The Labors of Social Ostracization

IT’S ALIVE! IT’S ALIVE! IT’S ALIVE!

“Osterman’s book and TV spot, although well-intentioned, are ill-timed and done without input and NOT approved by the defense.”

So said a recent @gzlegalcase Tweet from the George Zimmerman Legal Case website in response to the release of Mark & Sondra Osterman’s book, Defending our Friend: the Most Hated Man in America. Mark and his wife are the Zimmermans’ closest friends. Mark considers George his brother. It’s much more than just a mere bromance. From Dr. Phil’s interview:

“George had pure ideals, a nobility of character that I admired. I kind of wanted to be like him,” Mark says. “When I first heard that George had shot someone else, I was extremely shocked. I know that it would have been the absolute last resort.”

I sense a rather strange relationship between Mark O’Mara and his client. I’m certain that the attorney begged his ticket to fame and fortune to refrain from going on The Sean Hannity Show to spill the latest version of his face-to-face with Trayvon Martin. I think Osterman, Zimmerman’s own personal zenmeister, coaxed his li’l grasshopper to take to the airways. Unfortunately, that particular outing did absolutely nothing to enhance his credibility, but I suspect it was God’s plan all along to show the world exactly what made this grasshopper hop. In that regard, Osterman succeeded, and so did God, I guess, because li’l grasshopper ended up winning the hearts of no one. But don’t tell the Ostermans.

That’s why I am inclined to believe that this new book revelation came with George and Shellie’s blessings. Another shot. Any opportunity li’l grasshopper has to expose his name to glaring lights and stardom, he’s all for it. Cha-cha-ching! After all, he took this shooting as his ticket to paradise, as he and his wife alluded to in a taped phone conversation during his initial incarceration at the Seminole County jail, as the money kept rolling in:

“After this is all over, you’re going to be able to just have a great life,” Shellie said.

“We will,” George replied. “I’m excited.”

“Yeah, you should be. You should be excited,” Shellie said. “I wish you were here, of course.”

“I will be,” he said.

“Isn’t it crazy how something like this just makes you put everything in perspective in life?” Shellie said. “It’s amazing how insignificant the things we stress out over are.”

“I agree,” he replied.

Imagine that. They both agreed that the shooting death of Trayvon Martin was so insignificant, it was nothing to “stress out” over. Why, even the second-degree murder charge was nothing but a farce, and this is a complete contradiction of what Osterman told Dr. Phil. Oh, how George cried and cried. What this illustrates to me is that Zimmerman looked up to Osterman as his iconic mentor; the man who would justify his need to be a top cop. While I’m never going to infer that the 28-year-old set out to shoot anyone that night, he had convinced himself that it was a right thing to do given the right circumstances. He was trained. It was pumped into him and he was primed. What better way than to set those circumstances up the right way? His way. This would make him Osterman’s equal. Yes, this was God’s plan; this was his destiny. Osterman would be proud. And in the end, he was.

While I could ostracize the air marshal, I won’t. He has no idea what kind of Frankenstein monster he helped create. He only saw his student’s docile side. Granted, Osterman was once fooled by a con man when he and another Seminole County sheriff’s deputy met Juan Diaz, who convinced them he was a second basemen for the New York Yankees. Sure, the guy took them to strip clubs flashing money, and Osterman ended up losing his job over it in 1998, but that was a long time ago. Certainly, he wouldn’t be deceived again. Would he?

I think so. But still, I won’t hold it against him. Not personally. Even in the 1931 horror movie, we could feel some compassion for Dr. Frankenstein, who didn’t set out to create evil, but in the end, he still came to the beast’s defense and lost whatever innocence was left. While I am convinced Osterman is a fool for believing Zimmerman’s alibis, we all tend to put faith in our friends; some more than others, and there remains that inherent element of naiveté. We want to think people are well-intended. How many professionals — doctors, lawyers, airline pilots and, yes, federal agents — find out their spouses have been cheating on them long, long after the fact? Let’s face it, Zimmerman is a natural born liar. While you may question Osterman on his judgment, I think I’ll be looking at something else that hit me like a brick; something he said on the Dr. Phil show. It may be meaningless, but still…

“When I first heard that George had shot someone else, I was extremely shocked.”

Someone else? Just how many people has George Zimmerman shot? That triggered my alarm. Where was Osterman’s safety when he was shooting his mouth off? Oh, that’s right, he doesn’t use one. Straight from the hip. Just like li’l grasshopper.

TO EACH THEIR OWN

Speaking of the monsters we create, it’s easy to see what can happen when people let things get out of hand. Caution is thrown into the wind and trouble flares. During the entire time I covered the Casey Anthony case, I watched people go from friendly and mild-mannered to as loony as they come, all in the name of justice for a little girl they didn’t even know. Don’t get me wrong, we all seek justice, but people vary on how intent they are to get it and how far they are willing to go to prove it is their way or the highway. Talk about standing your ground. What is often neglected is that it is up to the court system to decide, not the public, as we shockingly found out when the jury came back with their verdicts at the end of Casey’s trial. Interestingly, as adamant as people were throughout that ordeal, how quickly they moved on.

Because I had a popular blog, I was subject to a lot of scrutiny. I think there’s another blogger who is quite aware of that now. Out of the woodwork came bands of miscreants determined to shut me down. I was gay, I had AIDS, I was a convicted felon and so were my parents. I was a plant for the defense out to take down the sitting judge. One woman had her grandchildren chanting “Death to Marinade Dave!” and she proudly told others. Everyone who dared comment on my blog became targets for attack. One was supposed to be thrust into a snow bank and left to die. It was the most disgusting group of people I had ever run into in my life. Ironically, these very people prayed deeply to God that justice would come for Caylee while they hypocritically spewed hatred on people they didn’t know from Adam.

Here we are, at it again. With Zimmerman, there’s the race factor. There’s gun rights. Emotions are running quite high across a much broader spectrum. There’s politics; liberals against conservatives and Democrats against Republicans, not to mention the NRA and Second Amendment rights. There’s a $10,000 bounty on Zimmerman’s head, dead or alive. We are witnessing character assassinations of the “n”th degree, with “n” being the word that most folks should have thrown away with the dirty bath water they washed their mouths out with long ago. Once again, people are getting hurt in so many God-awful ways. Ironically, one blog opens their day with The Lord’s Prayer before their brood goes on a self-righteous rampage on everyone and anyone who stands in their path. Trayvon was a drug addicted thug dealer with a history of violence. Every single word that comes out of the mouth of George Zimmerman is the Gospel truth. Every word. Yet, they really know nothing about him.

This is my opinion. What they talk about over there is their business. While I certainly disagree with their opinions, they have a right to discuss the case the way they want, although I do draw the line on spreading falsehoods and, particularly in this day and age, republishing copyrighted artwork that’s licensed to someone else, especially when it’s pirated from the website they are attacking that actually paid for the work. This is a real war, folks, and people are going to get hurt.

CLICK TO IMAGE TO ENLARGE

There are also blogs that are intent on implicating others in the crime. We saw it with Roy Kronk during the Casey case. The poor guy was run through the ringer because he found Caylee’s body. Even Leonard Padilla claimed Kronk was involved in some sort of intricate daisy chain. Kronk placed the body there, not Casey. How sad that people who do good things are sometimes burned beyond recognition by a false story that’s so fiery to touch, it blinds some to the truth. Sadly, his life will never be the same. Almost a hero, he’s also seen as a villain.

Look at one of the rumors that’s made the rounds of late. Someone was in the vehicle with George Zimmerman the night of the killing. It was Frank Taaffe. No, it was Shellie. No, it was Mark Osterman. Whoever it was, it has become Gospel to those “fact” finders who choose to buy into it. They need no proof because, so it was written, so it must be true. Call it the Lemmings Doctrine.

The problem with this sort of missive is that it can destroy a person. No doubt, Frank Taaffe has his own monsters to fight, and he certainly needs no further encouragement to go off the deep end, so why push him off the edge? Is it fun to belittle a teetering man?

The fact is, George Zimmerman acted alone. All by himself, he pulled the trigger. Why try to include others? In his book, Mark Osterman wrote that Shellie was at her father’s house at the time of the shooting. She immediately called him while he was out walking his dog in his own neighborhood. He was never at the scene prior to the police showing up. Whether you choose to believe him or not is your own prerogative, but I base my opinion not on what he wrote. Instead, I use common sense, just like what generally guided me throughout the Casey Anthony case. I take my guidance through documentation, evidence and the State. Nothing points to anyone else. Not one shred of evidence.

For example, every piece of trash in the woods where Caylee’s body rested was not attributable to her. That old worn out tire did not come off her car. There was no proof the needle in the bottle ever touched her hands. The State of Florida never used it in any of their documents, and that’s where I put my faith. Nowhere in this present case has the State mentioned an accomplice at all, and until they do, the thought of it is not plausible.

In the meantime, we are not put here on this earth to make a mockery of others, are we? Take it from one who knows; one who’s experienced it — it’s not fun being the target of incessant, never ending ridicule, abuse and lies that lead nowhere but down, especially coming from people hiding behind some really strange faith in a god that not only encourages it, but seems to relish in it. That’s not my God, and it’s as much of a mockery of God as Zimmerman telling Sean Hannity that the shooting was God’s will. How ludicrous.

Tree hugger, Tray hugger, what’s the difference if it’s nothing more than a stupid mind game where all that matters is that YOU win? Plow into everyone in your path!

Cross Posted on The Daily Kos

Comments

[SnoopySleuth]

Vicky~~ we Canucks do not need guns to do away with people. We can just frighten them to death with words. I better watch what I say or I will have the few mild mannered Canadians coming after me.

I hope this whole Zimmerman fiasco has not shed a bad light on the Neighborhood Watch. Being a captain, he certainly wasn't a good role model.

[conniefl]

This might answer a few questions about the right to carry a concealed weapon in the state of Fl. It looks like it's a 7 year license. Fl Dept of Agriculture and Consumer services Division of Licensing.

[SnoopySleuth]

Conniefl~~thanks for the link. It seems to have gotten easier to get a concealed and carry permit. They refer to it as a 'right' to apply for a license and a 'right' to carry a concealed weapon. The renewal period has been extended to 7 years instead of 5 and they send out a renewal notice to the license holders well in advance of the renewal date. Along with lowering the license fee, no wonder they cannot keep up with the applications.

George Zimmerman said he wasn't aware of the SYG. Apparently he did not read up on concealed weapons when he applied for his license... he must have overlooked the following. Yeah right.

[
JUSTIFIABLE USE OF FORCE
View Entire Chapter
776.012 Use of force in defense of person.—A person is justified in using force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the other’s imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if:
(1) He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony; or
(2) Under those circumstances permitted pursuant to s. 776.013.]

[CoffeeLover]

Snoopy, I'm all at sea here. Are you a Habs fan, or not? As a Westerner, this might be valuable, in fact, necessary info for our future discourse. I like to throw in the occasional voila, or cie la vie, but that's about all I've got. If Vicky is just teasing and you're a Leafs fan, feel free not to admit it! (You know I'm just kiddding, this is a publc board) You can tell me to shut the front door.Or---use code!

Vicky, TY for the tutorial. Hmmm, I'm beginning to think Zimmerman may well be a 28 year old hypochondriac. Thoughts?

[SnoopySleuth]

Bonjour Aimer de le Café... I am not sure what I just called you. lol Years ago, my brother forced me to watch hockey when there were only 6 teams, I was a Leafs fan whether I liked them or not. I did watch a lot of baseball and cried when the Blue Jays won the series two years in a row. After they went on strike for more pay, I quit watching them. That was the end of my sport watching.

Okay already, the code will be ...Fermez la porte ... but if you really get me riled, it will be ..Fermez la bouche ...C'est la vie et o la la ...

Bonsoir...

[CoffeeLover]

Snoopy, merde. We're doomed. I am laughing so hard. . I grew up loving Boston. Please don't ever pick on my man Don Cherry. 8th generation Scot here.

See you tomorrow. Tried to say that in French, there's no direct translation.

[Mystical Pippin]

Ok LOTS to say here will try to make it short. starting backwards:

Michelle - sweety don't leave. Vicky said it right about how much maturity you show but still being young you will misinterpret things sometimes. Its very normal at your age - hell even at my age, I misinterpret things. But for someone your age - you actually want to learn new things and thats rare. You are a sponge for information, you have a very admirable quality in that you're concerned about what goes on in the world around you. You're intelligent beyond your years and I would be amiss if I didn't point out your wicked sense of humor. I'm paraphrasing here but when you commented on George's facial injury... "That must have been some branch you ran into Mr Zimmerman" had me laughing so hard I'm almost fell off my chair!! So please do hang in there because I think everyone here feels the same way - you would be sorely missed.

Snoop - you know I've never once been offended by any of your comments even when we disagree (which is rare). I'm always impressed with not only your knowledge of all the things we overlook but the way you search, find and post so quickly here and on your own blog. I know Dave knows this but he's lucky to have you hold down the fort when needed and we're ALL just plain lucky to know you. so back to the jailhouse conversation - yeah I was thinking that "heaven" meant a secret hideout. It gave me the impression that once he was released on bond he would go to that secret place. I think at the time he planned to skip bail or at least it was always a possible scenario in his mind if he didn't get his way. Why else would you hide a passport from the court? He knew he had it when he surrendered the first one. He knew they wouldn't know (not right away at least) that he had applied for and received another one and was actually giving them an old one that expired.

I need to say this. This blog is a very special place. Its extremely rare for a site to have so many regulars that post such intelligent and thought provoking opinions. Seriously folks, most forums or commenting sites like this one are filled with arrogant, obnoxious, uneducated buffoons that you can't have any kind of a intelligent conversation with. It's like talking to air (that stuff between their ears). I'm a moderator on a tech site which has about 20,000 members worldwide. Its a site that shares knowledge about all things computer.....e.g., web design, coding, hosting, marketing, tech issues, etc and you wouldn't believe how much we have to put up with there. (well we don't put up with all of it - I'm the Queen of dishing back to those who deserve it ha ha) Of course the conversations are different than this but you still see a lot of rudeness, arrogance and pure B.S. not to mention the spam.

But seriously - Marinade Dave's is a very unique "place" that seems to attract more than not, people who post intelligent and thoughtful questions and opinions. Personally I think almost everyone here always has interesting things to say. My only wish is that I would like to be able to respond to each post individually because by the time I get to the bottom, I've forgotten what I wanted to say to that person who posted 20-30 posts back.........ok stepping off the soapbox now.

[SnoopySleuth]

Dave et al... Shellie's lawyer, Sims asked for a continuance and I expect it was granted. I don't think Shellie was in attendance. That is all I could find out thus far... The clerk at the 7-11 store was interviewed and he doesn't even remember Trayvon.. I will post any of the info that was released today.. once I find it

Tests only identify Zimmerman's DNA on handgun

[SnoopySleuth]

Dave~~here is Bob Kealing in a short video

DNA tests exclude Martin from gun grip in Zimmerman case

Info released-33pages

[Michelle]

Dave thanks for the reply. To clarify though Soldiers are not the only people who suffer from PTSD. My Mom although like a drill sergeant is not a soldier just in a bad car accident. Some people have PTSD from abuse as a child. I guess that had been my point. When Mr. Zimmerman claimed to have PTSD it was 24 hours after the shooting. It takes longer than that to have it, so if his doctor or whoever wrote it on his report than imo it would make the other diagnosis questionable. Unless he had been diagnosed before any of this happened.

Vicky I appreciate your reply. I probably did take some of the comments out of context but I brought up the PTSD. I do not see stuff like you do as far as people using their mental issues as an excuse. I have to take responsibility for my own action and when I mess up I have to admit to it. Snoopy's statement was kind of broad though she did not say Mr. Zimmerman her statement sounded plural as in more than one person used it for an excuse for Mr. Zimmerman. That is how I confused her comment. I do apologize for that (Snoopy did you hear me? I'm sorry I confused what you meant.)
My point is my Mom makes me be responsible for myself, we do not get to excuse our behavior. It seems like from your comment other people use a condition for an excuse to do bad things and while it may explain things it does not make it right. I also agree that I do not have the experience most of you have which is why I think I take comments wrong. It is not just about this topic, I have no clue how to run a house or pay the bills by myself. My world has only consisted of my Mom doing everything for me. And to be honest I never want to leave home, I like being taken care of, I can't screw up bad that way, lol. I also have never participated in a blog before so I am still trying to figure out people's demeanor and general attitude.
Connie, Coffee Lover and New Puppy thank you for encouraging me to stay. I will comment again but I think I will wait a day or two. It will give me a chance to mature a little and hopefully try to understand adults a little better because honestly you all confuse me. It is like you speak a foreign language. New Puppy I completely understood what you meant though. To put it plainer though I jump the gun quickly all the time. I blame my Mom for that, she has always been go, go,go. So I go when I do not have to.
* Snoopy again I am sorry that I misunderstood who what when and where in your comment. I will try harder not to take things personally. You have told me not to put my self down so much you did not tell me about the rule to not take things personally. Is there any other rules I should be aware of? LOL Oh and you should smile more often it is good for the muscles :)!

[Estee]

Hi there Dave...Just saw a headline on my MSN homepage re DNA results of the gun grip...Sure doesn't look good for boy George...Of course it just goes to show that T M was a victim of angst...I don't like the fact that the defense is trying to make TM look like a hoodlum......Just cause he smoked a joint now and then does not make him a hoodlum...Quite the contrary...Perhaps it was his way of dealing with the hardships of teen years and it does not mean he was checking out on society...Maybe if boy George had smoked a doobie before venturing out that fateful night we would have one less uncalled for death...

[Dave Knechel]

New post up. I'll come back and answer these comments later. I've got chores to take care of...

[New Puppy]

Michelle, You have stepped up and made effort to accept and convey understanding. This is most admirable. Humbleness is hard to find. Life is full of lingering pain as many will not make attempt to mend and just as deteriorating is when an apology is ignored and considered insincere leading to more distancing of ourselves in trust of others. Pride is a pole of strength that some know how to climb as they cling to their belief of "I haven't done anything to apologize for"! We all do wrongs and rights but so often, not to the same people. I just wanted to let you know that I consider your comment above as exceptional in beauty and humility. A perfect ending to the title of this post " Social Ostracization"! Instead of cultivating the seed, you have done your part in inhibiting it from growing. Thank you.

[Michelle]

Thanks New Puppy! I really try to be a nice young lady.

Snoopy when I said you should smile more I was referring to your comment above about not smiling in your comments. It is meant as a funny.

[SnoopySleuth]

Michelle~~ I quote you ...* Snoopy again I am sorry that I misunderstood who what when and where in your comment. I will try harder not to take things personally. You have told me not to put my self down so much you did not tell me about the rule to not take things personally. Is there any other rules I should be aware of? LOL Oh and you should smile more often it is good for the muscles :)!

I accept your apology. Vicky did a good job in explaining how the misunderstanding may have happened.
I am not qualified to counsel you or your mom and God knows I tried for almost three years via emails behind the scenes. There came a time when I had to step back and suggest your mom seek professional help. Vicky also stepped in and offered her advice to both you and your mother. You may think that I abandoned you but that was not the case. I had to take a step back so your mom would make more of an attempt to step forward. I cannot tell you what rules to follow as you suggested in your comment. It is not my place. I do smile and maybe I would smile more if you would let this go and get on with your life.

There are those such as New Puppy who are unaware of all the trials and tribulations that your mom and now you, are going and have gone through. They read what is on the surface and make judgement calls without knowing the full story.

I did not want to write all this here on a public blog but I had no other choice. I will not be discussing this issue any further. I want to put it to rest once and for all. Maybe Dave will start a page for you like he did for Jennifer. It would give you an opportunity to share your personal feelings with New Puppy, Nan and some of the others who may be able to offer you constructive advice.

I am going to concentrate on what I originally came to the blogs to do and that is to follow crime cases.

Good luck, Michelle, in your future endeavors.

(Dave, you have my permission to delete this comment but hopefully after it is read by those it concerns.)

[New Puppy]

BACK OFF SNOOPY / You have no good reason to include "New Puppy" in your comment to Michelle.

[Dave Knechel]

In the interest of peace on my blog, mine will be the final comment on this post. No finger pointing. No blame. I think it's in everyone's best interest.