Florida's Stand Your Ground Law - The Not-Review

A few months or so ago, a seventeen year old man was shot dead by an older man who dignified himself with the title "neighborhood watch captain" and claimed justification for the shooting under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" or "No Retreat" law.

My opinion of the case against George Zimmerman in re the death of Trayvon Martin is exactly that - opinion; I shall leave it to the courts and shall not embroil myself in the bootless racial arguments.  My bitch is with the law itself.

Thanks to ALEC, the NRA and the members of the Florida Legislature that they hold in fee simple, as long as you can articulate properly the fact that you were in danger of death or great bodily harm, you are completely justified in using a gun or similar instrument to kill anyone you may feel threatened by.

In short, it's Wild West Time, and it's been that way since this idiocy was passed.

Bowing to pressure from the citizens of Florida and various activists, Governor Lex Luthor - er, Rick Scott, that's right, Rick Scott - appointed a blue-ribbon panel of state legislators, headed by the lieutenant governor, to review the law and see if it needs to be either tweaked or done away with.

Don't hold your breath, folks.  The Lt. Gov. voted for the law when she was in the Legislature, and all but one of the panel's members either voted for it or endorsed it.

The one?  He wrote the law, and doesn't see any reason to change a jot or tittle of it.

You might want to watch yourselves when you come down to Florida, or at least make the effort to look as non-threatening as possible.  Maybe dressing up like a fluffy kitten might help.