Shades Of The Duke Lacrosse Case: Zimmerman Injuries Consistent With Self-Defense

Posted by Brian

ABC News Exclusive: Zimmerman Medical Report Shows Broken Nose, Lacerations After Trayvon Martin Shooting 

Autopsy results show Trayvon Martin had injuries to his knuckles

The medical report for George Zimmerman shows injuries that may strengthen his claims of self-defense.  The report notes a broken nose, two black eyes, lacerations on the back of his head, and a back injury.

This whole story brings back recollections of both the Duke lacrosse player case.  In that case, media hysteria and group think falsely accused innocent men of committing horrendous crimes, which were later found to be completely without merit.  The reputations and lives of these men were forever changed, and their reputations tarnished, by a media unconcerned with facts and armed only with their own preconceived prejudicial worldview.  For the media, it had all of the makings for ratings: well-to-do white college students playing an elitist sport, a young black woman, and sex.  It was inconceivable to the liberal elites that these young men might be innocent, or that the "victim" had fabricated the whole thing.  Just as in the Trayvon Martin case,  it was an election year and the DA saw the case as a chance to bolster their tough-on-crime platform.  As we all know now, the Duke players were innocent, the girl did make up the story, and the political hack DA was forced to resign, convicted of ethics violations, and disbarred.

We now have the Trayvon Martin case, which was not heard of outside of Central Florida until ten days after the incident, when the New York Times picked up on the story.  The difference with this story was that the Times and the rest of the MSM has to find an angle to sensationalize it and make it a national story.  The Times went right for the tried-and-true liberal fallback of using race to promote the story.  Only one problem: Yes, Trayvon Martin was black, but George Zimmerman is half Hispanic, which in any other story would make him simply Hispanic.  But the New York Times, twisting logic worthy of contortionists, ran the story with George Zimmerman described as a "white" Hispanic. The rest of the media now had their template, as did race-baiters such as Al Sharpton, to make this case a national circus meant to enflame racial tensions.  The story is now about race, and not the tragic shooting of a young man.

Like Mike Nifong in the Duke Case, the DA in this case is in an election year fight. And like the Duke case, especially if you listen to legal minds like Alan Dershowitz, 2nd degree murder charges against Zimmerman are "irresponsible and unethical".  At most, the charges might have supported an involuntary manslaughter charge. On top of this, the FBI is considering charging Zimmerman with a hate crime, which would make him eligible for the death penalty.

All of this, despite claims that DA in his case has been accused of withholding evidence which supports Zimmerman's claims in the arrest affidavit.  It is eerily similar to the types of ethics violations in the Duke case.

This is instructional, and a reminder, of how the media works.  As more and more evidence leaks out which supports Zimmerman's account, the media have become more and more silent.  Rush Limbaugh's coining of a 'Drive-by" media is wholly apropos in this case.  They came out of the gate, guns blazing, convinced in Zimmerman's guilt, stirring up racial animus, and as the smoke clears, and the truth starts to come out, they have moved far down the road to the next drive-by target.

The George Zimmerman's of this world, as well as the public, expect and deserve a media which reports the news. Not one which advocates for an outcome.