Re: Steve Sailer’s blog item Obama Restarts Hate Crime Investigation Of Zimmerman

From: Unreconstructed Southerner [Email him]

If Trayvon Martin was 17 years old, aren't his parents legally liable for his actions?

I'd be willing to contribute to George Zimmerman's legal fund for suing Trayvon's parents for the injuries Zimmerman suffered.  I wonder if this might be a way of bringing a bit of sanity into the business.

Of course, the Obama Administration isn't alone in its lawless pursuit of those it deems worthy of conviction—Bobby Kennedy's setting up a special task force to convict Jimmy Hoffa was of a piece with this, and, as far as Republicans go, so was Abraham Lincoln's totally lawless arrest of legally elected Maryland and Kentucky legislators.

James Fulford writes: The Martin family has received a million dollar payout from the Homeowners Association as a result of their own litigation, and it would be poetic if they lost it in a subsequent lawsuit.

However, while they may be in some sense morally responsible for Trayvon's upbringing, particularly his racial attitudes, I don't believe you can sue parents for the behavior of criminal teens, since for years we've been having Child Protective Services tell them they're not allowed to punish their children.

Better targets for lawsuits include the Miami School that suspended Trayvon Martin, instead of charging him, and NBC News, which edited Zimmerman's call to the police to make him appear racist.