To paraphrase the late Norm McDonald, "Murder is now legal in Wisconsin!"
Kyle Rittenhouse shot three men, killing two, during last summer's protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man.
There is no question that Rittenhouse shot those three men. There is video of the 17 year old raising his weapon and firing at these men.
But nonetheless Kyle Rittenhouse walked out of a Wisconsin courthouse a free man, acquitted of murder and assault.
The reason for Rittenhouse's freedom? Self defense.
OK, a few points to cover.
Kyle Rittenhouse was not in his own home.
Kyle Rittenhouse was not in his school, church or place of employment.
Hell, the son of a bitch was even in his own state.
He made the trip from Illinois to Wisconsin for the express purpose of taking part in a movement of "concerned citizens" who were taking it upon themselves to protect property from those protesting Blake's death.
Let's address that a moment.
There were these people taking action that they were not authorized to take to do what no one asked them to do.
So get this straight: Kyle Rittenhouse was in a place he wasn't supposed to be at doing stuff he wasn't supposed to be doing.
And he gets to claim self defense?
And it works?
Oh, about that self defense. Who exactly was Rittenhouse defending himself against?
Rittenhouse claimed he felt threatened by the men he shot.
Of the three men Rittenhouse, only 1 of them was armed with a gun. And that one was not brandishing his weapon. And that guy was a paramedic who did have business being on the scene.
And Rittenhouse's reason for being in Kenosha evolved.
Reason #1: Rittenhouse said he went to the protest armed with an AK-style semi-automatic weapon to protect property from rioters.
Reason #2: He then testified he had also gone to Kenosha to provide medical aid and was carrying a medic bag. Rittenhouse did nothing to render any medical aid to the men he shot. Instead in fled from the scene.
Rittenhouse would later claim he was running to find the police.
So to make sure I have this straight:
A 17 year old who had no reason or authority to be where he was "felt" threatened by people there and acted to defend himself by shooting 3 men.
And he gets away with it.
Hey, everybody! "Murder is now legal in Wisconsin!"
Ronald Sullivan, a law professor at Harvard Law School, wrote on Saturday that the Rittenhouse verdict violates 5 standards for claiming self-defense
#1: The use of force must be proportionate to the force employed by the aggressor.
#2: The use of self-defense is limited to imminent harm. The threat by the aggressor must be immediate.
#3: The person’s assessment of whether he is in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury must be reasonable, meaning that a supposed “reasonable person” would consider the threat to be sufficiently dangerous to put him in fear of death or serious bodily injury.
#4: The law does not permit a first aggressor to benefit from a self-defense justification.
#5: A person has a duty to retreat before using deadly force, as long as it can be done safely.
Conservative politicians have for years sought to undermine these rules with "stand your ground" laws which has broadened options for those accused of shooting someone to claim self defense where a more rational application of common sense would not normally apply.
Kyle Rittenhouse was in a place he wasn't supposed to be doing stuff he had no authority to do. That means his feeling threatened by BLM protestors would be on his dumbass.
Well, the verdict should not have been a surprise since the fix was in.
Judge Bruce Schroeder wouldn't let the prosecutor refer to the men Rittenhouse shot as "victims". He was OK with "looters", "rioters" and "arsonists" but not "victims".
Rittenhouse's defense team called into question video evidence suggesting "algorithms and AI" in cell phones add information to videos. Which is clearly bullshit but Judge Schroeder lent credence to their fatuous argument by ranting about trouble he apparently routinely encounters with his cellphone.
Speaking of his cellphone, Schroeder's phone rang during the trial, his ringtone being Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” a favorite song played at Donald Trump's rallies.
Schroder also picked an overly white jury in only a day, an overly swift process many legal experts called into question.
It was clear which way Judge Bruce Schroeder was leaning on the subject of Kyle Rittenhouse's guilt or innocence.
By the way, a juror was dismissed after making a racist joke a deputy about the black man shot by Kenosha police.
“Why did it take seven shots to shoot Jacob Blake? Because they ran out of bullets.”
If the juror hadn't been dumbass enough to tell his alleged "joke" to a deputy, he would have stayed in the jury until Friday to help render a verdict that everyone hoped would not be coming but surely feared would be the result.
And get a load of the reactions of these morons.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) was gleeful about Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal, posting a video urging his supporters to “be armed, be dangerous.”
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) asked his followers on Twitter if Rittenhouse should get a congressional medal of honor.
But as Mark Evanier noted on Twitter, "And one day soon, someone of a different political view and/or race will do what Kyle Rittenhouse did and all the folks cheering today's verdict will be screaming, 'Rule of law!'"
Murder is not politics. Murder is murder and you're guilty or not.
And it's clear to anyone with functioning eyes, a modicum of wisdom and no political axe to grind that Kyle Rittenhouse was guilty.
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