Last week’s vindication of Kyle Rittenhouse’s reckless and murderous behavior by a Wisconsin jury is no surprise, given the downward spiral of American morality.
Rittenhouse is the teenager who, during the Black Lives Matter protests vis a vis Jacob Blake’s 2019 murder by police, armed himself with an assault rifle, crossed state lines, wandered into the street protests brandishing his weapon, got accosted by unarmed protesters, felt threatened, and decided to shoot several. Two died and one survived.
The jury decided that Rittenhouse was innocent of all charges, based upon the assertion that he felt that his life was in mortal danger, thus justifying his actions.
Of course, Rittenhouse was not in mortal danger at his home. He drove across state lines to put himself in danger and brought an military-grade weapon with him. He waded into the protest/riot evidently looking for confrontation. The fellows that he shot down were not armed. After the shootings, he was allowed by police to leave the crime scene, with the murder weapon in his hands, not facing charges or even a grilling down at police headquarters.
If this isn’t a crime, what is???
Let’s be honest, my fellow Americans: Had this been a Klu Klux Klan rally, and a Black man had done the same thing as Rittenhouse, the perpetrator would have either: (1) been summarily executed by police; or, (2) would have been charged, convicted, and been sent to death row. No question: we all know it to be true.
Let’s also be honest about what actually happened here: the jury was sending a message, loud and clear, about Black Lives Matter protests and about anyone who has the courage to stand up to “The Man”, the law and order establishment, and pointy-headed liberal do-gooders.
Unfortunately, this jury verdict will have the effect of empowering the gun-happy imbeciles and militia goons who are itching to mete out street justice to anyone who annoys them for political, religious, or racial reasons.
More and more jurisdictions are allowing such folks to conceal or openly carry guns for “personal protection”. Given that there will now be more Rittenhouses wandering the streets, looking for trouble, and escalating minor beefs into life-threatening situations simply because one guy is packing a gun, this latest development is a recipe for societal disaster. Katie, bar the door!
America has vastly more privately-held guns than any other country in the world, and we have vastly more gun-related deaths per capita than any other country. And this was before the Rittenhouse murder/manslaughter acquittals.
The law enforcement officers who we pay to protect our communities from crime are governed by policies regarding appropriate tactics when encountering trouble, “use of lethal force”, “discharge of a deadly weapon”, and such. They are not allowed (legally) to go looking for trouble and spraying troublemakers with lead without justification.
At those Kenosha protests/riots, the police in attendance didn’t feel adequately threatened to use deadly force. The untrained, adventure-seeking Rittenhouse, who waded into the same chaos with a personal agenda, reacted impulsively and violently. He could have simply turned around and left the chaotic scene if he felt in danger. He chose, instead, to kill people.
As far as I know, not one state in our Nation has laws that convey the death penalty for free speech, demonstrations, or even throwing a brick at a government building. Even overturning a police car and burning it is not a capital crime, subject to execution. However, in Rittenhouse’s world, and perhaps in the jury’s warped understanding of “law and order”, anti-establishment types are suitable subjects for extermination by private citizens without benefit of trial (like the one Rittenhouse received).
If the rules are to be changed like this, to afford right-wing idiots the right to thin the herd at their whim, it won’t be long before left-wing fanatics begin to replace their bullhorns and placards with guns, grenades, bombs, and worse to match their opponents’ firepower.
A second Civil War could be just down the road a bit.
It boggles the mind.