Rush Limbaugh, whose name is synonymous with circumspection and abiding empathy, has come to the defense of the man who shot and killed an unarmed teenager in Florida earlier this month. On his radio program yesterday, Limbaugh tried to put himself in the shoes of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who shot Trayvon Martin on February 26th, and still has not been charged. It's not so hard, if you're Limbaugh, to find common ground with a man who allegedly muttered "f**king coons" before blowing away a black teen walking home with snacks from the store:
What I've read is that Mr. Zimmerman—who, again, the New York Times refers to as a "white Hispanic" and the rest of the media has now picked that up, 'cause that fits the template. You need white-on-black here to gin this up. I understand. He wants to be a cop. He just loves law enforcement, and he's a self-appointed Neighborhood Watch commander, and he wanted to protect his neighborhood, and he just got a little overzealous and so forth.
But we still don't know what the real facts of this are, I don't think. That's why this is... It's a month ago that this happened, and yet it's being portrayed as though it just happened last weekend or something, at least with the attention that's being focused on it. But it really is troubling that there are people trying to fan the flames of this rather than cool it down. I mean at the highest levels.
Earlier, Limbaugh had blasted President Obama for exploiting Martin's death for “political opportunity.” Limbaugh told listeners, "This poor kid was shot and the President of the United States only public reaction [was] ‘Mind you, if I had a son he’d look like that’? For what purpose does one say that? And what must you be thinking about this situation to think that and then say it?" We can't know for sure what was going on in Obama's head, we all know Limbaugh's intentions are pure as the driven snow.
Zimmerman is claiming self-defense, and more details of his side of the story are emerging. Zimmerman says he lost track of Martin and was returning to has truck when the 17-year-old came up to him from behind and asked if he had a problem. "Well, you do now,” Martin said, and then punched him in the face, climbed on top of him and bashed his head into the concrete several times, according to Zimmerman.
First responders say Zimmerman had a bloody nose, scratches, and grass stains on his back when they arrived at the scene. Local law enforcement officers did not charge Zimmerman, in part because the state's "stand-your-ground law" permits a person to use deadly force in self-defense. But Martin's girlfriend, who was on the phone with the teen while Zimmerman was following him, says she heard Martin ask "Why are you following me?” to which a man replied, "What are you doing around here?" She heard sounds of a scuffle before the line went dead.
The local police department has been leaking information about Martin’s background, revealing yesterday that at the time of his murder, the teen was suspended from school after being caught with an empty marijuana baggie. And he had been suspended on another occasion after he was found carrying women’s jewelry and a screwdriver that was deemed a possible burglary tool. "They’ve killed my son; now they are trying to kill his reputation," Martin's grieving mother, Sybrina Fulton, told reporters.
Meanwhile, Fulton has put in applications to trademark the phrases “Justice for Trayvon” and “I Am Trayvon." The phrases could be used on DVDs, CDs, and clothing, but a lawyer for Martin's mother says she has no intention of profiting from any merchandise sales, and that the money would go to those who suffering for the same reasons as Fulton. Currently, Trayvon T-Shirts are big sellers online, with some vendors promising to donate 10% of their profits to a fund in Trayvon’s name.
