TRAYVON’S PUNCH

By Robert Illes

The best news I heard

about the ongoing Trayvon Martin case is, it turns out, before he was shot to

death on February 26, 2012, he allegedly punched his assailant George Zimmerman

in the nose, and pummeled him on the ground.

Now I don’t believe that for a second, and this likely fable is no doubt part of the

scheme to torch the victim’s character (and cover Zimmerman’s ass), but if

anybody deserved a punch in the nose, and a good old school ass kicking, it is

George Zimmerman – even if it’s just in fiction.

But quite possibly Trayvon did throw a punch, when this latter day

Barney Fife seemed to be stalking him. Was

he a robber? A predator? At least Barney of Mayberry had a uniform, a badge and

was a real deputy sheriff. George Zimmerman didn’t even reach Fife standards…

with the added difference there was no genial supervisor, like Sheriff Andy, to

make sure George kept his gun unloaded as he neighborhood watched for “fucking

coons” roaming about. But this Barney Fife had his gone loaded with real bullets.

Anyway, for me, at least there is the newly minted image that Trayvon went down fighting for his life – “standing his ground” don’t you know, in the spirit of Jeb Bush’s NRA written law. And by the

way it is called the “stand your ground” law, not “follow a guy around and

shoot him” law. Meanwhile, at this writing, Sanford cops evidently continue to leak despicable info about Martin, ever molding this All American kid into one of those very scary gangstas, stoked on reefer, lurking

beneath a hoodie, wearing gold teeth and having the nerve to walk on our public

streets, freaking out white people. And the Orlando Sentinel seems compelled to

dutifully publish these leaks, Drudge-style.

And then there’s one Mr. Joe Oliver, self-styled Zimmerman supporter and

friend (in some vague sense), making the media rounds, even suggesting the

encounter was a “him or me” situation. “One of them was going to get shot that

night.” Oliver also dismissed Zimmerman’s 2005 violent encounter with a cop and

subsequent anger management training with “people change!”… claims George said

“goons” not “coons” on the 911 tape, citing “My daughter says 'goons' is a term

of endearment!”… and that he recognizes it was his dear friend wailing for help

on tape, not the soon to be dead kid.

By contrast, the only new info on George

Zimmerman himself, other than Oliver’s rambling speculations, seems to be his

new smiling picture.

What makes it most curious is that all the

concrete indicators, such as the 911 tapes, and certain of the ear-witnesses, among them Martin’s

girlfriend who was on the cellphone with Martin moments before the shooting

point to Zimmerman’s being the stalker and the perpetrator. Perhaps that is true, perhaps Zimmerman was in

a fight for his life. But this we know:

had he stayed in his car and stopped following Trayvon as ordered, there would

be no story. Conversely, there seems to

be no concrete indicators of Martin being the aggressor.

But we’ll probably never know key facts,

considering the ultra shoddy police work. Hey, I watch Forensic Files and CSI

franchise –I know it’s de rigueur for the investigation cops arriving

at the crime scene take photos, note bloody noses or bloody shirts, DNA on the

victim’s hands (to see if in fact he did punch George), etc. The cops on the

scene, responding to another of Zimmerman’s countless 911 calls, took note of

none of this – except for Zimmerman’s word.

Zimmerman’s account of being punched and pummeled lacks credibility for

these reasons, and the fact that it mysteriously has taken weeks of cable news

reportage and Limbaugh’s setting who’s on which side of this tragedy for this

rather astounding information to “leak”.

And perhaps weirdest of all, no effort was

made to reach Trayvon’s next of kin for at least three days. His father even

made a call to his cell phone, which of course went unanswered. They also

managed to do a drug test on the young man, but not on Barney Fife II. Was

George that well connected?

Late breaking news has a detective on the

scene calling for Zimmerman to be charged. A witness says her information was

ignored. The entire credibility of the Sanford Police Force was immediately in

question. Were they hamstrung by the Jeb Bush law or was it the good ole boys

at work? After the news broke – and all

hell, nearly a month after the shooting, the Police Chief stepped down and a

special prosecutor was hired. But the police leaks continue, and so do the

protests, and right wingers drawing lines in the sand.

As now portrayed, and the reason for turning

Trayvon into the next Tupac, it is indeed a classic case for the “Stand Your Ground”

law: Poor Zimmerman is confronted by a black gangsta punk (not an All American

black kid as initially, and inconveniently, portrayed), and, fearing for his

life, blows him away as if in an NRA wet dream.

So as the story has progressed, like much of

just about anything in the news these days, we are no longer merely talking

about a tragic incident in an obscure suburb of Orlando. Rather, it has become a significant,

all-encompassing tipping point in our national discourse. There are more than

just a paranoid shooter, a dead teenager, bereaved parents, angry blacks and

frightened whites.

George Zimmerman’s fateful decision to ignore

the dispatcher’s admonition to stand down have the Sanford police dispatcher

and pursue the “fucking coon” may yet turn out to be one of the most

significant moments in this election cycle, and, in turn, in the nation’s

history. Hyperbole? Well, maybe for people not paying attention till now.

Trayvon Martin has punched something bigger

than George Zimmerman’s nose. An actual punch, not lawyer spin. It’s not even

my spin. It’s real and it’s palpable.

What started out to be a human tragedy just

about everybody, including Malkin, Limbaugh, Geraldo, Fox, Friends and even

assorted Republican presidential candidates could sympathize with, somebody saw

an opening – Frank Luntz, Karl Rove, David Koch -- who knows?

And a huge reason for concern. They HAD to

get out in front of this, Grover Norquist-style – drown it in the bathtub! Too

many people, from Obama on down, were being compassionate and caring and

sympathetic about this situation. See, compassion,

care and sympathy are all anathemas to the right wing. And Americans coming together, united –

around the wrong thing of course (9/11 was OK) – that’s really dangerous. It screws

up the whole divide and conquer strategy.

Such stuff causes people to vote Democratic,

and do things like rethink gun laws, pervasive racism – everything! It all goes

back to the master plan. Must preserve the master plan! And that goes back to a long string of

legislation, particularly about gun rights, and self-defense rights.

Everybody on the right rallied to the cause

– of defending George Zimmerman.

There’s Fox, Friends and Geraldo to the

rescue: it was the hoodie! And “look,

the Obama campaign is selling hoodies!

Why are they politicizing this, bringing race into this, dividing

people?” As they divide people. And, of course, the ever reliable Limbaugh:

“(Zimmerman) was being a little overzealous!” And then there’s Andrew

Breitbart’s heir apparent, self hating, anchor baby Michelle Malkin, posting

online a more pleasant, happy photo of Mr. Zimmerman, rather than the dour one

we are used to. But next to that

picture, by contrast and in order to advance the agenda, was supposedly a photo

of Trayvon Martin from his Facebook page, with lowered pants and hiked up boxer

shorts, gangster-style, giving the finger. Death penalty for him!

Of course, turns out, in true to the

Breitbart tradition, it was NOT a real picture of Martin, and, with or without

shame, was soon taken down.

But of course all of this is simply a

diversion for the real story, the big picture, The Master Plan.

Going back to 2005, about the time George

Zimmerman was punching cops and taking anger management courses, the “Stand

Your Ground” law was almost wholly written by the American Legislative Exchange

Council, (ALEC), a shady group cynically fueled by the Koch Brothers, major

corporations and such advocacy groups as the NRA. Fearful there weren’t enough

guns and shooting situations available, the NRA got their puppets in the

Florida legislature to pass “Stand Your Ground” and Jeb Bush to sign it.

Apparently to make sure he signed it properly, there was an NRA lobbyist Marion

Hammer standing over the governor’s shoulder as he did so.

Since then, dozens of Floridians have been

shot and some killed by individuals citing the “Stand Your Ground” law – i.e.,

if I feel threatened in public (not just in my house or car), I can take out my

trusty piece and “defend” myself. And

since then, dozens of other states have eagerly passed the same loophole ridden

law. In one case, Democratic Pennsylvania

governor Ed Rendell vetoed it. But his Republican successor, Tom Corbett,

signed it.

Elections have consequences.

Yes elections, those goddamn elections. Also

part of the Plan. And that is where the Citizens United comes in, perhaps the most

despicable and infamous 5-4 decision since Bobby Thomson’s homer beat the

Dodgers. Citizens United of course enables unlimited bucks to be poured into

elections by corporations, anonymously. Why? Because the corporations love

capitalism but hate actual democracy. Of course they want to elect Republican puppets

to local, state and national office, in order to effect (and write, thanks to

ALEC) laws that affect – or more specifically, don’t – affect them, get rid of

the pesky Democratic Party supporting unions, lower taxes for gizillionaires,

reduce government regulations that interfere with gizillionaires befouling the

air, running crappy coal mines or Gulf drilling rigs, more privatization of

services such as mail delivery, cops, prisons. Prisons, where scary punks of

color like Trayvon can be warehoused, as a service to states and funded by

taxes other people pay.

And so that brings us to the 99%’rs, the

“Occupiers”, who are wise to and fed up with the direction we are being taken

by the Koch Brothers, Karl Rove, the Supreme Court, the NRA, Exxon and the

other usual suspects. This is precisely what “Occupy” was bitching about, with

a lot more to bitch about every day, in fact, the many, many things represented

by the Trayvon case: ignorant or incompetent or corrupt authority, racism,

guns, corporate written laws.

It’s all there, and that is why the right

wing is desperate to manage the message.

Like pulling the thread on a cheap Chinese

made suit sold at Kohl’s, the consequences can be enormous. If the Trayvon Martin case makes people think

about “Stand Your Ground”, and how idiotic stalker Zimmerman is trying to hide

behind it, and how absurd it is to have a wild west atmosphere with guns guns

guns everywhere. And how crappy this and

other crazy draconian laws are (vaginal probes, union busting, voter

suppression, etc). This is a big deal, and

could easily get out of hand, what with Al Sharpton and everybody else talking

it up. And getting bigger.

The story has to be reframed - stat! Make Trayvon the perp, that’s

easy.

And, as always, as an added bonus – there’s

political hay to be made! Obama mourns black kids not white ones (well except

for Christina Taylor Green, the 9-year-old killed during the Gabbie Giffords

spree).

And so it has gone. Will it work? Not if

people in the 99% start to finally pay

attention. With this case, they just might. If folks see the bigger picture of

what this incident represents, then, the teenager in Sanford with so much

potential will not have died in vain.

Trayvon Martin may have punched us all in

the nose. Hopefully, if not before, it will get our attention now.