Ignorance And Apathy Abound

Details
Category: Justice
Published: Saturday, 26 January 2013 23:54

This article originally published in West Orlando News Online.

The level of ignorance and apathy among the population really astounds me. We live in a time in history when there is instant news everywhere. You don’t have to wait for images to be developed in the dark room. If you want to know what is going on anywhere in the world, that information is at your finger tips, even if you have minimal technology.

The average cell phone allows a person to get minute-by-minute news updates.

 

 Take the Trayvon Martin case for instance. I can’t imagine anyone not knowing the basic facts of the case. You would have had to be living on another planet not to have knowledge of the Trayvon Martin case. You are either living on another planet, or you only watch The FOX News Channel to be that ignorant of the news.

 There maybe some people who don’t know about the Trayvon Martin case, and others that don’t care. I certainly understand those attitudes. It seems to me that if you host a radio talk show repping one of the largest law firms in the state, and your opening comments are about Trayvon Martin then you should know something about the case.

 I called into the talk radio program, ‘Under Oath with Matt Englett.’ He answers questions, usually concerning bankruptcy and foreclosures but says that his firm is full service and can handle most any case. The public calls in for free advice on legal issues. Usually before he takes calls, he makes comments on the issues of the day. This day, the issue that he commented on was the Trayvon Martin case. I talked to him the next morning about his comments.

 Listen to the complete audio here. http://youtu.be/ma5CxyG6Hko

This program aired March 21, 2012, on Under Oath with Matt Englett. The discussion was about Trayvon Martin, the youth that was gunned down by a self- appointed neighborhood watch captain. This story captured national attention but Matt Englett seemed unaware of the facts of the story and how the law applies.

 There were several times that Mr. Englett said he did not read any of the information that I related to him, even though he said that he had read six or seven stories about the incident. Some of the other things Mr. Englett said:

 1. He watches The O’Reilly Factor every day. He made light of the Stand Your Ground Law and tried to link the Trayvon Martin case with liberal views of gun control.

2. He said that in New York only criminals and police had guns. His attitude was that everyone should have a gun. (Sounds like a NRA talking point.)

 3. He said that the system was working correctly and we should wait and let the authorities work through the issues in Sanford.

4. He said that law enforcement officers don’t have the right to the final decision. He made that statement after I suggested that Zimmerman should have been arrested.

 5. He said that the issue is right where it should be and there was not enough evidence to arrest Zimmerman.

 On his radio program, he gives free legal advice. Now, we know why