Kyle Rittenhouse
I got attacked by friends for shaking his hand and grabbing a copy of the book written about him. This is evidently an extremely polarizing topic. I did no know how polarizing it would be until I let people know I simply shook his hand. I do not like bringing race into things; however, it appears whites have a view on Kyle Rittenhouse while blacks are largely unaware of the war going on with this name at the center. This is confusing to me, and no one has ever been able to provide a decent explanation for it. I shall set forth my position here for my posterity, that they may know what I thought and knew if ever they were to wonder.
The situation surrounding Kyle Rittenhouse’s self-defense acquittal is a legal Grey area that our Courts are trying to figure out. There are recent decisions stating that you cannot have your rights abridged (i.e. carrying a firearm) when crossing an imaginary line. So, if you can carry in your home state and travel across state lines you do not necessarily become a felon by virtue of crossing that imaginary state line. The Bruen decision out of the Supreme Court is very enlightening.
Further, Rittenhouse survived prosecution because of the Wisconsin se laws. He was allowed to use deadly force because video showed
he was being chased and
he was struck with a skateboard.
A skateboard is more than enough weight to strike someone dead. He was a 17 child being chased by adults who were brandishing skateboards and firearms themselves. He was well within a sel posture at that time.
In my estimation:
He was a scared boy being attacked by grown-ass men. They had a burden to educate and direct his life as men; they failed in that burden. Now Rittenhouse's life is forever changed and one of those men is in the ground. Those men were obstructing public thoroughfares and causing a ruckus in the streets. Those men were yelling and actively participating in the darkness of savagery. They had opportunity to debate and choose to lead with words; they instead chose to lead with violence. Rittenhouse, a boy, went to meet those men where they were. If they had been real men engaging in debate in the public square, that boy would have met them there. I take my actions as a man very seriously that I may affect boys to behave similarly. I wish we all did the same. Sad situation but very telling regarding the society in which we find ourselves today.
Kyle Rittenhouse’s father was not ever present in his life. His father suffers from a substance abuse disorder (as I do) and could not present himself as an able father. The mother did all she could, but a child needs both parents equally in their life; this is my strong belief. As I understand things, the father lives in Kenosha where Kyle was driven. Maybe his mother should have foregone a trip to his father’s city given the riots in the streets; although, if his father were around there would have been no need to drive anywhere to see him.
When a boy’s father is absent, it should be up to the boy’s community to lead that boy into manhood. This did not appear to have happened with Kyle. Instead, Kyle was surrounded by men illegally rioting in the streets, Kenosha that night was not peaceful; there were no debates; there were no letters penned; there was only chaos and destruction. There was only passion absent any reason. A boy who stood without a father and without a strong community of men went to meet the men where they were. Unfortunately, all he was driven to was violence and chaos.
An entire community of adults failed that boy. We cannot expect that he would grow into a righteous man when his world was devoid thereof. We cannot expect more out of a boy than we have poured into him. We must take the lesson here; we must raise our boys into men. These emotional and passionate boys will never grow into fully-actualized, reasonable men. That is society’s fault, not the boy’s fault.