George Zimmerman Trial: Why is it important?

OK, so I know this particular trial has been getting a lot of hype and such, and I'm not really one that likes to follow trials and what not, but I believe that this trial is important to the country as a whole. Why? Because the trial of George Zimmerman has already been decided by the public (or how it feels) before it even went on trial.

 Many have an opinion on his guilt or innocent (with the press painting Trayvon Martin as a saint, and Zimmerman as a bigoted, racist, evil from the pits of hell, basically). NBC was even guilty of tweaking the 911 phone call to try and paint him as a racist guy (click here).  Sure, NBC says it was an editing "error" but come on... You expect me to believe that editing out the dispatcher asking what he looked like so it sounded like Zimmerman saying, "He's scary.  He looks black".  Come on.

When it comes to Zimmerman, I've had mixed feelings.  Why did he try to chase Trayvon Martin down?  Zimmerman did look pretty bloodied up, though, so I don't necessarily buy that he was actively hunting him down to kill him.  Was he really doing it in self-defense?  I don't really know, and neither did the press.  In fact, the only ones that decide are the members of the jury after hearing the testimony and evidence of both sides.

However, this hasn't stopped it from becoming politicized.  Obama made the comment back in March 2012 that if he had a son, "... he would look like Trayvon Martin".  (click here).  Why in the world would he make such a comment a whole year and 4 months before the trial even began?  If you ask him or his administration about the IRS scandal(s) (like the targeting of "tea party", "patriot", etc.; the outrageous wasteful spending; the leaking of SSN numbers; need I go on), or the Fast and Furious scandal, or Benghazi; he and his Administration have the same answer, "I can't comment on an ongoing investigation."  So, why did he comment?

As the head of the Executive Branch, shouldn't he be more concerned about law enforcement rather than passing judgement on what the thinks happened that night?

Again, I have withheld judgment on the Zimmerman trial, until I saw this video.  This video is an exchange between the judge and Zimmerman.

Here's my question: Is that legal?  Is the judge able to step in like this in a trial?  I thought the lawyer is the legal representation for the defendant, and that the judge should be addressing the lawyer, not the witness... I don't know if he's innocent or guilty, but he does deserve a fair trial.  That's a common civil right listed in the Bill of Rights (the 6th amendment to be exact... "and to have the assistance of counsel for his defence [sic]").

So, what are your thoughts?  Did the judge have the right to try and get out of him whether he would testify or not?  Or does that seem to be not the role of the judge.  In my opinion, it does open the door for appeal on either side to say that it was a mistrial.

Tolerance: What is it? (And what it isn't)

What is tolerance?  I think it depends on the person.  Some will be of the opinion that tolerance is: "a : sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own b : the act of allowing something : toleration"  (click here for source).  However, many today don't believe that tolerance is something that as "the act of allowing something".  Some take tolerance to mean something to the effect of, "I'll let it slide as long as it doesn't offend me.  If it offends me, I will not allow it to happen and I will do everything in my power to stop that from happening."

But, if you look at the definition above, it doesn't mention anything about taking offence.  In fact, it uses words like "differing from" and "conflicting with one's own" when describing the beliefs in question.  Some forget that we have here in the United States many different freedoms (religion, press, speech, etc.)  

However, the freedom from offence (meaning that I have a right to NOT be offended) is never enumerated in the Constitution of the United States, as well as it shouldn't.  How in the world would you have freedom of speech in a country that wouldn't allow people to be offended at something?  Answer, you couldn't.

There are many polarizing issues facing the country today, and it seems to me that there isn't much tolerance going on.  What I mean by that is the fact that if you lose the argument, you deal with it, or letter b above: "the act of allowing something".  I didn't really want to have Barack Obama become POTUS.  However, I know that he won, and I'm tolerating it.  I don't like it, but I am tolerating it.  There are some laws that I "tolerate" as well.  I'm not a fan of income tax, but I tolerate it (or any taxes, for that matter).  There is one law that I don't really like tolerating, but I am just the same, and that is abortion.

In Texas, lawmakers have been trying to make abortions past 20 weeks illegal.  As expected, it's a pretty polarizing issue.  After a Texas lawmaker filibustered the bill for some 11 hours, the body voted on the bill and it did receive the majority vote.  However, because the vote took place after midnight, it was outside of the congressional session, it was not a valid vote.  So, Governor Rick Perry called for a special session of congress, in order for congress to have an official vote on the bill.

This has drawn all sorts of demonstrations on both sides of the issue.  However, the two groups have some majorly different approaches to demonstrate their points of view.  Below is a video showing the demonstrations occurring.  The pro-life group that doesn't want abortions after 20 weeks was singing "Amazing Grace" while the pro-choice group was chanting "Hail Satan".  The pro-choice group was also heard chanting "Mary should have had an abortion" (you know, Mary, the mother of Jesus).  

Here's a link to the full story (WARNING: there are pictures of some of the protesters signs in the article that some may find offensive).

Pretty chilling, right?  I think this video shows something that is important to realize.  Besides the fact that it shows how divided our country really is, but it also shows how people can't tolerate opposing views.

Perhaps in another post I will comment on the lunacy that it is that we are arguing about having an abortion after 20 weeks (which is when you can pretty much definitively tell whether your baby is a boy or a girl, can find and measure all of the major organs of the body and such).

Just because we are tolerating a view does not mean that we don't have the right to express opposition of those views that we are tolerating.  Indeed, both sides in the video above have every right to express their points of view.  However, tolerance means we don't get nasty when we are expressing our points of view.

Tolerance is a word that has been a word that has been twisted to try to help make some sort of political point.  Let's look at the true examples of tolerance that have helped make things move forward: Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr.  These men opposed the system, but they did it with peace, tolerance, and love.

Independence Day: What does it really mean?

Yesterday I spent most of Independence Day up in the mountains; away from the hustle and bustle of what happens in town celebrations for that day. Many say, "Happy 4th of July!" and the like. However, I wondered, "Why do we say 'Happy 4th of July'? Is it really that hard to say 'Independence Day'?" Then again, why do we write "Merry X-mas" instead of "Merry Christmas"? Is it because that is shorter as well? Some argue other purposes and such. I'm not going to go into the argument of people trying to take Christ out of Christmas. One, that's a very long story; and Two, that's not the point of my post. The point of my post is this: Independence Day is a big deal. Why? Many say that it was the birth of our nation, which it is. But I think some don't realize what that birth looked like and what it consisted of. July 4, 1776 was the day we signed the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution. That didn't come until several years later, after the American Revolution, and after the Articles of Confederation were about to fall apart, in 1787. So, what are we celebrating on Independence Day? We are celebrating the fact that there were men like John Hancock, George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and several others; that decided to put their money where their mouth was and sign an official declaration to King George and say "Enough is enough. We are no longer going to be subject to your rule," and start a revolution. That's what this day is about. They put everything on the line, their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, so they could establish freedom, justice, sovereignty and independence. With that in mind, please remember what Independence Day really stands for while we celebrate with friends and family; while we blow up fireworks; while we do whatever we do to celebrate this Independence Day, and I don't mean the movie with Will Smith, Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum. Have a great Independence Day weekend!