The Wounding of the American Psyche

   By John Bullaro

 The George Zimmerman's trial was about a non-black volunteer vigilante killing an unarmed, seventeen-year-old African American boy named Trayvon Martin. The trial has brought racism to the front pages on America's newspapers and as the lead story on most television news.

Martin was walking down the street, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, and carrying a small package on his way home from the store. He was not breaking any laws nor was he armed.  

Zimmerman, a volunteer wanna-be cop, called his dispatcher to report a suspicious person walking down the sidewalk. The dispatcher ordered Zimmerman not to leave his vehicle and not to confront Martin. Disregarding those orders entirely Zimmerman followed Martin on foot. That act of stalking most likely struck fear in Trayvon's heart and an altercation ensued. Martin and Zimmerman got into a wrestling match and Trayvon was shot through the heart. He died at the scene. Note: it was weeks later that Zimmerman was arrested and tried mainly because the public demanded it. He was found not guilty by a jury of six white women. I mention white women because of the uproar over the jury's decision to find Zimmerman not guilty of, at least, manslaughter.

How could this be? How can an armed man kill an unarmed boy, who was doing nothing wrong or illegal, and walk away free? Easy. This is a symptom of something more evil, pernicious, and jaded in America today. This killing took place in Florida, a state with a "stand your ground law" that makes it okay to shoot someone if you feel threatened. Keep in mind, Zimmerman was the aggressor by disregarding orders from his dispatcher.  Evidently Trayvon turned the tide of battle in his favor and paid with his life.

On the 150 year anniversary of the end of the Civil War, despite having a bllack president, racism in America is still inflicting pain on many citizens. In fact, many analysts believe since Barack Obama became president, race relations have worsened. I don't think it’s a co-incidence that sporting goods stores and gun shops are out of 30-30 ammunition — a popular size cartridge for rifles. People are arming, but why?

During the trial of George Zimmerman, "black" and "white" were never mentioned in court. But any person with half a wit knows that is exactly what the trial was about. Had the races of the shooter and victim been reversed, the shooter would be looking at a long jail sentence. Recently in Florida an African-American woman was sent to jail for 20 years for firing a warning shot into the air to scare off her abusive ex-husband.  The conclusion is undeniable: blacks with guns go to jail, whites with guns get away with murder.

The Civil War cost 750,000 lives on both sides, the most battle casualties of any American conflict. It left the South bitter and that bitterness infects almost every aspect of the Southern society today. Make no mistake, racial animus is spreading north. Today, Southern politicians are the antithesis to what America stands for. The message that all persons are equal is a value we are trying to sell to the rest of the world, and its failing. Europeans see America as a nation of armed vigilantes. We worship guns more than any religious icon. The NRA has become the arbiter of morality in America.

The journalists serving America's media don't help the cause of fairness. They are guilty of race baiting, misrepresenting facts, and interpreting the news according to their personal biases, not reporting it. It is this writer's opinion that MSNBC's Al Sharpton, and his fellow newscasters should report the news not use the airways as a bully pulpit. If this sounds in direct contradiction to the idea espoused above, it is. My take is that news people should report the news not interpret it, unless they do so as commentators and clearly identify themselves as such.

America is still the greatest nation in the world. It provides opportunities for everyone. It is cases like George Zimmerman's that play into our enemy's hands and soils our message of freedom.