The Long Dirty Toenail Defense
The press called it Dan White’s Twinkie defense*
Preposterous enough to be an offense
More recently the calling up of self defense
Has become a democratic threat immense.
After the Rittenhouse verdict
Armed white men we can predict.
Will say “I killed him because you see
He could turn my own gun on me”.
So, I killed him preemptively and defensively.
I feared from my life can’t you see?
So, bring a gun to a demonstration.
Kill and claim self-defense out of fear of your weapon
A modern slave patrol, Greg and Travis Michael,
And their neighbor William (Robbie) Bryan,
Chased jogging Armaud and gunned him down.
But Laura Hogue representing Greg McMichael
Will surely go down in legal history- we surmise:
For Arberry’s no victim his choices to her were no mystery.
For she said he contributed to his own demise.
Jogging in Santilli Shores neighborhood
Nullified his victimhood
In his khaki pants which are an obvious abomination
And no socks to cover his long dirty nails were a provocation. **
What comes through to dash our hopes
Are these blatantly racist and vile tropes.
Howard P. Charman, MD 11-23-2021
*Democracy Now 11-23-2021
**Dan White killed George Moscone and Harvey Milk after consuming sugary foods which his lawyer stated were related to depression. Twinkies were mentioned during the trial. Justice Scalia relevant to the right of counsel of choice said: “I don’t want a competent lawyer. I want a lawyer who’s going to get me off. I want a lawyer who will invent the Twinkie defense…I would not consider the Twinkie defense a invention of a competent lawyer. But I want a lawyer who’s going to win for me”. (Wikipedia).
***Arberry’s mother had to leave the courtroom on hearing this offensive and racist statement. Other members in the crowd were similarly aghast.