Kyle Rittenhouse's story is a tragedy. The right thinks it's a triumph.

[Zorro]

The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha, Wis., should make any person with an ounce of sense feel little but grief, even despair. But unfortunately, if Rittenhouse gets acquitted, what happens afterward will be absolutely sickening.

Here’s a quick review of the undisputed facts in the case. As protests gripped Kenosha in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake last August, Rittenhouse, then 17, took his illegally obtained AR-15 and traveled to the city from his home in Illinois. In the midst of the chaotic events, he shot Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber and Gaige Grosskreutz. Rosenbaum and Huber died, while Grosskreutz survived.

Rittenhouse took the stand on Tuesday in his trial to argue that he feared for his life all three times and killed only in self-defense. There’s a good chance that he will prevail; there’s no question that the confrontations were angry (especially after a crowd saw him kill Rosenbaum and pursued him), and while “I was afraid” may not be quite the get-out-of-jail-free card for civilians that it is for police officers, it carries a lot of weight in both the law and the minds of juries.

I’m not a conservative, but if I was, I would hope my thoughts about Kyle Rittenhouse would run something like this: “The violence that occurred in Kenosha was unacceptable, but that doesn’t justify vigilantism. Rittenhouse was a dumb kid pumped up by the fantasy of saving the day with his gun, but he didn’t go there intending to murder anyone. He should be acquitted because he acted in self-defense, but we shouldn’t forget that two people are dead, which is a terrible tragedy.”

That’s not my opinion, but I do think it’s about the most generous gloss you can honestly put on those events.

Unfortunately, it’s not how conservatives approached this story. From the moment Rittenhouse killed Rosenbaum and Huber, he has been embraced by the right as a hero.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/10/kyle-rittenhouse-trial-tragedy-triumph/

[kacekwl]

1. I wonder how those who he became a hero to

will react after seeing Rittenhouse's break down ? Pretty sure he'll be considered a child again. Until they meet in the bar again after his acquittal. Shame he chose the wrong path both before and after the shooting.

[stillcool]

2. Facts don't matter...

grab that paint can and white wash the whole sorry story. Chalk another one up for the new history books.

[tetedur]

3. The stupid snowballed

Last edited Thu Nov 11, 2021, 07:34 AM - Edit history (1)

The Stupidity started with Jacob Blake acting so badly the police had to be called. The Stupid police found no way to resolve the situation except that they had to shoot 7 bullets into him. Then the Stupid had to take their violence into the streets and burn and loot their own city in protest. Then the Stupid came from out of town with AR-15s to play police because they thought the police couldn't handle what was happening. Because they know how to handle volatile crowds not because they have training, but because they merely own a gun. Two died and one was wounded. Now we witness this Stupid in court and there will be no justice for the dead.

Wait til Kyle Rittenhouse runs for office.

[luv2fly]

4. Of course they do

From the moment we all learned the details, was there ever any question as to how the "right" (I've always hated that term) would view him?

[Marcuse]

5. He went there on safari for the thrill of the hunt.

[rlegro]

6. This case however it plays out looks to me like a big right-wing re-run

It feels to me a whole lot like the incident on February 26, 2012, when Trayvon Martin, a black teen walking home from a trip to a convenience store, was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer patrolling a neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman later claimed to have shot the unarmed 17-year-old out of self-defense during a physical altercation. Zimmerman was not initially arrested but eventually faced murder charges and was ... acquited! And became a right-wing hero who got into further trouble with the law. Most important: Trayvon Martin’s death triggered nationwide protests like the Million Hoodie March. And in 2013, three womeni formed the Black Lives Matter Network with the mission to “eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.”

Will this ridiculous, horrible, destructive cycle of white supremacism ever burn itself out? Not if our courts continue to cover for its worst actors, no.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. For this thread

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