shameless self-promotion

shot by us in one day and edited by nani serna... enjoy!!

manufacturing monsters

this has always been a tragic, difficult case involving big issues:  race, guns, self-defense, and people differ on which of these three most affected the outcome in Sanford that night. 

sadly, of the two people involved, we only have one side of the story and that complicates things…

this case was never simple, but simple stories seemed to solidify in the media immediately following the incident…  skittles, hoodies, un-armed teens, oh my!

in essence, the media promoted a simplified version of the state’s case -- including flogging that 911 transcript as proof of Z’s evil intent -- months before the trial.

is it possible that they poisoned the well?

could a simple, group narrative have emerged in the media that supplanted Z’s presumption of innocence?

now that the trial is over, why isn’t Z’s version of events getting more play?

could it be that the scripts have been written and the characters’ roles assigned?

don’t the good people, too busy to keep up with the trial, deserve to hear the full state of the evidence?

at this point in time, what’s more egregious, leaving out a much ballyhooed transcript that “sets the tone for the situation” or leaving out Z’s side of the story (thus eliminating what produced the reasonable doubt for the jury) as many in media continue to do?

obviously, reasonable people may disagree about the “tone” the call sets… it’s quite subjective, isn’t it?  to me Z comes across as a well-intentioned, if not weary citizen, tired of a recent spate of break-ins, trying to keep his community safe…  others see it differently...

but when bowdlerized versions of the events are broadcast in the media for months leading up to the trial (charles blow, 3/16/12: “Zimmerman apparently pursued him anyway, at some point getting out of his car and confronting the boy.”), then echoed across the internet AFTER the verdict (conveniently omitting the testimony that produced the reasonable doubt), I blame our news media, not you.

they suck.  you don’t.

:)

loving to hate

I hate watching my loving friends, love to hate… 

especially such an insignificant target as George Zimmerman…

might I suggest two worthier targets for our rage besides a fellow citizen?

governor rick scott and angela corey, the special prosecutor he assigned to this case … the same woman assigned to the prosecution of marissa alexander, the woman who got 20 years for firing a warning shot….

maybe these two would be better targets than Z?

because it seems the liberal opinion of Z has become quite rigid -- he’s the villain.

and he very well may HAVE murdered M, and the state’s version of the events could be completely right on.

I accept that possibility.  

but since I wasn’t there, I also accept other possibilities.

isn’t that what reasonable, rational people do?  don’t they look at all the evidence available, especially in a situation where someone kills another human being and claims “self-defense?”

what is reasonable or logical about disappearing Z’s side of the story then?

• Z wanted a safer community
• Z's efforts had previously helped apprehend a home invasion suspect
• Z was sucker-punched by M on his way back to his car
• eyewitness, john good, told police he saw M wailing on Z MMA style before the gunshot
• Z sustained injuries before the gunshot and M did not

for some reason, Z’s version of the story had to wait until AFTER the trial to emerge, but M’s version appeared almost immediately following the tragic incident.

I blame our media.

and what’s been “hard to stomach” is the “certainty of suspicion” of Z from the getgo.  that’s why I wrote the initial FB post – to call attention to our media.  facts be damned (or disappeared), we’ve been told who to hate, and it’s certainly not the kid in the hoodie with the skittles.

all I’m saying is, how can you really be so sure?  

and don’t we have bigger fish to fry than Z?

NAEP DATA SHOW STEADY, 40-YEAR IMPROVEMENT!

have you heard about the incredible gains US students have made on the NAEP for the past forty years?

you're probably not alone if you haven't...  you've probably even heard the opposite.

since most newspapers call the NAEP the 'gold standard' of testing or 'america's report card,' why don't more americans know about it and the tremendous gains our schools have been making since the 70's, especially within our black and hispanic populations?

the fact that these tests are administered every 4 years could be part of the problem, but the most recent data have been released, and instead of these achievements being heralded as a triumph for the american educational system, they were met with massive indifference from our press corp...

shouldn't this be front page on every major newspaper and the leading story on every cable network, especially the so-called "progressive" one?

it's as if americans are only allowed to hear about their schools when the story is either sexy or gloomy.

aside from the washington post breaking rank and gallantly publishing these promising NAEP data, only NBC nightly news deigned to mention the report...  brian williams giving it a a full 68 words, starting with the requisite, "a grim report card..."

shameful.  

then again ABC, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, all took a pass... same with the NYTIMES, NPR, salon, and slate... 

now, when was the last time you heard/saw/read in these same media that US schools are failing?

it's time to change that narrative; a narrative that's been pushed by powerful political forces for forty years.

tell a friend!  OUR SCHOOLS ARE WORKING!!

NAEP scores have been steadily rising for the past 40 years!!!