Day 14: No Rest For The Wicked

As I write this, it's 2 AM. Everyone else in my house is sound asleep and have been that way for awhile. The streets are silent, without so much as an occasional car passing by. But I can't sleep.

There's a reason for my sudden bout of insomnia. A few hours ago, a verdict was reached in the George Zimmerman trial. And to put it mildly, I'm disgusted.

I honestly don't understand how Zimmerman has been acquitted of the charges. Seriously. How? I understand self-defense and I understand (for the most part) the whole "Standing your ground" thing, but shouldn't it actually be YOUR ground if you're going to stand it? How can it possibly apply to someone who  physically chased down someone else who was doing nothing wrong, while a 911 dispatcher was literally screaming at him, pleading with him to stay in his house? How is it self-defense if you pick a fight with some kid who's walking down the street minding his own business? And moreover, how did a jury with six women, all of whom are mothers, not get that Zimmerman was in the wrong here, not the other way around? How would they have felt if it was one of their children who was killed? Why was it okay that it was Trayvon?

Here's the thing. I really want to leave the whole gun factor out of it here, but I just can't. I. Hate. Guns. I know, guns don't kill people, people kill people, but apparently when people kill people because they mistake Skittles for a weapon and dark skin and a hoodie for trouble, it's perfectly legal in the eyes of our justice system. Look, I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you are a responsible, sane person who likes to shoot targets for fun or feels better having a gun around (safely stored) because there is a small chance that someone might break into your house and you want to protect your family, I get it. By all means, have a gun. But Zimmerman wasn't protecting his house or family from an intruder. He was just some guy with a big ego and a gun, who was part of a neighborhood watch, and felt justified in his stupid, stupid actions. He chased someone down. He went looking for the problem. And then he shot the problem point-blank, straight through the heart. And yet tonight, he's a free man.

I don't get it, guys. I just don't get it.

In my opinion, this is the worst, most tragic decision by the United States Judicial system since the Casey Anthony verdict. Actually if you think about it, the situations are quite similar, because in both situations, an innocent child was killed and the people who murdered them get to return to the streets, to do God knows what to God knows who. Good job, United States Judicial system, if by 'good job' I mean failing us all enormously.

So tonight, while half of the world is rioting and the other half is on Twitter telling me that I'm overreacting, as I try to finally fall asleep, I'll pray for the family of Trayvon Martin. Because they are the ones who are going to need all of the prayers they can get. Not only are they never going to get their son back, but they will never have the hollow satisfaction that would have come with a just verdict. All they get is loss piled on top of more loss.

So someone please tell me, where's the justice in that??