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 2^nd 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.

Remembrance- It's Worse Than You Think

 

I spent some time yesterday reflecting on the anniversary of Kristallnacht.  I participated in the observance of the event through the Illinois Holocaust Museum.  Later, I listened to Bari Weiss’s podcast interview with author Dara Horn, who discussed her book, “People Love Dead Jews,” a collection of essays about antisemitism.

I found it appropriate to do them together as the ceremony at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Bari Weiss’s interview with Dara Horn were perfect complements to each other.

Although I am not Jewish, I have had a strong interest in WWII, and, in particular, the Holocaust.  I have read widely on the topic, reviewed several excellent films, such as Son of Saul, and wrote a piece a few years ago in opposition to the proposed Polish law that would have made speaking of the “Polish Holocaust” or similar references illegal.

At bottom, I still seek to understand how citizens in a civilized Western country could have done such things.  And I am also seeking to relate those events to some of the things that are going on right here and now in the U.S. and wondering how concerned we should be.

The ceremony at the Illinois Holocaust Museum was appropriately solemn and dignified.  It had the Israeli Consulate General give some remarks as well as the granddaughter of one of the survivors.  Most moving was the lighting of the candles by some of the survivors and the mournful singing of the cantor.

I urge you to listen to the podcast interview of Dara Horn.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weekend-extra-why-people-love-dead-jews/id1570872415?i=1000541010284

Perhaps the most important takeaway is Bari Weiss’s assertion that “The fate of Jews and the fate of liberty are intertwined,” a statement I agree with wholeheartedly.  Some of their conversation focused on the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh three years ago, as well as the self-erasure that some Jewish institutions engage in in an effort to be more “inclusive.”

Yet, given current events, I found the ceremony and the conversation a little incomplete.  The speakers at the Illinois Holocaust Museum, while remembering the past, did not spend a great deal of time on the most worrying aspect of the current expressions of antisemitism. 

By commission and omission, the State has been an ally to antisemitic forces.  On a national level, both Ilhan Omar have made clear antisemitic statements and the House of Representatives could not bring itself to censure them.   In New York, under the pretext of enforcing COVID restrictions, authorities bullied Hasidic Jews, stopped them from having funeral services and other gatherings.  Most egregiously, they chased young Jewish mothers with their children off playgrounds—even though children have almost no risk from COVID.   And in cities like New York and Los Angeles, Jews have been subjected to random attacks on the streets by African Americans, which attacks have been widely captured on video and disseminated on social media.  The passivity of law enforcement in these cities has been particularly harmful to the Jewish community.

So, yes, we are seeing a resurgence of anti-semitism here in the U.S.

It was a mere four years ago that I saw a flyer on a public bulletin board at the University of Illinois at Chicago that proclaimed, “White Supremacy starts with Jewish Supremacy.”  Now that we are seeing signs that the State is not unequivocally and forcefully pushing back against it, and may be tacitly ok with it, we should be very worried.

Dara Horn said that she objected to Jews being viewed as “canaries in the coal mine.”   I view it a little differently.  My Jewish brothers and sisters are on the front lines of liberty.  And we need to stand with them, even when some don’t see it yet.

Preying on Youth

 

Our society seems to be being pulled apart by a number of forces—our political divisions, urban crime, Cancel Culture, Woke ideology that seems to have taken hold in nearly every institution, the corrosion of our educational system, the corruption of our media.

But there is one development that worries me the most—and that is our society’s disregard for the safety of our young people, particularly when it comes to sexual assault and sexual exploitation.  Indeed, our institutions have been complicit in the most egregious violations of their personhood.  That our institutions look the other way.

Chicago Blackhawks
As more is coming to light about the sexual assault of Kyle Beach, the more we should be repulsed by an organization that swept this awful occurrence under the rug.  The offender, Brad Aldrich,  went on to coach in high school and assaulted a 16 year old, and who knows how many others.  The Blackhawks just obtained the resignation of general manager Scotty Bowman, issued a statement and asked that Aldrich’s name be removed from the Stanley Cup.  The league pressured Coach Quennville to resign from the Florida Panthers.

Yet, this is 10 years too late and, like the Catholic archdiocese, the Blackhawks remained silent and allowed Aldrich to move on when what happened to Beach was common knowledge.

That the organization covered up for Aldrich is hideous.  Whatever sins were committed by  the mismanagement of Bill Wirtz in comparison to what occurred under the aegis of his son, Rocky.

U.S. Gymnastics
It was hard not to rage as McKayla Maroney and others testified about the abuse they suffered at the hands of Larry Nasser.  Michigan State president Lou Ann Simon resigned in the wake of the scandal and her replacement, interim president John Engler resigned after he was quoted as saying that the victims seemed to be “enjoying the spotlight.”    Most incredibly, FBI agents changed Maroney’s statements, and were slow to pursue allegations against Nasser, which enabled him to abuse more victims.

Loudoun County
We learned that a 14 year old girl was raped in the girls’ bathroom by a boy wearing a skirt.  The school board covered up the crime, transferred the boy to another school, where he molested another victim.  The school board, which recently implemented a transgender friendly policy enabling a student that self identifies as a girl to have access to the girls’ bathroom.  In its eagerness to advance its trans agenda, the board and principal showed their eagerness to trample over the safety of adolescent girls and the result was a girl brutally raped and several others assaulted.   To date, no one has resigned.

For Kyle Beach, McKayla Maroney, Simone Biles and the other victims of Larry Nasser, Brad Aldrich, and the Loudoun County rapist, the assaults were defining moments  of their lives.  It was a horrible occurrence that forever changed the trajectory of their lives. 

These were outstanding young people.  In the case of the gymnasts and Kyle Beach, they were athletes that evidenced discipline to compete at the highest level of their sport. 

The outrage is not simply that these horrendous things happened to these beautiful, talented and innocent young people.   That is bad in and of itself.  But the grotesqueness of it all is that the structures and institutions PROTECTED THE PERPETRATORS, enabled them to go on to sexually abuse and exploit more young people.  These are organizations whose mission is, in part at least, to develop and showcase the talents of young people.  Instead, they actively colluded to coddle the predators.

It’s as if the people running these organizations learned nothing from Joe Paterno and learned nothing from the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church. 

These awful collusions and cover-ups are very bad indicators for our society.