Florida man shoots black man and tells cops he "shot a n*gger"

You can't be serious...

Yeah, I noticed the book club. They can do that at Starbucks too.

The Tea Party really doesn't have a platform. Your idea of civil discourse seems more like fragmented chaos.

What are the goals of the Tea Party? From one person to the next, there is no cohesion. It's a bunch of scattered extremist viewpoints which offer no solutions.

 

I am serious.

Then why is she there rather than at Starbucks?

The Tea Parties do not have a platform because we are NOT a party. We are a movement that is active in the Republican Party but is slowly filtering into the Democratic Party. Go to an "Occupy" riot if you want fragmented chaos. We are outspoken but civil and purposeful. Like all people, there are some who do not know how to articulate their despair over a criminal, or near criminal, administration (IRS, Justice, NSA, EPA, etc.) but we always turn out peacefully. We also clean up after ourselves.

Look in my previous post to ascertain our goals. To you there is no "cohesion" because, unlike Liberal and union rallies, we don't tell people what to do and say. But, then again, people like you seem to prefer a harness and blinders so willingly provided by despots, that is, until it is too late.

 

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=242872

And *I* am the crazy one?

This is priceless.

BTW, I hope they fry the dude. Unless Mr. Gant physically attacked Butler on Butler's property, I'd say Butler probably has a date with a needle sometime in the future. And telling the cops that... Even if he does get self-defense (I doubt it), he's set himself up nicely for a hate crimes conviction.

 

The Tea Party is actually a pretty diverse group as far as ideology goes, but there are a couple of rallying points that everyone in the movement agrees upon.

The overarching theme is that we believe in Constitutionally limited government, that government should abide by the Constitution in all circumstances. This means that the government needs to respect our God-given rights and stay within its narrowly defined bounds. Closely following that is the belief that spending needs to be restrained. Deficits were bad under Bush and they got even worse under Obama. Obama's lowest deficit is still far higher than Bush's highest. This is unacceptable and is going to eventually bankrupt the nation.

Freedom, rule of law, responsibility. Those are the ideas that Tea Partiers all share; beyond that there's no real cohesive set of beliefs. While TPers tend to vote Republican that is not because they are enamored with the Republican Party, it is simply because the RP is at least in theory closer to their beliefs than the Dem party, and the Dem Party is hostile to the ideas of personal freedom, limited government, and responsible fiscal operation. But many TPers, like me, are frankly disgusted with both parties. All elections are a choice between the lesser of two evils, alas.

 

Well said.

 

Reading the article a disturbing thought occurred to me that Butler could not be convicted of this. According to the article Gant went to Butler's apartment to confront him and that Butler shot Gant at his door. If Gant was in Butler's apartment, for example sticking his head in through the door or trying to push the door open to argue with Butler, theoretically FL's castle doctrine and stand your ground could protect Butler. Butler made an incriminating comment about likely motive for shooing Gant but Gant was the one who initiated the confrontation.

Not saying this to defend Butler but I can see how possibly this shooting could be legally justified under a broad reading of the Castle Doctrine.

 

Depending on circumstances, you could be correct. However, I'd be surprised, even if his verdict was justifiable homicide, to not see him committed for mental instability. Only a really salty dog could sit down and have supper while a man he just shot lay in the doorway with police and EMTs en route.

 

The overarching theme of the Tea Party is god, or "God-given" as you put it, which is the main annoyance. Personal freedom, until you start talking religion. Percentage of Tea Party that would vote for an atheist President? :grin:

Bingo...

 

I am typically a Libertarian voter, and I don't know what the Tea Party really is.

For practical purposes I think it's a term Republicans use to say they're more ______ than other Republicans.

 

If Gant did physically attack Butler or enter his apartment then Butler may well have a defense. But if the evidence showed that Butler was outside of the apartment and there is no evidence of a physical scuffle (Butler appears to not have any injuries) then it looks like a cold blooded killing.

Either way he set himself up for a hate crime prosecution regardless of the murder charge. From the little we know so far though it looks unlikely that he will be able to argue self defense, though. At this point insanity would probably be his best bet.

This is completely inaccurate. While many TPers are Christians, religion has very little if anything to do with the movement. I've never witnessed any religious activity at a Tea Party rally. Not to say it's never there, but it is not at all the focus of the movement.

And as for personal freedom vs. religion... Ignorance rules.

 

I would have called this thread "We Are All George Zimmerman."

 

To answer you and thumbs this really depends on how broadly the FL castle doctrine and self-defense laws are interpreted. As noted with the Trayvon Martin case the FL self-defense law is one of the country's loosest in regard to interpretation of a threat. Now I agree that this case isn't too comparable to the Trayvon Martin case as there is far less evidence that is publicly known about this case. At the moment we don't know what exactly where the circumstances of Gant being shot. We know that his body was outside the door but that doesn't mean he wasn't partly in the door when he was shot or if Butler moved the body.

I personally hope and agree that at moment Butler will likely be convicted, and his comments certainly incriminate him, but given what we know about FL's laws I can see the possibility of him being exonerated.

 

The **** does that matter? You think being a business owner, partner, manager, or having a professional practice precludes someone from being a crazy bat**** extremist? That's where your thinking fails first.

Media media media! Nothing you fellas can't blame on the media. It's like the world's problems are just imaginary until you confirm their veracity through some bull**** right wing blog.

 

Unlike you, these are the types of people who can think independently, creatively and logically.

Also, have been a member of both print and electronic media for many years, I know I have more insight into the workings of the press than you could ever have.

 

Yes of course, the same kind of paranoid, xenophobic, racist, greedy Ayn Rand bull**** that we read fom the likes of your kind on this board constitutes the independent, creative, and logical thought that I can get from any extremist conservative blog, think tank, or talk radio show. It's so unique and high brow.

Gawd you are so full of ****.