Kyle Rittenhouse Trial and the Law of Self-Defense

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
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I’ve spent at least a good three decades of my life disconnected from any sense of duty to read about politics or even vote at every opportunity, and I would not change that in hindsight. I had other priorities over the years. Being a kid, getting educated, partying hard and chasing pussy, building a successful career, failing at relationships and raising a really solid young man is how I arrived at my current set of priorities, which now includes time for reading and writing about politics and current events.

I think there are a lot of really reasonable Democrats who are paying closer attention.

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I don’t see any of that as unreasonable, as I said. If one blindly buys the narrative, that’s unreasonable. Not caring is not unreasonable.

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I get what you’re trying to say and I agree, if all facts are known. But they’re not, and lots of reasonable people will be fooled by this behavior. Being fooled by a lie doesn’t make a person unreasonable.

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If someone bought the Covington Catholic narrative, that person is more than unreasonable. Beyond hope would be more like it. A literal idiot.

Edit: I don’t think your typical Democrat believed that story, or Rittenhouse’s. They’re just playing politics. But they knew the truth.

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If all facts are known, I agree. If you’re a person who gets riled up over a headline without reading anything further, I agree. If you’re talking about cynical Democrats playing politics with the situation, I agree.

If you’re a politically ambivalent parent caught up in parenting with a generalized notion that some white kids surrounded and mocked a kind and wise Native American elder, well, that would have been reasonable for someone who was told exactly that by the people on the nightly news.

Same with the Rittenhouse narrative.

“Oh that white kid who killed a bunch of BLM protesters?”

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Christ almighty, this thread is going to be controversial.

My opinion:

Kyle wanted to make some money and thought he was tough enough to be left alone at the riots. His life was threatened by a twice-convicted pedophile. He realized he probably should have stayed home after he shot and killed (not murdered: killed) the pedophile who attempted to take his weapon.

He started making a break for the cops, presumably to seek protection and turn himself in. He was chased by a mob of people. The mob is faster than him. Someone from the mob trips Kyle and pushes him to the floor, at which point the mob catches up with him.

Kyle is drop kicked in the head by the dude who lost his bicep (and testified in court that he attacked Kyle before Kyle shot him). At the same time, non-licensed “medic” Anthony Huber tries to brain Kyle with his skateboard while grabbing his gun. Anthony Huber dies for his perceived bravery.

Kyle shoots both individuals, gets up, and runs to the cops.

Self-defense, plain and simple. Stupid move on Kyle’s part, but he’s not a murderer. Just a douchey kid who thought he was big and bad enough to not get attacked by a sea of mentally unwell individuals. If he would have gone to bed, this could have been avoided completely. Obviously, he’s not too politically oriented or intelligent.

Craziest thing is, this video has been up for the last year. I guess people chose not to watch it so they could agree with the domestic terrorist narrative? Or so they don’t get persecuted for wrongthink by their liberal friends? Who knows.

Bad situation all around. He never should have been there, but showing up wasn’t a crime. Just an incredibly dense and particularly idiotic move on his part.

As for the people he shot, Rosenbaum was convicted of molesting five 9-11 year old children, Huber was convicted of strangulation and domestic abuse multiple times, and Grosskreutz had a conviction for using a firearm while intoxicated (he also pulled a gun on Kyle before Kyle shot him).

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I can still remember the days when Democrats cared that an adult had possibly flirted with some teens 30 years prior.

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I am also surprised just reading through this thread how many people commented without having first watched ANY footage. I remember reading about this the night it happened and by the next morning there were already several posts on reddit that had stitched together multiple angles of each shooting incident from a variety of live streams.

I think from the footage I saw, he realized this before he even turned and sent Rosenbaum to the land of wind and ghosts. The kid was clearly trying to get away in both shooting incidents. All three of the guys did just about EVERYTHING you could do to get an armed man to shoot you. Gold plated Darwin awards all around

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Hivemind is real!

Yup, the footage from the first incident showed Rosenbaum chasing Kyle down to grab his gun and trying to distract him with the plastic bag so he could more easily grab the gun. Kyle was backing away from the situation, Rosenbaum had a death wish and made Kyle carry it to fruition.

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Don’t be. One of them believed the Capitol Police Officer was beaten to death with a fire extinguisher without any video of said beating.

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It’s almost as if people are much more inclined to believe unproven and generally false statements if they happen to align with their political or moral viewpoints…hmm. No, that couldn’t be true, people would surely do their own thinking and research before parroting rumors online. Right? Right??

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At the risk of going off on a tangent, I would say this is probably what accounts for the election results in Virginia. No one was paying attention until Terry McAuliffe, the Dem, more or less told parents that the state owns their kids and that parents should shut up and mind their own business when it comes to what the state decides to teach them. That got parents’ attention.

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Yes… They were rioting, burning property etc.

I’m bowing out now. It ought to be noted, my family/friends in Europe, SA, Israel and Aus etc… Only ONE thinks Rittenhouse was justified in his actions

The circle of people I know encompasses a wide spectrum of sociopolitical beliefs. Most are centrist, but some are far right, left leaning + moderate conservatives

Rittenhouse was no hero… I’m not backing down on this. The issue has become politicised and polarised. Those who ideologically identify as right wing and engrain said mentality as being a part of their identity will justify his actions no matter what, just as those in the left who do the same will justify all wrongdoings associated with their political factions.

We will see how the trial unfolds. My preference is for him to be charged, not a homicide charge though… Weapons charges…

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Ehh…Virginia also got declared a Democrat state after an election or two. The rest of the State does have to counter the extensions of D.C. in Northern Va. and its eastern cities, but most of the State is very conservative/Republicanish.

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Your wish has been more than granted. He’s on trial for his charges now.

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On trial for a homicide charge

I think that’s insane

Rather I see the situation as “bad decisions resulting in casualties”

The only thing he needs to be charged with is unlawful possession of a firearm.

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Possessing a firearm was.

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But it wasn’t his gun. If an adult citizen saw a child with a gun, and tried to take it, can the child claim self defense if he shoots the person trying to take away the gun he illegally possesses?

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Kyle wasn’t in his house.

The point being, he was in illegal possession of a firearm and was somewhere he didn’t need to be. If he felt he needed a gun to feel safe, he should have gone home.