You just wasted hours of your life ...

if you watched the Zimmerman trial

The innocent often go to prison

I confess that I never pay attention to these sensational trials in America. For instance, I never watched a second of the O.J. Simpson trial that fascinated America in 1995, nor have I watched a second on this Zimmerman trial.

My brother, a well-educated man, watched every possible second of that O.J.  coverage. He could tell me every one of Marcia Clark's mistakes as prosecutor. 

I would just laugh and tell him that I already knew that O.J. was guilty. How? "Once O.J. started running away from police in his white Bronco, I knew. Would an innocent man go through such a stunt?"

Of course, even though I knew that O.J. was guilty, he was acquitted by a jury. Part of that had to do with his superb legal team, and part of it had to do with the jury being all-black. Race does matter on juries, which is why the lawyers attempt to be selective in picking one for a capital murder case.

So, I have not spent any time watching this George Zimmerman trial. I knew that Zimmerman was guilty because he was armed and was chasing an unarmed black man with a hood even though the 911 dispatcher told him not to. He was bent on a confrontation, so he went after the young man, who was somewhat stronger and more agile than he was. He was just dumb in doing that, and since he shot the man while trying to plead self-defense … he is probably guilty.

Zimmerman may be convicted of manslaughter, not murder, but he will not be convicted in Florida by an all-white jury. Race matters to juries ... remember? 

So, this should be an easy judgment for this jury. They will probably acquit, but this is complicated a little because Zimmerman did not have O.J.'s money and outstanding defensive team. 

If you think that our system of justice works in all situations, just look at this data from the Innocence Project: 142 people on death row have been exonerated over the past 40 years. Think of this: They were arrested by police and investigated by police and medical personnel; they were tried in a court of law in front of a judge and, most often, a jury; and they were found guilty. Yet, they were exonerated after spending 10, 20, or 30 years in prison for a crime that they did not commit.

<http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/innocence-list-those-freed-death-row> 

Zimmerman may be exonerated of murder, but he could conceivably be convicted of manslaughter … or he could be found innocent. In any event, he is going to have a terrible life in front of him. If acquitted, one side will hate him; if convicted, he will spend a few years in prison with some pretty miserable people.

Regardless of this, I thought that I knew that both of these guys were guilty before either of them went to trial ... but it would not matter. The justice system does not work on many occasions, so watching any trials like these is a waste of time.

You just wasted 20 or 30 or 50 hours of your life.