@cicerone imposter,
You know, C.I., I can believe that George Zimmerman made a terrible mistake that night. He erroneously profiled an innocent kid, who was really minding his own business, as a criminal suspect, and then he compounded this initial error in judgment by exercising even poorer judgment in everything he did after that, and he created a tragedy for everyone involved, including himself, simply because he could not sit in his vehicle and wait for the police to show up.
George Zimmerman didn't know that Trayvon Martin was a guest in that community, and he didn't know Martin was just meandering around, and talking on his cell phone, as he returned from a trip to the store. He didn't know that Martin had no interest in any criminal activity, and that he was simply on his way home to watch a basketball game.
But the people who are posting in this thread, and attempting to racially profile, and demonize, Trayvon Martin, do know these things. And that makes their attacks on this young man's character all the more reprehensible and unjustified--and considerably worse than anything George Zimmerman did in profiling Martin. Where Zimmerman might have made a mistake, what these posters are doing, in trying to vilify Martin, is quite intentional and deliberate, and often blatantly racist.
I hope that some day George Zimmerman will simply acknowledge the mistake he made that night, and the dangers inherent in racial profiling. I think if he could at least do that, and take some responsibility for his own poor judgment and impulsive actions, it would help to defuse some of the anger people feel toward him. That might help him to be able to resume some sort of normal life.
Unfortunately, Zimmerman hasn't acknowledged any responsibility on his part for creating the circumstances that led to a tragic and needless death. In fact, his own comments have just made matters worse. When Sean Hannity asked Zimmerman whether he regretted any of his actions of that night and whether, in retrospect, he would do anything differently, Zimmerman said, "No," and he further tried to absolve himself of responsibility by asserting that the events of that night were, "Part of God's plan." It's that kind of thinking that makes it really disturbing that Zimmerman has a new gun. He doesn't learn from his own mistakes.
