It really would be best for the world if George Zimmerman would stay in seclusion. Best for him, too.
But he can’t help himself.
And instead of letting much of America just think he’s a total buffoon, he comes out in public and removes any doubt.
So last week, we were treated to a video interview with Zimmerman, who has turned down most interview requests since killing Trayvon Martin in Sanford in 2012. This time, he came out of his hole to be interviewed by — yes, this is for real — his Tampa divorce attorney.
How courageous, being interviewed by your own attorney. Almost as courageous as shooting an unarmed teenager, I would say.
The attorney asked probing stuff — “Is there any sort of feeling you have that there has been unfairness toward you?” and “Did you do anything wrong?”
Zimmerman, in turn, spent most of the 13-minute interview blaming President Obama (“Barack Hussein Obama,” according to Zimmerman, who is obviously watching the Fox News clowns too often); Attorney General Eric Holder, the Department of Justice, a Sanford police sergeant, the American judicial system, the FBI and even the Hispanic Congressional Caucus in Washington for his string of problems the last couple of years. He didn’t blame Joe Philbin, but maybe I missed that part.
One of the most amazing things on the video, however, was when Zimmerman invoked the name — oh how I wish I was making this up — of Anne Frank.
Yes, that Anne Frank.
When asked by his probing attorney if he was the same person now that he was five years ago, Zimmerman said, “I still believe that people are truly good at heart as Anne Frank has said, and I will put myself in any position to help another human …”
Pardon me while I reach for an air sickness bag.
Sorry. OK. I’m back.
Anyway, perhaps Zimmerman, the ultimate victim, is planning to write a book. If so, here are a few possible excerpts from “The Diary of George Zimmerman”:
“August 2013. Visited a Florida gun manufacturer, the same company that makes the gun that killed Trayvon. To me, it was just a nostalgia trip. Why do people make a big deal of this? I’m going to enjoy myself. If you can’t handle that, it’s your fault.”
“November 2013. Got arrested for pointing a gun at my girlfriend. All her fault. Didn’t happen. Can’t these dating services get more high-class bimbos?”
“March 2014..Signed autographs at a gun show in Orlando. People know I am a true American hero. Damn, it’s good to be me. If you don’t like that, it’s your fault.”
“September 2014. Allegedly threatened to kill a driver during a road rage incident in Lake Mary. Didn’t happen, but you give me a dirty look, you better expect trouble. That’s my version of Stand Your Ground. All his fault.”
“January 2015. Got arrested for domestic violence, this time for allegedly throwing a wine bottle at a girlfriend. Never happened. Besides, she knows I like beer instead. All her fault.”
Nowhere in the interview with his attorney does Zimmerman express real remorse to Trayvon Martin’s family, but at least he doesn’t blame them for making him shoot. At least, I don’t think he blamed them.
Anne Frank, by the way, didn’t spend time in her diary blaming the world for the fact she was hiding from the Nazis for two years in an attic.
She tried to see the good in life. Her remarkable diary about the horrors of war and the strength of the human spirit has been an inspiration worldwide for decades. It has been published in more than 60 languages
Call me crazy, but I don’t think “The Diary of George Zimmerman” will be read by schoolchildren.
Gary Stein can be reached at gstein@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4616 or on Twitter @SSEditorial.
