The Verdict & The Lessons

                                                            The View from the Middle 

The verdict is in for Kyle Rittenhouse – not guilty on all counts.  Some are celebrating, and some are disappointed.  Some are even angry.  I personally am none of those things.  I guess you could say that I am reflective.  I am hoping that everyone in this great country can learn a lesson from this entire experience.

For Kyle Rittenhouse, I am hoping that he and those like him have learned that showing up at violent riots with a gun strapped to your back is not a good idea.  This time, he was lucky.  He wasn’t killed back in August of last year, and he is not going to spend the rest of his life in jail.  If there was ever to be a “next time”, he might not be so lucky.  Trying to replace authorized and trained law enforcement officers is, at best, unwise and at worst criminal.

If you are an angry, violent person who wants to take advantage of a chaotic situation to let off steam and destroy property, don’t do it.  I doubt that Rosenbaum, Huber and Grosskreutz even knew who Jacob Blake was.  They weren’t “protestors”, they were rioters.  The lesson people like them should learn is that violent situations, even those of your making, can turn on you in an instant with tragic results.  Take your meds and stay at home and watch it on TV.

For the mainstream media who has forgotten their role in our society, don’t convict before the actual trial takes place.  Afterwards, you are all trapped into defending your pre-trial condemnations.  This will placate some, anger others and continue to slowly evaporate your viewership as your constituencies get tired of the anger and divisiveness you promote.

Politicians should learn a similar lesson in terms of prejudging any trial and then being trapped into justifying their premature missteps.  They have an additional responsibility to protect The Constitution of The United States, which they vowed to defend.   Inaccurate public statements absolutely defile the concept of due process, and the fact that it comes from people elected to protect it is extremely disappointing.  Politicians!  Hold your tongues and do your job to advocate for due process and promote the concept that Americans on trial are “innocence until proven guilty”.

And finally, and most importantly, I hope our federal, state and local governments learn that they cannot relinquish their responsibility to protect the lives and property of their constituencies.  As I stated in my last article, when they do, they create a void that will be filled by an unsanctioned and unqualified crowd on one side and an out of control, violent and angry mob on the other side.  The damage, injury and death that results is on their heads.  Some of those things will happen no matter how effective law enforcement is, but an absolute abdication of that responsibility will only serve to maximize it.

The final lesson is for all of us.  12 people (seven women, five men and one person of color) listened to all of the evidence, deliberated for four days and unanimously delivered this verdict.  We can agree or disagree.  We can debate and discuss, but we must do so respectfully and then honor this jury’s decision.