Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
The Limits of the Law, and Getting Led Down Rhetorical Alleyways
Was Kyle Rittenhouse acting in self-defense when he shot Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, and Gaige Grosskreutz on August 25, 2020? That is the question the jury will have to answer. That is the only question the jury has to answer. The trial as envisioned by most news outlets and Twitter will, or at least should, settle an array of other questions. Should Kyle Rittenhouse have traveled to Kenosha that evening? Was he planning on being a vigilante? Does he suffer from a hero complex? Is he a good person?
Those asking these questions aren’t stroking their chins while deep in thought, they aren’t poring over the evidence, they aren’t asking. They’ve long had their answers—the trial is just a formality. These questions are interesting in a philosophical sense. They are irrelevant to the trial. Kyle Rittenhouse is not my friend, acquaintance, family member, coworker, employee, lover, or peer. I’m in no need to assess his character, judgment, intellect, or moral compass. He isn’t in the news because the country sees in his case grist for a hearty debate about ethics. He’s in the news because it is being decided whether the state will use taxpayer money to keep him locked in a cage for years.
Those of us of a certain age may remember Chairman Mao Zedong’s “
We’ve seen news outlets ignore looting and murder while reporting “mostly peaceful” demonstrations. A week ago, 60 Secret Service officers were wounded by “mostly peaceful protestors” who likely also set fire to a historical Episcopalian Church. After AG Barr reset the protest line a block away to better protect police and historical landmarks, the usual suspects accused Orange Man Bad of clearing “peaceful protestors” for a photo op. Just one of thousands of truths that don’t fit the narrative for many alleged journalists. Most importantly, there are the murdered, the wounded, and those charged with felonies in connection with this assault on our nation.
If we do not truthfully diagnose the problem in America, systemic and otherwise, we will never make things right. Unfortunately for everyone, if we continue to ignore the body count that rises daily in the African-American community, and continue to focus on the exception to the exclusion of the rule, we’re toast.