Various thoughts on current events with an emphasis on politics, legal issues, books, movies and whatever is on my mind. Emails can be sent to almostsanejoe@aol.com; please put "blog comments" in the subject line.
I think it's odd that so many commentators assert confidently that this case is about race whereas the Black president's administration and the Black attorney general's justice department aren't exactly leaping into the fray and appear to be sending anonymous spokespeople to talk about how difficult it is to prove a hate crime. Not so surprising, perhaps, in light of the reported facts of Zimmerman's dating a Black girl in high school and recently mentoring Black teenage boys as well as the FBI's conclusion earlier that there was no evidence of racial animus. I think this isn't a race case. I think it's a gun case. The government seems to agree and to think there's nothing wrong with that. I part company with the government there and with the Supreme Court in particular but whatcha' gonna do?
I don't see there enough to "make a federal case of it" [seems to take Rodney King level stuff to justify that sort of thing when the state tried him] but appears to be race related in some fashion and "my best friend is black" like factors really doesn't necessarily change that.
Holder spoke in front of the NAACP (see Sentencing Law and Policy Blog) on the matter and the President said Trevor looks like his imaginary son so seems they think race is involved somehow too.
Saletan, h/t elsewhere, assured us it is a case of assumptions while noting in his contrarian way the race and gun angle involved. So, I'd say race, guns and stupid ass (GZ) case myself. Probably is 'evidence' of animus, but hard to see the feds proving the BRD.
2 comments:
I think it's odd that so many commentators assert confidently that this case is about race whereas the Black president's administration and the Black attorney general's justice department aren't exactly leaping into the fray and appear to be sending anonymous spokespeople to talk about how difficult it is to prove a hate crime. Not so surprising, perhaps, in light of the reported facts of Zimmerman's dating a Black girl in high school and recently mentoring Black teenage boys as well as the FBI's conclusion earlier that there was no evidence of racial animus.
I think this isn't a race case. I think it's a gun case. The government seems to agree and to think there's nothing wrong with that. I part company with the government there and with the Supreme Court in particular but whatcha' gonna do?
I don't see there enough to "make a federal case of it" [seems to take Rodney King level stuff to justify that sort of thing when the state tried him] but appears to be race related in some fashion and "my best friend is black" like factors really doesn't necessarily change that.
Holder spoke in front of the NAACP (see Sentencing Law and Policy Blog) on the matter and the President said Trevor looks like his imaginary son so seems they think race is involved somehow too.
Saletan, h/t elsewhere, assured us it is a case of assumptions while noting in his contrarian way the race and gun angle involved. So, I'd say race, guns and stupid ass (GZ) case myself. Probably is 'evidence' of animus, but hard to see the feds proving the BRD.
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