By Federale
03/27/2012
NRO has published another attack on George Zimmerman complete with a stupid statement on the justified use of deadly force. The shocking thing was that it was not from Rich Lowry or Kevin D. Williamson, NRO’s resident illegal alien. It was from Heather Mac Donald of all people. The usually discerning Mac Donald, excellent on race, crime, and illegal immigration, came out with something just plain stupid, and wrong, on the use of force, including deadly force.
NRO March 26, 2012 by Heather Mac Donald
Why Manipulate the Tragedy of Trayvon Martin?
The fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last month by a neighborhood-watch volunteer was a sickening and — unless new facts come to light — unjustified loss of an innocent life. Unless Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, had reason to believe that Martin was armed, shooting him was a grossly disproportionate response to a fistfight, even leaving aside the fact that Zimmerman had initiated the encounter. If such a shooting is justified under Florida’s broad self-defense law, that law has licensed violence that goes far beyond legitimate self-defense.
In fact, there is no evidence that Zimmerman’s use of force was not justified. The latest reports state that Zimmerman was walking away from Oscar Grant … ehhrrr Trayvon Martin when Martin launched a vicious attack on Zimmerman.
The Orlando Sentinel March 26, 2012 by Rene Stutzman
Police: Zimmerman Says Trayvon Decked Him With One Blow Then Began Hammering His Head
With a single punch, Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who eventually shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old, then Trayvon climbed on top of George Zimmerman and slammed his head into the sidewalk, leaving him bloody and battered, law-enforcement authorities told the Orlando Sentinel.
That is the account Zimmerman gave police, and much of it has been corroborated by witnesses, authorities say. There have been no reports that a witness saw the initial punch Zimmerman told police about.
Zimmerman has not spoken publicly about what happened Feb. 26. But that night, and in later meetings, he described and re-enacted for police what he says took place.
In his version of events, Zimmerman had turned around and was walking back to his SUV when Trayvon approached him from behind, the two exchanged words and then Trayvon punched him in the nose, sending him to the ground, and began beating him.
And:
MyFox Tampa Bay March 23, 2012
Witness: Martin attacked Zimmerman
It shows more now about why police believed that night that George Zimmerman shouldn’t have gone to jail.
Zimmerman called 911 and told dispatchers he was following a teen. The dispatcher told Zimmerman not to.
And from that moment to the shooting, details are few.
But one man’s testimony could be key for the police.
"The guy on the bottom who had a red sweater on was yelling to me: 'help, help…and I told him to stop and I was calling 911," he said.
Trayvon Martin was in a hoodie; Zimmerman was in red.
Despite the fact that NRO is on a jihad against George Zimmerman, all the facts of the case show that despite the fact that Zimmerman initially confronted Martin, Zimmerman ended the confrontation, whatever that was, and was leaving, retreating, with his back to Martin. That shows that so far as violence is concerned, Martin was the aggressor. Zimmerman is protected by Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law.
But what is more disturbing is Mac Donald’s lack of understanding of the justification for using force, deadly force, in defense of oneself.
What we know now is that Zimmerman was attacked by Martin and ended up on the ground. That is a very bad situation for a victim. On the ground, on your back, you are virtually defenseless, unless you are a highly trained MMA ground fighter, trained wrestler, or well versed in judo or jujitsu. Martin was taller, fitter, had the advantage of initiative and the superior fighting position. Furthermore Zimmerman was certainly disoriented by blows to his head and face.
I doubt if Mac Donald could fight her way out of such a situation, much less Rich Lowry or Robert VerBruggen.
Given a similar situation, any law enforcement officer would not attempt to fight his or her way out of this situation, but immediately go to using deadly force. And that is entirely justified. The decision to use deadly force is not some set in stone rules. People unfamiliar with the use of deadly force commonly think that to use deadly force in self-defense, the attacker must have the same type of weapon as yourself or somehow the fight be equal. Not true. Justified use of deadly force depends on the immediate situation as experienced by a reasonable person.
In this case, being in a position of disadvantage, having suffered a brutal attack, being disoriented by blows to the head and in fear for his life. Those are the facts that matter. That Zimmerman confronted Martin first is irrelevant. What is relevant is whether a reasonable person suffering such an attack could use deadly force to protect himself.
Once you are in reasonable fear for your life, you may use deadly force and shooting a 6'3" man raining blows down on your head while you’re on your back is completely justified. Mac Donald should have given the situation a minute of thought. In a similar situation she would have used deadly force to save herself. Zimmerman had the same right. Of course, if she did, no more Manhattan dinner party invitations for her. A small price to pay to live.
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