Blame A Draconian Law

George Zimmerman

George Zimmerman is a free man after a Florida jury decided against convicting him on second degree murder or manslaughter charges.    I wouldn't have had it play out that way, but I respect the verdict for several reasons.    He was the only surviving witness to a struggle that ended in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.     The jury apparently found him credible enough, but I wonder if some of Zimmerman's actions may have made him more criminally liable for this tragedy.   I believe some of Zimmerman's actions were avoidable, including ignoring the caution of a police dispatcher, which is probably why the jury asked for clarification on the manslaughter option.     If there were no proven "ill will, spite or hatred", why is the Florida manslaughter law mandating 30 years in prison almost as severe as that for second degree murder?     In this case, the jury had little choice.    The justice system worked because the prosecution failed to prove its case, but that's not the only reason.    I believe George Zimmerman should have faced some penalty, but the manslaughter sentence was too harsh.     Blame Florida lawmakers for that, not the court.      Finally, I just want to say how on target President Obama was with his heartfelt remarks on race in America and this trial in particular.    The fact that he waited this long to sound off on the topic shows him to be a President for all Americans who just happens to be black.    Senator McCain was right: it was "impressive."    If the Martin family has some success in a civil suit and the streets stay nonviolent, there will eventually be a measure of justice for Trayvon.

Radio Respite Over

At Sailfest New London

My self-imposed exile from local radio lasted a little under five months, thanks to a call from the folks at Hall Communications in Norwich, owners and operators of 97.7 WCTY, 98.7 WNLC, 100.9 WKNL and 1310 WICH.     Many faces and voices there are quite familiar to me.   VP/Programming Jim Reed and many other staffers were also there when I worked weekends on WICH back in 1990.   Yes, the Hall Group is a remarkably stable place.   Just since my first fill-in on WICH News over a week ago, I've done my first country show ever on WCTY and put in an appearance on the recently launched "100.9 Roxy FM" (WKNL) during their Sailfest New London broadcast.   While the harbor fog put a damper on Sailfest fireworks, I was impressed at how smoothly the station handled the fireworks music simulcast on Roxy.    To this day, I still get nervous when I'm not yet familiar with new procedures.   I had little reason to be, given the supportive reaction from management and other air personalities there.    They really made me feel welcome.   I guess I'm back in radio for awhile!     

So Near Yet So Far

Explosions in Lac-Megantic, Quebec

This past weekend, American cable news networks ran wall to wall coverage of the plane crash of a Korean airliner at San Francisco airport.    That type of breaking news coverage is most certainly warranted.     Meanwhile, in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, a runaway train loaded with oil derailed and produced explosions and fires large enough to devastate the center of this small lakeside town.    Over 2,000 people in the town of 6,000 were evacuated, at least a dozen were killed with dozens more missing.    If you were watching most television news over the weekend, you probably had little or no idea about the Quebec disaster unless you saw a sentence in a crawler at the bottom of your screen as the San Francisco crash aftermath played out in great detail.    Why was one story that much more important than the other?    Lac-Megantic is ten miles from Maine.   The train involved was owned by an American company.   Maine lent firefighting assistance.   Many New England families have deep French Canadian roots.    Does a plane crash at the doorstep of a major U.S. market mean better ratings?    Don't American news networks have coverage arrangements with their Canadian media counterparts?    For a "foreign" news story, it can't get closer to home than this.    I may have Canada on my radar than most Americans, but I can't help but think that CNN, Fox, MSNBC and even New England Cable News executives feel viewers on this side of the border care that little about what goes on over there.    Ignorance about the rest of our world is very dangerous.  

A Tour Through History

Monuments are everywhere

A week on a cruise ship, beach or perhaps a campground may be the ultimate getaway for many people, but I prefer exploring lots of different places on the road.    Tourism through history is my favorite vacation, and no destination focuses on that theme more than Gettysburg, PA.   That's where I went in the summer of 1993.   That year marked the 130th anniversary of this pivotal Civil War battle which lasted three days in July and arguably marked the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.   A visit to this well-preserved expanse of American history left me with the distinct impression of the hell the combatants on both sides endured in a struggle that could have gone either way.    Beyond the horrific medical care, the idea of wearing scratchy wool uniforms in blistering heat would have been enough to drive me out of my mind.    Gettysburg exacted a huge price, providing a history lesson that applies just as much on its 150th anniversary as the day Lincoln gave his memorable address months after a battle that was still in the process of being cleaned up.    Deer now graze in the tranquil field where Pickett's Charge turned the bloody tide of battle, but the legacy of Gettysburg should never be sanitized.