[Vision2020] Note to Donovan: Here's some convincing testament.

Thu Jul 19 17:52:36 PDT 2012

Scott,

I agree with most of what you said except that I think it highly probable
that the "God's Plan" justification was a post event rationalization, and
most likely a post event justification of which Zimmerman may have
convinced himself of its truth.  Without a through knowledge of Zimmerman's
background and beliefs, it is not possible to be apodectic about his
sincerity on this issue.

The tragedy is not only the loss of Martin's life and its potential, but
the effects of that loss on his family and friends.  It is also a tragedy
for the Zimmermans.  The best that we can hope for is that some practical
and well executed lessons are learned from this tragedy.

The other sad fact is this:  This crime is but one of many, many for which
the excuse is something of the order of "God told me to do it", "It was
God's will", "I did for the glory of God", or etc  Such excuses seem
pathological to me, and generally to the courts where such excuses for
crimes generally result in convictions and imprisonment or commitment to a
mental health facility upon a finding of insanity.

A work by William James, American philosopher, psychologist, and successor
to Charles Sanders Pierce in the development of Pragmatism, entitled *The
Varieties of Religious Experience* (
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/JamVari.html)* *offers some
insight into this issue, as do many succeeding works by other authors.

w.

On Thu, Jul 19, 2012 at 5:28 PM, Scott Dredge <scooterd408 at hotmail.com>wrote:

>  Once again Art.  Man has created God in his own image - an Zimmerman's
> creation is obviously not one of 'non-existence' as is yours.  What
> Zimmerman is saying seems to me to be the God's honest truth about what he
> believes in order to be able to not only live with his actions, but also to
> be able to sleep at night with a clear conscience.  I feel sorry for
> Trayvon Martin's parents to have to hear their son's killer say something
> like this after the tragic and seemingly preventable loss of their son.
>
> ------------------------------
> Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:05:52 -0700
> From: art.deco.studios at gmail.com
> To: vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: [Vision2020] Note to Donovan: Here's some convincing testament.
>
>
>     Print<http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/19/zimmerman-says-sorry-trayvon-martin-family-had-to-bury-their-child-family-calls/print#>
> Close<http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/19/zimmerman-says-sorry-trayvon-martin-family-had-to-bury-their-child-family-calls/print#>
> Zimmerman says he's sorry Trayvon Martin's family had to bury their child;
> family calls apology insincere
>
>  Published July 19, 2012
>
> | FoxNews.com
>
> advertisement
>  George Zimmerman, in an interview Wednesday with Fox News' Sean Hannity,
> called the shooting death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin a "tragic
> situation" and "the most difficult thing I'll ever go through in my life."
> The volunteer neighborhood watch leader spoke about details of the
> shooting, said he's sorry that Martin’s mother and father had to bury their
> child and, when asked if he regrets anything that happened that February
> night, he said, "No."
>
> *"I feel that it was all God's plan, and for me to second guess it or
> judge it," Zimmerman shook his head.*
>
> *Martin's mother and father watched the interview and appeared on "Fox &
> Friends" Thursday morning. His mother and father both said Zimmerman's
> apology appeared insincere and were troubled that the man accused of
> killing their son considered it all "God’s plan."*
>
> *"I don't understand what he was thinking by saying it was God's plan
> that he murdered our child," Tracy Martin, the teen’s father said. "I
> really don’t understand what God he worships because it’s not the same God
> that I worship."*
>
> *Sabrina Fulton, Martin’s mother, also appeared angered by the comment.*
>
> *"Why would God have him kill an unarmed teenager?" she asked. "It makes
> no sense."*
> During the interview with Hannity, Zimmerman said he followed Martin
> because he looked suspicious running between houses in the rain.
> Martin turned to confront Zimmerman and "asked me what my problem was"
> before the exchange escalated into violence, Zimmerman told Hannity in his
> first TV interview, conducted in an undisclosed location in Florida. The
> 28-year-old, with his attorney sitting by his side, said he reached into
> his pocket to find his phone to call 911 for a second time, and "I looked
> up and he punched me and broke my nose."
> At one point Zimmerman said he heard Martin "telling me he’s going to kill
> me."
> Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder for shooting and killing
> 17-year-old Martin on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., though he says he acted in
> self-defense. At first, "I didn't think I hit him," Zimmerman said, adding
> he only found out later that Martin had died.
> Now he is in hiding and said he feels his life is in jeopardy, based on
> death threats he has received. He told Fox News that on the night of the
> shooting he had gone out to shop at Target -- "that's the last time I've
> been home."
> The case drew intense national attention as speculation grew about the
> motives for the shooting, especially given that Martin was black. Zimmerman
> has white and Hispanic heritage.
> He dismissed suggestions by some that he acted out of racism.
> "I don't think it's fair that they rushed to judgment to assume that," he
> told Fox News.
> Police initially declined to press charges, citing Florida's so-called
> "Stand Your Ground" law. But a special prosecutor who was called in to
> investigate concluded that the evidence didn't support Zimmerman's claims,
> and the murder charge was filed.
> When asked what he would say to Martin's parents, Zimmerman said, "I would
> tell them that, again, I'm sorry."
> "My wife and I don’t have any children," Zimmerman told Hannity. "I have
> nephews that I love more than life. I love them more than myself. And I
> know when they were born, it was a different unique bond and love that I
> have with them. And I love my children even though that they aren’t born
> yet.
> "I am sorry that they buried their child. I can’t imagine what it must
> feel like. I pray for them daily."
> Zimmerman, who is free on bond in Florida while awaiting trial, has
> pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
> Hannity had spoke with Zimmerman, 28, off the record in April when he
> contacted Hannity against the advice of his attorneys. Both Hannity and
> Zimmerman denied claims that Hannity offered the murder suspect any
> financial assistance or payment.
> The interview concluded with Zimmerman looking into the camera and saying
> that he wishes the night hadn't ended in Martin's death.
> "I do want to tell everyone, my wife, my family, my parents, my
> grandmother, the Martins, the city of Sanford and America that I'm sorry
> that this happened," he said. "I hate to think that because of this
> incident, because my actions, it's polarized and divided American. And I'm
> truly sorry."
>
>
> --
> Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
> art.deco.studios at gmail.com
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
art.deco.studios at gmail.com
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