Just curious, is this a letter to the editor? Or is it an editorial? Or is it an op-ed piece? I don't know who the author is.
I agree with the author that the problem is the law of Florida and the judge's instructions to the jury. However, members of a jury have the option to decide that the defendant's version of events is just a "tall tale", and to ignore it. Given that the ethics were against Zimmerman, they could have done that and found Zimmerman guilty of manslaughter.
Even if the law was on Zimmerman's side, I hope everyone understands that he was in the wrong. He profiled Martin, and he stalked Martin -- and he apparently did those things so aggressively that Martin felt like he had to respond. Even if Martin initiated the physical confrontation, Zimmerman was still the instigator. If their roles had been reversed, there's little doubt that Martin would have been arrested and charged with murder or manslaughter.
The real problem in this country is the conservatives and Republicans who control states like Florida. They pass laws like the stand-your-ground law, and the result is that people get killed, and injustice is done. Conservatives are fearful and paranoid and see the world as black and white, instead of the shades of gray that we all live with. There used to be such a thing as a moderate Republican, but not any more. I've come to despise them all.
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