Adding on to the growing mountain of opinions of why the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse is significant. I’ll add my bit to the pile because so many seem to miss what could be the most important aspect. Many contend, based on the evidence, no charges should have been filed in the first place. I agree. This, in itself, is significant. Not only did the prosecution totally fail to produce an iota of evidence during their presentation to support their case, they actually presented a solid case for the defense. In their panic in the end, they scrambled to include a single shred, the last-minute video left on their doorstep by the “evidence fairy”. It was a badly executed Hail Mary play to salvage what was obviously a losing effort. To anyone who dared to view the case based on the evidence, Kyle Rittenhouse clearly acted in self defense.
It is important to note this prosecution team may go down is history as being among slimiest, most underhanded and yes, possibly unlawful actors in the history of the United States legal system. Ask yourself… how hard can it be to make lawyers look bad? For them, it seemed effortless. If I were a member of the legal profession, I’d be demanding they brought up on charges. Even the most vile ambulance chaser should be screaming for their heads. Then again, maybe not. When I think about it, Binger and Kraus have actually elevated my opinion of ambulance chasers.
In the first place, one must question why charges were ever filed, especially just 48 hours after the shootings. The only evidence that so much as promised to cause any doubt at all, was that last minute video, included after the prosecution rested. At best, this so-called evidence was awful, but that wasn’t enough for the prosecution. They fudged on the copy they were required by law to give to the defense, substituting a low resolution copy for the high resolution copy that should have been give to them. They also argued to include a greatly manipulated still shot from the video, generated from software that openly states is not to be sued for forensic purposes. But that’s not all…
Twice, during the trial, the judge openly reproofed the prosecutors for brazen “misconduct”. (My word for it, I do not know what the proper terminology should be.) Some legal experts stated their actions were grounds for a mistrial with prejudice. Indeed motions for a mistrial were entered by the defense. A motion was also filed concerning the “Hail Mary evidence”. Was this bad enough? Not at all.
More than once in the closing arguments, the prosecution misstated the law and/or facts to create their fairy tale version of the events of that night. What they ignored was their own failure to prove what they promised in their opening argument. In his closing argument, Mr. Binger went so far as to state “You lose the right to self defense when you’re the one who at (sic) the gun”. Really? Since when? According to FBI statistics 692 people were killed in 2017 by “unarmed” individuals. This is less than the number of those killed by all rifles (403). How many of those victims would have died had they the means to defend themselves? The prosecution also made implied several times Rittenhouse had no cause to fear for this life because two of the three men shot were not “armed”. Again, Huber twice struck Rittenhouse with his skateboard, something the prosecution ridiculed the idea that such a thing could be lethal.
Mr. Binger went so far as to label those who attacked Kyle Rittenhouse as “heroes”. He inaccurately tried to brand Rittenhouse as an “active shooter” whom his attackers were bravely attempting to disarm. Adding to his folly, he claimed the defense would try to call Kyle Rittenhouse a hero. If there were any heroes in the room, it would be the jurors. As citizens who watched their hometown burn a year ago, facing the threat of it happening again as a direct result of their decision and possibly facing danger to themselves and their loved ones, they stuck to the facts of the case, returning a verdict of “not guilty” on all counts. How much easier would life be for them if they sent Kyle Rittenhouse to jail for the rest of his life or simply returned no verdict at all?
How many times did the prosecution bewail those who lives were lost that night? Time after time, Mr. Binger, drove home the idea that Kyle Rittenhouse as “someone who has no remorse, no regard for life only cares of about himself”. He states “All life is sacred.” Seriously, Mr. Binger? What about the life of the eighteen year-old young man whom you callously brought the trial? Whom you scrambled and apparently cheated to convict when very the evidence you presented vindicated him? When your own partner face palmed himself after your star witness blew your case? How much remorse would you have had about the defendant’s life if you had succeed in essentially taking it? For the record, I have no issues convicting a defendant proven guilty by actual factual evidence and true testimony. You had neither of these from the beginning.
The prosecution had no case. This was evident from the start. Enter the mainstream media. Almost for the moment of the first report, they screamed murder, white supremacy, vigilantism. They demanded justice for the poor “victims”. I have yet to hear one MSM source reporting on the criminal records of those who attacked Kyle Rittenhouse. If one were to try Mr. Rittenhouse via the media, he would never see the light of day. Social media stamped the “misinformation” label on nearly anything or anyone who dared suggest Rittenhouse’s innocence. Similarly, attempts to use social media to raise funds for his defense were thwarted. One Virginia police officer was fired for donating a mere $25 for his defense. None questioned how these actions defy the long-standing principle of presumed innocence.
Now that the jury in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial has returned their verdict of not guilty on all counts, the MSM and those who have condemned him are froth with anger. Several claiming allegiance to Black Lives Matter and similar organizations threatened violence should the “wrong” verdict be returned. Now many of those same individuals, along with others are proclaiming how unjust all of this is.
Here is a smattering of what some had to say (via Yahoo News and UK Independent):
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., said in a tweet that the outcome of the trial was itself an indictment of the U.S. judicial system.
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson:
The verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case is a travesty and fails to deliver justice on behalf of those who lost their lives as they peacefully assembled to protest against police brutality and violence.
Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY said in a tweet, “What we are witnessing is a system functioning as designed and protecting those it was designed for.”
Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters after the trial that the verdict “really speaks for itself”.
She added: “As many of you know, I’ve spent a majority of my career working to make the criminal justice system more equitable. And clearly, there’s a lot more work to do.”
These comments along others form the crux of my contention. All of these commentators appear ready to not only disregard the facts of the case, ignore the presumption of innocence, reject the verdict of a jury that decided this case in favor of the defendant despite enormous pressure against this. Why? Why are they so intent that Kyle Rittenhouse be declared guilty?
Kyle Rittenhouse is a pawn here. He is expendable. As with Mr. Binger, they care not at all for him. What they do care about is the destruction of our nation, including our system of justice. Rather than a jury of one’s peers deciding on the facts of a case, they appear to want public opinion to prevail as judge and jury. If they all agree someone is guilty then so be it. This is how this same group treats anyone who dares challenge their doctrines. Today, canceling those who stray from accepted dogma has become a national pastime, as that Virginia policeman was severely punished for the audacity of wanting to help a young man defend himself discovered.
There exist several loud, vocal and well-funded groups who are determined to dismantle our constitutional republic so it can be replaced by something else. They don’t care about facts. They don’t care about our Constitution. They don’t care about anything most of the citizens of this nation hold dear. They’ve demonstrated a single-minded hatred for our nation. They are determined to end it and us by any means necessary.
The attack on Kyle Rittenhouse, both on the night of August 25, 2020 and the subsequent attacks on him in both the court in Kenosha, Wisconsin and in the court of public opinion is an attack on all of us and our way of life. It is an attack on our right defend ourselves, on our right to free speech, on our right to be presumed innocent, on our right to a trial by jury, among others. This is the real threat and it threatens every citizen.
Most telling are those who blame “the system”. They blame “white supremacy”. They blame guns. They blame our right to self defense. They say they want “justice”. They do not. They want blood. They want revolution. They want communism. They said as much in a protest in nearby Chicago. (via The Daily Caller)
Footage captured a crowd of people marching the streets with a sign that called Rittenhouse a “white supremacist” and demanded to end the “fascist USA.” The crowd chanted in support of a communist revolution.
“The only solution is communist revolution,” the crowd is heard chanting.
“That’s right, we need communism. That’s what we need. We need that! We need that, sister, we need that very much,” a female demonstrator said.
This is the true significance of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. There are two types who are protesting this verdict: those who are ignorant of the facts and those who ignore them. I can understand those who are ignorant, who lack knowledge, can mistakenly protest something because they think they know the facts. They are moving forward in bad information. It is those who ignore the facts I find dangerous. They know better but because the facts do not fit their agenda, they plunge ahead anyway. To them, it is the agenda that is important, no matter what. Most dangerous of all are those whose agenda is a communist revolution.
In effect Jen Psaki says they are working with social media, specifically Facebook, but she may have singled out others, to put a stop to Covid-19 “misinformation”. Apparently they are also working with SMS (text messaging) providers to cull wrongthink from texts we send each other. Of course, I imagine the first thought most of us have is “What about our 1st Amendment?”, followed by “What is stopping them from putting the skids on other forms of wrongthink?”, and then, “Who do they think they are?”. It’s this last supposed thought I’ll address here, hence the title.