Southern Baptist Leader Accuses Obama of Race Baiting in Trayvon Martin Case

For almost a month after this incident, the Sanford Police refused to subject George Zimmerman to a legitimate investigation - let alone a trial - and also refused to cooperate with the requests of the Martin family to release the 911 tapes so that an independent investigation could take place. The Sanford police just “apologized” to the Martin family (and how often do they do so to the family of the person who gets shot in a self defense case?), moved on, and desperately wanted everybody else to do so to.

So, if you are Trayvon Martin’s parents, who do you call? Al Sharpton, who for all of his many faults has a long record of pressuring recalcitrant police departments (and despite what many conservatives choose to believe, police departments are government agencies just like the education, welfare, tax and regulation departments!) into acting properly? Or do you call Richard Land, who didn’t even get involved when the police killed a Southern Baptist pastor in a totally botched sting operation in which the pastor wasn’t even a target of the investigation? Gee … I think that going with the race hustler is a better bet for applying enough media and legal pressure to cause a trial to take place.

Like it or not, had the Martin family not called in the liberal activists and the media, this case wouldn’t be going to trial. Because they did, the Florida governor and attorney general and head of the state law enforcement - staunch conservatives all - have taken over the case (and denounced the behavior of the Sanford Police when they did) and a grand jury will convene shortly. That is the right and proper course of action, and it is happening no thanks at all to Land or anyone like him. And it is because of the failure of the likes of Land - has any leading conservative bothered to criticize Sanford Police by the way … well the Republican leadership of Florida has but anybody else, even following the lead of the Florida governor and attorney general … anyone? - that people like Sharpton, Jackson and Obama will remain in business.

Bixby (Pensees … see blogroll) … has several blog posts about this

As for me, I’m waiting for all the facts to come out before I formulate an opinion

I study self defense and gun laws as almost a hobby. I think Zimmerman should be in deep trouble for what he did in pursuing a dangerous conflict when he should have left it for police. That said, there has been some race baiting on the part of Democrats. That said, I also think Land would be wise to stay out of it.

JobK, maybe wait until more information has been released before you champion who is doing what? In Florida, you can’t indefinitely hold someone without charges. Arresting Zimmerman would not have done any good if he wasn’t going to be charged.

When the President comes out and says that if he had a son, it would look like Martin, that is a racial statement. When the media refers to Zimmerman as a White Hispanic, that is racial. When they show outdated pics of Martin to make him look like a little boy and a mug shot of Zimmerman, that is trying to race bait.

Zimmerman has the right to investigate what is going on in his neighborhood. He didn’t have the right to just whip out his gun though. He escalated the situation.

Here is my response at the Urban Faith webiste:

Herrell stated:

“Most Black people, already converted or otherwise, simply will not voluntarily join an institution with the SBC’s ugly racial legacy.”

But most blacks will associate and identify with Africa whose legacy of brutality and selling their own people into slavery is ignored? LOL.

Your problem, Mr. Herrell, is that of a racial narcissist. You practice Race Based-Special Interest Theology to the injury of your soul. It is one thing to speak sociologically about race it is another to speak in the context as a Christian and then make certain racial emphasis preferred ones. You err greatly (feel free to read my 5 part series http://thepedestrianchristian.blogspot.com/2012/02/examination-of-prote… An Examination of Protestant/Evangelical Race Based-Special Interest Theology )

Mr. Land is either right or wrong. If he is wrong save the ad hominem. If he is right, spare us the ad hominem as to why, though he is right, we should not listen to him. As a Christian your primary identification is with Christ. You speak as if your blackness takes priority over your identification with Christ.

Yes, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are not teaching anything “Christian” if that is their intent in this matter. They are teaching everything non-Christian and they are wrong and the President, who claims to be a Christian, is complicit in his silence. This tragedy is an opportunity to example something but these men it appears only as an opportunity to further divide and conquer. What a shame.

But since you introduced history we can go there. Need we do the history of violence by blacks against non-blacks over the last 30 years? No let’s ignore this glaring reality. Blacks in America are building up a devastating history of violence toward non-blacks on a scale unprecedented and particularly toward whites while the crime statistics of the majority population and other non-blacks against blacks is paltry. You want history, deal with this and then we can ask why you are so eager to associate with a group whose legacy of brutality and violence continues right here in America.

I have read blogs by Caucasian Christian Pastors who have publicly declared Zimmerman a “Murderer”. I recently read a NY Times article where the author declared Zimmerman “a cold-blooded killer”. NBC news now admits it doctored the 911 tapes to make it appear that Zimmerman was a blatant racist and racial profiler. ABC news doctored the video tape of Zimmerman in order to obscure the wound on the back of Zimmerman’s head which was consistent with his story that Martin was banging Zimmerman’s head against the concrete. It is now confirmed that Zimmerman’s nose was also broken, again consistent with Zimmerman’s story. One eye witness says he saw Martin on top of Zimmerman banging his head on the ground. There is reason to believe that the police had some evidence backing-up Zimmerman’s story.

The special prosecutor has decided not to bring this case before a grand jury, since in Florida that is usually done in 1st degree murder cases. This case ranges from 2nd degree murder to manslaughter to self-defense. We still do not know all the crucial facts. If the facts prove Zimmerman to be a murderer in the second degree, I hope he receives life in prison. If in the first degree, then the death penalty. In my memory there is still a blindfold across the eyes of Lady Justice. Hopefully, it remains there no matter how much the race baiters in the media endeavor to remove it.

Here is what I do know. In Detroit very near in which I have served the Lord for 27 years, we have witnessed recently the brutal murders of black infants, black children, black women, and black senior-citizens. The stats of black-on-black murder regarding these innocents are at a statistical 9 to 1 ratio when compared to other ethnicities. Forgive me, but the selective “outrage” by Jackson, Sharpton, Black Panthers, and New Blacks Panters comes across as slightly disingenuous.

My heart genuinely goes out to the parents of Mr. Martin. They have every reason to demand a full investigation and subseqent arrest/trial should the facts as determined by the special prosecutor point in that direction. I think they have acted honorably when compared to the main stream media.

Personally I don’t think race was a big motivation for Zimmerman. The crucial fact is that he was not in danger while talking to 911. The 911 operator discouraged Zimmerman from pursuing Martin, and asked him to wait for the cops. Zimmerman disregarded this instruction and pursued Martin. If I were Martin, and a non-police officer came up to me in an agitated manner, and got out of his car, I would feel threatened. So it is Martin who, even if he attacked Zimmerman, had a right to feel threatened and even if he did attack Zimmerman, it was probably in fear of his life. That Zimmerman had cuts and bruises simply doesn’t matter, given what Stand Your Ground Laws say.

 A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand-your-ground_law

If we are to retain actual good self defense laws like the “Stand Your Ground” law and “Castle Doctrine,” we have to enforce them as they really exist. Zimmerman had the right to stand his ground. He did not have the right to pursue a suspected criminal on your own with deadly force. I don’t think Zimmerman is necessarily a cold blooded killer. He’s probably more a hotblooded moron who has done more to hurt legitimate self-defense legislation in this country than anyone else in the last 10 years.

At this point, it appears as though Martin was in fact acting in self defense. He had the right to be there, was not doing anything criminal, a someone approached him with a gun in his possession. Zimmerman should be grateful to be alive. If you have a concealed weapon permit in Florida, like me, you are told that you don’t draw your gun unless you have the intent to use it. Sadly, the eyewitness testimony we have has not been made available to know if they heard threats before they saw the fight.

I would suspect Zimmerman will be charged with 2nd degree murder. Of course, that is only based on what I know of the facts.

I read an article this morning http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/04/09/28carpenter.h31.html?tkn=W…] at Education Week about how teachers should take time out from their regular lesson plans to answer student’s questions about the case.

Talking about contemporary issues, such as the Martin case, means having to sort through new information and misinformation. This is a good thing; the evolving nature of this particular story provides an opportunity to teach about nuance and complexity. Recent developments such as the police-surveillance video that may indicate whether Zimmerman was injured by Martin prior to the shooting or NBC’s admission that it selectively edited the audio of Zimmerman’s 911 call in a way that heightened perceptions that the shooting was racially motivated have made the story far more complicated than it first appeared to be. For teenagers, it is a worthwhile lesson to discuss morally ambiguous issues that are in the headlines, rather than only debating historical topics for which we have the wisdom of dispassionate hindsight.