Autopsy results seem to support George Zimmerman's account

Some of the autopsy results in the Trayvon Martin case have been released. They show that Trayvon Martin had two injuries. The first was the gunshot wound. The second injury was to his knuckles.

If George Zimmerman’s account of the incident is true, then Martin’s knuckles were likely injured while he was busy breaking George Zimmerman’s nose, giving him two black eyes, or slamming his head into the sidewalk. Here’s a point to ponder: If George Zimmerman started the altercation, then where are the injuries on Trayvon Martin?

This week’s issue of Newsweek features a photo of Barack Obama with a rainbow halo and a headline proclaiming him as the “First Gay President.”. Of course, Barack Obama isn’t gay, it’s just Newsweek’s way of shocking people and grabbing headlines. I guess they’re not confident in the quality of their writing, and decided to use tabloid techniques to sell magazines.

It could also be a reaction to Time Magazine, which decided to place a picture of a woman breast feeding her child. That alone would be questionable, but when you take into account that the child was pretty big in comparison to his mother, it seemed very strange. Actually, sick is probably a better word.

For me, the topic of the articles isn’t the question. It’s their need to sensationalize articles in order to grab attention in a way that is unrelated to the story. As these techniques continue, the line between news magazines and publications such as The National Enquirer will continue to blur, and journalistic integrity will continue to deteriorate.

A very big kid breast feeds on the cover of Time Magazine.

Trayvon Martin

When I first heard about Trayvon Martin’s death, I was stunned. How could a kid walking to a convenience store for an iced tea and a bag of Skittles be killed? From the initial reports, Martin was killed by George Zimmerman, who appeared to be a loose cannon. Why would he murder a kid buying a snack? Was Trayvon Martin profiled because he was a black teenager? There were lots of questions that needed answering, including why George Zimmerman wasn’t charged and arrested for murdering Trayvon Martin. Of course, a funny thing happened on the way to answering those questions: The truth began to leak out.

According to early reports, it appeared that Martin was targeted by a racist white man. Well, George Zimmerman isn’t white. He’s hispanic, identifies himself as hispanic, and has almost the same skin color as Barack Obama, who said that Trayvon Martin resembles what his own son might have looked like. To this point, there’s also no evidence that Zimmerman has a history of racist behavior.

By now, we’ve also seen pictures of Martin which were probably taken a few years ago, rather than recent photos. Trayvon Martin was a man, and not the boy portrayed by many in the media. Keep this in mind when you read about how Trayvon Martin followed George Zimmerman as he walked back to his truck, punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground, then repeatedly slammed Zimmerman’s head against the sidewalk. Not only did Zimmerman have injuries which required medical attention, but witnesses corroborated his story.

Since Martin’s death, the media have done a great job of turning it into a story about race. The finishing touches are visits by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who never miss an opportunity to use a tragedy for personal gain.

Besides race, liberals have used this opportunity to attack Republicans. First was their criticism of the “Stand Your Ground” law, which allows people to defend themselves rather than flee. Some liberals have blamed former Florida Governor Jeb Bush for signing the bill into law. After all, why not take an opportunity to blame a Republican for a death, if you can? Not surprisingly, these liberals ignored one tiny fact: The bill passed the Florida House overwhelmingly, and the Senate unanimously? I think that’s called bipartisan support. I’d also like to add another inconvenient fact for liberals: George Zimmerman is a registered Democrat.

From the New Black Panther Party putting a bounty on George Zimmerman’s head, to racist t-shirts, degenerates like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and clueless celebrities attempting to post his Zimmerman’s address, there’s no doubt that there is no desire to consider the other side of the story.

George Zimmerman has been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion, and nothing but a guilty verdict will suffice. Let’s hope that any on-going investigations are completed without political or media influence

Chris Christie orders flags flown at half-staff to honor singer Whitney Houston.

Phyllis McGeath’s son Phillip, who was a Marine, was killed in Afghanistan four weeks ago. In order to honor him, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ordered flags to be flown at half-staff. Recently, Christie also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for pop singer Whitney Houston. The same honor for a Marine killed in the line of duty while serving his country, and a washed-up, drug-addicted pop singer. Something’s wrong here.

Ms. McGeath was understandably upset by the similar honor:

“Nothing against Ms. Houston because she was a beautiful singer and I was a fan for years,” McGeath said.

But, “It was like putting them on the same level. And I know how my son lived. And I know through the media how Ms. Houston lived,” she said

Chris Christie responded with a rather weak response, which he probably hoped would cover-up his publicity-seeking position, by calling Houston a, “daughter of New Jersey.”

Chris Christie is correct in pointing out that Whitney Houston grew up in New Jersey. With that said, there were probably several people who died today who have lived in New Jersey for 70, 80, or 90 years. They might have contributed greatly to their communities and helped countless citizens. Those people are also sons and daughters of New Jersey. Where is their tribute? How are these sons and daughters of New Jersey different from Whitney Houston? Celebrity, plain and simple.

Something is wrong when society grants honors to pop singers it would never think of giving to a doctor, police officer, or firefighter.

As for Newt, a picture says a thousand words. This one speaks volumes.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen more and more candidates invoke the memory of President Ronald Reagan. I don’t blame them for admiring Reagan’s accomplishments, but I do often question their sincerity. Are these candidates simply sharing thoughts about their fondness for Reagan, or is it solely a transparent method of trying to ride the coattails of a man they may not really identify with?

This has been going on a while, but it has been Newt Gingrich’s frequent mentions of Reagan during debates that have annoyed me. To hear Gingrich tell it, he and Reagan were rather close, and shared credit for some of the accomplishments of the Reagan Presidency.

Upon hearing Gingrich’s boasts for the first time, I was taken by surprise. How would a fairly young Congressman with little seniority actually gain so much power in the Reagan Administration? Well, it turns out he didn’t.

Since Newt Gingrich’s win in South Carolina, members of the Reagan Administration have come forward to refute Gingrich’s wild claims. Others have pointed to times where Gingrich criticized Reagan on several occassions.

When it comes to flip-flopping and getting creative with the truth, Newt’s only competitor might be Mitt Romney.

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, two of the greatest players of all-time, never reached 3,000 hits

I know people are tripping over themselves in an effort to heap accolades on the New York Yankees Derek Jeter after his 3,000th hit. The worst part was the tendency for the media to constantly point out that he’s the only Yankee to ever attain 3,000 hits. Let me just point out one thing: 3,000 hits or not, Jeter isn’t in the same class as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, or Mickey Mantle.

After Jeter’s accomplishment, I checked out the list of career hit leaders. Here’s a list of the 28 men who reached 3,000 hits:

1. Pete Rose 4256
2. Ty Cobb 4189
3. Hank Aaron 3771
4. Stan Musial 3630
5. Tris Speaker 3514
6. Cap Anson 3435
7. Honus Wagner 3420
8. Carl Yastrzemski 3419
9. Paul Molitor 3319
10. Eddie Collins 3315
11. Willie Mays 3283
12. Eddie Murray 3255
13. Nap Lajoie 3242
14. Cal Ripken 3184
15. George Brett 3154
16. Paul Waner 3152
17. Robin Yount 3142
18. Tony Gwynn 3141
19. Dave Winfield 3110
20. Craig Biggio 3060
21. Rickey Henderson 3055
22. Rod Carew 3053
23. Lou Brock 3023
24. Rafael Palmeiro 3020
25. Wade Boggs 3010
26. Al Kaline 3007
27. Derek Jeter 3003
28. Roberto Clemente 3000

When you look at that list, are you surprised? There are some great players on that list, but there are some players that I wouldn’t consider among the greats. Excellent player, but not great players. In that list, I would include, George Brett, Robin Yount, Al Kaline, Craig Biggio, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, Paul Molitor, and Derek Jeter. For many, 3,000 hits was the result of longevity mixed in with some strong years, not greatness.

If you think I’m wrong, then consider that Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, and Ted Williams are not on that list. Are the members of the 3,000 hit club somehow superior? I don’t think so, especially when you consider that some players missed substantial at-bats. For example, Babe Ruth was a pitcher who had limited at-bats early in his career, while Ted Williams missed a few years while serving our country as a fighter pilot.

Remember: Round numbers like 3,000 don’t always tell the whole story.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo

Finally, New York voted to legalize gay marriage yesterday. It’s a development that has been a long time coming, and should further embolden those who are seeking marriage equality.

“We made a powerful statement. This state is at its finest when it is a beacon of social justice,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Of course, not everyone agreed. Here are some words of wisdom from the Catholic Bishops of New York:

“We always treat our homosexual brothers and sisters with respect, dignity and love,” the bishops said Friday. “We worry that both marriage and the family will be undermined by this tragic presumption of government in passing this legislation that attempts to redefine these cornerstones of civilization.”

Marriage and family will be undermined? Redefining the cornerstones of civilization? I might be wrong, but marriage is a social construction. When society changes, isn’t it normal for its institutions to also change in order to accommodate new view points? In essence, the Catholic Church is arguing that marriage should be limited to men and women because that’s the way it has always been. That seems rather simplistic to me.

At one point, interracial marriage was illegal in many places. Does the Catholic Church have a problem with this? After all, they don’t like making changes. It could “undermine” society and damage the “cornerstones of civilization.”

Here’s my view: If you don’t agree with gay marriage, then don’t marry someone of the same sex. Just because your opposed doesn’t mean other individuals should suffer. After all, will two men or two women getting married affect your life? I don’t think so.

I wonder if the Kool Aid man eats Deep Fried Kool Aid?

Just when you thought you’ve seen everything, you get surprised again. It seems like everyone is talking about Deep Fried Kool-Aid. That’s right, Kool-Aid! A man named Chicken Charlie invented the new culinary delight, which he began selling at county fairs. I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll pass.

American Silver Eagle

In the past two or three years, there have been a lot of events that should have served as wake-up calls for politicians and public officials. Another one of these events happened recently when Utah passed a law to encourage individuals to accept U.S. gold and silver bullion coins for their weights, rather than their nominal value. For example, the American Silver Eagle is a one dollar coin, but with the current spot price of silver at $38 per ounce, it is also worth $38.

There are a lot of people concerned about the economy, from survivalists who are waiting for a complete economic collapse, to those expecting slightly greater than usual inflation. Personally, I’m not expecting a massive collapse, but I am expecting increasing inflation and an erosion of the dollar’s value as the presses keep rolling. Making it more convenient to use gold and silver is a good thing which might encourages individuals to diversify their wealth.