He probably could have expressed himself better but I think his point is valid. Personally, the reason I think that Zimmerman should be held accountable is that I can see myself in Martin’s shoes. If someone looking like Zimmerman followed me around I’d feel threatened and be very tempted to swing first. If he made any movement to “detain” me or touch me in anyway then I would definitely take a swing. It seems to me that a lot of FReepers are saying that at that point the other guy would have the right to shoot me. I just don’t get that.
We don't know the character of these few moments. We don't know how far away from Martin Zimmerman was during the "following" phase. We don't know how close Zimmerman ever got to Martin prior to the altercation.
People have a tendency to fill in the blanks with what they think might have happened, then draw their conclusions based on that version of events.
As freedom loving people we must not do this. We are a nation of laws, and Zimmerman is innocent until proven guilty; unarrestable until probable cause of all elements of a crime have been established.
A lack of probable cause says nothing of who was "right" and who was "wrong", or whether a situation is tragic or not. It is a cold, impartial, surgical and clinical thing to find probable cause. It must be done without supposition, without speculation and without emotion.
If we depart from this, even for a moment, we depart from the fundamental principles of America.