repeat, post, blog about etc. so I won't be able to actually give any details about what is covered but I'll will give my impression of the class overall...so far, I'm more than getting my money's worth! :)

that's certainly a possible outcome.   I'm trusting that the jury will really be as fair and impartial and thoughtful as possible; that may be too much to hope for but I'll hope for it anyway. That way, regardless of which way it goes I can at least tell myself that the man got a fair trial and justice was served.

I've heard of this website before from somewhere...I've no idea from where! I've heard nothing/know nothing about this symbol.

It doesn't have any bearing on it; at least not to a logical person.   Of course, the "justice for Trayvon" crowd are going to believe what they want to believe as are those who seem to think Zimmerman should go to jail for 30 years just for trying to help his community and because he wasn't smart enough to have a working crystal ball with him so he could have seen Martin's attack and decided to just keep on driving to the store like he was when he noticed a suspicious acting man in his community.   I used to wrestle in high school; I even won a match or two but that doesn't mean I could reverse a hold someone had on me today even if he's half my weight...taking classes on any sort of fighting discipline doesn't mean you are any good at it either even if you took them recently. It also doesn't mean that Zimmerman, even if he was an excellent MMA fighter, wasn't in legitimate fear for his life which is the primary component of justified use of deadly force for self defense.   You also cannot discount the element of surprise; training is great; that's why we all (I hope) train regularly but the aggressor always has an instant advantage and there has been nothing so far that actually contradicts Zimmerman's account of the events that night meaning Martin attacked him (not that it matters to those who never believed Zimmerman in the first place). Zimmerman could have been a black belt in multiple disciplines but that's not guarantee he would have had a chance to even use that knowledge let alone be successful.   I think these MMA classes are only really harmful to Zimmerman if during the defense portion of the trial his attorneys totally drop the ball and I don't see that happening.

I shoot right handed and bat (baseball) left handed...not particularly good at either one though. ;)

I'd have to go back and listen to her testimony to be sure but I'm pretty sure she stated that she "wrote it" and specifically wanted to pass it off as if she had actually written it because she didn't want to admit that she couldn't read.   Maybe a small point but if she purposely lied about that I don't see why anyone should believe anything else she has to say especially when you throw in the rest of her ridiculous testimony.

I'll be heading out to Rangemaster in Memphis at Zero dark thirty tomorrow (Saturday) morning for my first training class this year; a two day, 20 hour class with Massad Ayoob on the rules of engagement for armed law-abiding private citizens.  While certainly not as "glitzy" as rifle, shotgun or pistol training on a range such as I've taken at Tactical Response, this is a class I've been looking forward to for quite a while!  :)   For those of you who aren't familiar with Massad he is someone you really need to become familiar with and especially some of his excellent books such as the classic "In the Gravest Extreme; The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection (ISBN-10: 0936279001)   I don't claim any special talent at doing such things but I'll try to offer my impressions of the class and highlights of what was covered!   http://massadayoobgroup.com/    

Yuup...Jim Tracy is one of those who don't believe it; I had a fairly long telephone conversation with him on that specific point but he was secure in his incorrect position. ;)   If I understand this law correctly it does at least "open up" parking lost such as at Cool Springs in Franklin...an entire parking lot being "posted" has now became somewhat meaningless I believe; it's not going to change my shopping habits any as I don't shop where I know firearms aren't welcome whether the signs carry a legal penalty or not.

http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/zimmerman-trial-live-video-day-5-states-witnesses/   The above is a decent link for following it with a minimal amount of input other than during recesses, breaks in testimony, etc.

Well I guess I completely misunderstood the point of your post/what you were trying to get at.   

Why am I not surprised that his lordship sounded condescending?  ;)   I turned Ralph off this morning...there is nothing that the pile of :poop:   Corker or his equally worthless buddy Lamar has to say that is worth my time listening to. I'm just really looking forward to contributing to and then voting for someone running against them; regardless of what party that ends up being.

Well if I remember correctly these commentators also glossed the complete lies of "Dee-dee" or whatever her real name is.   She claimed she had written this letter to Trayvon's mother but when the defense asked her to read a part of he she couldn't and finally admitted that she couldn't read cursive...now how the hell can you write cusrive but not read it???  She's has ZERO credibility and I really hope the jury remembers her lies and uses them to weigh her other "sworn testimony".

Well, true...I didn't mean to leave them out of it.  Haters are going to hate and people, gun haters and gun lovers alike aren't immune from jumping to conclusions; sometimes even arriving at the same conclusion but through very different routs.   I'm not sure, however, that the press/gun-haters would have been able to push the State of FL into a trial if the race baiters hadn't been involved...of course, we'll never know.