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Dear
President Obama,
Your speech yesterday about the Zimmerman/Martin trial was one of the most destructive uses of presidential speech in American history. You monger hatred, betray your office, undermine the foundations of civil society, and endanger your own citizens.
George Zimmerman was found innocent by a jury of his peers. Nevertheless, he lives in hiding, with death threats.
You are uniquely positioned to give George Zimmerman his life back, and to defuse the lynch mob braying for Zimmerman's head.
You could have done that, President Obama. You could have restored faith in the jury system and law and order.
Not only did you pass up the chance to restore daily life to an innocent man, you added fuel to the fires of hate. You endangered your sacred charge, the United States of America. You made George Zimmerman less safe, and you made millions of others less safe. You condoned hate attacks.
"This is for Trayvon." Do you know, President Obama, how many of your citizens have been attacked while hearing those words? On July 15, in Baltimore, a crowd of African Americans, one wielding a gun, attacked an Hispanic male while shouting "This is for Trayvon." On July 14, a group of African American teens beat a Wisconsin man, shouting "This is for Trayvon." They broke the man's hand. There have been other attacks, including one on a 78 year old man.
You could have stopped these attacks, President Obama. You could have removed their justification. You could have saved future innocents from broken hands, crushed ribs, gunshots.
Instead, you justified these attacks. You provoked future attacks. You are a disgrace to your office.
Once the president of the United States writes off law and order and the jury system as unworthy, mob rule and lynching become justifiable.
You insisted that white supremacy was the guiding force of the event. In fact, George Zimmerman is himself of Native American and African ancestry. The percentage of his ancestry that is Caucasian is the same as yours, President Obama.
George Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer. He was working in concert with the police to prevent break-ins in private homes. He represented law and order and domestic peace.
The jury decided that Trayvon Martin attacked and was beating George Zimmerman, with the potential for that beating to be fatal. Rachel Jeantel reported that Martin attacked Zimmerman because Martin believed Zimmerman to be a "cracker" and a gay man. This was a bias attack. The bias was Martin's. You, President Obama, ignored all that, and insisted that white supremacy is the problem.
Detroit declared bankruptcy. Syria is in flames. Your administration is beleaguered by scandal: Benghazi, IRS, Associated Press. Edward Snowden reveals you to be a liar and an invader of American citizens' privacy. You are a violator of the fourth amendment against unlawful search and seizure.
Do you address any of these crises? No, in your naked narcissism you insist that YOU are Trayvon Martin, or could have been, when you were attending Punahou High School, one of the most elite high schools in the world. You, Trayvon Martin? Not likely, except in your narcissist fantasies.
The United States of America is a great country. One can only pray that at some point in your presidency you realize that there is something bigger at stake here than your puny self, and that you live up to the job you have been handed on a silver platter.
Your speech yesterday about the Zimmerman/Martin trial was one of the most destructive uses of presidential speech in American history. You monger hatred, betray your office, undermine the foundations of civil society, and endanger your own citizens.
George Zimmerman was found innocent by a jury of his peers. Nevertheless, he lives in hiding, with death threats.
You are uniquely positioned to give George Zimmerman his life back, and to defuse the lynch mob braying for Zimmerman's head.
You could have done that, President Obama. You could have restored faith in the jury system and law and order.
Not only did you pass up the chance to restore daily life to an innocent man, you added fuel to the fires of hate. You endangered your sacred charge, the United States of America. You made George Zimmerman less safe, and you made millions of others less safe. You condoned hate attacks.
"This is for Trayvon." Do you know, President Obama, how many of your citizens have been attacked while hearing those words? On July 15, in Baltimore, a crowd of African Americans, one wielding a gun, attacked an Hispanic male while shouting "This is for Trayvon." On July 14, a group of African American teens beat a Wisconsin man, shouting "This is for Trayvon." They broke the man's hand. There have been other attacks, including one on a 78 year old man.
You could have stopped these attacks, President Obama. You could have removed their justification. You could have saved future innocents from broken hands, crushed ribs, gunshots.
Instead, you justified these attacks. You provoked future attacks. You are a disgrace to your office.
Once the president of the United States writes off law and order and the jury system as unworthy, mob rule and lynching become justifiable.
You insisted that white supremacy was the guiding force of the event. In fact, George Zimmerman is himself of Native American and African ancestry. The percentage of his ancestry that is Caucasian is the same as yours, President Obama.
George Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer. He was working in concert with the police to prevent break-ins in private homes. He represented law and order and domestic peace.
The jury decided that Trayvon Martin attacked and was beating George Zimmerman, with the potential for that beating to be fatal. Rachel Jeantel reported that Martin attacked Zimmerman because Martin believed Zimmerman to be a "cracker" and a gay man. This was a bias attack. The bias was Martin's. You, President Obama, ignored all that, and insisted that white supremacy is the problem.
Detroit declared bankruptcy. Syria is in flames. Your administration is beleaguered by scandal: Benghazi, IRS, Associated Press. Edward Snowden reveals you to be a liar and an invader of American citizens' privacy. You are a violator of the fourth amendment against unlawful search and seizure.
Do you address any of these crises? No, in your naked narcissism you insist that YOU are Trayvon Martin, or could have been, when you were attending Punahou High School, one of the most elite high schools in the world. You, Trayvon Martin? Not likely, except in your narcissist fantasies.
The United States of America is a great country. One can only pray that at some point in your presidency you realize that there is something bigger at stake here than your puny self, and that you live up to the job you have been handed on a silver platter.
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