ALEC Statement on Trayvon's Murder

[otohara]

Trayvon Martin’s death was a great tragedy that brings sadness to all of us. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and community.

It is a great shame that some are using this tragedy to further their political ends. Indeed, Paul Krugman describes advancing his political goals as the “silver lining to Trayvon Martin’s killing.” That is as callous as it is cruel, and it is also incorrect. Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law was the basis for the American Legislative Exchange Council’s model legislation, not the other way around. Moreover, it is unclear whether that law could apply to this case at all. “Stand Your Ground” or the “Castle Doctrine” is designed to protect people who defend themselves from imminent death and great bodily harm. It does not allow you to pursue another person. It does not allow you to seek confrontation. It does not allow you to attack someone who does not pose an imminent threat. What it does is allow you to defend yourself and your family from immediate and real danger.

In the end, we will always respect people who disagree with us in matters of policy, but it is simply wrong to try to score political points by taking advantage of a great tragedy like Trayvon’s death.

Contact: Kaitlyn Buss at [e-mail] or 202-742-8526 .

[Rex]

1. ALEC = Dum Dums

ALEC - we hate it when people use a tragedy to further their political ends. Now WATCH US DO IT IN THE NEXT SENTENCE!

Oh ALEC...failuresauce to go (doggy bag)?

[appleannie1]

2. Zimmerman was the one doing the chasing. His own phone call to police proves that.

[otohara]

3. They've Stopped Letting People Post on Facebook Page

Chicken shits

[DocMac]

4. ALEC,

with the blueberry pie all over their face.

[arthritisR_US]

5. Just what I would expect from a weasel

outfit. Point the finger somewhere else while four point right back to them. I expected nothing else from them.

[Zalatix]

6. Looks to me like ALEC is distancing itself from Zimmerman's actions

and, in fact, throwing him under the bus.

[EC]

7. May have been "designed" to protect

but they didn't think it through using common sense of how people REALLY would use the law...I mean come on when the victim is the only witness, how did they expect this to go? Are they just in denial to how people would behave? Or they did know and were thinking of it as a way to get rid of a whole segment of people...I hate to think that way, but look at whats happening in Africa and the Middle East pitting one group against another just to wipe out a group of people. And it's the elites doing the pitting.

[gratuitous]

8. Did ALEC get their fee-fees hurted?

Gee, nobody could have predicted that a law written to give murderously free rein to a person's feelings would ever be used by a person experiencing the wrong feelings! It's just wrong to blame ALEC for so consistently and repeatedly writing this same misguided legislation for states all over the country. Wrong, I tell you! Now stop it, all of you, before you make little Kaitlyn cry. You big meanies.

[Justice wanted]

9. Alec wants the "Stand your Ground" laws. They have written leg for it.

google Alec and Stand your ground because think Progress and Talking Points Memos have done stories on this.