If I had son, he would look like Trayvon...

[Viking]

My feelings exactly. Seems like a slam dunk.

It was cold-blooded murder.

[wuapinmon]

[YOUTUBE]0Uc3ZrmhDN4[/YOUTUBE]

[smokymountainrain]

It was cold-blooded murder.

No doubt. Guy claims self defense even after admitting he pursued the kid. Unbelievable.

[dabrockster]

Actually, if I had a son, he'd probably look like this. My family can concur that based on our youngest, this is as accurate a representation as I can find.



Is there some sort of political fight going on here?

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you probably look more like.....



THIS!!!!

[dabrockster]

The 911 call sealed it for me.. I cannot see how they would call this self defense..

You can hear the screaming and cry for help in the background of the call. It was horrific to listen too...

[Flystripper]

You asked if it was a political move. Of course it was. They had to keep step with the President on this. I also believe that that Obama's comments were political too. I don't have any issues with what he said. But I don't think it's a reach at all to think that Obama's comments were politically motivated. I think he was also sincere. You can be political and genuine.

Yeah pretty much everything a politician says in public is political, especially during a campaign. I don't understand why people would be upset about Obama answering a question about this topic, and I don't know why anyone would be shocked that he would attempt to help himself politically by his response.

[SeattleUte]

Great thread, mine sadly will look like this as my wife is Korean...

I like this post. lol

I think we need to grant Obama his humanity as a black man. I have no reason to expect other than that this is upsetting to him as it is to many of us, and for him, as a black man, the fact that this victim was a young black male is a part of his reaction to this alleged or apparent homicide.

Just because a person is a politician doesn't mean in every case that they are not acting in their capacity as human beings, or that everything they utter is for self-interest or disingenuous.

I thought the New York Times article did a good job of portraying how Obama did not seek out this moment; in fact, this kind of thing at these briefings is usually distastful to him, and he was sensitive to the human tragedy and desired not to politicize this, though he had to be careful.

[Dwight Schr-ute]

My feelings exactly. Seems like a slam dunk.

The only thing that bugs me about what Obama said is the racial component. It reminds me of the Skip Gates arrest. Why insert yourself and muddy the water before the facts are known? I wish after tragedies like this all sides could be patient and await the results of the investigation before passing judgement. I can certainly understand the family pushing for answers, but all the politicians need to be more careful.

But it's the very fact that this whole case is saturated in racial undertones. It seems hard not to comment on the case while ignoring the racial component. The fact is, the African American community is tired of their young men getting killed while their killers walk free without so much a shoulder shrug. It doesn't matter if George Zimmerman is white or Hispanic, the 911 calls seem to reveal enough about how he really feels about "these asshole" "f'ing coons."

[Paperback Writer]

But it's the very fact that this whole case is saturated in racial undertones. It seems hard not to comment on the case while ignoring the racial component. The fact is, the African American community is tired of their young men getting killed while their killers walk free without so much a shoulder shrug. It doesn't matter if George Zimmerman is white or Hispanic, the 911 calls seem to reveal enough about how he really feels about "these asshole" "f'ing coons."

While I agree that this is a tragedy, where is the outrage for all the black-on-black violence that continues to occur? As I see it, the larger problem in the black community is not Whites or Latinos shooting blacks; it's young black men shooting each other.

[Dwight Schr-ute]

While I agree that this is a tragedy, where is the outrage for all the black-on-black violence that continues to occur? As I see it, the larger problem in the black community is not Whites or Latinos shooting blacks; it's young black men shooting each other.

I agree with this and I feel that I'm connected enough to the black community that I can say that there is outrage within the community about this problem. But it's also viewed as "their problem." Also, the outrage isn't so much that the kid is dead as much as it is that the local police concluded their investigation and felt the shooting was warranted. With the black on black violence, when the killers are persecuted, they are almost always convicted harshly.

[Utah ma'am am I]

Fuck you, you arrogant asshole. You think you know me, but you don't. I'm tired of you pompous attitude about anything and everything.

Oh dear. You need to calm down. Others may say what they please without you playing their petty game of making condescending comments because they don't like what you have to say.

[myboynoah]

how dare he try and relate to the situation

I think this really is the bottom line. I love you IPU, but for Obama, the most prominent black man in America, not to say something would be outrageous. There has been an outpouring of "what if that were my son?" concern from prominent black people across the nation (from both the right and the left). We are even seeing it here on CUF. No doubt The President had similar feelings. It could have been him in a different time and place. The young man was followed and targeted for no other reason than the color of his skin, and the outcome was tragic for his parents. How sad. This just makes me angry.

[RC Vikings]

If I had a son...

[Ma'ake]

Actually, 2 of my three sons do look like Trayvon, and they're my own. (The third is more pale, like me. The wonders of genetics.)

My darker sons have all had the experience of being pulled over for DWB ("Driving while black"), which their friends think is crazy because they never got tickets for the same minor infractions. Lighter son, no problems.

My kids aren't delinquents, and Utah isn't the deep south.

People who think Obama is pandering aren't black, unquestionably.

[Viking]

Oh dear. You need to calm down. Others may say what they please without you playing their petty game of making condescending comments because they don't like what you have to say.

the downside to having your wife here.