SPEAKOUT

Defense was self-defense

I'm calling in response to Mike Jensen's editorial on July 17, "Outside courtroom issue became race," in reference to the Zimmerman trial. I agree with the article, support the points of view, however, I know I shouldn't quibble about minor details, but I'm calling to quibble about a minor detail. And that is, it says that "inside the courtroom, George Zimmerman's trial was for the stand your ground law." But that was never an issue inside that courtroom. The stand your ground law is something that would be invoked by a defendant prior to ever going to trial. They did not invoke that appeal. It went to trial for the trial on strictly self-defense. It's being perverted by our Department of Justice. I hate it that Mike felt prey to that twisting of peoples' emotions into something it's not, but stand your ground was never a part of the trial. It never came up in the courtroom other than a juror, in error, referring to it in an interview. It was never presented other than anything but self-defense.

-- You are correct. In my haste to address the trial's outcome, I erred. Thanks for the correction.

Take a second look

Regarding the Trayvon Martin-Zimmerman case, if you listen to the national media, you get the idea that Trayvon Martin was a little boy with a bag of Skittles. When in fact, he was 6-feet tall. He liked to engage in street fights. He bragged about knocking a person out with one punch. He had been expelled from school three times. He used marijuana. He was caught with burglary tools. In other words, he was a street thug, a violent thug. He was not an innocent little boy with a bag of Skittles.