First I need to make a correction to what I have previously stated before. I have wnritten elsewhere about the button but I did go back and add an update to my previous post to state that I was wrong about the button and that is why I am posting the photo here for you.
With that being said, it is a shame that the police obviously overlooked this detail in their reports since it initially said the button was an item inside of his hoodie pocket. It may have been an oversight, a mistake, or it may have been due to how the police keep records that the general public is not aware of. Perhaps they felt since a photo was taken depicting the button affixed to Trayvon at the time of death, that detail about it listing it inside the pocket on the report would not be considered an issue. I'm not sure but in any case, this is the button and clearly we can see it was attached to Trayvon when he was shot.
However, to me this doesn't change much. It certainly would have added a bit more credence to this case but it most certainly isn't a detail that makes or breaks the point I've been trying to make and that is Trayvon had backtracked and hid at some point in order to approach Zimmerman and attack.
I've been watching most of the trail on YouTube, getting caught up. The parts I haven't directly seen, I have read various summaries. So far the state's witnesses do not seem to be supporting their case. Rather, they have all been in line with Zimmerman's account of the events that took place that evening.
Rachel Jeantel's testimony has been the most colorful to say the least. She is the
Now, I don't want to make fun of this girl but I will say a few things that pretty much left me flabbergasted. First, she testified that she was 19 and that she will be entering the 12th grade in the fall. Now, I am not sure why Florida would allow an almost 20 year old woman to attend high school. It would seem to me that she would be better off going to night classes or finishing her diploma somewhere else, like a community college so that she can work at the necessary slower pace she clearly requires. Her speaking skills were non existent. She spoke as if she were chewing on something or something was inside her mouth preventing her from enunciating words. There is Ebonics and then there is Rachel, who took this dialect to a new level, a much lower level. Simply put, she was difficult to understand and ignorance is strong with this one.
She is
She started her testimony off by telling the court Trayvon said he was being followed by a "creepy ass cracka." Interestingly she never used that phrase in her prior statements. She went on to explain that because Trayvon's mother was present during her interview she refrained from using that phrase and shortened it down to "creepy" as a way to show respect. Well, what on earth was Trayvon's mother doing there in the first place? Why would anyone working with the law allow a victim's mother to be present during an official statement?
During cross, West asked her why she came to the conclusion that Trayvon was shot over race. She responded by "the way he [Trayvon] described him." That description was in reference to "creepy ass cracka." West further pressed and asked, if the she came to her conclusion because it was Trayvon who was bringing up the racial component. She said no and she also said that saying "creepy ass cracker" is not a racial phrase. So again, what made her think this had anything to do with race? The question was never really answered and I believe it was more sustained objections that had come from the prosecution that prevented West further probing into her inferences.
Why didn't she mention "creepy ass cracker" before? It's because nobody
Just something I found over at The Last Refuge or The Conservative Tree House.
If you have listened to the testimony from Rachel first, you will know that she claims she didn't "take the Crump interview seriously." Now go ahead and listen to the statement she gave Crump. This is the good version where Crump and Matt Gutman were present.
This doesn't even sound like the same person. It's as if this is someone else completely giving this statement. The pace, the voice, the dialect ...it's all different -- completely. What isn't different are the phrases used. Rachel took the stand and repeated almost word for word her statement. It was obviously coached and she was there to testify with a script given to her previously.
Selene Bahadoor is a neighbor. She lives accross from the other witness John, where the attack took place. This is the witness that took some time to come forward.
You can view the rest of her testimony on YouTube; it's laughable at best for the prosecution. O'Mara does a fantastic job of questioning her and slicing apart her testimony. In a nutshell, she thought she could get away with lying about what she saw so that she could help prosecute Zimmerman. That is just plain EVIL. How can anyone think it would be okay to lie in order to damage another person's life? I'm guessing she would not like someone doing this to her or someone in her family.
During O'Mara's cross, he methodically walks Bahadoor through the various statements she gave law enforcement and the attorneys prior to trial. He shows her the transcripts and questions her repeatedly about why it was she had never mentioned prior to this day's testimony that she witnessed figures running from left to right from the back. That added bit of information was not in her original statement, nor susbsequent statements given to the prosecution and defense. He presses her to tell him when it was she first mentioned "left to right" movement. He gets her to admit that this might very well be the first time. She claims she didn't mention it because (like all witnesses so far who've changed their statements), she was "never asked."
Selene "liked" a Justice for Trayvon Facebook page. When asked about this action, she said she felt sympathy for both families but didn't have the opportunity to "like" a support page for Zimmerman. Obviously she was biased and had an agenda behind her testimony and that adgenda was absent of truth. She even had the nerve to sign a petition from change.org to prosecute Zimmerman. Evil. Just plain evil.
The prosecutor resumes his questioning and tries to substantiate Selene's claim that she was never asked about movement and direction of what she saw. O'Mara comes back to questining and it's a slam dunk at this point. O'Mara also points out how this is a witness who did not initially come forward, and even though she claims she wasn't trying to get her "15 minutes" of fame in and she wanted to avoid the media, she did indeed meet with Matt Gutman, a staunch Martin supporter and reporter who has been involved in reporting this case from its beginnings.
The end of her testimony is what I would describe as pure gold.
If for some reason you don't have time to watch the above clip. O'Mara has her read from her Facebook page that she indeed signed the change.org petition via her Facebook account. He then wants to know how it is the prosecutor was able to lead her into questions about the "moving left to right" if today is the first day she mentioned the "left to right" movement. Selene is left with her face on the floor and I don't think she was quick enough to know just how bad she messed up.
This is how the case is moving along so far. The prosecution appears to be putting up witnesses that support Zimmerman or they seem to harbor a bias either placed upon them by the media or by the public. It may be easy to pile on some of these people but after the death threats given to Zimmerman by the Black Panthers, how can any of us be sure these people were not threatened to change or alter their testimony?
Judge Nelson is the worst, most biased, mean judge I have ever seen. I was just informed in a group that I participate in that she may not be all that bad but, all of the parts I have seen so far, she has shown a bias for the prosecution.
Serino testified that when Zimmerman was told there was most likely a video taken from Trayvon's phone of the entire event, Zimmerman's response was, "Thank G-d." I specifically remember hearing this and the first time I heard it (this is going to sound a bit crazy), it was if I could hear/feel Zimmerman's relief that somebody recorded what had happened, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulder. That is not a response from a man who is lying. Also too, he passed a voice stress test.
Typically the Trayvon supporters love to assume they know everything about Zimmerman. They like to bring up his prior arrest but fail to tell the story of what happened, mostly because they don't know and are not interested in knowing. Instead they believe that George's father is a judge (he's not), and "got him off" because of his status. Well, that's not the case and this audio that was made by the FBI will help explain and clear some stuff up. As usual, this was a gem I found on The Last Refuge. or Conservative Tree House.
Next on the stand -- Dr. Valerie Rao. This is some medical examiner that did not perform the autopsy. Instead she was hired by Angela Corey and sent photos and reports so that she could comment on Zimmerman's injuries. I have no idea how her testimony matters since she never treated Zimmerman directly. Although she may be considered an expert, it seems rather odd to me that someone can testify based on second hand knowledge.
Of course, Nelson obviously has no problem with this testimony because she is all but in love with the prosecutor. The link below is her entire testimony but the beginning is the prosecution playing Zimmerman's interview with Sean Hannity. It is not the full interview but parts of it with certain parts redacted.
Ms. Rao's testimony is excruciating. She suggests that Zimmerman's injuries are not significant and not life threatening in any way. Zimmerman may have made contact with cement one time. She's rather difficult but her opinion is very biased and this becomes apparent during her cross with O'Mara. She complains repeatedly that the pictures are either cut or distorted but, her conclusions are based on the same pictures. How does she come to such firm conclusions for the state using the same photos? When pressed by the defense as to how many injuries he suffered, the photos all of sudden become irrelevant and she simply cannot tell what his injuries are or how many times he may have been hit. In addition, she tries to say that two abrasions on the back of his head were made with only one point of contact. O'Mara gets her to admit that it may have been caused by two different injuries. Rao also believes that the injuries on Zimmerman's nose were him being hit only once but again, O'Mara questions her and gets her to admit that perhaps he was hit twice.
Here's an article on Ms. Rao. Obviously a woman who isn't guided by a desire for justice or truth. This happens when people lack morals and ethics.
O'Mara ends his cross by asking if any of the injuries were life threatening, she says, "no." "What about the next injury? The one where he did not have to survive, would that have been life threatening?" Obviously objected and sustained but O'Mara made his point. Three words -- ONE PUNCH HOMICIDE.
I am very pleased with how this trial is going so far. I am especially impresed with West and O'Mara. Both of these men are in control, gentle, respectful, and dilegent in their approaches with the witnesses they have been presented with. Their patience is something found only in true masters. Each and everytime I am paid, my tithe (10 percent), goes to Zimmerman's defense. I'm grateful the money is paid to attorney's who are doing so well at their craft.
I do believe in Zimmerman's innocence and I believe this case is important for many reasons -- gun rights, self-defense, and protecting common sense. This trial has brought out evil in many people. Yes, even evil from those who support Zimmerman and say vile, racist things. Those people I cannot stand together with. Supporting Zimmerman for me has nothing to do with race and I would be supporting him if he were black. The evil I see from the other side is not only based on racial hatred but also rooted in a child-like behavior that is an insult to common sense and self preservation.
It seems as if people who are against Zimmerman and eagerily willing to call him a killer are people who believe that just the act of following someone or keeping an eye on someone is a justified reason to attack them. This is pure stupidity. It is not the law for precisely that reason. One could virtually attack anyone and claim they were "being followed" and that would be considered justified in their minds. They seem to disreguard anything about who Trayvon really was, yet favor slandering Zimmerman with lies, repeating stories they heard from unreliable sources, with information that has been proven repeatedly to be false.
I have been watching this trial via YouTube. Many of the videos are posted in sections where you get to see parts of testimony, leading you to another video. Some of these videos have many views, while others have a mere 300 views or less. Yet, these parts are where valuable information is revealed. Yes, I know many people are watching live but then how can we explain why it is so many are still repeating things that have been covered in the trail and proved to be false?
The trail contines...and I shall do updates when I can. Stay tuned...
LINKS:
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2013/07/01/tugboat-thats-what-they-called-him-repost-from-december-discovery-evidence-in-zimmerman-trial/
http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/07/zimmerman-trial-day-6-analysis-video-serino-testimony-challenges-very-foundation-of-states-charge//#more
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2013/07/03/jacksonville-medical-examiner-connects-to-corey-and-florida-bgi-scheme/
http://diwataman.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/bill-lee-told-serino-to-file-the-capis-request/
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/02/24/Hernando/Examiner_s_office_tri.shtml
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-06-27/story/jacksonville-medical-examiner-has-history-controversy
http://justice4juveniles.blogspot.com/2012/01/jacksonville-state-attorney-angela.html
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2013/07/03/out-beyond-the-wire/#more-65477
0 comments:
Post a Comment