SANFORD, FL - NOVEMBER 19: George Zimmerman, the acquitted shooter in the death of Trayvon Martin, faces a Seminole circuit judge during a first-appearance hearing on charges including aggravated assault stemming from a fight with his girlfriend November 19, 2013 in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman, 30, was arrested after police responded to a domestic disturbance call at a house. He was acquitted in July of all charges in the shooting death of unarmed, black teenager, Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Joe Burbank-Pool/Getty Images) (2013 Getty Images)
George Zimmerman needs to shut up and go away. In an interview released and posted online by his lawyers this week, Zimmerman offers nothing more than a tired and desperate attempt to curry favor with what’s left of his base, the anti-Obama crowd. His problem is that even they are on to him. Here’s Zimmerman’s latest salvo.
Asked who’s most responsible for what happened to him, he responds that it’s “by far the president of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama.” (Hint: the “Hussein” is added for emphasis). I wonder why? And he goes on.
"President Obama held his Rose Garden speech stating, 'If I had a son he would look like Trayvon.' To me that was clearly a dereliction of duty pitting Americans against each other solely based on race," Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman should be both grateful and apologetic. Maybe he made a mistake, we all make mistakes, but more than a year and a half after walking away a free man from what was at the very least a manslaughter charge, he’s still complaining.
Zimmerman is right to complain about the president’s comment, not only in the death of Trayvon Martin, but also in the case of Professor Louis Gates. In both cases, the president would have been better served to let the evidence speak for itself.
But criticizing the president’s remarks at this stage of the game seems a mix of foolhardiness and desperation. It belies the fact that Zimmerman was found not guilty. So what’s his argument, that the president convinced a jury to set him free? That the president's own Department of Justice chose not to file federal charges against him? What is Zimmerman complaining about? Why is he still talking?
Dude, half the country thinks you got away with murder. Shut up already. He can’t, because it appears that the likes of OJ Simpson, oops — George Zimmerman, simply don’t know when to leave well enough alone. One can’t help but wonder, which part of "you’re found NOT GUILTY" do they not understand?
If George Zimmerman is looking for people to love and appreciate him, he should get a dog. Even his most ardent believers have left the building. In fact, many of them who’ve reached out to me on my radio show before, during and after the trial, say they’ve changed their opinions about him and now tend to see him as a loser.
Is it any wonder? For starters, he chased a teenager who was armed only with a bag of skittles and shot him. It happened in what could be seen in broad terms as the teenager’s own backyard. Trayvon Martin’s dad was Zimmerman’s neighbor, but Zimmerman thought the boy was trespassing. Oops.
Based on that alone, Zimmerman should be both grateful and apologetic. Maybe he made a mistake, we all make mistakes, but more than a year and a half after walking away a free man from what was at the very least a manslaughter charge, he’s still complaining.
A bizarre Florida law allowed Zimmerman to come up with a winnable, although disputable defense. Coincidentally, it was also perfectly crafted to appeal to racists and pro gun enthusiasts, who clearly heard the dog whistle that most others missed. I’m not saying that Zimmerman was racist, nor did he shoot Martin because of his race. But his story (a black teenager attacked me, so I shot him) does resonate with a certain demographic.
I’ve been in enough scuffles in my life to know that a fist fight should not be settled by gunfire. In fact, to most of us that kind of behavior is deemed as downright cowardly. And simply stating that “I was in fear for my life” should not be offered as indisputable justification for killing somebody. But hey, welcome to my home state of Florida, where laws apparently don’t have to make sense, where fighting fair means being the only one with a gun and where cowards walk.
But all that aside, here’s the real reason Zimmerman’s argument now seems more laughable than ever before. It’s about his post acquittal Simpsonesque behavior, which reads like a handbook for losers and malcontents who blame everyone but themselves for their misdeeds.
July 28, 2013: The ink from the jurors' signature on his July 13 not guilty verdict was barely dry before police in Texas stopped Zimmerman for speeding. and found a gun in his glove compartment.
August 19, 2013: Florida Highway Patrol officers pull Zimmerman over for driving a vehicle that is not in compliance with Florida law.
September 3, 2013: Police pull over George Zimmerman again for speeding. It gets better.
September 9, 2013: Police are called and Zimmerman is taken into custody after a domestic dispute with his estranged wife that plays out live on cable television.
November 18, 2013: Police arrest Zimmerman and charge him with assault for allegedly pointing a gun at his new girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe.
And then there’s the incident reported by an ABC affiliate on March 29, 2012 — about a 2005 arrest for assault on a law enforcement officer.
So here’s George Zimmerman’s complete story. He is repeatedly pulled over by police for speeding. On several occasions, he is investigated for domestic violence against women. He was reportedly arrested for assault on a police officer. He kills an unarmed 17-year-old walking to his father’s house. And he’s also reportedly fired from his job as a security guard for flying into violent rages.
Those facts explain best who George Zimmerman really is. It’s not about one incident, one mistake — it’s about many incidents and many mistakes. That is why even those who once supported him are no longer in his camp. And it’s why his latest attempt to conveniently blame Obama will simply not cut it, even with those of us who disagree with Obama.
That ship has sailed. It’s gone. Now if we could only get Zimmerman to jump on board and sail away as well.
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