@BillRM,
Quote:Second, you are overlooking the fact that over 90 percents do not get a trial either at the federal or the states levels...
That's because the defendant chooses to accept the plea deal--along with agreeing to plead guilty, generally to a reduced charge--and forgoes the right to a trial.
Quote:Once more we have an image of a justice system that does not exist and it is more of a let make a plead deal system instead.
The justice system quite definitely does still exist--and it includes considerably more than just a trial. The defendant is afforded due process, and the protections of law, at every step of the process leading up to a trial or to the acceptance of a plea arrangment.
You're the one who overlooks the fact that, were it not for the plea deal, many, if not most, of these defendants would be convicted at trial, on more serious changes, and would receive much harsher punishments than those offered in the plea arrangement.
Plea arrangements are mutually beneficial to both the state and the defense, particularly in those cases where there is clear-cut evidence to convict.
Jared Loughner, who shot Rep. Giffords, along with killing 6 people, and wounding 14, just saved the taxpayers a lot of money with his guilty plea, and his plea arrangement spared him the possibility of the death penalty.
Quote:First the speedy trial rule is 90 days or so and where can anyone get ready for a major case in that time frame.
Most criminal cases are not "major cases"--many trials can be as short as a day or two--it depends on how many witnesses are to be called, and how much evidence is to be presented.
Quote:In this case, with bail it is likely that Zimmerman is benefiting from the delays considering the calls of no justice no peace and reward posters and so on of the people who love to drum up racial hates when ever possible right after the shooting. Letting that nonsense die down so a jury will not fear letting him go free and thereby setting off a good old fashion race riot seem a damn good idea.
Yes, Zimmerman will benefit from letting all of the publicity, and emotion, fade somewhat prior to his trial, which is why his lawyer is in no hurry to go to trial.
Your fears of a "good old fashion race riot" seem to suggest you view blacks as a rather aggressive, irrational, uncivil, simmering cauldron of racial hatred, just set to explode and unleash disorder and destruction. That negative stereotype conforms to Zimmerman's perception of Trayvon Martin--he saw a black teen walking around his housing complex and immediately assumed this kid was a criminal type, up to no good, and a threat of some sort, just as you are viewing the black community as a threat in terms of race riots if Zimmerman is acquitted--both views stem from a biased perception of blacks as aggressive, lawless, menacing, and threatening.
The calls of "no justice, no peace," came from efforts to get Zimmerman arrested, so that this case could be appropriately scrutinized in the criminal justice system, because it appeared that the senseless killing of a unarmed black teen was being disregarded by law enforcement and had not received sufficient examination. The "no peace" referred, not to the threats of race riots, but to continued demonstrations--lawful demonstrations--to accomplish that aim. And these civil outcries did accomplish their goal--this case is now in the courts where it really belonged all along.
Whether people, people of all races, will accept the verdict in the Zimmerman case will depend greatly on the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defense, including that provided at an immunity hearing. The public will be able to evaluate this evidence for themselves and draw their own conclusions irrespective of the final legal verdict. Some will be happy with the verdict, others will not, as is usually the case in any criminal matter, particularly one which has generated a good deal of controversy.
But I don't expect whites to go on race riots if Zimmerman is convicted any more than I expect blacks to riot if he is convicted. For one thing, this case is about considerably more than race--it's about whether the killing of a human being was legally justified under the circumstances, and that's going to be the legal focus, and I think most people understand that. For another thing, people in our society now have so many options and outlets for venting outrage, dissatisfaction, and disagreement, there is almost no need to resort to violence or destruction to get one's voice heard or one's concerns addressed following a verdict in a legal case--we've all come a long way in the last 50 years--and I think most negative reactions to the verdict, whatever it is, will be mainly verbal.
The gun toters, like yourself, are probably more emotionally invested in this case, and it's outcome, than racial groups are right now. Will that group riot if Zimmerman is convicted? Trayvon Martin's parents have already moved on and are now working to get the Stand Your Ground laws changed--and, if Zimmerman is acquitted, I imagine that's where other concerned citizens, of all racial groups, might focus their efforts, and dissatisfaction with such a verdict. Race riots, in this instance, seem to be a product of your fevered imagination. Wake up, it's 2012, people, particularly black people, know how to organize, lawfully and effectively, to achieve political aims. Our last election just proved that.
Quote:Love that a racial case can be brought against a brown skin person with a history of going out of his way to defend blacks and working with black churches in his area to do so.
Number one, this is not "a racial case"--Zimmerman is not charged with a bias crime. It is, more accurately, a case that tests the controversial Stand Your Ground laws in Florida. It will be adjudicated to determine whether a legally justifiable homicide took place.
Number two, Zimmerman is not a "brown skin person"--I believe that he identifies himself as being white.
Number three, Zimmerman's other activities or interactions with blacks, tell you nothing about his perceptions, or emotional state, or actions, just prior to this killing, which took place when he was allegedly wearing his "community watch" hat, a factor that might have considerably affected his actions and judgment.
