Recently President Barack Obama gave a press room speech after the George Zimmerman verdict. In the speech, he spoke about the racial profiling he experienced in the past but stated its something too many black men in America still experience today. “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago,” he said.
In response to the speech Dr. Cornell West said on Democracy Now, “We know anybody who tries to rationalize the killing of innocent people is a criminal. George Zimmerman is a criminal. But President Obama is a global George Zimmerman because he tries to rationalize the killing of innocent children, 221 so far, in the name of self-defense… Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen. So when he comes to talk about the killing of an innocent person, you say, ‘Well, wait a minute, what kind of moral authority are you bringing?'”
The question is do you agree with Dr. West? Do you think it’s fair to question the President’s moral compass and motives concerning the Trayvon Martin killing by comparing the killing of innocent children by American military drone strikes?
Feel free to share your thoughts.
I think regular readers already know my answer and how I feel about this president. He’s killed more innocent brown people than George Zimmerman ever will.
lol I already know…
Dr West is another heated unhappy black man cursing out another black man. Stop complaining, stop talking, stop analyzing, just do it! DO THE DAMN THING! Get organized and make a change!
West along with Tavis Smiley are both coons. They actually disgust me beyond measure! Can any of us recall these coons defaming and insulting Presidents Bush and Clinton?? The answer is a resounding NO!
Funny that you avoided any of his points…All that matters is he not speak ill about the black Jesus president.
Listen..I get the point…but there’s a big azz difference btwn war, which regardless of opinion, has been a constant in running a country since the beginning of time, and deciding to play ‘the block’ police. BTW, I am in no way turning a blind eye to the many innocent lives lost in war.
More than anything, Im tired of everyone acting like Obama was supposed to cure all blk ppls cancer and bad credit. If ur a middle class working Joe the ‘president’ aint never did sht for for ur day to day life, so dont start expecting ur life to change cus he’s black this go round.
Well that’s the point that Cornell West is making, we are NOT at war with the countries that are being bombed with drones nor have the people who are being targeted faced a trial or even charges for any crime. When is came out that George W Bush was doing this, Democrats and Liberals were protesting and the such, now that its Obama (killing way more people than Bush) it seems to be ignored.
I feel you, and Im not excusing blk jesus, I just think that comparing the zimmerman verdict to world affairs is like apples and oranges. And it’s only because Zimmermans case was so much more ‘blk n white’, and ultimately, one that you, i, and 10 other members of this blog could have potentially handled when it came time to decide the verdict. Regardless of what Obama is doing or cosigning in other countries, the fact that any of us ‘could have’ been trayvon martin, is still true.
Okay, taking Zimmerman out of the equation: Do you feel that Obama is a criminal for ordering the murder of people without a trial in countries we are not at war with? If Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had ever ordered a drone attack in the US and killed a few children in the process, would he not be responsible? This is the point Cornell West is making. Seems pretty black and white to me, bro.
Nah, Im with u 100% on that part. I was more so referring to the topic at hand. I know West has been very vocal abt his issues w Obama, but I was referencing his statements regarding Obamas response to the Trayvon verdict. That being said, the same way I dont expect anything more from Obamas administration, than any other presidents at the end of the day, I also dont hold my breath on expecting anything less.
While I see the point Dr. West was trying to make but it fail flat. While you may not like the president for many reasons, George Zimmerman violated a child’s civil right when he decide to profile him as a nigger and took the law into this hands. While I am not an advocate for war or violent, Barack Obama is not purposely setting out to kill these kids, sad to say these kids are casualties war (using the term loosely since we are not at war.) Obama took this job where his oath says he must fight to protect this country from threats foreign and domestic, and that’s what he is doing when troops are employed overseas. The actions of Zimmerman is not the same as Obama, or we could say the same thing about every other president, past and future.
As Cornell West has mentioned, Zimmerman and Obama are both using the “self defense” excuse. Even you just mentioned it here. If it keeps Americans safe, who cares how many innocent children get killed…Same thought ran through Zimmerman’s head that rainy night in February.
Obama is technically not pulling the trigger, Zimmerman literally took the life of another and came self defense, Zimmerman killed a kid trying to get home from the store (a fact we know). Obama has not pulled a trigger, and just because he has deployed troops overseas I did not order these men to kill kids nor do we know what these kids are involved in. Comparing the too is totally off basis.
So using your logic…a mob boss is innocent because he did not pull the trigger even though he ordered the hit?
Also using your statements and logic, you had no problem when Bush was using the exact same reasons and logic right for killing innocents? We are not talking about a soldier on the ground killing an innocent child. We are talking about a commander in chief ordering a drone strike/s where innocent people have died. Why are excuses being made because the President is black?
“The pulling the trigger comment” made me think of how people rationalize killing with drones. I’m going to preface by saying, there is no humanity is killing. However, in the Zimmerman/Trayvon fiasco you had emotions flared, fear, anger, fight or flight & etc. In the midst of Zimmerman firing his gun and killing Travyon you had the human element involved where it’s hard to believe someone (zimmerman) could see the fear in someone’s eyes and still shoot, and kill in cold blood. So people naturally paint Zimmerman as this cold hearted guy (which he is). However, with drones there is no human element, the drone pilot is usually miles away sitting at a control panel and hitting a button.
Without that human connect it is so easy to just call them “war casualties” and not think twice about it. That’s why I believe people don’t take as much issue with the drone attacks.
…Politicians/ Politics are evil…SMH
On this issue I agree with Dr. West. Although, the drone attacks (i’ll use Pakistan as an example) began under George Bush, there has been an increase in the attacks under the current administration. The President recently talked about how he could have been Trayvon, robbed of potential at an early age. But what about the innocent children overseas, do they not deserve the same potential to grow and contribute something to the world. It comes down to this grandiose view that American life is somehow more important than anyone else.
Why is it that very few dems and black dems can see and understand your logical point of view??
Dr. West is a educated fool no one can rationalize these examples and provide a link. He is just critical of the political system.
whatever mr west said shows me that he would a been one of those ppl on the jury saying that zimmerman is innocent; well of course that is if he believes in defense.
clearly. if zimmerman never had a gun in the first place . i doubt that he would follow a young black man trying to find his way home. im sure he would have listened to the cops and wait in his car, like he was told to do in the first place!
i believe that zimmerman lookes for a fight, got one and then used the gun when he realised he couldnt handle it.
that being said, maybe that is similar to whats going on in the states and then middld eastern countries. but i just see obama as a normal US president. doing normal US things . no big change