Is the government preparing to play the race card in the Zimmerman case -- for political purposes if the state case is decided in Zimmerman's favor?
I find it deeply disturbing that the FBI investigated the Treyvon Martin case as a civil rights violation and apparently found nothing … and now they are refusing to supply information, some of which could be exculpatory, after a Judge ordered them to turn over information to George Zimmerman’s counsel. Leading me to consider the possibility that the government might play the race card and go after Zimmerman federally if the State of Florida finds him innocent.
FBI to Zimmerman: We don't have to give you our file, despite judge's order
Lawyers for the FBI say the federal agency should not give George Zimmerman's lawyers all the evidence from its case file, even though a Sanford judge has ordered it. The U.S. Department of Justice filed paperwork Monday, arguing that federal regulations trump a state court judge's ruling. It's asking that judge, Debra S. Nelson, to undo her Feb. 5 order. "This court has 'no power or authority' … to compel the FBI to produce the documents at issue here," wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean P. Flynn.
In her order, Nelson agreed with a defense request and ordered the FBI to open its case file to Zimmerman's attorneys. Zimmerman, 29, is the former Neighborhood Watch volunteer charged with second-degree murder for shooting Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old, one year ago in Sanford.
A few weeks after the slaying, following protest rallies across the country, the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into the shooting to determine whether Trayvon's civil rights were violated — whether he was killed because he was black.
It's not clear what that investigation has turned up. The FBI, which has done much of the work in the federal case, has said the investigation is ongoing. Defense attorneys Mark O'Mara and Don West have argued that they're entitled to all evidence gathered against their client, be it by local, state or federal authorities. They've received a limited amount of FBI evidence – interview summaries that say three dozen people who knew Zimmerman told agents they saw no signs he was a racist.
In the FBI paperwork filed with Nelson in Monday, Flynn wrote that O'Mara had been told about but had failed to follow the proper procedures that might convince the federal agency to release the information. The supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, Flynn wrote, makes it clear that federal regulations take precedence over a state judge's order. <Source: FBI George Zimmerman: FBI to George Zimmerman: We don't have to give you our file - OrlandoSentinel.com>
Media and activist interference …
It appears to me that the media continues to portray Zimmerman in a false light while portraying Treyvon Martin as someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of the most egregious media actions is using an old picture – something that does not reveal what Martin may looked like at the time immediately prior to his death. Or that the activists continue to pursue their race-baiting pronouncements without knowing all of the facts.
| Photo most often used by the media. | From Trayvon’s Facebook Page |
Autopsy results list Martin’s height and weight at 5’11” and 158 pounds. Zimmerman’s height and weight was reported to be 5’9” and approximately 170 pounds – but several media sources claimed that Zimmerman outweighed Martin by as much as 100 pounds. Neither set of statistics indicates the relative strength of each man as they grappled on the ground – Zimmerman allegedly only realizing he had a weapon as his head was being smashed into the ground. The media was quick to put up photos that appeared to show Zimmerman without injury – only to be proven wrong when official photos were released.
Bottom line …
Hopefully, the real facts will emerge in court and we will get a somewhat true picture of what might have occurred on that fateful night. With all of the activists promising “no justice, no peace,” I just hope that the legal system works as intended and the activists and the politicians stay far away from the picture.
I am also concerned about the fact that the FBI will not voluntarily turn over evidence to the state court. It seems to me that both have the same basic concern for justice and fairness; rather than racial politics and political demagoguery. But with the past behavior of Barack Obama in the Henry Louis Gates matter and that of Attorney General Eric Holder withholding information from Congress, I am not convinced that the federal government will not try a political move as the trial nears. At least, one can hope that the trial will be thorough and fair.
-- steve
“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw
“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”
“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell “Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar “Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS