Very interesting comments and opinions. I 100% back the constitutional right to defend yourself. I carry every day of my life. I do have to say, it troubles me
that someone can start a fight, and then claim self-defense. To me, that is not defending yourself. That gives the right of anyone who cannot fight the right start a fight, and then to kill someone who can kick their arse. (bullies and a-holes should rejoice).
To two other comments - we DO vote for our rights. We, at any time, can amend the constitution - by voting - that's how the constitution is amended. Its how a good deal of our amendments got there - and why they are "amendments". (it takes an incredible majority of congress and all the states, but, they do it by voting).
Second point - the very first person who did a public interview WAS George Zimmerman. I thought that Martin's mother was quite upstanding throughout - much more than I probably would be, and what she said is she wanted him to have justice. He got justice. Zimmerman was tried by a jury of his peers, and found "not guilty". THAT is the type of justice we have in this country. It shouldn't be about race, or hoodies or how Zimmerman saved the day afterwards. That is all peripheral things that don't mean a hill of beans.
I still do think, though, that "stand your ground" laws need to really be self-defense - there have been several who started fights, got their behinds kicked, and then used deadly force - that's not self-defense. And, we cannot be color-blind - not too long afterwards, a women who had been abused for a very long time, finally snapped and shot her husband. He had beat her up and stabbed her, she went to the some room, bleeding all the way, he followed her, she got a gun and killed him. She was sentenced to life in prison - but, she was black, and whether we like it or not - blacks are more apt to go to prison. Many folks don't see it, and, most of the people I know (including me) get tired of hearing the "race card" being played, over and over and over. But, in all reality, racism has not gone away, it has just gone underground.
Mrs. O
