Never let a good crisis go to waste
(The Hill) In the wake of the slaying of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, House Democrats are drafting legislation designed to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The lawmakers want to adopt tougher rules for neighborhood watch programs, eliminate certain state gun laws, rein in racial profiling and require an examination of racial disparities nationwide.
The Democrats behind the legislation – all members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) – say the steps might have prevented last month’s fatal encounter between Martin, 17, an unarmed African-American walking home from a convenience store in Sanford, Fla., and George Zimmerman, 28, a Latino neighborhood watch volunteer carrying a 9mm handgun.
What if Zimmerman’s narrative ends up being the correct one? What then, CBC? What they are essentially doing is politicizing a tragedy to put more control in the hands of the federal government, reducing the power of the States, as well as providing some talking points for the individual CBC members re-election campaign. It’s also a typical politician move: one incident happens, time to freak out and pass lots and lots of legislation.
On Friday, CBC leaders did just that, introducing a resolution urging the repeal of “Stand Your Ground” laws in Florida and any state with a similar statute.
The resolution – sponsored by CBC Chairman Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) and Florida Democratic Reps. Corrine Brown, Alcee Hastings and Frederica Wilson, all members of the CBC – refers to Martin’s killing  as a “crime,” condemns “the inconceivable fact that his killer remains free” and claims “racial bias led to the use of deadly force.”
Let’s say Zimmerman goes to trial: his lawyers can easily argue that there is no chance he will be afforded his Constitutionally guaranteed “impartial jury” thanks in part to this improper non-binding resolution.
Perhaps the CBC should be more concerned with the crime that is occurring within inner city Black communities. Perhaps they should be more concerned with a notion among many Black youths that getting good grades in school is “too white.” Perhaps they should be more concerned with inner city Blacks having few prospects for escaping poverty and joining gangs. Perhaps they should be more concerned with the notion that Democrats being soft on crime creates a situation where Stand Your Ground is needed.
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.
There is also the fact that in either narrative, the “Stand Your Ground” law has nothing to do with this incident.
If Zimmerman shot Martin “just because,” the stand your ground law doesn’t apply. If Zimmerman fired because Martin was on top of him, beating his head into the concrete, such an action is legal in every state of the union. (All 57 of them if you ask the president.)
While you are correct in both assertions that the proposed law would be a huge power grab and the Zimmerman can’t get a fair trial, this also shows that the law makers don’t have a clue as to the laws they are making and the problems they are trying to address.
Oh, and by the way, why haven’t the members of the Black Panther Party that solicited a bounty for Zimmerman in jail? Why isn’t Spike Lee in jail for threatening a witness (Zimmerman)?
This incident has inflamed passions around the country but the one thing that it has shown more than anything is the inability of people to say “I was wrong.”
Bah. The CBC are racists. How many white, chinese, or latino people are in that group? Zero, because they’re frickin’ racists.
Good points, GC: stand your ground really didn’t apply in any narrative.
Imagine if the GOP had a Black caucus: they’d be accused of being racists.
The CBC should weigh in on the fact that 40% of US crime is committed by a small 3% group in the US population – black males aged 18-26.