Pat Oliphant for March 22, 2012

But what’s to stop THIS from happening next?

“Theh he starts to get out his car, and I hear him say, “Hey, I know you, you’re the brother of that punk I popped two weeks ago!.” Next thing I know, he’s reaching inside his belt.,and…

What can I say? I had no choice, I mean, he killed my brother, right? Why WOULDN’T I feel threatened.by that guy?"

Next panel, the cop replies: “OK, I believe you. Just go on home.”

I lived in a Mississippi town of less than 450 ppl in the 60’s and, as a white child, was often punished for – running in the hall, or talking to loud, or whatever excuse the white principal wanted to use…it all came down to the fact I was playing with black kids. Living in navy housing part while in Tidewater, Va. made be believe your friends were your friends no matter their color, but returning to Mississippi was culture shock. I knew kids who lost family members to white people who NEVER went to jail even for a night. I grieve the loss of this young man and his potential as a loss to our nation. Did Zimmerman kill one who would have been agreat doctor, athlete, soldier, researcher…. We’ll never know. All that potential died in shock, terror, and disbelief. His body was tested for drugs and alcohol, and his killer was sent home despite 59 false alarm 911 calls and the violation of Neighborhood Watch rules regarding firearms.

It sounds alot like Mississippi in the ’60s.Respectfully..but with sadness…C

I think that’s despicable. I don’t like Obama, but I wouldn’t use the “n” word to describe him. To quote an obviously rascist comment, hidden within the misspelling of “renege” is pathetic and ignorant.

More African Americans kill African Americans than Whites kill African Americans, but yet no one cares.

@algurka – You are missing @andylyke’s point. He quoted what the bumper sticker actually says – deliberate misspellings and all.

Yet another NRA law. I’m surprised that they didn’t argue that if Traylon had been armed, he would still be alive today. I dropped any support of the NRA after their Columbine defense.

And here’s another scary thought. How many times have we heard rightwingers on this board say they feel THREATENED by Barack Obama?

No, of course not….nobody here would ever do a thing like that anyway.

But can you say the same thing for the public at large? What’s to stop some misinformed fanatic with five gun-safes in his baesment from deciding that a Stand Your Ground Law DOES give him that right?

come on, Radish, get the R and D our of your comments! It’s a sad situation and should not be politicised!

Pat, I can feel the breeze of your jumping to conclusions all the way here in Wyoming.

We must stop this reckless use of tea. (Without treading onb the rights of the states, of course.)

Is Jesse Jackson going to march in protest?

Wow, I haven’t seen so much tolerance and so many assertions of innocent until proven guilty in my life. I love it that so many mind readers just KNOW what was in that guy’s head. Almost borders on believing in stereotypes, doesn’t it? Do we still do that these days?

What the NRA really is, is a $200 million lobbying industry that long ago ran away from common sense regarding firearms law. I guess we’ll have to see how many more people use this poorly written law to shield themselves from prosecution for what is murder.

Sad but true – the NRA thinks any control is too much control and the old bs about only criminals having guns would be laughable if innocent people were not being killed and maimed!

The ‘Stand Your Ground’ law is supposed to be a Defense, not a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card.After a PROPER investigation, the DA might decide not to charge you, or if it went to a trial, the Jury might accept that defense for an acquittal.In the Sanford, FL case, there wasn’t a proper investigation. ( “Not enough evidence to arrest him” my … foot. )NOW there is going to be one.

I agree with leaman100; every day I see on the news about another African American man who beats a baby to death…where are the mothers going on the Today Show to weep for their baby or the African American Leaders who scream to stop such atrocities?Where’s everyone here screaming that a poor baby didn’t do nothing…no even wear a hoodie but yet was killed…and for what, crying maybe and he can’t fight back??

sooo…the kid’s slicing him up with a knife was ok by you all, eh? last time i checked, being cut up by someone was stupid, if you had a gun and didn’t use it…i believe it IS called self defense.

defowensby, where did you hear that crazy story? It was a kid with some candy. Think the kids was going to beat him up with his skittles?

sadly, you are quite correct.

Hate-HateFirst a solider in Afghanistan murdered innocents, now another in Ameri-stan murdered once again our innocents …just like the a French Algei-stan murdered innocents in Toulouse-a-stan…will the hate never ever thin least of all in Ameri-stan?

He’s just trolling

Have there been any arrests made, or are the police ignoring that case too?

“little man-boys playing with firearms”

And providing the means for the “little man-boys” to shoot whatever happens to spook them today.

23 other states now have “Stand Your Ground” laws. You can check on your state here……http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2012/03/23-other-states-have-stand-your-ground-laws-too/50226/

This bung-hole needs to spend 20 years dancing with Bubba.

In New Hampshire, we have what is known, “The Castle Doctrine” which states that person can use deadly force on his own property, WITHOUT retreating from the purpetrator. This situation hasn’t had been used as of yet, but it does make things rather unsafe, because the law is basically used when a perpetrator, is somewhere where he should not be, as the law also states. That could be anywhere, on the street, in your home, or anyone else’s home.

Simply put, it is one thing when you are pretecting your property or your home. When you go outside of that, like that of Florida’s law, then NOBODY’S safe!

Also, Nazi Germany had that law where they shoot first, ask questions later. If that is the Florida Law…and it sounds like it, then we are no better off than the Nazis.

looks like a case of vigilante justice may be in order.perhaps a second amendment solution?

what young black man could possible see zimmerman coming at him at any time in the future, and not stand his ground?

So, when a Spanish kid kills a black kid like this, suddenly the Spanish kid becomes a middle aged pore white trash redneck? Please continue to expose your prejudices, Oplihant.

When the l"Stand Your Ground" law was written, and subsequently passed in majority Republican state legislature, it was understood then, and it is still understood and voiced by Rep. Dennis Baxley, its author, " that the burden of proof of the law is in its application, meaning the motivation and ’state-of-mind ’ of the shooter, equally as much as evidence of ’ threat ’ by the victim. The cartoon is correct: a picture is worth a thousand words—who is to say or determine the ’ state-of-mind ’ of the shooter, or his motivation ? ? ? God alone only knows, for sure ! ! !

That’s not actually how it works, and not actually how it went down. What’s coming out now is what I thought eventually would, one bone head looking for trouble got mixed up with another bone head who was more than happy to get into trouble, and the only sad part was that both bone heads didn’t kill each other.