The Zimmerman Case: When Will It Be Over?

 Commentary by Lieutenant Colonel John Lewis Cook, USA (ret.)

Here’s a trivia question for you.  Who is George Howard?  Ever heard of him?  I didn’t think so.  He was a young black boy, 15 years old, gunned down on the streets of Chicago by another young  black, on February 27th, 2012.  This is the same day Trayvon Martin was killed.  That date, and the fact that both were black, is all they have in common.  Since that fateful day in February last year until today, 838 people have met a violent end on the mean streets of  Chicago.  Over 80% of the victims were black and most were young.  Here’s one more fact.  Most of the killers were also black.  This is the key to understanding the phony outrage caused by the Zimmerman verdict.  

So why didn’t you hear a single word about George Howard but couldn’t stop hearing about Trayvon Martin?  The answer, unfortunately, is all too easy.  George Howard was killed by another black so there was nothing there for professional race hustlers such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to exploit.  Trayvon, on the other hand, fit the script perfectly.  It was a dream come true for the Al & Jesse Show. He was killed by George Zimmerman,  who at first was identified as white.  That was enough for the professional blacks to swing into action.  Never mind that the local police department saw no reason to hold Zimmerman because the case, on its face, was self defense.  Very quickly pressure was applied to the Florida Attorney General and a “Special Prosecutor” was appointed.  When it was determined that Zimmerman was actually half Hispanic, it was too late for Jesse and Al to back out.  The narrative was simply changed from “white” to “white Hispanic,” and a new ethnic classification was born.  

The media, of course, ran with the story because it had one element the media loves to exploit, and that’s racism.  Finally, after festering for months, the case went to trial and Zimmerman was found not guilty.  That should have been the end of it, but it wasn’t.  Now, after listening to the liberal media for the past few days, it appears that there has been no trial and no verdict has been rendered.  The race hustlers have been busy waving the bloody shirt in Sanford, Florida, telling anyone one who listen that this shooting down of young black men has to stop!  And it must stop now!  This is outrageous and unacceptable!  

Seriously?  Are you telling me these professional race hustlers care about young black men gunned down in America?  Over 800 people murdered in Chicago since Trayvon was killed and none of these race baiters open their mouth about that.  Certainly not Jesse Jackson, who actually lives there, who should be outraged by the slaughter taking place in his home town.  Yet, if a white, or white Hispanic,  shoots a black a 1,000 miles away, Jesse is Johnnie on the spot.  So the question to ask is this.  Who is the racist here?    Do these people actually care about blacks getting killed?  Sadly, their outrage rings hollow.  Was Trayvon Martin really that much more valuable than George Howard?  Some 800 times as valuable?  Seriously?  Apparently he was because Trayvon, even in death, can be used by those who make a living by stoking the flames of racism.  For people like Al and Jessie, it’s simply business and this summer, business has been good.  

If the mainstream media had any integrity, they would point this out to the public.  Unfortunately, they have their own agenda as well, which reduces them to little more than hypocrites.   Meanwhile, back in Chicago, the George Howards, who really don’t matter to the professional racists,  keep getting gunned down night after night by blacks and there are no marches or demonstrations for them.   

And the President?  Where is he on this issue?  He’s on record for saying that “if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon.”  Well, why not George Howard, who was gunned down the same day Trayvon died?  After all, George Howard is from the President’s home town, Chicago, the same town Obama made his bones as a “community organizer.”    Why not pick him?  Could it be that no one in this whole sorry episode even knew George Howard ever lived, much less died?  Sadly, we will never know his story because the Zimmerman/Trayvon episode sucked all the oxygen out of the media.  As for Al and Jessie, they are not interested in George Howard because there’s nothing to spin or exploit there.  Just another black killed by another black.   And, in the end, that is the real tragedy here.    

About the Author

Lieutenant Colonel John Lewis Cook, United States Army (Retired), “served as the Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Interior in Kabul, Afghanistan, with responsibility for developing the force structure for the entire Afghan National Police.  As of 2012, this force totals 157,000.  From March 2008 until August 2012, his access and intimate associations with all levels of the Afghan government and coalition forces have provided him with an unprecedented insight into the policies which will determine the outcome of the war.  It is this insight, coupled with his contacts and associations throughout Afghanistan that form the basis of Afghanistan: The Perfect Failure.

Click to read more about Lt. Colonel John Lewis Cook