A Twinkie-type verdict in the Florida jury verdict of George Zimmerman?

One positive thing to be said for those people who will get worked up over the return Monday of Twinkie-brand snack cakes to the supermarkets – they’re probably not all worked up over the verdict related to George Zimmerman.


Add the Zimmerman verdict to the list of causes for which people protested in the shadow of the Picasso statue. Photograph by Gregory Tejeda

As you likely know by now, the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed a black teenager in a Florida residential complex was found not guilty late Saturday of all criminal charges. The jury seemed to believe he was defending himself to the point that not even lesser criminal charges were applicable.

SO ZIMMERMAN GOES free (for the time being). There are countless protests taking place across the country about the concept that a teenage boy could be shot to death without it in any way being considered criminal in nature.

Even the NY Post "gets" it

Locally, we had the noon-hour rally Sunday at the Daley Plaza, with another later at the Taste of Chicago – where the angry masses likely encountered an equally-large mass of people whose only concern was scarfing down as many overpriced samples of food as they could afford (those tickets aren’t cheap).

Personally, I’m not as worked up – largely because I anticipated this kind of verdict even before one bit of testimony was heard. And also, I didn’t bother to watch a single second of the trial – despite its being carried live (with constant repeats) on various cable news channels.

The local (and Chicago-owned) view

This was a case where way too many people made up their minds in advance. Nothing was going to sway the way they perceive this situation.

BE HONEST. IF Zimmerman had been convicted of even the lesser charges, we’d have a batch of southern, rural-mentality individuals inclined to want to take up this case as a crusade of their own.

We’d still have protests. Just different, less-melanin-affected, individuals taking part in them!

There still would be way too much nonsense talk filling the air these days.

As I already stated, I didn’t watch the trial at all. I really didn’t even read too much of the news coverage until right before trying to write this commentary.

SO I AM, to a degree, required to trust the judgment of the jury that actually sat through all of the testimony -- which is pretty much what President Barack Obama said Sunday. And as the Reuters wire service reported, one of the six jurors was a Latina who originally came from Chicago.

I’m sure she has her reasons for going along with all the other jurors (white women, if I comprehend correctly) in returning a “not guilty” verdict.

All I know is that it seems like from the very beginning of this case, the people who were most eager to defend Zimmerman were ones who were desperate to believe that, somehow, the black kid did something to bring his death upon himself.

Whether it’s some belief that the concept of “stand your ground” is something sacred (instead of something antiquated and obsolete), or perhaps just simple bigotry or ignorance, it seemed a bit off.

They're back!!!

TO THE POINT where I would hope those people have enough sense not to gloat. Because gloating over a dead teenager (which is the bottom line here) is just wrong. There is no real winner here – particularly if Zimmerman does wind up having to confront federal charges on the grounds that by killing him, he deprived  Trayvon Martin of his civil right to life!

Somehow, I don’t think the “pro-life” people (who really could care less about “life”) will be ready to take up this particular case. Although I wonder if the Statehouse types who last year tried pushing for a Florida-style law in Illinois will feel emboldened enough to try again come '14. Because I think most of us side with Gov, Pat Quinn, who on Sunday while appearing on CNN's Sunday morning "State of the Union" show, "We don't have it, and we don't want it."

I'd hope not. Because it would come across as gloating. And that's just tacky.

Almost as much as as those people who think that the return of Twinkies is some sort of big deal. As though we haven’t had an ample selection of junk food snack cakes to choose from during the few months that the Hostess brands were out of commission!

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