THOSE NASTY LITTLE THINGS CALLED FACTS – AT 9:14 A.M. ET:  I do hope that some of the mature minds in the mainstream media – both of them – are reflecting on their profession's behavior in the Trayvon Martin case.  When the story first broke, the press went nuts, convicting shooter George Zimmerman before a single relevant fact was known.

Now the real evidence is coming out, and the picture looks very, very different.  What is being released powerfully supports the defense case.  It makes a mockery of the prosecution's.  From the Washington Post, which is still trying to salvage what it can of the politically correct version: 

Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin from a very close range, according to documents a Florida prosecutor released Thursday that indicate a hand-to-hand struggle occurred before the teenager was killed.

A lab report, based on an examination of the two sweatshirts Martin was wearing, found holes and gunshot residue consistent with a “contact shot,” meaning the gun was pressed against Martin’s chest. An autopsy report said that the gunshot wound indicated he was shot from an “intermediate range,” which experts say is between one and 18 inches away.

That, plus a released medical report showing wounds on Zimmerman consistent with a beating, support Zimmerman's contention that Martin attacked him, and that he was down when he pulled out his gun and shot Martin in self-defense.

It is unclear how the new documents might bolster or undermine the state’s case against Zimmerman, who has a Peruvian mother and a white father.

You can laugh at that last sentence.  I did.

The information includes laboratory reports that show Martin’s blood had traces of THC, a chemical that is found in marijuana. Toxicology reports also found blood under Martin’s fingernails, Zimmerman’s blood on Martin’s sweatshirt and Martin’s blood on Zimmerman’s red jacket.

COMMENT:  This is important because I fear we're heading for another O.J. Simpson situation, where an intimidated jury could hand down an absurd verdict – in this case finding Zimmerman guilty of murder.   The O.J. Simpson case caused ridicule to be heaped on the justice system, as the evidence against Simpson, acquitted by a racially charged jury, was overwhelming.  We can have the same thing here with a guilty verdict.  And yet the politically correct crowd pushes on.

May 18, 2012