George Zimmerman's Biggest Defender: A Racist With a Criminal Past

	POLITICAL MOJO FROM DAVID CORN, KEVIN DRUM, AND THE NEWS TEAM   MOTHER JONES August 8, 2013   TOP STORY George Zimmerman's Biggest Defender: A Racist With a Criminal Past By Mariah Blake Frank Taaffe is hardly the ideal person to be weighing in on a case suffused with racial angst—or commenting on criminal-justice matters, period. A Mother Jones investigation has found that the 56-year-old New York native has a lengthy criminal record that includes charges of domestic violence and burglary, and a history of airing virulently racist views. [READ MORE]   MOST READ 5 Surprising Genetically Modified Foods Meet the Town That's Being Swallowed by a Sinkhole The 7 Craziest Obamacare Conspiracy Theories Bad News: Hackers Are Coming for Your Tap Water     TOP IN SOCIAL MEDIA This 7-Year-Old Is Banned From Talking About Fracking Ever Could You Survive on Fast-Food Wages? Try Our Calculator Meet the Town That's Being Swallowed by a Sinkhole Here's Why Some People Think the Smurfs Are Jew-Hating Communists   ADVERTISEMENT IN OTHER NEWS Meet the Town That's Being Swallowed by a Sinkhole By Tim Murphy About once a month, the residents of Bayou Corne, Louisiana, meet at the Assumption Parish library in the early evening to talk about the hole in their lives. "It was just like going through cancer all over again," says one. "You fight and you fight and you fight and you think, 'Doggone it, I've beaten this thing,' and then it's back. But the support group isn't for addiction, PTSD, or cancer, though all of these maladies are present. The hole in their lives is a literal one. [READ MORE]     THIS WEEK'S NEWS ROUNDUP The 7 Craziest Obamacare Conspiracy Theories We found the seven craziest Obamacare theories—and showed why they're wrong. Also wrong: the latest Republican talking point on Al Qaeda, and Stephen Colbert dancing with Henry Kissinger. Tesla Motors earned $26 million in the second quarter—thanks to the government. Also, Democrats jumped on the "death panel" bandwagon. Leaving aside the question of whether GMOs are good or bad for a moment, we figured out which foods have them. Then Tom Philpott actually endorsed one use of GMOs. And it turns out you don't have to spend all night worrying about Arctic methane bombs. But America: Don't drink the water. [READ MORE]   CHART OF THE WEEK: Chart of the Day: Net New Jobs in July [READ MORE]   QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Retiring GOP Congressman: Fundraising Is "the Main Business" of Congress [READ MORE]   Become a fan of Kevin Drum on Facebook.   Follow Kevin Drum on Twitter Follow David Corn on Twitter MOTHERJONES.COM Mother Jones 222 Sutter Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94108