Isn’t it the least we can do? And by “we,” I mean racists.
The Arizona Daily Sun reports:
Albert Einstein. George Takei. Jerry Garcia.
All of those men and many others have had an asteroid named after them. And if William Lowell Putnam III, trustee of Lowell Observatory, has his way, another name will be added to that list: Trayvon Martin…
It was an unusually warm night at Anderson Mesa south of Flagstaff on Oct. 2, 2000, when Lowell Observatory astronomers found the asteroid 2000 TM61. It was just one of hundreds that observatory’s researchers discovered as part of their search for Near Earth Asteroids.
The minor planet was placed into a catalog and forgotten until shortly after Martin, 17, was fatally shot in Sanford, Fla. The unarmed teen’s death sparked nationwide protests and renewed the race debate in America…
“As I see it, the social fairness showed to Trayvon Martin was very sadly lacking,” he said. “Inasmuch as I am the sole trustee of an institution which has some naming privileges, I want to do my share to see that this lad is remembered in an appropriate manner.”
Not being allowed to beat a man’s head into the pavement until he dies is socially unfair. And there’s no better way to honor the memory of the violent attacker innocent victim than by gracing a celestial body with his name.
Something called the Minor Planet Center, which apparently decides these things, has rejected Putnam’s proposal. This is because the Minor Planet Center is filled with racists.
Once these bigots are forced to acquiesce — and one way or another, they will be — we’d better hope Trayvon the Asteroid never heads toward Earth. Because we won’t be able to defend ourselves from it or we’ll all be creepy-ass crackas.
Or maybe you want another “renewal of the race debate”? No? Then shut up and do as you’re told, racists.
