One of the few benefits of being underemployed is that I’ve had a chance to watch bits and pieces of the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin trial live. Like all trials, most of it is a one way trip to snoozeville but I’m forming some general opinions about how things are going thus far.

I agree with the late victim that Zimmerman is a “creepy ass cracker.” The whole attempt to gin that up as a “racist slur” was neatly dispatched by, of all people, conservative WaPo columnist Kathleen Parker. Cracker is derogatory but it’s sort of an anachronism and is largely unused in 2013. Paula Deen is clearly a cracker, as well as a fool but that’s off topic. Btw, I’m trying to revive peckerwood as an alternate term to describe people who think Paula Deen is awesome and that Jeff Foxworthy is funny.

I thought the much ballyhooed Rachel Jeantel testimony was a wash. I was sort of gobsmacked by the reaction of the internet creepy ass crackers and peckerwoods to her. I was surprised to hear her described as belligerent et al. She struck me as a reluctant witness who was surprisingly soft spoken, which certainly cuts against the big, bold, brassy chick from the hood comments that were flying around. She wasn’t candid on some minor points but stuck to her story on the major one: Trayvon was attacked while chatting her up and munching on Skittles. Despite what some on Fox News would have you think, Skittles are not a deadly weapon. Starburst might be but never Skittles…

As someone who’s pro-prosecution in this case, one thing alarms me. The defense is seriously out-lawyering the prosecution so far. They’ve divided up chores with Mark O’Mara being the nice one and Don West playing the bald headed bad cop attorney. O’Mara is very smooth and understands something that most lawyers do not: that being pleasant in court can sway the jury and witnesses as well. He did an excellent job with the cop from general casting, Chris Serino, and got him to offer some opinions that helped the defense. The prosecutors are unmemorable thus far, hopefully they’ll get better. Substance may be more important but style always matters.