para-para-parrotdies

I'm guessing you are referring to Florida statute 776.041. However, 776.041(2)(a) goes on to state that it is possible for the initial aggressor of a conflict to regain his right to justifiably use force in self defense. Here's the statute so you can see for yourself: http://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2011/776.041 In other words, even if Zimmerman was the agressor as the prosecution alleges (which they certainly failed to prove - this is why Rachel Jeantel's testimony/credibility was crucial), Zimmerman can claim self defense if he reasonably thought he was in "imminent danger of death or great bodily harm." Eyewitness testimony and forensic evidence certainly seems to corroborate Zimmerman's account. So no, the case does not come down to Zimmerman being the aggressor. Not even close.

So remember when the anti-Morsi protestors took the streets to protest how the constitution was based on Sharia law? Egypt's Maspero Youth Union says constitutional declaration 'shocking' The Coptic group says constitutional declaration does not uphold religious and cultural diversity http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/76182/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Maspero-Youth-Union-says-constitutional-dec.aspx ♫♪ "Meet the new boss / Same as the old boss" ♫♪

She lied. Multiple times. No ifs and buts about it. Any attorney worth a lick simply has to ask, "what else is she lying about?" Absolute zero credibility so no, we don't care what she has to say.

Earl Sweatshirt Reveals Release Date, Tracklist for New Album Doris Odd Future's Earl Sweatshirt shared the title of his upcoming LP, Doris, back in December, with few details. Though he's currently off the road due to illness, today he took to Twitter to share the tracklist for the record. He also wrote that it will be out August 20. "Chum", "Guild", and "Whoa" are all included. [ame=http://soundcloud.com/ofwgkta-official/chum]Earl Sweatshirt: Chum by OFWGKTA Official on SoundCloud - Hear the world?s sounds[/ame] http://pitchfork.com/news/51495-earl-sweatshirt-reveals-release-date-tracklist-for-new-album-doris/

Arcade Fire Announce New Album Release Date Last we heard, Arcade Fire were in New York City working on their The Suburbs followup with James Murphy at DFA Studios. Now, the band has confirmed on Twitter that the album will officially be out on October 29. http://pitchfork.com/news/51497-arcade-fire-confirm-release-date-for-new-album/

Ariel Pink and Jorge Elbrecht - Hang On to Life [ame=http://soundcloud.com/mexicansummer/ariel-pink-and-jorge-elbrecht]Ariel Pink and Jorge Elbrecht - "Hang On to Life" by Mexican Summer on SoundCloud - Hear the world?s sounds[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXH5fSuGw2o]Thom Yorke - The Present Tense - 2013-07-09 - [Multicam/Tweaks/HQ-Audio] - Antwerp, Belgium - Lotto - YouTube[/ame] Love this song :cry2:

Alligator. Boxer is a close 2nd.

Actress Reveals Tracklist for New LP, Ghettoville The producer had barely released 2012′s R.I.P when news began to swarm of a second Actress full-length hitting shelves that year. Originally mooted to appear in July 2012, the album failed to see the light of day, although we were assured by new label partner Ninja Tune that the record was happening eventually. And, exactly a year on, so it proves: Actress has Tweeted an image which features a full tracklist for the new record. http://www.factmag.com/2013/07/10/actress-reveals-tracklist-for-new-lp-ghettoville/

Umm, we're talking about the same person who has repeatedly changed her story and lied under oath right? The same "star witness" who couldn't even read the letter she supposedly sent to Trayvon Martin's parents? [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsDyzGEkMEM]Star witness contradicts herself in court - YouTube[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddhj3LIB0mE]Witness Rachel Jeantel Can't Read Letter She 'Wrote' About Shooting 'I don't read cursive' Zimmerman - YouTube[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hecbDy8mlAs]Trayvon Martin's 'Friend' Rachel Jeantel 'WET GRASS' Question - YouTube[/ame]

It's been a while since I followed this case closely so correct me if I'm wrong: The way I understood it is Zimmerman saw Trayvon in the neighborhood, called the authorities and started following Trayvon because he was suspicious. Didn't Zimmerman then lose Trayvon and was walking back to his truck when he was attacked? I think he said on the phone something like "I don't know where this kid is... could you have them call me and I'll tell them where I'm at?" I don't know - is following someone you feel is suspicious after alerting the authorities unlawful activity? I'm not an expert on Florida law but I'm fairly certain it's not. FYI - I genuinely don't remember the timeline of the shooting because there were so many conflicting reports when this story first hit the newsstands. Could be completely off base here.

I will be legitimately shocked if Zimmerman is not acquitted. After the media hoopla died down, it became clear that the forensic evidence seemed to support Zimmerman's account. Or more importantly, it was becoming evident that the prosecution would have found it difficult to meet the burden of proof for manslaughter, let alone 2nd degree murder. Big reason why they didn't press charges at first until the media pressure. I don't think Zimmerman is 100% guilt-free here: despite having suspicions, he probably shouldn't have followed Trayvon. What made me mad however is how the media was so quick to play the race card. I wonder: if Zimmerman was African-American, would the media even be covering this case or would it be another black-on-black crime statistic? I did read recently how the sheriff was preparing for riots after the verdict - hope things don't get too crazy down there :(

Two words: reasonable doubt. The state pretty much blew their case-in-chief. This should never have gone to trial in the first place.

I recognize that I'm somewhat taking the conversation on a tangent but I think it's super interesting. If the US does pull foreign aid to Egypt: 1) How do you think it will affect Egypt's economy? 2) How do you think it will affect US-Egypt relations? Or even Egypt-Israel relations? 3) How do you think it will affect the transition to a new government, assuming Egypt doesn't end up in civil war?

Do you think the Obama administration should cut off foreign aid to Egypt pursuant to Section 508 of the Foreign Assistance Act? It stipulates: "none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available pursuant to this Act shall be obligated or expended to finance directly any assistance to any country whose duly elected head of government is deposed by a military coup or decree.”

Buckle up because here's a classic para-para-parrotdies post: All I see from this is that Egypt's prosecutors plan to interrogate Morsi and supporters over their role in 2011 uprising. Ok? Can you provide evidence that they were in fact directly responsible? Adopting this line of thinking for just a second: assuming that there is a new democratically elected president in Egypt, would he be held responsible if there are crimes under his rule? By your logic, the people should take the streets and revolt again, no? Now that the Al-Nour party dropped out of the coalition over the massacre, do the protestors still have the majority? Remember: the Al-Nour party received the 2nd highest amount of votes after the Muslim Brotherhood. They're also one of the central parties in the revolution: just forced the retraction of the plan to announce ElBaradei as interim prime minister. I asked this earlier and I'll ask again: why didn't the people just vote on the constitutional referendum? How do you feel about the military gunning down Morsi supporters during dawn prayers? Can you point to evidence that the Muslim Brotherhood is an extremist organization? Last time I checked they were mocked by Islamist extremists for agreeing to participate in an election. Woah be careful. Egypt is predominantly Muslim (94.7%). The Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamist party. Huge difference. Wanting new elections and a new government? No. Taking the streets and staging a coup? Yes. Also big question I want to ask you: in your opinion, is this a coup or not?

Egypt unrest: Morsi supporters 'shot dead' in Cairo At least seven people have been killed after the army raided a sit-in staged by supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi in Cairo, reports say. One eyewitness from the Muslim Brotherhood told the BBC the army used live ammunition to disperse the crowds in the eastern Nasr City district. Dozens of people were injured and taken to a nearby makeshift hospital. Mr Morsi, Egypt's first Islamist president, was removed by the army last week after mass protests against him. Eyewitnesses say the army raided the sit-in the Presidential Guards Club, where Mr Morsi is believed to be held, at about 04:00 (02:00 GMT) as many of the protesters were performing dawn prayers. Egyptian media report that the army and police forces opened fire after a group of demonstrators tried to climb the walls of the club. Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Mostafa el-Khatib told the BBC's Ahmed Maher in Cairo that he saw seven dead bodies in the hospital with gunshots to their chests and heads. The army has so far made no comment on the claim. On Sunday, tens of thousands of both supporters and opponents of Mr Morsi rallied in many Egyptian cities. Mr Morsi was replaced on Thursday by Adly Mansour - the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court - who promised to hold elections soon but gave no date. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23222546 Oh boy... this is already getting super ugly. Edit: The numbers I'm now hearing: 34 people killed, 500 injured during dawn prayers. :stunned: Edit: Reports: Al Nour Party has pulled out of coalition government over "massacre" in Cairo.

Sorry what exactly am I supposed take away from this? That there's a precocious child speaking in self-serving generalities? Case in point: I thought it was highly ironic that the kid says how the police jailed people ... and then the police goes on to jail members of the Brotherhood. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDSuhhwKiHs]‫??? | ???? ????? ????? ?????? ?????? ????‬‎ - YouTube[/ame] Here's a video of thousands of Morsi supporters taking the streets after the coup. The army then went on to open fire on these protestors.

So... This revolution is going super swell. Have you guys picked sides yet?

The telling sign that this album was going to be average at best was when Rick Rubin said, ""I liked what I heard, but it was a little difficult-- after just coming from the Kanye sessions-- to listen to Jay's album, because they're so different. I was in a very alternative and progressive headspace, and Jay's record is a more traditional hip-hop record."

This album is so uninspired.

So let me get a couple of things straight (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong): 1) As Adli Mansour, the transitional president, was sworn following the ousting of Mohamed Morsi, the army has been busy rounding people up. But instead of condemning the arrest of hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members (including the group's spiritual leaders) and the forced closure of Islamist media, key opposition figures have been justifying it. Or as the prominent opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei revealingly put it: Interesting stance to take whilst also claiming to be dedicated to building consensus and inclusion – including for the Brotherhood. 2) Meanwhile, it's sending the message to the Brotherhood and Islamists – already insular and defensive after years of persecution – a justified grudge to bear about being forcibly ejected from politics. So while they take the streets to protest the opposition's actions, they are attacked by the military. The Brotherhood has always been mocked by al-Qaida and other violent extremists for choosing democratic politics. Now, those same extremists can use this turn of events in Egypt to prove their point. I wonder what the repercussions might be - not only in Egypt but in the region. 3) The 1.5 billion dollar question looms in the air - of course, referring to the amount of foreign aid the US gives to Egypt, the second-largest recipient of American aid after Israel since 1979 (Hmm I wonder why those two countries and that year specifically...) According to US law, it has no choice but to cut off financial assistance to the country if it determines that he was deposed in a military coup (Quick recall: Foreign aid was suspended after Mali's 2012 army coup that removed a democratic president). Egyptian officials quickly argued that what happened was not a coup but a popular uprising - can they still say that with a straight face, after the military actions it took against its own people? 4) Rampant sexual violence is still going on in Egypt. Remember how earlier I gave you the statistic of 91 (reported) sexual attacks in 4 days? On Wednesday night alone, more than 80 women were subjected to mob sexual assaults, harassment or rape. In Tahrir Square since Sunday, when protests against Morsi first began, there have been at least 169 counts of sexual mob crime (keep in mind these are statistics only for Tahrir Square...) I would really love to hear the opposing viewpoint of all this.

Oh boy this is going to turn into the Occupy Wall Street or SOPA thread isn't it? What have I done? :facepalm: On a related note, I'm actually impressed that 35% of the laughably long posts I wrote is somewhat coherent.

MrLick (and others), some guiding questions - and I certainly hope you respond to some of them, if not all: 1) Are all of the economic failings in Egypt - ranging from high unemployment rates, billions of dollars in debt, nearly exhausted foreign currency reserves - a direct result of Morsi's 1 year on the job? Or could they be stemming from the legacy of an authoritarian regime, bloated bureaucracy, costly and inefficient subsidy system and layer upon layer of corruption? If the latter, is it fair to blame on Morsi's government and have the military step in? 2) Is 1 year enough to suspend the first semblance of a representative democracy in your country? 3) How would you describe the stability of the current coalition of protestors? Do they have enough shared interests to set up a more stable government or were they simply united behind the idea of "overthrow Morsi"? If the latter, what can be done to ensure the needs of all parties are met without further revolutions down the line? 4) How would you articulate the protestors' vision for a new Egypt considering their own leaders have difficulty articulating them? How does the suspension of news networks in Egypt deemed pro-Morsi by the military affect the messaging of the revolution to its people? 5) A significant portion of the current coalition prefer the stability of military rule - if this turns out to be the will of the people, would you support such a move, even if it means rejecting the basic principles of the first revolution and possibly going back to a Mubarak-like government? 6) If the country does fall under military rule, how is it different than the last time it ruled during the transition from Mubarak to Morsi? Would we see similar abuse of power and human rights violations? 7) The current protestors are sending messages about unity and how the Muslim Brotherhood is welcome in building a new Egypt - and then goes on to order arrest of 300 of its officials. How does this undermine the message, if at all? 8) The Muslim Brotherhood has called for protests in the streets in support of Morsi and what they view as the legitimate government. Do they also have the right to take the streets and if they engage in destructive behavior, would you tolerate it considering you seemingly do for the current protestors? 9) How does the current situation in Egypt affect the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, especially considering there were fears about the future of the treaty during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. 10) Did the actions of the current protestors set a dangerous precedent in the region? How does this affect the future of of democratically elected governments in the region? Can they too take the streets and protest if things are not to their liking or do they need to have some kind of rationale? How legitimate does your rationale have to be - is it purely dependent on how many supporters you have? 11) Considering the fragile Egyptian economy, how do you think the country would fare if the United States decides to suspend foreign aid to the country, especially since the country is heavily reliant on foreign aid? If foreign aid is suspended, how does that impact the protestors' attempts to rebuild a new government? 12) In the voting for the constitutional referendum, roughly 32% of the electorate voted - do you think perhaps more should have showed up to vote against Morsi instead of boycotting and taking to the streets? 13) Islamist extremists, in Egypt and elsewhere, may argue that what many are calling a military coup validates the use of violence to achieve their aims. Does that mean any political faction - if they drum up enough support - can take to the streets and demand a revolution? How does the protests again the Muslim Brotherhood affect future relations with Islamists when trying to set up a legitimate government considering military crackdowns have stolen their imminent democratic victories in the past (Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1954; Algeria in 1991; and the Palestinian territories in 2006)? 14) Could this lead to a similar situation like what we see in Syria and if that is the case, how does the central role Egypt plays in the Middle East affect their economy in the short-term, and the global economy in the long-term? 15) There have always been fundamental divide in the Arab world over big issues such as the role of religion in government and the identity of the state - how would Egypt subvert what has been the norm? 16) Is democracy even possible in the region, considering that liberal democracy in Arab countries can really only be found in Tunisia? If not, what is the government you propose? If a government brings stability and prosperity to a country, does it matter what form it takes even if it's a military-run autocracy? Is the best-type of government always a representative democracy, even in its transitional phases? 17) I offered a thought experiment earlier but maybe you didn't get a chance to read: The conservative Islamists who won post-Mubarak has been deposed by liberals who lost the elections and now many people support their actions. What would have happened if the tables were flipped and now the secular liberals were being thrown out of power by an unyielding Islamist mob? Are all actions justifiable if you have the "will of the people?" I ask all these questions not to fuel my own ego or be condescending - even if you might initially take it that way - but to gain a deeper understanding of opposing viewpoints and develop my own line of thinking. It's possible that you answer all my questions (kudos if you do!) and afterwards, we still hold on to our views. But at the very least, we'll both have a deeper understanding about the complexities of the issue and understand opposing viewpoints, even if we don't necessarily agree with them.

The Economist articulated far better than I could have of why these protests and demonstrations are not so good - for Egypt & the region: What I was hinting at in my increasingly embarrassing post but that's why I don't write for the Economist. The article in case you thought I was cherry-picking to advance my thoughts as my buddy Saffire liked to do: http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21580462-muhammad-morsi-was-incompetent-his-ouster-should-be-cause-regret-not-celebration-egypts And in case you thought I was being overtly alarmist by raising the 1991 Algeria example, think again: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/07/04/198649675/egypt-begins-dangerous-new-phase-as-interim-leader-steps-in Interesting things to think about on Independence Day in America. More happier news... how about that Joey Chestnut? Wow 69 hot dogs! That's what freedom is all about.