Monday, November 22, 2021

The Verdict


 There are plenty of op-eds on the verdict in the prosecution of Kyle Rittenhouse, so I will leave that to others.   Rather, I will comment on the comments and make an assessment of what this trial represented.

Of course, with social media, everyone has an opinion.  On the right, Rittenhouse is being hailed as a hero and his dismissal is a vindication of the 2nd Amendment.  On the left, he is being smeared as a white supremacist and a murderer, mostly by the MSM, setting up a raft of defamation suits.

But I would focus on the reaction here locally from our political leaders--- the people that actually run the joint—J.B. Pritzker and Lori Lightfoot.   The links to their statements are posted below:

Pritzker

Governor JB Pritzker on Twitter: "Carrying a loaded gun into a community 20 miles from your home and shooting unarmed citizens is fundamentally wrong. Read my full statement on the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict: https://t.co/Buh585oblf" / Twitter

Lightfoot

Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot on Twitter: "Here's my statement on the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict. https://t.co/9jgE1eaZfo" / Twitter

 

First, that Pritzker and Lightfoot commented at all is problematic.  While blood flows weekly in the streets of their own major city, they are compelled to have an opinion on an occurrence in another jurisdiction.  Second, the contempt with which they view our judicial system in particular and the concept of separation of powers is simply breathtaking.   Whether or not you believe the case should have been brought in the first place, the charges were duly considered by a judge and jury of 12 and, despite the threats to both, the verdict came back “not guilty.”  Neither Pritzker nor Lightfoot sat through that trial, but they think they know better.

Even worse, their instincts are to side with the rioters that were causing mayhem and attacked Rittenhouse.  Pritker’s claim that Huber and Rosenbaum “deserve to be alive today” and “deserve justice” overlooks their role in this, that justice was served and, by the way, Rosenbaum was a repeat pedophile.   The reality is that Rittenhouse likely saved a number of children in the future from his dastardly acts.

But most bothersome is the hypocrisy of their statements.   Both Pritzker and Lightfoot have spent the bulk of their administrations attempting to remediate “systemic racism.”  But it was “the system” that put in motion the unfortunate set of circumstances that led to the incident in Kenosha.   It was the MSM condemning the police for attempting to protect children and others from the acts of Jacob Blake.  It was Wisconsin governor Evers who abdicated his responsibility to protect the Kenosha community from the rioters by not calling out the national guard and a mayor that had his force stand down.  These failures led young Kyle to believe that he needed to step into the void created by failed politicians.  You can’t ask a 17 year old to use good judgment when you don’t.

Lightfoot showed real chutzpah, a mere week after a 24 year old recent University of Chicago graduate was mercilessly slaughtered on the street in the middle of the day in Hyde Park, chirped, “What Kyle Rittenhouse did was reckless, dangerous, and showed an utter contempt for human life.”  She goes on to ask for prayers for rapist Jacob Blake.  Lightfoot’s sympathies are unambiguously with the criminal class—the rapists, looters, and pedophiles.  

With over 4,000 shot and 773 homicides this year, Pritzker and Lightfoot should be focused on cleaning up their own jurisdiction first.   What is reckless, dangerous and contemptuous of human life is their policing and criminal justice reform policies.

Like Wisconsin Governor Evers, Pritzker and Lightfoot, along with Kim Foxx have abdicated a primary role of government—that is to protect the persons and property of law abiding citizens.   

And as I write this, the governor of Illinois and mayor of the City of Chicago, who both were compelled to leap to the side of Antifa and take a position counter to a judge and jury in Kenosha now stand silent as we digest the mass casualty event in Waukesha.

Suddenly, the cat has got their tongues.  And it should make you question whether you want to live in a place where either is in charge of governing.

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