But then I read his remarks, and watched the video, and found myself agreeing with much of it. It might be the best speech President Obama has made about anything, in a while. I agree with Chris Wallace (and Zimmerman’s brother) that this wasn’t stoking racial tensions or trying to further divide. In watching the videotape, I was actually touched by some of it, and Obama has never touched me, before.
And yet….
And yet….
A part of me cannot help but think that the only reason President Obama addressed this story so personally today was to get these other headlines off the table, and thrown down into the memory hole:
Scalia doesn't enjoy being cynical. Actually, in my experience I think very few people enjoy being cynics. But it's long been evident that cynics hold a lot of sway in the world and Barack Obama is one of the boldest cynics I've ever seen.
I use the title "il miglior fabbro" for posts in which someone wrote something that states a point so well that it tops anything I might write on the subject. While I don't agree with some of Scalia's conclusions about the case, the piece is very good and well worth the click. I would be remiss if I didn't add that the list o' links Scalia provides is far more important to read.
The Zimmerman trial is what Alfred Hitchcock called the "Macguffin," something that moves the narrative but ultimately doesn't mean much in the larger scheme of things. Hitchcock used MacGuffins in many of his movies, but one of the best recent examples is the glowing briefcase from the 1994 film Pulp Fiction:
Everyone is quite concerned about the glowing briefcase, but it has virtually nothing to do with what happens in the movie. Similarly, what happened to Trayvon Martin that night in Florida has virtually no import in how you live your life. Most of the linked items Scalia provides have far more importance, but I can assure you that, because Barack Obama gave his speech yesterday, very few people will be talking about these other matters. Which is precisely why he stepped to the podium yesterday.
I use the title "il miglior fabbro" for posts in which someone wrote something that states a point so well that it tops anything I might write on the subject. While I don't agree with some of Scalia's conclusions about the case, the piece is very good and well worth the click. I would be remiss if I didn't add that the list o' links Scalia provides is far more important to read.
The Zimmerman trial is what Alfred Hitchcock called the "Macguffin," something that moves the narrative but ultimately doesn't mean much in the larger scheme of things. Hitchcock used MacGuffins in many of his movies, but one of the best recent examples is the glowing briefcase from the 1994 film Pulp Fiction:
Everyone is quite concerned about the glowing briefcase, but it has virtually nothing to do with what happens in the movie. Similarly, what happened to Trayvon Martin that night in Florida has virtually no import in how you live your life. Most of the linked items Scalia provides have far more importance, but I can assure you that, because Barack Obama gave his speech yesterday, very few people will be talking about these other matters. Which is precisely why he stepped to the podium yesterday.
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