George Zimmerman is innocent until proven guilty just like every other American citizen. That Dr. Drew and his cohorts would be finding him guilty on camera is patently irresponsible. What's next? A mob lynching? Remember the Ox-Bow Incident.

Trayvon Martin is dead at the hand of Zimmerman. Yes, a rope was not involved. But Zimmerman (and Geller) appear to be the ones unfamiliar with the lessons of The Oxbow Incident. Was Martin innocent until proven guilty? Last I looked, Zimmerman remains a free man. It's not news, but Geller surely is clueless.

Someone agrees with me:

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Hillary Clinton's protegee and replacement in the Senate, says she'll ask the Secretary of State to run for President in 2016. [...] "I'm going to be one of the first to ask Hillary to run in 2016," Gillibrand told BuzzFeed, saying she "certainly hope[s]" Clinton will run for president.

"I think she would be incredibly well-poised to be our next Democratic president," Gillibrand said. "I think she's extremely well prepared. I think her experience as Secretary of State has not only elevated her stature and experience, but she's proven she's someone who can get things done and I think she'd be an outstanding candidate."

Also this: "Gillibrand's words also a rebuke to her own governor, Andrew Cuomo, who also appears to be positioning himself for a future White House run." STOP Cuomo!!!

Speaking for me only

Bump and Update: Multiple French News sites are now reporting Mohamed Merah is dead. It's been confirmed by police. Three police officers were wounded, one seriously.

This comes after a long, continuous and loud blast of what sounded like automatic weapons. Police now say Merah fired at them and they fired back in self-defense. Apparently, he started shooting at them while in the bathroom and then jumped out the bathroom window. There are even reports he may have died from the fall rather than the gunfight. An autopsy will be performed. Added: He didn't die from the fall but a shot to the head as he jumped from the window. [More....]

The picks:

Wisconsin +4 over Syracuse; Michigan State -5 over Louisville; Ohio State -7½ over Cincinnati; North Carolina -10½ over Ohio; Marquette -1½ over Florida; Indiana +9 over Kentucky; Baylor -6 over Xavier; NC State (+8) over Kansas.

Open Thread.

A justice of the New Zealand High Court has granted Kim Dotcom $60,000. a month to live on while awaiting the outcome of the U.S. extradition request.

In a decision released today, the court said a $20,000 monthly living allowance would come from the interest paid on the $10 million Dotcom has invested in NZ government bonds. The remaining $40,000 will be paid in monthly installments from a $301,000 bank account he has had returned to him.

One of his two 2011 Mercedes was also ordered returned. (He had a 2011 Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG, with the license plate "POLICE” and a 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63.)

No ruling yet on whether the procedurally defective restraining order will result in him getting all seized property back.

I'll be offline this afternoon, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

The Supreme Court today ruled defendants have the right to effective assistance of counsel during plea bargain negotiations.

The cases are Lafler v. Cooper, No. 10-209, and Missouri v. Frye, No. 10-444.

In Lafler, the court said where a defendant rejects a plea offer on the advice of counsel and proceeds to trial, in order to show counsel was ineffective,

[H]e must show that but for the ineffective advice, there is a reasonable probability that the plea offer would have been presented to the court, that the court would have accepted its terms, and that the conviction or sentence, or both, under the offer’s terms would have been less severe than under the actual judgment and sentence imposed.

K-i-s-s-i-n-g. Football makes no sense to me. The Denver Broncos have signed a $96 million 5 year contract with Peyton Manning. Our local news reports it's the Biggest Contract Ever in NFL history. Manning didn't play last season due to multiple surgeries for neck injuries. Everyone seems to think he'll be able to play but no one seems to know for sure. Here's Manning today on the state of his neck:

“Could I play this Sunday? Yeah, I could,” Manning said. “I don’t know if I’d play as well as I’d like, but I could.”

His neck is apparently enough of a concern that his new contract has a neck injury waiver. But he's guaranteed $18 million for this season, meaning even if he re-injures his neck the first week, or his old neck injuries resurface, causing him to sit out the remainder of the season, he's guaranteed $18 million. Who wouldn't take that deal?

So what do the Broncos say about the possibility Manning's injuries will prevent him from being the Greatest Player Ever? [More...]

The Australian Foreign Ministry has issued a warning to Australians: Stay away from Bali.

Indonesia's counter-terrorism unit killed five suspected terrorists in a shoot-out on Bali last weekend. According to Indonesian authorities, the men were planning terror attacks, and a bar patronized by Australians was on the list.

Why now? Alleged Jemaah Islamiyah bombmaker Umar Patek, is on trial now in Indonesia for the 2002 Bali bombings and facing a possible death sentence. [More...]

CNN reports Illinois Republicans have chosen Mitt Romney. CBS reports the same. Santorum is now far behind in delegates.

Welcome, Spring.

Brooke Mueller, Charlie Sheen's ex-wife, got a deferred judgment deal yesterday to felony possession of less than 4 grams of cocaine in Aspen. She'll be on supervised probation for three years.

[Judge Gail] Nichols asked her what would happen if she runs afoul of the law again during her deferred sentence.

“Ohhh, I’m in big trouble,” Mueller said.

Anyone see Michelle Obama on Letterman last night? [More...]

DOJ and the FBI will investigate the killing of Trayvon Martin.

I hope this results in a restriction on members of neighborhood watch groups playing cop. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes:

Mr. Zimmerman is not a cop. He had no legal right to question a law-abiding citizen based on his suspicions. Unless the legal standard now is that black youth have to show fearful deference to random strangers who stop them on streets they have a legal right to be, then Mr. Zimmerman's actions weren't justified.

I don't think that statement should be restricted to youth or persons of a specific race. It should be apply to everyone. Vigilante justice is no justice at all. Leave policing to police. [More...]