Standing your ground, defending yourself, and Eddies spin yet again

Trayvon Martin is a pretty famous name right now.  If anyone would have told him how famous he would become, a week before he died, he never would have believed it.  Like many Americans, Eddie and I discussed his death.  As usual, we didn't agree.

My best friend and I usually don't agree?  That's right.  Oddly enough, I finally discovered a subject where Eddie is much more cynical than I am.  Usually he's the shining voice of reason, but he's also human enough to have a pet peeve.

My spin on what happened to Trayvon Martin is as follows.  A moron got out of a car carrying a gun in his hand.  What are you going to do with that thing, you fool?  Get yourself in a hell of a lot of trouble!!!  If he had it to do over again, I'm sure he would have stayed in his car, as the cops suggested.  Once he got out of that car, was he totally responsible for any and all further wrong?

My best friend thinks so, I don't agree.  I forget what movie the line is out of, but I recall some Sargent telling a group of Marine recruits that, 'the worst sad sac Marine, is better than a dead hero'.  Is Martin even a hero?  No, he's generally accepted as a victim, not a hero.  A dead victim.  Did that have to happen?  I don't think so.

What do I think happened?  I think an idiot got out of his car and confronted a kid who could have torn him to shreds in an unarmed fair fight.  I think the kid reacted to seeing that weapon, the same way I react to seeing somebody brandishing a knife.  That fool won't use it.  Martin could have given him the finger, called him as many names as he wanted, then turned his back on the fool, and walked away.  If he would have done that I think he'd still be alive.

He could have gone into a rage, and told that pudgy white middle aged fool he was going to shove that gun up his................  And followed that up with trying to do just what he said he ought to do.  Then he was dead.  EVERY BODY LOST.  The kid lost, the moron lost, the community lost, America lost; we all lost.  Was the kid partially responsible?  I have to say yes.  The worst sad sac Marine is better than a dead hero, and nobody is elevating the kid to the status of hero.  He's simply a victim, and with better judgement, he could have walked away.