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Thursday, April 19, 2012

BP Gulf Coast Oil Spill Two Years Later



Y'all come on down to the Gulf Coast and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism. Everything is just fine after the BP oil spill. The President and his family flew in, went for a swim in a harbor leading to the Gulf of Mexico, played Putt Putt Golf, and ate some seafood (warning graphic).

Not! 

Eyeless Shrimp and Fish with Tumors:  The Horrific Consequences of BP's Spill

Two Years later communities are still suffering from the BP oil spill.

Just like Katrina.


The Donkeys vs The Elephants~Edit

What's right (pun intended) with the elephants pictured above?  For one thing they are lock step.  They are walking in a straight line, following the lead elephant.

Now equate this with today's republicans.  Like the elephants above they follow, not fight, the lead elephant, knowing  if they start fighting  among each other they will tear the tent down..    That's why elephants win and why donkeys lose.

Elephants look docile, but they are ruthless, if they can't beat their foes, they suppress them.

If donkeys were more like elephants we wouldn't be in this mess.

I'm just saying....

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Today's republicans are yesterday's democrats

And therein lies the problem within the Alabama Democratic Party (cue in Dixie).  There are two separate but unequal Elephants waging a civil war under the big tent, with the white Elephants trying to figure out how they can rise again without the black Elephants, especially those who stood up and made a difference.

Minority means "black" and nothing else to certain people on the SDEC Board, and therein lies problem number 2. You see, the ADP could rise again if they could just find a solution to the Joe Reed problem allowing them to kick  them there special interest groups to the curb.  (wave Confederate Flag)

What is the Joe Reed problem you ask?  For one thing he's not one of those go along to get along Negroes who is content with being seen and not heard. He refuses to be treated like Chattel.  There are some who believe black voters don't have enough sense to know who to vote for  unless white folks tell them  who their leaders should be. (cue in Eyes on the Prize).

Evidently the white Elephant is mad because the Black Elephant had sandwiches and met behind a curtain at the SDEC meeting in Montgomery (cue in scary music).  But when you go inside the story, what they are really mad about is all the fingers on the hand worked together to form a mighty fist.  It's a  lesson the DNC could benefit from, not condemn.

The White Elephant claims it wants co exist with the Black Elephant in the big tent, but it's hard to co-exist with someone who doesn't consider you an equal.

 A party divided will not stand.

No long fictional tail, just facts.


Today's Must Reads
Well, the fix is in
Joe M. Reed Esq. for state party chair
Democratic Soul Searching
I choose neither

"Greatly Honored Are Those Who Have Been Persecuted for the Sake of Justice!"



Alabama Democratic Conference Chairman Dr. Joe Reed, Alabama State Senator Hanks Sanders and others who fight for justice must know this scripture from Matthew 5:10; 13:20-21 by heart because I think about it whenever I read comments like these;


Don't lose hope.  Joe reed, Hank Sanders and "Dick" arrington will be dead from old age very soon.~Takenoprisoners

ADC-in my opinion needs to be...a dying cause...Because they are useless to the state party of the people~DemoGirl

Joe Reed will have his power but it will be over a sadly shrunken party~mooncat


I had some hope when the SDEC stood up to Reed in 2006, but now that his son is following in his footsteps, I may have to give up.~ Kathy

Jesus taught his disciples to honor those who are merciful, those with integrity, those who make peace,  those who stand up for the poor and the pious,  the outcast and the upright.  Joe Reed and others face the consequences of  Christian discipleship by being persecuted for the sake of justice, just like Jesus himself. And NO, I'm not saying Joe Reed is Jesus, I comparing the consequences and  similarities of their actions.

In his persecution for the sake of justice, Jesus became powerless, like the destitute and the mourners.  Jesus' body became a human billboard, not unlike the hanging bodies of black men in the South, left on trees by lynch mobs as a warning to those who would challenge the power of the empire.  Naked, helpless and exposed to the world, the crucified one was debased. and the honor of his family, destroyed.~Confessing the Beatitudes Margaret Aymer

Joe Reed  isn't the enemy of the democratic party, and those who treat him as such need to stop.  We can't stand up for the least and the left out by tearing downs those who do.  You're either with us....or you're with them.

"If God is for us, who is against us?"Romans 8:31-39.

Today's Must Reads
You Bad, Bad, Black People
Police Shooting of Mentally Ill, Unarmed  Man in Alabama Triggers March
Final Memories Trayvon Martin 9 Days before the Miami Dade Public School System sent him to his death
Marissa Alexander Stood Her Ground-No one  was injured or murdered-She faces 25 years in prison.

When all the fingers on the hand work together they form a mighty fist~Mama Jo from the movie Soul Food

Monday, April 16, 2012

SDEC Vice Chair responds to the "Whining Whiners" with "factual information"


It appears some inaccurate information was posted by the Big Cats and other Critters on the front page of Left in Alabama regarding the goings-on at the Saturday's SDEC meeting in Montgomery. Party Vice-Chair, Nancy Worley, sets the record straight via PM's ListServe. 

Xxx, you and others remember well what happened four years ago at the SDEC Meeting when the President's Alabama campaign "operatives" struck every name from the at-large delegate ballot except the few they had handpicked. Many good Democrats were hurt and angered by those actions. Well, they tried to do it again! Staff from Chicago and Washington, DC, flew in very late Friday night to bring a list of a FEW individuals who would be the At-Large Delegates and PLEOs (Party Leaders Elected Officials). Dr. Joe Reed and I (Nancy Worley) stood firm AGAINST THEIR STRIKING ANY NAMES of the 191 people who had qualified by the deadline with the Party to run for these at-large/PLEO spots.

 While they said they were making sure our delegation met its diversity goals, it was apparent when they read out the few selected names on their list, that they had not researched the diversity of our elected delegates, nor had they consulted with most of the state party's leaders (a requirement in our approved plan). Our Chairman, Executive Director, three of our DNC members, Dr. Reed and I met with the campaign visitors until the "wee hours" to make sure EVERY person's name remained on the ballot. As the Party Vice-Chair, I was proud to support real democracy in our Democratic Party -- to give every person who qualified for an at-large/PLEO delegate a chance to run and be voted on by the SDEC members. That was the great triumph of Saturday's SDEC Meeting -- ALL 191 candidates stayed on the ballot, not a single person was removed. Unfortunately, the vote-counting with that large number of candidates (and too few counters at first) took a LONG time.

 Redeye has mentioned below the "SDEC Meeting Report" by Left in Alabama, of which someone sent me a copy this afternoon. The writer(s) obviously didn't understand parts of the meeting, or she/they relied on very bad sources of information or outright lies. While I did not speak with the "cats" throughout the "marathon" meeting, I need to clarify the following incorrect information or misstatements made by them: 1. The "old guard" digging in its heels to oppose diversity is totally false. The delegate plan submitted to the DNC for 2012 was similar to previous plans submitted every four years in which the DNC requires diversity goals. Alabama Democrats ELECTED a very diverse group of delegates -- half male, half female, old, young, black, white, LGBT, Native American, etc. We elected diverse At Large and PLEO delegates Saturday. Not every candidate checks every box which identifies his/her diversity.

 2. The "new" voting procedures were almost identical to previous years. According to the DNC Rules, we have no secret ballot votes in the Democratic Party. Usually, we stand up for vote counting, but delegate voting has always required paper ballots which are signed by the voter. Saturday's only change was separating each voting category (PLEO, Alternates, At Large Men, At Large Women, At Large Alternates, etc.) on a separate colored ballot sheet and counting each before the next ballot was distributed. This was incredibly time-consuming.

 3. The so-called "innovation" of one member's requesting that the SDEC remain seated during ballot distribution and counting has been made in the past, but there is no rule mandating this. Over a five hour period, people moved in and out of the room to go to the restroom, make calls, get food, smoke, etc. At the time the request was made, Dr. Reed was returning from the back of the room to the platform, and the only other person(s) standing in the center aisle was the person making the request -- and two or three people distributing ballots. 

4. I never heard ANYONE mention bringing in electronic vote scanners or counters prior to this meeting. Jim and I had a discussion on the platform during one of the LONG vote-counting waits about possible machine counts. We both agreed that this might speed up the process but would NOT be possible if the SDEC continues to change the ballot each time one category is counted. That would require the programming of a new vote counter with each change. The "several people" relied on by LIA for information about my veto of machines LIED.

5. Dr. Reed never made a proposal to the body to "scrap" the paper ballot. He did request additional counters and tables on which to count. Many individuals were making a variety of suggestions to speed up the process in order to attend the SOS Rally. I know the Chairman and I both welcome any suggestions to improve this lengthy process in the future.

 6. If the "cats" at Left in Alabama believe the delegate selection process was "much improved" over 2008, they should get on their hands and knees to thank Dr. Reed and the Party leadership who spent most of Friday night bringing about fairness and order for Saturday's meeting. There are other misstatements by Left in Alabama, but I conclude with my advice to readers -- "Don't believe every word you read on a blog, in a paper, etc. Personal opinions may cloud the facts." 

Nancy, Thank you to the "old guard" for protecting us from the "new guard". The Blog of Record cares more about Dogs and Cockfighting than human beings.~RedEye

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Whining Whiners

Left in Alabama,  the  Informed. Involved. Progressive. Blog of record in Alabama that couldn't find the time to write one post about  Trayvon Martin has not one, but two post, on it's front page whining about everything from Joe Reed, to Nancy Worley, to minorities mean being 'black" and nothing else (seriously?), to hand counting paper ballots instead of using voting machines(huh?), to prowling in the aisles,  to sandwiches only being handed out to the minority caucus, all because they couldn't have their way at the State Democratic Executive Committee Meeting.  I kid you not.

Of course this is the same blog who supported former Democrat turned republican  Artur Davis until the bitter end, and  kicked yours truly off the front pages and subsequently the blog because I wouldn't go along to get along.

Today's Must Reads

WTF did Joe Reed do the you?

Why Dr. Joe Reed should be the next chairperson of the Alabama Democratic Party

RedEye tiptoeing away from the computer and  shaking my head...

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Just because we're black doesn't mean we are stoopid

The prevailing thought in Rightwingdom is black folks riot when they don't get their way.  In this case, getting their way was the arrest of 9 mm toting, self appointed neighborhood watch Captain George Zimmerman, in connection with the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teen.   The fact this was accomplished nonviolently is lost on those itching for a race war.

For the record, black folks will not tarnish the memory of Trayvon Martin, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other's by resorting to violence if the justice system let's us down again.  It's not like black folks have a document history of violence and retaliation against white folks.  Besides, it would be stoopid to bring a knife to a gunfight.

Today's Must Read with commentary
Justice and Trayvon Martin:  Where was Left in Alabama the Informed.  Involved.  Progressive blog of record?  Other than an  explanation in plain English of what "stand your ground" means by the resident righty/legal contributor there was not a mumbling word said about Trayvon Martin.  Inquiring minds want to know why?

Wednesday’s decision by Florida Special Prosecutor Angela Corey to charge George Zimmerman with second-degree murder in connection with February’s fatal shooting ofTrayvon Martin, an unarmed African American teenager, raises numerous troubling questions. Among the least considered, but perhaps most vexing: In the quest for justice in this case, were progressive and other well-meaning white people?

Friday, April 13, 2012

RedEye's Week in Review~Edit

It's been an eventful and emotional week in the United States of America.  George Zimmerman was finally arrested and charged with murder in the2nd degree in the death of Trayvon Martin.  Rick Santorum packed up his marbles and went home.  Newt Gingrich's check bounced to enter the Utah primary.   Anne Romney picked a girl fight with Hillary Rosen for telling the truth, and President Obama  ran away because he didn't want to upset the the moderates/independents who are really republicans   that aren't going to vote for him any way.

I won't exhale until George Zimmerman"\'s case goes before a jury, if it goes before a jury.  There are some who believe the Special Prosecutor threw black folks a bone because in the end Florida Law allows a Judge to throw the case out under the Stand Your Ground law.

The Concern Trolls about so called black on black crime statistics were out in full force this week.  FYI black folks are concerned about ALL crime.  If you are so concerned how  about supporting the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011?  Why aren't we talking about the guns?.

Today's Must Read

Jury Convicts Black Man in Shooting Death of White Teen

Today's Must See YouTube
Bowling for Columbine~A Brief history of the USA

Thursday, April 12, 2012

The Struggle Continues

I don't feel noways tired after the struggle for justice for Trayvon Martin.  But I have to ask, why African Americans have to struggle for basic equal, civil and human rights in the land of the free and the home of the brave?

I place much of the blame on the white male dominated  mainstream media.   When the Trayvon Martin story finally hit the national media Al Sharpton, President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder and others who led the fight for simple justice became the targets of racial hatred.

What get me is conservative don't believe black folks should have the same rights as white folks.  When Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee and State Attorney Norm Wolfinger said there would be no arrest in the Trayvon Martin case that was the end of story, and black folks were supposed to just say Yessir Massa  Suh weeze won't be asking for no justice, weeze just shuffle on off into the sunset like good little effing coons.


 Not.


So where do we go from here?  


We keep our eyes on the prize and struggle on.

We must remember that this problem is must bigger than Zimmerman. What about the Sanford Police Department that let Zimmerman go free? What about the continuing systemic and nationwide problem of racial profiling? What about racial differences in charging and sentencing? What about those ridiculous “stand your ground” laws in over 20 states?

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

"Keep them honest" For real

45 days after Trayvon Martin was killed,  and Sanford FL police chief Bill Lee said the case was closed, George Zimmerman has been arrested thanks to Special Prosecutor Angela Cory.  I admit I am surprised at the outcome.  I never expected the State of Florida to throw George Zimmerman under the bus for murder of a black child.  I will also admit I thought she wouldn't press charges hoping to provoke a violent reaction from the African American Community as proof Zimmerman was justified in killing Trayvon.  Is my faith in the justice system restored?  Not quite.  We still have to have a fair trial.  However if the trail is fair and the verdict is not guilty I will accept it and move on, unlike those who never got over the OJ verdict.

It's a good thing we didn't have to depend on our UNfair and UNbalanced  mainstream media to advance this issue.  I thank God for the race hustlers and others who stood up for what is right (no pun intended).

Today's Must Read
Trayvon Martin 1994-2012~Rest in Peace Sweet Child

Must See Video
 What Joe Scarborough said

Stand Your Ground=Lose Your Life


I posted the grpahic above for those who like to claim the Trayvon Martin case is not about racist/racism.  But  let's take the race element out of it and just present the facts;
An unarmed, teenager was shot and killed by a community watch volunteer.  The parents weren't notified of his death until three days later.  The 911 tapes weren't released until national, media attention was bought to the case.  The person who killed the unarmed, teenager was not arrested and is currently missing.

Today's Must Reads

Stand Your Ground~In other words if you try to murder me and I fight back will your act of murder suddenly become an act of self defense?


DEAR WHITE FOLKS:  You Don't Know How Easy You Have It.~We aren't Trayvon Martin, We are George Zimmerman:  presumed innocent until proven guilty.


Reading while white: crime statistics~What ever White Americans do is normal.


8 Things White Parents Should Teach About Black People~Always remember there is a difference between a black neighborhood, a poor neighborhood and a bad neighborhood.


It Wasn't Just the Hoodie~Certainly skin privilege gave George Zimmerman some benefits at this moment.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Breaking! George Zimmerman's Lawyers have left the building...

Sorta, kinda.....
BREAKING — The attorneys for George Zimmerman, the community watch volunteer who fatally shot unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, said today they have lost touch with their client and are withdrawing from the case.

Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig said at a news conference outside the Seminole County Courthhouse in Sanford, Fla., that they have not talked to Zimmerman, whose location is not known, in person in at least two days but in the past had spoken with him over the phone. “We can’t represent him unless he comes forward and asks us,” Uhrig said.


"We have a pretty good idea where he (Zimmerman) is," Uhrig said, but added that Zimmerman is not answering the phone.

Sonner and Uhrig said they were concerned that Zimmerman had telephoned the special prosecutor probing the case directly, set up a legal defense fund website and may have spoken with Fox Television commentator Sean Hannity, all without their knowledge.

His former lawyers lost contact with him after he set up a legal defense fund website, spoke with Sean Hannity and the Special Prosecutor...so when is the slow speed chase going to start?

Todays must reads
Trayvon Martin:  Black youth react to tragedy in Sanford, FL

Joe Oliver, George immermans 'friend" no longer his media advisor

Must see YouTube
I am not Trayvon Martin

"Trayvon belongs to all of America. And until you see him as your child too, we all remain in bondage."

 43 days and counting and still no arrest in the killing of Trayvon Martin, I seriously doubt there will be one.  Why?  Because George Zimmerman was standing his ground with a 9 mm against the unarmed, but  suspicious, black, 17 year old, hoodie wearing, thug, and the majority of white Americans think that's the American Way

Another reason I don't believe there will be an arrest is because the  city of Sanford, FL is mobilizing. because white folks are skeered the ni**ers are going to riot when/if it's announced the Prosecutor won't being charges against George Zimmerman, because that's what they do when they don't get their way.  Remember?

What I can't understand is why they are mobilizing against these guys, but not these guys?  Strike that.  Yes I can. Snark

Black folks will be disappointed if charges aren't bought against George Zimmerman, and although the mainstream media is itching for a race war for ratings, black folks aren't stoopid enough to start a war they can't win.  To quote the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr~
God grant that we wage the struggle with dignity and discipline. May all who suffer oppression in this world reject the self-defeating method of retaliatory violence and choose the method that seeks to redeem. Through using this method wisely and courageously we will emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight of man’s inhumanity to man into the bright daybreak of freedom and justice.
No, black folks will not resort to violence, nor will we sit around waiting on the government to take care of us, because we've learned from experience, that just ain't going to happen.  Black folks know how to make a way out of no way.


Wanna know why we African Americans are so upset about Trayvon--aside from the obvious? The obvious being that a child was senselessly slain. It's our history. Probably 85 to 90% of present day African Americans are here as a result of slavery. While none of us are alive that remember being slaves some are still alive who knew slaves and were the children of slaves. More importantly, we have a collective cultural memory of slavery after 400 years of it.

 If you know anything about American slavery at all, you know that black children were taken from their parent and sold far away at the whim of "owners" and there wasn't a damn thing that could be done about it. Black parents had to watch as their children were brutalized overworked, underfed, uneducated, sexually assaulted and there wasn't a damn thing to be done about it, because the law sanctioned it.

 Later, in post slavery years, in the southern states especially, the legal system continued to allow inhumane and differential treatment towards people with black skin until the the 1970s when the federal government finally stepped in again. In between was 100 years of brutal lynching--both north and south-- black men and boys swinging from the nation's trees, or forced to work southern mines with no pay, and locked away for the slightest crime or no crime at all.

The brutal murder of Emmett Till took place in 1955. As you no doubt know, Emmett was 15-year old kid from Chicago, visiting family in Mississippi, who's 'crime' was whistling at a white girl. White men came and snatched him out of his house, and there wasn't a damn thing that his family could do about it, except of course show his hideously battered and disfigured corpse to the nation. Had his mother not insisted on doing so, we probably Emmett Till would have been another nameless faceless murdered black boy. His murderers were tried and acquitted, then later bragged about the killing.
    
        Fast forward to 2012. A black man holds the highest office in the land. Undoubtedly, we've made progress. But 3 weeks ago when Trayvon Martin was chased down and shot for simply walking in his own neighborhood--unarmed and minding his own business-- and now we watch as the law of the sovereign state of Florida shielded and protects his shooter, all of us are instantly plunged back into the dreadful reality that if you have a black child in America, he can be taken away at a moment's notice and the law will not help you. In fact, it will protect the person that harmed your child. Maybe we haven't come anywhere at all. You might get to be president, but your children can still be slaughtered legally. Only this time we're not taking 'no' for an answer. We will see that justice is done.
    
        One last thing. To those of you who sit silently watching and perhaps not sensing the same outrage at this miscarriage of justice, because your children are safe, or because you don't feel this is your problem, ponder, if you will, Martin Niemöller's words:
    
        First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
        because I was not a communist;
        Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
        because I was not a socialist;
        Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
        because I was not a trade unionist;
        Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
        because I was not a Jew;
        Then they came for me--
        and there was no one left to speak out for me.
    
        Trayvon belongs to all of America. And until you see him as your child too, we all remain in bondage.


H/T Edie Lee Harris




Saturday, April 7, 2012

UPDATED: New Eyewitness in Trayvon Murder Case Speaks

Trayvon Killing Eyewitness On CNN: I Offered To Show Police Scene Of The Crime, They Declined

The Special Prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin murder case, Angela Corey, has announced that she will not convene a Grand Jury tomorrow, as she had the option to do. Instead, she will make the key decision whether or not to arrest George Zimmerman. Her statement contained two significant items.

The decision should not be considered a factor in the final determination of the case. The Grand Jury, set to convene on April 10, 2012, was previously scheduled by the former prosecutor.

MSNBC is reporting that a website to solicit contributions to fund the Zimmerman family's living and defense expenses is being set-up, but isn't yet live.

Its establishment raises another issue: what happens to those donations if the federal investigation establishes the Trayvon's murder was a civil rights violation? Should Zimmerman decide to write a book or movie script, "Florida has taken yet another approach, creating a statutory lien on the proceeds of certain accounts of felonious crimes," according to a case cited on the DOJ website.

Friday, April 6, 2012

The #HCSBOE Climate of Crony Capitalism Continues



Sigh.  Now we (taxpayers)  know why the Fletcher E. Seldon Progress Center just had to be closed,  and students ( tax dollars)  shipped off to a private, residential, drug treatment facility.  And no, It's not because the cost for the Pinnacle program is cheaper, nor because the Seldon Center was "not working". It had to be closed because The Broadway Group wanted to purchase  part of the property, which was sold to them for an undisclosed amount by the Board of Education last night.


This is how it went down..the sale of property on Holmes Avenue was on the work session agenda.  Since S. R. Butler High School, and The Fletcher E. Seldon Center, are the only properties owned by the district on Holmes Ave.,  we were left to assume the property is the Seldon Center. When that item is up on the agenda, the board votes to go into Executive Session and returns a few minutes with "no action taken", then  moved on to the next agenda item.  Note, Board policy allows taxpayers to ask questions during the work session.

Fast forward to the sale of property on Holmes Avenue under the new business session agenda.  The Board approves selling a portion of the Seldon Center to the Broadway Group for an undisclosed amount of our money.  Note, Board policy does not allow taxpayers to ask question during the business session.  So we don't know how much the property appraised for, or how much it was sold for.  I kid you not.

Smell the Crony Capitalism  yet?

Today's Must Reads

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Denying Racism exists won't make it go away


Again,  there are some who thrive by denying racism is alive and well in America, especially in the criminal justice system. There are some who use selective outrage as a weapon of mass distraction from the real issue...a miscarriage of justice.

If it makes some of you feel better to call those of us calling for justice in the case of Trayvon Martin race hustlers, race pimps  and race baiters,  have at it.  We aren't the ones trying to incite a riot either. 

Today's Must Reads



PS, For those of you who are "sick and tired of reading about Trayvon and race" on RedEye's Front Page, go here, they are not talking about Trayvon Martin at all.  That is the great thing about the Internet,  you aren't forced to read about anything you don't want to read about.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

New Evidence Demands George Zimmerman's Arrest

News continues to break in the Trayvon Martin murder case. Tomorrow Trayvon's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, will ask the federal Justice Department to review the interactions between the office of the former local prosecutor in the case, State's Attorney Norm Wolfinger and Sanford's Police Detective Chris Serino. Detective Serino pursued a manslaughter charge for two weeks against the shooter, George Zimmerman, because Serino "was unconvinced by Zimmerman’s version of events in which he claimed self-defense," ABC News reported.

The State's Attorney said there wasn't enough evidence to lead to an arrest or a conviction.

Lack of evidence is another very troubling aspect of this murder case. The Old Gay Lawyer explains it this way in his blog titled "On the Lynching of Trayvon Martin:"

Sanford's police department became judge, jury and prosecutor none of those functions are properly within the job descriptions of police officers. The obligation of a policeman is to observe and report and to testify if called to do so. The Sanford PD failed its duty. It didn't even collect any forensic evidence. It didn't even ask Zimmerman for a blood sample for forensic analysis. It didn't examine his hands for evidence that he had fired the gun used to kill Martin. They didn't forensically examine his clothes. They didn't do anything that would cause a independent observer to conclude that the Sanford cops were competent or qualified to do their jobs. They just insured that Zimmerman was cool and will go down in history as just another good citizen doing his best to protect himself and his home. This amounts to the coverup what can only be described as a 21st century lynching of a black kid obviously on his way to commit a crime armed with an Arizona Ice Tea and bag of Skittles.

The owner of Facebook's Keith Olbermann Fan Page (I emphasize here that this not a quote from Keith Olbermann himself) offered an interesting speculation. "I have the sense, that Zimmerman had the advantage over that kid from the start....outside of the fact that he also had that gun. Zimmerman could easily have taken that gun, butted his own nose w/the barrel, and the back of his head. I have yet to hear of any evidence whatsoever of blood on the concrete where Zimmerman claims Trayvon slammed his head several times in the so called scuffle he claims he had w/him."

But even if the investigation is thorough and not compromised as is the case in the Trayvon Martin murder, the conviction rate in murder cases is low.

"The difference between solving a crime and clearing a case is a fine one. The crime is solved when the real criminal is arrested, tried, and convicted. The case is cleared when an arrest is made, regardless of whether that person ends up being convicted or not. Once an arrest is made, the police officer's job is done and the court system does its thing. An arrest is made 70% of the time in a reported murder case (remember only in those where a body or other evidence of murder has been found, which as we all know, doesn't always happen), however the murder conviction rate of this 70% is less than half, meaning in roughly 65% of the reported murder cases in the country, the murderer gets away scot-free, either acquitted or never even arrested."
Rev. Al Sharpton of Politics Nation made breaking news Friday when Ken Padowitz, a Florida former homicide prosecutor, explained that under the rules of Florida criminal procedure, Zimmerman has to be charged within 175 days of the arrest (he said that occurred on the day of Trayvon's murder when Zimmerman was in handcuffs), or otherwise Zimmerman is forever barred from being charged in this case. In addition, the video contained the statement of an eyewitness who said that when the man got off the boy, he (Zimmerman) didn’t appear hurt or anything else. And the funeral director who cared for Trayvon's body said there were no bruises on his face, neck or hands, which seems to discredit Zimmerman's alibi of a struggle in which he feared for his life.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Zimmerman's alibi is further undercut by the analysis of two forensic voice identification experts who analyzed the 911 tape of someone screaming in the background. They both independently concluded that the voice screaming for help on the 911 tape is not George Zimmerman, as he claimed, so it must be Trayvon.

Tom Owen, forensic consultant for Owen Forensic Services LLC and chair emeritus for the American Board of Recorded Evidence, used voice identification software to rule out Zimmerman. Another expert contacted by the Sentinel, utilizing different techniques, came to the same conclusion. Zimmerman claims self-defense in the shooting and told police he was the one screaming for help. But these experts say the evidence tells a different story.

This is a critical finding because it refutes the Sanford police department's publicly announced rationale for not arresting Zimmerman as described by Chief Bill Lee in the video above - that there was not probable cause to arrest Zimmerman on the day of the murder because he claimed self-defense. But now we know factually that probable cause exists. The case clock is ticking, but the question remains the same.

Will George Zimmerman be arrested in the Trayvon Martin case?