Police chief steps aside over Trayvon Martin case

SANFORD, Fla. - The embattled police chief overseeing the Trayvon Martin investigation said Thursday he will "temporarily remove" himself from his job amid mounting criticism and pressure to charge a Neighborhood Watch leader with killing the teenager.

40 Minutes Worth of 911 Calls About Trayvon Martin

40 something minutes worth of 911 calls. Here are my thoughts on what I heard:

1. I can clearly hear this young man screaming for his life in the background of the limited amount of calls that came in before the shot was fired. Then, I can clearly hear instant silence after the shot was fired. So, who was screaming?
2. I only hear one person screaming in the background... not two. I could be wrong, but it sounds like a high pitched voice to me. That high pitched screaming I hear in the background does not match the voice of Zimmerman on his 911 call.
3. Why does Zimmerman request that the police give him a call when they arrive so he can tell them where he is? Because, he has no intention of staying put near those mailboxes! He's on the move, and plans to stay that way. Anyone who's ever been on the phone with a person walking fast or running, knows that "wind in the phone" sound. I can clearly hear that sound as Zimmerman asks the 911 operator to have the police give him a call when they arrive. It almost sounds as if he's running!
4. Anyone who's ever called 911 knows that the operator will do everything in their power to keep you on the phone until the police arrive. Why did the 911 operator allow Zimmerman to hang up, knowing that he was pursuing a "suspicious looking... late teens" youngster? Even after he "advised" him that they didn't need him to "do that", and he could hear Zimmerman still following him, he still allowed him to hang up the phone. What's up with that?
5. Did you pay close attention to the caller that said the guy in the white t-shirt was on top of the guy lying down on the ground, who is now shot? Zimmerman tells us what Trayvon was wearing in his 911 call. It was not a white t-shirt. So, that had to have been Zimmerman in the white t-shit on top of Trayvon. Why was he on top of Trayvon? And, if he was on top of him, that means he had control of the situation. Why did he have to shoot him? He knew the police were on their way.
6. How come no one even opened a window to see what was happening with this young man as he screamed for dear life? No one even screamed, "Get off of him!", or "I'm calling the police!" At least one caller claimed it was a good neighborhood. So, these types of screams were not usual. This was not the hood.
7. It's amazing that the woman who said she didn't want to be a witness ended up providing the most information on her 911 call. The teacher says that she heard people talking, then more talking, then someone screaming for help. Then, wrestling, a shot, and silence. She is the biggest witness to the fact that Zimmerman continued to pursue and harass Trayvone.
8. And, the boy walking his dog... Wow. For the record, he has his own recorded video on youtube. He tells his story with fear and horror in his voice, with a trembling face. Check it out. But, anyway, he tells the 911 operator that he saw them on the ground as he heard the screams. But, before he could go to help, as he was looking away to grab his dog, he heard a shot, and the screams stopped. He made that very clear. So, once again, who was screaming?
9. I'm quite freaked out about the first person everyone "couldn't see" with a flashlight. You'll continuously hear 911 operators trying to convince callers that it's the first cop on the scene. BUT, more than one of those calls came in before the shot was fired. Therefore, when they looked out seconds later, and saw a man with a flashlight, that could not have been a cop. That was Zimmerman. What was he doing walking around the scene with a flashlight? He'd just shot a kid! Where was the horror he should have been showing in his actions? And, what was is he looking for with that flashlight?
10. AND HERE MY BIGGEST THOUGHT: Witnesses said Zimmerman was on top of Trayvon, wrestling. So, Trayvon had to be face up if he was "tussling" with Zimmerman. Trayvon was shot in the chest. So far, that makes sense. BUT, the first cop on the scene reported that Trayvon was found face down with his hands under him. Ummm. ??? We can assume that none of these scary neighbors went out there and turned him over, especially with Zimmerman out there with a gun. So, how did Trayvon end up face down??? That alone should have been cause for arrest. Who gets shot in the chest and takes the time to flip themselves over before they die. Seriously??? Who tampered with Trayvone and turned him face down?

I'm not a cop. I'm not a forensic expert. I'm not a medical expert. I'm not a medical examiner. I wasn't a witness. I didn't know Trayvon. I don't know Zimmerman. I haven't spoken to any of the witnesses. I haven't read the cops' reports. BUT, I am a woman who cares about all 17 year old kids. I'm confused and disgusted by everything I've heard on these 911 calls!

What are your thoughts on these 40 minutes worth of 911 calls? What are your thoughts on my thoughts? Let me know.

Witnesses Speak at News Conference About Trayvon Martin Cries

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An Educated Discussion on Trayvon Martin 911 Call

Here the actual facts behind the law Zimmerman is hiding behind.

SignOn.org Beta - Justice for Trayvon Martin

SignOn.org Beta - Justice for Trayvon Martin

Red Tails - One of the Best Movies Ever

I went to see Red Tails last night with my Aunt and cousins. It was one of the best movies I've ever seen in my life. Check out the Red Tails Trailer below.


Thank you so much, George Lucas for fighting so hard to tell this story. It's always been an intriguing tale for me since my visit to Tuskegee University many years ago. I've always admired the Tuskegee Airmen for so many reasons. It had to be hard enough fighting the prejudices of Tuskegee, Alabama. But, to have to deal with the same madness from American soldiers, in Italy, including top ranks, had to be rough.

Anthony Hemingway did an amazing job as the director. Red Tails is his first feature film. I think he was able to create a loyal following with this high quality movie. The movie had something to keep the entire family intrigued. There was action, drama, love, and believe it or not, lots of humor. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I'm not usually into Wikipedia, but I recommend you check out the Anthony Hemingway Bio they have featured.

And, to answer the questions of many, many parents... YES, TAKE YOUR KIDS to see this movie. Although it is about "Black Airmen", it's a story of American history... period. There is no nudity, maybe two curse words, no sex, and the only violence is war. This story is important to our culture as a country. It shows how far we've come to learn how to fight together, as one... We The People!!!

The following is a post from imdb.com about the controversy behind getting Red Tails to the theaters:

"George Lucas began developing Red Tails around 1988 but was unable to secure funding from any major studio, as any he approached believed that producing a film featuring an all black cast would be unmarketable. As a result, Lucas ended up funding the project with his own money, investing $58 million into the production of the film, and a further $35 million towards marketing.

In preparation, George Lucas and his staff interviewed surviving Tuskegee Airmen and were given access to their original mission logbooks. 

A prequel and a sequel are planned. George Lucas wants Lee Daniels and Spike Lee to direct them, respectively.  

In an interview with The New York Times, George Lucas stated that the personalities of Easy and Lightning are based on Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, respectively."

3 Reasons Why Only a Dummy is Too Smart to Keep Learning

While surfing the web, I found the most profound saying online about learning: “Don't Stop Learning-You’re Not As Smart As You Think You Are”, which is a blog post by Adam Donyes and Brian Wang. This post is featured on their blog site “The Lid, A Collaboration for Change” where they begin with:

“For the first 18 years of our lives, make that 22 if you go to college, we read and take tests. We learn stuff we like, and other material we hate, but we learn the material because we are told we need to in order to succeed. Then we complete college. No more tests, just deadlines and paychecks accompanied with television and movies. We figure we no longer need to read if no one or no test is holding us accountable, and for the vast majority of college grads we stop learning. We shouldn’t, we should be life long learners if we desire to have life long impact. So as we look at week 12 of ”What Do You Wish You Knew Then That You Know Now.” We look at, Don’t Stop Learning-You’re Not As Smart As You Think.”

Adam and Brian refer to a blog series written by Michael Hyatt entitled, “What Do You Wish You Knew Then That You Know Now”, which is very similar to their post. It talks about the struggle we all go through just trying to memorize what we can so we can graduate from high school. We do all of this learning, only to continue it when we get to college. We learn what the school administrators insist we will need to know to success in life. Then, after graduation, we are relieved to no longer be bombarded with textbooks and texts as we start our new careers. We just simply make the choice to stop learning. But, according to these blog authors, everyone who wants to have life long success must continue to be open to learning new things for the rest of their lives.

3 Reasons to Keep Learning Knew Things

Here are three reasons why Adam and Brian believe that you have to be a dummy to think you're too smart to continuously learn new things:

1. Relevance

• Jesus had such a major impact on civilization because he made it a point to study. He knew it well. This gave Him the ability to come up with parables that anyone and everyone could relate to. His parables were full of mind impacting examples, letting people know that He was wise about life.
• We must continue to learn throughout the course of our entire lives. This helps us to stay relevant in a society that's continuously changing. Staying relevant means more people will engage with us, allowing us to have an impact on their lives and their cultures. Otherwise, we become irrelevant, meaning we are of no use to the society we live in.

2. Stay Sharp

• Continuously learning allows us to continuously grow. This continuous growth keeps us sharp and keen in many different areas. When we choose not to learn, we choose to become dull and boring. We no longer live up to our full potential. Romans 12:2 says: “Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is , His good, pleasing , and perfect will.”
  
• A sharp knife will always have more of a positive effect than a dull one. This is the same for humans. Sharper college students are more effective, believing they have the knowledge and power they need to conquer the world (like Pinky and the Brain). Then, when they get jobs and become bored with not learning knew things, they're motivation levels drop. That's because they were only sharp when they were in a learning environment. After leaving school, it's up to them to create their own.

3. Guidance Through Life
   

When we have important, hard decisions that need to be made, it's our education that helps us make the right ones. We are educated in many ways, including learning from the mistakes of the past. Without learning about these mistakes, we are “doomed to repeat the past”, like those who choose not to learn about the past. We must allow God to guide us and teach us continually. He will guide us by teaching us what we need to know to walk in the path He has planned for us. “Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance,”... Proverbs 1:5

Whether we choose to learn from our spiritual beliefs, our past mistakes, mistakes others made in their pasts, textbooks, teachers or whatever, we are giving ourselves a lifelong gift. Learning knew things, languages, technologies, etc... will keep us relevant in the world we live in. As adults, it's our responsibility to put ourselves in environments that continue to teach us. We must also be open to learning something new everyday, because only a dummy is too smart to keep learning.

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