And in other news, yesterday, President Obama whisked into and out of
Broadly speaking, the stated terms of the agreement include reducing the 90,000 troops on the ground by 22,000 by the end of this summer, and bringing the remaining 68,000 home by 2014. The support included in the bilateral agreement will extend the American presence in that Theater of Operations until 2024. The President noted that the goal of the war initially, and indeed, his aim, was to destroy Al-Qaida; a mission he insisted is within our reach. Finally, it is important to mention that this carefully orchestrated “Fly-by- Night” (literally speaking) adventure, took place on the 1st anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden. For your personal trivia collection, you might like to underscore that the President and his party spent approximately 7 hours in
If you missed the speech, consider the above the CliffNotes!
Now on to the Stand Your Ground law. There are a couple of examples of its application that may have escaped your attention. Virtually everyone has heard of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. Chances are, however, you may be unfamiliar with the names Trevor Dooley and David James. If I had to guess, I would also imagine you have not heard of Marissa Danielle Alexander or Rico Gray.
These last four parties were the principals in two “other”
There is an element of irony that these cases are progressing through the State of
Contrast the Martin case with that of Mr. Dooley and Ms. Alexander, both of whom were charged, arrested, and jailed. The attorneys for Dooley and the family of James are still embroiled in motions and counter motions to include or exclude the case from the parameters of Stand Your Ground. In the Alexander vs. Gray case, in which no one was killed, Ms. Alexander has actually been convicted of aggravated assault, and faces a minimum of 20 years in jail, based on Florida's mandatory sentencing laws.
I believe life is precious. Moreover, it is my opinion that Trayvon Martin’s death is a regrettable tragedy, as is that of David James. What I find just as dismal is the appearance, admittedly based on a too-small sample size, is the appearance that the Florida Judicial System, where Stand Your Ground was launched, may have a demonstrated bias in the implementation of sometimes controversial law. Mr. James was white; Mr. Dooley, who shot him, is black. Without question, no amount or degree of prosecution or sentencing can resurrect David. Yet, there seems to be at least a commitment to scrutinize the circumstances leading to his shooting.
Mr. Gray was not shot; and both he and Ms. Alexander are black. Still, it appears every effort is being made to determine whether Ms. Alexander was faced with a legitimate Stand Your Ground scenario, a credible threat, in political speak. In fact, after the trial, it was determined, despite the Mr. Gray’s history of abusing Ms. Alexander, and her her perennial role as his victim, notwithstanding, regardless of the fact she used a weapon legally registered to her; one which she is trained to use, a jury of her peers convicted her of aggravated assault.
In the final analysis, Stand Your Ground may or not be tilted against blacks, (there should be an app for determining whether that premise is true.) Regardless, evidence does show clearly, “Stand Your Ground: It’s Not For Everyone!”
I’m done; holla back!
Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/01/11489021-president-obama-goes-to-afghanistan-to-sign-post-war-agreement?lite
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