DOJ Announces No Civil Rights Charges Against George Zimmerman in Shooting Death of Trayvon Martin

In the end, Eric Holder’s Department of Justice will not file civil rights charges against George Zimmerman.

The Department of Justice will not be filing charges against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Try as they might to to charge Zimmerman in this politically motivated sham of a DOJ investigation, it turns out they had nothing. Zimmerman was originally charged with the first degree murder of Trayvon Martin as many irresponsible individuals stated it was racially motivated and a hate crime. The “white” Hispanic killed a black teen.  Even though the feds had intimated that there would be no charges filed, federal officials have insisted their civil-rights probe would be thorough and complete as it went on for nearly three years. After all is said and done, after the liberal MSM and Obama/Holder Justice Department tried to railroad Zimmerman, he walks away with an acquittal and no civil rights charges. That usually occurs when one kills another in a self defense shooting. As Legal Insurrection opined, “This decision comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with the actual facts of the case.” Imagine that Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Barack Obama, Eric Holder, NBPP, NAACP and the rest of the race-baiters, George Zimmerman did not violate Trayvon Martin’s civil rights or kill him because of his color.

Local prosecutors initially did not feel there was enough evidence to prosecute the case. They were replaced and a politically motivated prosecution was conducted to get their pound of flesh from George Zimmerman. The murder prosecution failed, not the federal investigation into civil rights charges against Zimmerman has failed. One has to wonder if a civil law suit is next? However, I would have to agree with Robert Zimmerman,  a wrongful death trial, could be very troubling to the family of Trayvon Martin and could lead to very unpleasant facts that were never a part of the criminal trial.

VIDEO – CNN

ABC News – Trayvon Martin: DOJ Announces No Charges Against George Zimmerman.

Justice Department officials met with Martin’s family today, and were told that they will not be filing charges against George Zimmerman, who shot the 17-year-old after a confrontation in 2012. Thursday marks three years to the day since Martin was killed.

Federal prosecutors concluded there is not sufficient evidence to prove Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman in Sanford, Fla., intentionally violated Martin’s civil rights.

“Although the department has determined that this matter cannot be prosecuted federally, it is important to remember that this incident resulted in the tragic loss of a teenager’s life,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division said. “Our decision not to pursue federal charges does not condone the shooting that resulted in the death of Trayvon Martin and is based solely on the high legal standard applicable to these cases.” The case sparked intense discussions over race in America because Martin was walking to his home with only Skittles and an iced tea in his hands.

Florida prosecutors tried to convict Zimmerman of state-level murder and manslaughter charges, but in July 2013 a jury acquitted him, saying prosecutors didn’t have enough evidence to prove their case.

UPDATE I: Federal Officials Close Investigation Into Death of Trayvon Martin.

Shortly after Zimmerman’s acquittal in state court on July 13, 2013, federal investigators resumed active investigation.  Federal investigators reviewed all of the material and evidence generated by the state of Florida in connection with its investigation and prosecution of Zimmerman, including witness statements, crime scene evidence, cell phone data, ballistics reports, reconstruction analysis, medical and autopsy reports, depositions, and the trial record.  Federal investigators also independently conducted 75 witness interviews and obtained and reviewed the contents of relevant electronic devices.  The investigation included an examination of police reports and additional evidence that was generated related to encounters Zimmerman has had with law enforcement in Florida since the state trial acquittal.  In addition, federal authorities retained an independent biomechanical expert who assessed Zimmerman’s descriptions of the struggle and the shooting.

The federal investigation sought to determine whether the evidence of the events that led to Martin’s death were sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman’s actions violated the federal criminal civil rights statutes, specifically Section 3631 of Title 42 of the U.S. Code or Section 249 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, as well as other relevant federal criminal statutes.  Section 3631 criminalizes willfully using force or threat of force to interfere with a person’s federally protected housing rights on account of that person’s race or color.  Section 249 criminalizes willfully causing bodily injury to a person because of that person’s actual or perceived race.  Courts define “willfully” to require proof that a defendant knew his acts were unlawful, and committed those acts in open defiance of the law.  It is one of the highest standards of intent imposed by law.

The federal investigation examined whether Zimmerman violated civil rights statutes at any point during his interaction with Martin, from their initial encounter through the fatal shooting.  This included investigating whether there is evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman violated Section 3631 by approaching Martin in a threatening manner before the fatal shooting because of Martin’s race and because he was using the residential neighborhood.  Investigators also looked at whether there is evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman violated Section 3631 or Section 249, by using force against Martin either during their struggle or when shooting Martin, because of Martin’s race.

“Although the department has determined that this matter cannot be prosecuted federally, it is important to remember that this incident resulted in the tragic loss of a teenager’s life,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division.  “Our decision not to pursue federal charges does not condone the shooting that resulted in the death of Trayvon Martin and is based solely on the high legal standard applicable to these cases.”

Eric Holder’s DOJ to Drop Civil Rights Charges Brought Against Officer Darren Wilson in Shooting Death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO

Imagine this, FBI investigation finds no evidence to support the trumped up, political, race baiting charges against police officer Darren Wilson.

The New York Times is reporting that the Eric Holder Department of Justice will drop the civil rights charges against Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. DOJ lawyers will recommend that no civil rights charges be brought against officer Wilson in the shooting death of black teenager Michael Brown. The FBI investigation has concluded what all normal thinking, non-race baiting individuals knew from the outset of this story, there was no evidence to support the trumped up charges. Remember when the DOJ told Ferguson police officers they could not wear bracelets in support of officer Wilson? Support for an officer that was guilty of nothing.

But, the Ferguson, Mo police department remains in the cross-hairs of the DOJ.

VIDEO – CNN

Justice Department lawyers will recommend that no civil rights charges be brought against the police officer who fatally shot an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Mo., after an F.B.I. investigation found no evidence to support charges, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and his civil rights chief, Vanita Gupta, will have the final say on whether the Justice Department will close the case against the officer, Darren Wilson. But it would be unusual for them to overrule the prosecutors on the case, who are still working on a legal memo explaining their recommendation.

A decision by the Justice Department would bring an end to the politically charged investigation of Mr. Wilson in the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. The Missouri authorities concluded their investigation into Mr. Brown’s death in November and also recommended against charges.

After the Ferguson grand jury decided not to bring criminal charges against officer Wilson, Eric Holder went to Ferguson, Mo to fan the flames of racism and racial divide. Holder announced that his DOJ would investigate Wilson on civil rights charges, because the vigilante, race-baiting crowd wanted their scalp. Holder said that the Justice Department’s investigation into Mr. Brown’s death would be independent from the one conducted by the local authorities. The race-baiter in Chief, Barack Obama said  after St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch announced the grand jury’s decision, “I have done what the Missouri judicial system and even my own Justice Department failed to do in order to right this wrong.”

What will the reaction be from Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, the NAACP, NBPP and Barack Obama? Will Eric Holder make a public statement and apologize for destroying the reputation of a fine police officer just because of his color?

Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2015 … One Day We “Will One Day Live in a Nation Where They Will not be Judged by the Color of their Skin but by the Content of their Character”

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY – 2015 ... Continuing in our pursuit of “The Dream”.

Once again we meet on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2015 and are asked to reflect on “The Dream” and the fact that we as a Nation have come a long way since the 1960′s. I personally make it a point every MLK day to listen to the words of the slain Civil Rights leader and his “I Have a Dream” speech and reflect on what it means and where we are today with that dream. Make no mistake about it America, we are a much better country for Martin Luther King Jr’s dream.  The United States of America has come a long way. Do not let anyone ever tell you we have not. However, “The Dream” is much like being a Christian or life in general. You don’t just all of a sudden say, okay, I have reached my goal and nothing more is needed. Have we come a long way, yes. However, does that mean we have much more to do and always will, you betcha!

The greatness of MLK Jr’s message is that it is for all people, not just one to blacks and another to whites. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, and it was one of inclusion that we “will not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character”. Do not let any one else try and interpret that dream for you. Never let those with an agenda that is so far from “The Dream” to make you feel less or call you something that you are not. It is sad to witness today that those that are considered Civil Rights activists are more about race hustling and division, than they are about “The Dream”.  Martin Luther King Jr. was correct, it is never about the color of one’s skin, it is always about the content of one’s character. Always! Do not ever forget, it is always about character. Those who would highjack “The Dream” for their own self-serving purposes and agenda and try to divide us do America a disservice and do a disservice to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King – I Have A Dream Speech – August 28, 1963

January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968

Full text of MLK Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, can be read here.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

[...]

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

UPDATE I: 7 speeches by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that stand the test of time (Video).

Islamist Terror Attack in Paris France … 12 Killed at French Satirical Magazine Charlie Hebdo (VIDEO of Attack)(Update: Shouted “Allahu Akbar!”)

Islamist Terror Attack in Paris France …

Eleven people are dead and 5 in critical condition after a terrorist attack at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.  This is the same magazine that was fire-bombed in November 2011 a day after it carried a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad.The attack took place at 11.30 am local time as two black-hooded individuals  entered the building with assault rifles and opened fire. The terror suspects who committed this heinous act are on the loose and a massive manhunt is underway.

This was not a lone wolf attack, this was an orchestrated terror attack on a media organization with a getaway plan. This was not a terrorist suicide attack looking to end up with 72 virgins. The training these men appear to have had is startling. Political correctness kills folks, get tough on terrorists or else.

Gunmen have attacked the Paris office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people and injuring seven in an apparent Islamist attack.

At least two masked attackers opened fire with assault rifles in the office and exchanged shots with police in the street outside before escaping by car.

The gunmen shouted “we have avenged the Prophet Muhammad”, witnesses say.

President Francois Hollande said there was no doubt it had been a terrorist attack “of exceptional barbarity”.

A major police operation is under way in the Paris area to catch the killers.

ABC NEWS Video – 12 Dead in “cowardly attack”. 

UPDATE I:  12 dead after gun attack at French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

Twelve people are confirmed dead, 10 from the  Charlie Hebdo magazine and 2 police officers.

A huge manhunt is underway in Paris after at least 12 people were killed and seven others injured in a shooting at the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Police said two of those killed were police officers and that four of the wounded are in a critical condition.

Witness Benoit Bringer said the attack started at 11.30 am local time: “Two black-hooded men entered the building with Kalashnikovs (automatic assault rifles). A few minutes later we heard lots of shots.” He added the men were then seen fleeing the building.

Other reports spoke of three or four gunmen, who made off in a car which may have been hijacked, hitting a pedestrian as they drove.

President Francois Hollande called it “an act of barbarism”. He added: “This is a terrorist attack, there is no doubt about it.”

The government said it was raising France’s security level to the highest notch and the prime minister’s office confirmed extra security has been put in place at official buildings and media offices.

UPDATE II: VIDEO of attack:

VIDEO – Reuters

Reuters:

Hooded gunmen stormed the Paris offices of a weekly satirical magazine known for lampooning radical Islam, killing at least 12 people, including two police officers in the worst militant attack on French soil in recent decades.

One of the men was captured on video shouting “Allah!” as four shots rang out. Two assailants were then seen calmly leaving the scene.

In another clip on Television station iTELE, they are heard shouting: “We have killed Charlie Hebdo. We have avenged the Prophet Mohammad.”

UPDATE III: The UK Telegraph – Paris Charlie Hebdo attack: (LIVE – VIDEO):

13.56 Charlie Hebdo cartoonist has told a French newspaper of the moment he encountered the two attackers as they entered the office.

The gunmen apparently said: “We’re al-Qaeda”:

Quote I had gone to get my daughter at nursery.

When I arrived in front of the door of the building of the paper, two men hooded and armed brutally threatened us.

They wanted to come in, go up. I pressed in the code.

They shot on Wolinski, Cabu… it lasted 5 minutes… I had hidden under my desk… they spoke French perfectly… they said they we’re al-Qaeda.

UPDATE IV: VIDEO (Warning) Check out these sick SOB’s as they shoot and kill a wounded police officer on the side walk.

More VIDEOS can be seen at TWS.

25th Year Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall … Nov. 9, 1989

It is hard to believe it has been 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall …

Nov. 9, 1989, 25 years later and it seems like yesterday I can remember watching the news of the German people hammering, chiseling and tearing down the Berlin Wall, symbolizing the freedom of the East German people and the defeat of Communism. Thousands of East Berliners poured into West Berlin and freedom.  It was a moment in history that you remember where you were when you saw the images of the fall of Communism and the rise of freedom. It is a forever remembered moment in history for the world, not just Germany. The people celebrated in the streets, as Germans shed their hammers and sickles for hammers and chisels and brought the wall down forever.

White balloons spanning a stretch of the former death strip floated over hundreds of thousands of revelers in the German capital on Sunday, culminating a day of celebrations to mark 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

More than 300,000 people gathered in Berlin to watch a light installation of 8,000 helium balloons tracing a nine-mile stretch be released into the night sky, police said. The illuminated balloons snaked past historic locations such as Checkpoint Charlie as part of a celebration that included music and fireworks at the city’s Brandenburg Gate—a location once circumvented by the wall.

Speaking earlier in the day, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the fall of the Berlin Wall proof that dreams could come true during a ceremony to mark the event’s 25th anniversary. She added that its collapse offered hope to regions where “freedom and human rights are threatened or even trampled on.”

For days, celebrations throughout Germany have been commemorating the opening of the East German border on Nov. 9, 1989. The breaching of the border heralded the collapse of the Communist system and led to German reunification less than a year later.

The Iconic Photo of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

National Geographic on the Berlin Wall, pretty good documentary.

The Guardian: A city undivided: the fall of the Berlin Wall commemorated 25 years on.

This year’s commemoration of the fall of the Iron Curtain may also feel more poignant because there is a palpable sense that peace in Europe in 2014 is more fragile than it was at the 20th anniversary in 2009.

In her speech at the wall memorial on Bernauer Strasse on Saturday afternoon, Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, had explicitly emphasized the geopolitical resonances of the event, instead of indulging in personal reminiscences.

“We have the strength to shape things, to turn things from bad to good, that is the message of the fall of the wall,” she said. “These days, that message is directed at Ukraine, Syria, Iraq and many, many other regions in the world.”

Let us never forget what real leadership looks like. Where US President Ronald Wilson Reagan not only went to Berlin, Germany on June 12, 1987 and gave his famous speech when he uttered those famous words  that would eventually come true … “Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall,” but also helped bring about the fall of Communism. Wow, imagine that, a president with a spine and resolve to effectuate real change that brought liberty to millions, not one apologizing for America’s actions. A president that looked to unify people, not divide them. A president that looked to end Communism, not partake in it. God bless Ronald Reagan. These days we can only say, what a novel concept.

President Ronald Reagan – Speech at the Brandenburg Gate – West Berlin, Germany – June 12, 1987:

Chancellor Kohl, Governing Mayor Diepgen, ladies and gentlemen: Twenty-four years ago, President John F. Kennedy visited Berlin, speaking to the people of this city and the world at the City Hall. Well, since then two other presidents have come, each in his turn, to Berlin. And today I, myself, make my second visit to your city.

We come to Berlin, we American presidents, because it’s our duty to speak, in this place, of freedom. But I must confess, we’re drawn here by other things as well: by the feeling of history in this city, more than 500 years older than our own nation; by the beauty of the Grunewald and the Tiergarten; most of all, by your courage and determination. Perhaps the composer Paul Lincke understood something about American presidents. You see, like so many presidents before me, I come here today because wherever I go, whatever I do: Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin. [I still have a suitcase in Berlin.]

In the 1950s, Khrushchev predicted: “We will bury you.” But in the West today, we see a free world that has achieved a level of prosperity and well-being unprecedented in all human history. In the Communist world, we see failure, technological backwardness, declining standards of health, even want of the most basic kind–too little food. Even today, the Soviet Union still cannot feed itself. After these four decades, then, there stands before the entire world one great and inescapable conclusion: Freedom leads to prosperity. Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace. Freedom is the victor.

And now the Soviets themselves may, in a limited way, be coming to understand the importance of freedom. We hear much from Moscow about a new policy of reform and openness. Some political prisoners have been released. Certain foreign news broadcasts are no longer being jammed. Some economic enterprises have been permitted to operate with greater freedom from state control.

Are these the beginnings of profound changes in the Soviet state? Or are they token gestures, intended to raise false hopes in the West, or to strengthen the Soviet system without changing it? We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace.

General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!