George Zimmermann Round 2

In the wake of the not guilty verdict there have been a number of protests. Most have been peaceful although in Los Angeles demonstrators allegedly threw things, including batteries which hurt like hell if they hit you, at police.

On the legal front Zimmermann's attorneys say they will now proceed with the law suit against NBC news which admittedly botched, and then broadcast, some 911 call editing.

Zimmermann is claiming defamation of character. Usually defamation means demonstrating there was malicious intent rather than just a simple error. That will be the hard part. He's entitled to his day in court on this and we shall see where it leads.

If I were NBC, who has already fired a technician and a reporter over the incident, I think I'd tell Zimmermann to stick it. You know what they say about there being no such thing as bad publicity and if Zimmermann sues, the NBC attorneys can force him to testify. Although of course the judge may rule that testimony about the incident itself may be irrelevant to what NBC is alleged to have done.

In the meantime, the Department of Justice has resumed its investigation, suspended to allow the state of Florida to complete its case, into whether there was a civil right violation.

I think I'd rather not see Zimmermann charged in Federal Court as that would just open up a whole new can of worms.