Regarding Marijuana-High Drug-Crazed Berserking

If you want to fight a war on drugs, sit down at your own kitchen table and talk to your own children ~ Barry Mccaffrey (dob 11/17/1942) a retired United States Army general and 4th Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (under Bill Clinton, 2/29/1996 to 1/4/2001).

There is a FAR Right blogger who calls himself dmarks, but his actual name is Dennis Marks. I've mentioned Dennis a number of times before on this blog. Why? Because this guy is the most deluded Right-winger I've ever encountered.

Every time I encounter some of his inane rantings they frequently leave me beyond astounded. Usually he posts his idiotic remarks on blogs where he knows he is safe; that is, places where the chance is low he'll get any pushback. Perhaps I have some form of OCD in this regard, but it bothers me when his patently false and frequently absurd comments stand and receive no rebuke at all. This is why I've dedicated a series of commentaries on my blog to do so (rebuke Dennis' insanity).

Today I feel compelled to defend Trayvon Martin, the innocent unarmed teenager who was shot and killed by George Zimmermann on 2/26/2012 in Sanford FL. Zimmerman is guilty (in my opinion) of either second degree murder or voluntary manslaughter. Whatever the verdict, it should definitely be one of these two options; Zimmerman should not get off because the killing was "self defense", which is what his lawyers will argue, as his lawyers have "waived his right to a stand your ground pretrial immunity hearing".

Neither the stand your ground (bad law) nor self-defense applies in my opinion, as Zimmerman pursued Martin after the 911 operator told him not to. A self-described "Moderate" (or "small l" Libertarian) named Willis V. Hart previously said he believed Zimmerman should be charged with "reckless endangerment or manslaughter". But the possibility remains that Zimmerman is innocent (in his mind). This thought he expressed in a commentary posted to his blog on 6/18/2013...

Willis Hart: There are two possibilities here, I believe. Either Mr. Zimmerman was getting the shit kicked out of him and pulled the gun in self defense, or he had the gun out with an intent to kill (as the state is now asserting) and decided to let this Martin kid beat on him a bit first. To me, the former seems much more plausible and for that reason alone I still have serious reasonable doubts... at least when it comes to second degree murder - manslaughter maybe not as much. (6/18/2013 AT 7:44pm. "On the George Zimmerman Trial").

OK, so "not so much", but still, the Hartster thinks there is a possibility Zimmermann could be completely innocent and the shooting was "self defense". Me, I think he's guilty and should be convicted. 2nd degree murder or possibly manslaughter. Getting off on self-defense would be a travesty of justice. Dennis, however, thinks Trayvon had it coming. Or, Trayvon is at least partially to blame. Following is Dennis' reply to Willis' post (and this reply is the reason why I authored this commentary)...

Dennis Marks: Zimmerman was an armed neighborhood watch guy spoiling for a confrontation, and Martin was a drug-crazed berserker (a felon who should have been behind bars). A true Battle of Stalingrad: both bad guys. But one of them killed the other. (6/18/2013 AT 8:14pm).

Dennis is right about Zimmerman, but 100 percent wrong about Martin. The "drug crazed" comment is due to the fact that marijuana was found in Trayvon's system. But the judge wisely told Zim's lawyers that evidence could not be introduced at the trial. According to a commentary I read on Newsvine, "Mark O'Mara, Mr. Zimmerman's lawyer, argued that Mr. Martin's drug use could have made him aggressive and paranoid, which the defense said might have prompted him to attack Mr. Zimmerman". However, this assertion is false because "such an argument is contradicted by medical evidence, which shows that marijuana tends to reduce aggression".

But Dennis is fervently anti-marijuana. In his mind we should continue our failed drug war, and even expand it. Dennis thinks it would be a good idea to lock up casual users, including people never even charged or convicted of a crime involving drug possession.

CBS News says "Martin was suspended by Miami-Dade County schools because traces of marijuana were found in an empty plastic baggie in his book bag", but that "Martin did not have a juvenile offender record".

But Dennis thinks Martin should have been "behind bars". Because being suspended from school for suspicion of drug use is enough to brand someone a "felon" and lock him up... in Mr. Marks' deluded imagination. Now, Trayvon was only 17, and therefore his marijuana use was illegal, even if there had been a measure passed in FL decriminalizing it (there hasn't).

Me, I'm in favor of legalization of marijuana, and believe it should be regulated and taxed like alcohol. These regulations would include an age under which use would not be permitted. But I'm not going to brand Trayvon a felon for something he was never even charged with, let alone convicted of. That's lunacy, but it's lunacy right up Dennis' alley. Also, many people share Dennis' lunacy when it comes to marijuana. The judge, knowing this information would be highly prejudicial, disallowed it.

This is a decision I strongly agree with. Dennis is exhibit one when it come to condemning someone of a crime because they've used marijuana. I wonder if he believes teenage consumers of alcohol are "bad guys". In my opinion this is just normal teenage rebellion and experimentation. MANY teens (at least occasionally) partake in drugs or alcohol. Does Dennis believe they should all be in prison? Maybe just the Black ones. Yes, I think racism may have something to do with Mr. Marks' statement. Perhaps he says they are both "bad guys" because Trayvon was Black and Zimmerman is mixed race (White on his father's side and Hispanic on his mother's side)?

Thanks to an e-book released by Zim's dad, "Florida v. Zimmerman: Uncovering the Malicious Prosecution of my Son, George", it is now confirmed that the father Robert is a HUGE racist. A 6/15/2013 HuffPo article describes a chapter in his e-book in which Zim Senior identifies the "true racists"...

HuffPo: In the chapter, "Who Are The True Racists"... Zimmerman uses words like "pathetic", "self-serving" and "disgrace" when describing the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP and Martin's funeral director, among others. He says he believes they are promoting a racist agenda in the United States and around the Martin case.

You can be assured you're dealing with a racist-in-denial when the (White) subject identifies Black people (and groups) as the "real racists". These people are the worst kind of racists, IMO. At least KKK-type racists are upfront and admit their prejudices. People like Zim's dad deny it while making absurd accusation that it's REALLY the Blacks who are racist.

And this is what causes me to wonder if racism did not play a part in the Trayvon Martin Shooting. Given the racist views of dear old dad, might not George have been influenced by those views? Remember George used a racial slur during his 911 call, referring to Trayvon as a "coon"? Some voice experts said he didn't, but given this info about his dad, I'm not 100 percent convinced. I listened to the tape and, to me, it sounds like Zim used the racial slur.

And this e-book put out by Zim's dad (in which he tells us who the "real racists" are) is reminiscent of Dennis' and HIS past comments regarding the "racism" he is most concerned with... which would be racism against White people. Dennis frequently rails against the "racism" of Affirmative Action (a policy that is actually designed to make up for past racism). Not only that, but Dennis slanders those who defend Affirmative Action by calling those people racist! He actually referred to one commenter (John Myste) as a "Grand Wizard" and - when John Myste said he was leaving Willis Hart's blog - Dennis said, "don't let your white robe get caught on the door on the way out". (TADM #62).

This is what in-denial racists like Robert Zimmerman and Dennis Marks do! They accuse others of racism (Black people and others who disagree with them). So if you ask if it is possible that George shares or was influenced by his dad's views... I say YES, it is very possible. And would Dennis be calling Trayvon a "drug-crazed berserker" and a felon (even though he was never charged or convicted) if Trayvon were White? I'm not sure, but I certainly think it is a strong possibility.

I say "I'm not sure" because Dennis is very strongly opposed to marijuana use, so MAYBE he'd be saying the same thing if Trayvon were White... but given his penchant for focusing on racism against White people, I doubt it quite a bit.

In closing I'm going to cite a comment I read on the Huffington Post site (in response to the article I previously linked to)...

HuffPo Commenter: What the Zimmermans do not seem to grasp is one doesn't need to be a racist to behave in a racially biased manner. His son behaved in a racially biased manner by profiling Trayvon... In the first 5 seconds of his call to police he made an assumption that Trayvon was up to no good and that he was on drugs. What is this assumption based on? What would lead George to assume that Trayvon was on drugs... was Trayvon weaving and falling down? Tearing his clothes off or yelling incoherently? No. What George said was "it's raining and he's just walking around looking about".

This is what Dennis is doing. He says Trayvon should have been in prison and is a "bad guy" because he used marijuana. Sure, Dennis is biased when it comes to people who use marijuana. That much is very, very obvious. But there is also an element of racial bias at play here as well, IMO. I think there is plenty of evidence to support this charge. Agree or disagree?

See Also
[1] Apparently, the "Real Racists" Are... Anti-Racists? by Jamelle Bouie, The Nation 7/27/2012.
[2] Dennisism #7 Violent Felon (TADM #56). dmarks redefines the term "violent felon" so that it somehow applies to Trayvon Martin, an individual who was never convicted of any felonies and (in my opinion) never proven to have assaulted George Zimmerman. 9/2/2014.

2/11/2016 Update: "Nice racial slander", Shaw Kenawe says in response to a 7/19/2013 dmarks comment in which he quotes an article included as part of a post on RNUSA concerning protests that took place after the George Zimmerman trial verdict. The quote is "officers gave orders to disperse. At that point, groups of people took off running and began attacking and robbing pedestrians", and (concerning this sentence) Dennis writes "honoring Trayvon Martin by acting like him, I see". Yeah, I gotta agree with Shaw here.

SWTD #170, dDel #9, wDel #30.