A reader writes:
You mention that the right is sliming Trayvon. Let me preface what I am about to say by stating that I think that the killing was tragic and unnecessary, and I don’t want to minimize that fact. However, there is a narrative that is being pushed by (I hate to use this term because it makes me sound like a wingnut) the mainstream media, where a predatory white man killed an innocent black man. There’s a host of problems with that theme, including but not limited to:
– We really don’t know the facts yet
– The pictures that are circulating of Trayvon show him as an early teen (several years ago), and his assailant in what looks like a booking photo wearing prison orange. These pictures paint a picture that is inconsistent with the concept of “innocent until proven guilty”
– Spike Lee (admittedly a brilliant filmmaker), Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are heavily pushing the victimization card, which is the main thing that gives them any relevance at this point in time.
So yeah, this affair rubs a lot of people on the right the wrong way. It also chaffes me (like you, a social liberal-economic conservative). This is like the Duke lacrosse scandal but worse.
Earlier coverage here and here. Details on the above tweet, which we have redacted, here:
An elderly Florida couple has been caught in the cross hairs of the Trayvon Martin shooting case due to an incorrect tweet by Spike Lee and others. The director retweeted an address said to belong to George Zimmerman, the man who shot Trayvon Martin dead on Feb. 26, to his 250,000 followers, according to website thesmokinggun.com. But the address was incorrect and has caused the couple to go into hiding.
The Dish 