I’d normally expect my former Moneyweb colleague Timothy Wood to be on the same page as God’s Blog creator Jim Wallis. But the Zimmerman Trial has split Americans. Wood was appalled by Wallis’s “Lament from a white father” published yesterday so penned this rational rebuttal.
By Timothy Wood*
Saw the Jim Wallis piece you ran and it has some serious errors that I’m sure you want to correct for the readers because it inflames racial tensions:
1. George Zimmerman is not “white” – he’s mixed race, and has a black grandfather.
2. It is simply untrue to state that Trayvon Martin was stalked, shot and killed. No such evidence was provided by any witnesses; not even those the prosecution called. Wallis’ speculation is not evidence – it’s speculation without any foundation of knowledge or fact.
3. Wallis claims the tragedy started with racial profiling. Again, no evidence was ever presented to support this theory – quite the contrary. In fact Martin’s girlfriend who was on the phone with him at the time said it was about a fear that Zimmerman was a gay pedophile.
4. Wallis claims it was a mistake not to make the trial about race. Again, a false statement. The only reason there was a trial is because the Federal Government was determined to have one and to make it about race. Indeed, the Department of Justice was actively managing and paying for racially charged activism intended to bring pressure to bear on Florida authorities. They succeeded.
– Likewise, the media has deliberately race-baited this trial from the beginning with doctored tapes (NBC) and a whole new racial classification – “White Hispanic” (New York Times)
5. Wallis complains about the jury and process – why? The prosecution helped select the jury, and the judge was clearly antagonistic to the defense especially by allowing a last-minute introduction of manslaughter and the attempted third degree charge, as well as by disallowing evidence to be presented of Martin’s previous run-ins with the law.
– There was egregious misconduct on the part of the prosecution which has been well covered by Alan Dershowitz.
– The prosecution elected to go for second degree murder; it certainly was not the defense’s wish. Second degree murder requires an extraordinary level of proof of guilt, as it should.
6. Wallis criticizes “mostly white churches” but praises “mostly black churches”. It’s an illogical construct unless you hold a special race theory that declares one skin tone unable to be racialist, but another most prone to it.
7. Wallis infers that Zimmerman is a member of an all-white clique that is responsible for systemic racism. He can only be described as running away from the facts.
– Zimmerman’s home town is one of the most diverse racial and class examples you can get.
– Furthermore, the FBI’s investigation (prompted by the Department of Justice) concluded that Zimmerman never displayed any racial animosity and was anything but locked in a “tight white circle”.
8. If Wallis is truly interested in racial harmony, why is he silent on the race baiting by the government and usual hucksters (Al Sharpton et al) who have a very sorry record (Tawana Brawley, Duke Lacrosse team etc etc).
We are left to ask why Jim Wallis – purporting to be a Christian leader preaching tolerance and brotherhood – would break the Eighth Commandment (false testimony against your neighbor) with such insouciance? What does it profit Jim Wallis and Sojourners to inflame violent mob action and justify vigilantism? Might Wallis be waiting to find his empathy for the accused when one of the thousands of death threats against Zimmerman finds its mark?
* South African-born Tim Wood is a naturalised American who was Employee Number One, Executive Director, Technical Genius and Mr “Yes, but…” during the developing years of Moneyweb, a company which owes him an everlasting debt. Wood’s talents and intellect have delivered him a glittering career in his adopted homeland. The former head boy of Treverton School wrote this piece in a personal capacity.Â
