The George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin affair is one of the most important and clarifying moments in American history. To those who would say that this case has been blown out of proportion, I say this: you are not paying attention.
Have you noticed how liberals have lined up behind the (false) narrative that George Zimmerman was a homicidal racist? From President Obama to Senator Reid to Mayor Bloomberg, the faces of America’s liberal establishment are scrunched up in a howling rage over the acquittal of the neighborhood watch volunteer. Watching liberalism’s reaction to the trial’s outcome tells you everything you need to know about the raw, ugly truth of the left’s failed ideology.
The reason for the disconnect between the right and the left on the Zimmerman story is that this case represents three of the things that liberals hate most about this country: the Second Amendment, “profiling”, and the belief that this is a racist nation. Despite the fact that there was not one shred of evidence that George Zimmerman “racially profiled” Trayvon Martin, America’s liberals have literally taken to the streets to denounce a verdict that was, by all accounts, a just one. That’s because, in the immortal words of defense attorney Mark O’Mara, people were duped by a news media anxious to feed them a false tale of a man with a gun who defended his life.
I am saddened by stories of black families holding their children tight and declaring our justice system dead as a result of this verdict. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to be treated differently because of the color of my skin. And my heart is heavy over a family losing their 17 year old loved one. But there was absolutely nothing in this fatal confrontation that could allow anyone with a sliver of decency or common sense to believe that George Zimmerman was racially motivated to kill Trayvon Martin. The evidence overwhelmingly supported Zimmerman’s defense that he was defending his life. And that pesky reality is something that will never change.
While America’s history of race relations can at least explain the emotional reaction to this verdict by many black people, that doesn’t excuse or explain away white liberals who have clung to the lie that Zimmerman was a murderous racist who was just aching to blow away a young black man. But when you act as if you hate your own country and when you advocate for the elimination of key portions of the U.S. Constitution, it’s pretty easy to understand where liberals are coming from.
It seems to me that the Zimmerman prosecution and ugly aftermath leaves us with a teachable moment about today’s liberal. Now is the time to debunk, point by point, the three issues that made liberals fixate on the utter lie that led to the malicious prosecution of George Zimmerman:
1) The Second Amendment -- The jury had barely cleared out of the Sanford courtroom when gun-haters like President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg denounced the verdict as another reason to challenge the rights of law-abiding citizens from being able to defend themselves. “We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives in this country on a daily basis”, the President said after the Zimmerman verdict. “Gun violence?” No, Mr. President, the jury decided this was a case about a man’s right to defend his life, just like the brave U.S. Secret Service agents do on your behalf every minute of every hour of every day. Your life is defended by men and women with guns. I’m sure you’re as grateful as the rest of us for your armed protection. Just as I’m certain Mayor Bloomberg is appreciative of the well-armed bodyguards and cops who protect his life each and every day, despite his stubborn belief that ordinary Americans aren’t entitled to that same protection for themselves. While race has been in the forefront of the Zimmerman case, I’m convinced the contempt that liberals have for law-abiding gun owners has fanned the flames of hysteria;
2) Racial profiling -- Want to fire up a liberal? Dare to suggest that a nervous looking young Middle Eastern man standing in a TSA line to get on an airplane should be scrutinized. The left goes positively berserk over the concept of “profiling” a suspected bad guy. That’s why we face the prospect of little old ladies in wheelchairs being practically strip searched while Muslim activists dare a TSA officer to conduct an extra layer of security on them. Libs are convinced that police profiling is code for racism, even though profiling is successfully conducted every day in communities everywhere. If a white kid in a shiny BMW is driving through a black housing project known for drug deals, you can be sure that police officers in the area will pay special attention to him. The left would call that “racial profiling.” The rest of us call it good police work.
3) America is a racist nation -- If you are convinced that we are a nation of evil, angry bigots who are just longing for a chance to discriminate against people of color, I guess you’d have a very difficult time being objective about the George Zimmerman acquittal. But if one were to be objective about the state of race relations in America today, one would have to conclude that we have certainly come a long, long way. Liberals roll their eyes at anyone pointing out that we are a country that, after all, twice elected a black man to be President of the United States. But it’s a plain fact that we live in a nation with many uber-wealthy and influential black leaders, whether they are TV and movie stars or professional athletes or politicians or CEO’s. Are there still racists among us? Of course there are. Evil is everywhere. But to believe that this is a country that resembles the Jim Crow-era is ludicrous and disingenuous.
Few news stories can demonstrate the stark difference between conservatism and liberalism like the George Zimmerman trial has done. I hope and pray that Americans of all races and ideologies will honor the courage of those six jurors in Sanford, Florida by standing up to the Al Sharptons of the world and voice support for truth and evidence and facts and the greatness of the United States of America. One this is clear: After watching the shrill reaction from liberals to the George Zimmerman verdict, I am reminded about why I’m proud to be a conservative.