There are a lot of angry people around. And when they get set off, they tend to bring up a whole catalog of grievances-- stale ones, particularly that can have little or no relation to what it was that set them off. Such is the case with Russ Carman's letter of July 24th. He vented about me, but I frankly recognized little of it. I never said anything remotely like, "If it feels good, do it", for example, or much of the other stuff he attempted to pin on me. (But conceding that does not give Carman the right to control other people's sex lives.)

I thought I expressed a concern for morality-- something that is clearly a Carman hobbyhorse. I did say that religion's attitudes on homosexuality (et al.) are humanly derived, and Carman would be hard-pressed to prove otherwise. And I'd also like to suggest that he consult some zoologists about whether homosexuality is known in the animal world. I bet some farmers could also set him straight on it (pun intended).

Meanwhile, I think we could all do well to focus on more important things, like a dysfunctional Congress that's not doing any good at all and that has an approval rating below disease.

Sincerely,

Stephen Van Eck

Rushville, PA

Is Zimmerman, himself, the real criminal? No. He was judged not guilty in a court of law. Regardless of your opinion of the verdict, he is not criminally responsible for the death of Trayvon Martin.

What about the Sanford City Council that fired the chief of police because he refused to arrest Zimmerman without evidence? Or maybe the governor of Florida, Rick Scott, who ousted the state's attorney for doubting that Zimmerman could be convicted? Double no here.

The council members and Scott are elected officials. They are politicians, men who have done everything humanly possible to obtain a political office and will do more than that to retain it. Unfortunate, but not illegal.

A few even point an accusing finger at Trayvon's mother, Sabrina Fulton. She hired a publicist that turned a local misfortune into a national frenzy. No here, too. Though some consider her act regrettable, it is by no means illegal.

The only person legally culpable, the person who committed numerous illegal acts and violated many rules of her profession is the newly appointed state attorney, Angela Corey.

Corey has a reputation of being overly aggressive. She was to prove worthy of her notoriety.

Talbot D'Alemberte, former president of both the American Bar Association and Florida State University said, “I cannot imagine a worse choice for a prosecutor to serve in the Sanford Case. There is nothing in Angela Corey's background [that] command[s] the respect of people who care about justice.” His comment was prescience.

Florida has an unusual law. A prosecutor may choose a grand jury or file an affidavit with a judge to bring a defendant to trial. Corey avoided losing the case before it began by sidestepping a grand jury and opting to go before a judge.

At the hearing she deliberately withheld exculpatory evidence from the judge that showed Trayvon was beating Zimmerman bloody at the time of the fatal gunshot. She also omitted showing photographs of Zimmerman's broken nose and injuries to the back of his head to further deceive the judge.

Noted liberal Harvard law professor, Alan Dershowitz, commented: “It was a perjurious affidavit. Submitting a false affidavit is grounds for disbarment. She is the most irresponsible prosecutor I've seen in 50 years of litigating cases.”

“The rest of the case is relatively routine,” said Dershowitz. “There is reasonable doubt written all over this case. The very fact that no one really knows who struck the first blow, that's already reasonable doubt.”

Reasonable doubt is a standard that must be met by the prosecution in a criminal case. The prosecutor must convince the jury that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The burden of proof rests with the prosecution. The defendant is assumed to be innocent.

Whistle-blower, Ben Kruidbos, a former aid to Corey, testified that she withheld exculpatory evidence from the defense that she was required by law to disclose. For this Kruidbos earned a pink slip. The evidence that Corey withheld was embarrassing texts and photographs taken from Trayvon's cell phone.

The photos showed Trayvon holding a semi-automatic pistol, pictures of underage nude females, marijuana plants, and a pile of jewelry on a bed.

Trayvon was suspended from school several time,s one of which was for possession of a burglary tool and stolen women's jewelry in his backpack.

Zimmerman's defense counsel, Mark O'Mara, became aware of the omissions and accused the prosecutors of several violations before trial judge, Debra Nelson. Nelson declined to give a decision until after the trial, a questionable ruling.

In spite of all, Zimmerman was found not guilty. The grievous tragedy of Trayvon's death was (at least) not compounded by a legal travesty. Small consolation to a man who must forever look over his shoulder for a slayer during the day and be haunted by Trayvon's shade at night.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA