Forum Post: DO NOT MISS THIS: zimmerman lawyer interview

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-last-word/46863316

By Sarah Muller Tue Mar 27, 2012 12:45 AM EDT

On Monday's show, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell slammed Craig Sonner, the "cowardly" lawyer representing George Zimmerman, for canceling the interview at the last minute. Moments before the show, the guest walked off the set and into his car, literally running away from Lawrence's tough questions on the investigation.

Proving the show must go on, Lawrence furiously ran through his line of questioning to the empty chair that was supposed to be occupied by Sonner. His client is the man who shot and killed Florida teen, Trayvon Martin.

New York Times columnist Charles Blow also weighed in on the investigation. He also took partial credit for scaring away George Zimmerman's lawyer.

COMMENTS>
Lawrence, Yaaay!! Thank you, thank you, thank you...especially for your show tonight. You sincerely stood up for what's only right. This is so appreciated. I watch you daily and really like your take and stern approach on so many real matters, but the Trayvon Martin's attorney questions and that police reporter questions you put out there tonight... I could only shake my head and feel thankful for someone like you putting it out there as it should be - tough! I am just sooo pleased, so happy that we have an awesome news reporter and program like you and "The Last Word". No one could do that job better than you - thank you again!!

AGREED! Lawrence rules!

SANFORD POLICE & the ORLANDO SENTINEL apparently summoned BREITBART's GHOST to help them DOCTOR their website & stories.

A la BREITBART City of Sanford OFFICIAL website posted Sanfrod Police VERSION of Zimmerman’s DOCTORED statement AND the Police' DOCTORED “Investigation Results” (i.e., COVER-UP) and 911 audio transcripts,

Why? In order to help them "SELF-EXONERATE" for NOT ARRESTING ZIMMERMAN. So they put up Zimmerman’s self-serving FALSE and MALICIOUS portrayal of TRAYVON as "Dangerous threat” and Zimmerman as "VICTIM" and "justified" in killing TRAYVON.

As we all know, BREITBART was an expert in using his website to spread racist and deceitful lies and false portrayals ESPECIALLY of Black people..
blog/ronrobinson/2012/03/01/andrew_breitbart_the_anders_breivik_of_rightwing_media_dies

Like Breitbart, SANFORD's deceitful use of their own OFFICIAL website has allowed Conservative- WHITE-SUPREMCIST trolls to quote verbatim from it AS IF it was "objective," "accurate" AND then SPREAD the DOCTORED “investigation results.”

Why? To help cover-up the Police cover-up AND the White-s/rmcst nature of the murder, the "investigation," the “slave patrol no retreat laws” that enabled the murder, as well as of the behavior of these trolls!

And Anyone spreading these DOCTORED "results" - whether from the City of Sanford, ORLANDO SENTINEL or ANY OTHER "source" should be FLAGGED for spreading SLANDER, DEFAMATION, FALSE & NEGATIVE PORTRAYALS and for INTENTIONALLY INFLICTING EMOTIONAL & MENTAL DISTRESS.

That's NOT free speech. It's just PLAIN EVIL.

Comment author avatarsensiblethoughts4u

I think it is a shame the way they are trying to defame a child who is dead because a vigilante killed him for walking through his neighborhood with CANDY and TEA! This type of profiling MUST STOP! All you pro-lifers, WHERE are YOU now? Wasn't Trayvon's life VALUABLE?

Brilliant Legal Analysis of the Florida "Stand Your Ground" Law by Michael J.Z. Mannheimer, Law Professor at Northern Kentucky University:

Professor Mannheimer argues that the Trayvon Martin case does highlight a problem with Florida's self-defense law, but it has nothing to do with the duty to retreat. Instead Mannheimer focuses on the section that says a person who legally uses force in self-defense "IS IMMUNE FROM CRIMINAL PROSECUTION," as opposed to letting him present that defense at trial.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: The way the law is WRITTEN (NOT necessarily what the law's authors intended) it is very, very difficult for police to make an arrest in an instance where someone is LEGALLY using force in self-defense BECAUSE the law states s/he "is immune from criminal prosecution." If someone is IMMUNE from criminal prosecution s/he will not be arrested because arrests are predicated upon probable cause of a crime which can be legally prosecuted. But if a law expressly states that someone who engaged in legal self-defense behavior can not be put on trial and prosecuted then s/he can NOT FIRST BE ARRESTED!

And while "a law enforcement agency may use standard procedures for investigating the use of force," the law says, "THE AGENCY MANY NOT ARREST THE PERSON FOR USING FORCE unless it determines that there is probable cause that the force that was used was unlawful."

KEY POINT: This is the section the Sanford Police Department cited in explaining its decision not to arrest Mr. Zimmerman. The police determined that the evidence was conclusive that Mr. Zimmerman used LAWFUL lethal force in self-defense, given that the EVIDENCE and eyewitness testimony of "John" led them to conclude that Trayvon physically assaulted Mr. Zimmerman by punching him, breaking his nose, and knocking him to the ground, injuring the back of his head, where Trayvon continued to apply force. These restrictions, Mannheimer argues, make it difficult to get at the truth in a case like this one:

"This odd provision means that a person who uses deadly force in self-defense cannot be tried, even though the highly fact-intensive question of whether the person acted in self-defense is usually hashed out at trial. The law thus creates a paradox: the State must make a highly complex factual determination before being permitted to avail itself of the forum necessary to make such a determination.

"Not only that, Section 776.032 provides immunity from arrest unless the police have "probable cause that the force that was used was unlawful." Again, the law creates a Catch-22: police cannot arrest the suspect unless they have probable cause, not just to believe there was a killing, but also that the killing was not in self-defense; and where, as is often the case, the defendant is the only living witness to the alleged crime, the police likely will not be able to form probable cause without interrogating the suspect."

The calls for Mr. Zimmerman's arrest from hysterical people like the New Black Panthers, Al Sharpton, Trayvon's understandably distraught parents, and millions of sympathizers who have no idea what the facts are in the case are diametrically opposed to the law itself!

Thank God we're a Rule of Law Republic and NOT a Lynch Mob Majority Democracy. Imagine what would have happened to the Duke lacrosse players, the men FALSELY accused in the Tawana Brawley incident, and Dominique Strauss-Kahn if we simply let the highly biased drive the prosecution.

What your post doesn't state is that Zimmerman's father is a retired judge.

If a Sanford cop's son can get off with no charges in beating a homeless man, no doubt the influence of a retired judge can influence the police's handling of Zimmerman's shooting case. Perhaps, daddy writing a letter to the Sentinel has something to do with their sympathetic reporting of his so called version of the story.

George Zimmerman's father is a retired Judge

"The portrayal of George Zimmerman in the media, as well as the series of events that led to the tragic shooting, are false and extremely misleading," his father, a retired magistrate judge, wrote in a letter published in the Orlando Sentinel. "Unfortunately, some individuals and organizations have used this tragedy to further their own causes and agendas."

"George is a Spanish-speaking minority with many black family members and friends," Robert Zimmerman wrote. "He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever."

From the reports that I have read -- he lived with his parents in Sanford. He has also withdrawn from attending Seminole state college.

Editing to add: His father being a judge in the same town might indicate that he knew police enforcement officials in the city.