Link Salad, Because I've Got A Lot Of Them

[chris_gerrib]

Various links with occasional commentary:

A) A useful reminder regarding the American criminal justice system: Juries are made up of people, and people are dumber than a bag of hammers. What's that old saying, "Imagine the average American, then remember that half of them aren't even that smart?"

B) Related to above, a note that the media went after the best story in the Zimmerman case, not the actual facts.

C) We tend to think of Victorians, especially British ones, as not really liking sex. Well, when Queen Victoria's doctors told her to stop having kids, she said, "Am I not to have any more fun in bed?"

D) Presented without comment, largely because I haven't had the chance to read the article: Why Miami is doomed to drown.

E) Smurched from jaylake, who unfortunately has been thinking a lot on the subject: How Doctors Die.

Comments

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

(computer problems here)

Have you looked into what instructions and information the jury were given? I've posted links to good stories on that in my last few entries in my LJ.

What I'd like to support, is some research as to what a dissenting juror can do when he/she smells manipulation or set-up. Would "I'm not goign along with this" created a mistrial, so there would have to be a re-trial -- hopefully more honest?

Sometimes it's obvious, as when the jury is ordered not to consider any reasonable charges, but only one very serious unprovable charge. Example pre-meditated murder, with manslaughter as a late added option, and nothing less; or only pre-meditated in the case of the woman killed by a richochet when the defendant shot her tire; or iirc 'attempted murder' in the Rodney King case.

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

I'm not at all convinced that the jury instructions were at fault. At the end of the day, this case boiled down to "who do you believe?" with a side order of "what is reasonable doubt?"

[daveon.livejournal.com]

Plus I think the prosecution went for a hard case to plead in a state with a law like "stand your ground"... proving intent? I watched chunks of the trial on and off and as you know, I'm not the poster child for odd balls wandering around packing heat, but I'm not convinced they made a decent case for homicide.

Manslaughter on the other hand:

1) George Zimmerman was carrying a gun
2) He was following Martin
3) He was told not to follow Martin
4) Because he was following an innocent person when he HAD BEEN TOLD NOT TO he got into a fight with the person he was following
5) The unarmed minor he was following was shot and killed in the events that followed

Case rests - 5 years, out in 2 or 3 with good behaviour.

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

As for belief, has anyone done a readable, civil comparison of Z's story with what the forensic evidence suggests? Powermarks, bloodstains, etc.

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

The coroner's report supports the idea that Zimmerman shot Martin at point-blank range, and the angle of the bullet supports Martin on top.

As I've said in previous posts tagged "stand your ground" - this was never murder. It was a fight gone wrong, which is usually manslaughter.

[daveon.livejournal.com]

I have several friends who are doctors of various sorts. They all have made end of life planning in the event of certain diagnosis - all of which do not involve heroic surgery or radical cancer treatments, but move to how many weeks of decent quality of life do they get before they visit a quiet beach with a bottle of good wine and a bottle of barbiturates.

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

Re Queen Victoria, I saw some intelligent people finding evidence that she didn't say "Lie still and think of England" about sex, but some other lady said it about something else. (Childbirth, probably.)