Kyle Rittenhouse Has Been Let Loose

His future is up to him. Or is it?

Kyle Rittenhouse learns he’s free — Photo Credit: CBS

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My heart sank today when I learned the jury found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all five counts. Not a single punishment for a young white boy carrying an assault weapon to a BLM protest rally, where he ended up killing two men and wounding another.

The story is that the prosecution blew it, confusing the jury and putting doubt in their minds. We all saw the courtroom antics, perpetrated mainly by a loony judge who refused to allow the word ‘victim’ but did allow ‘looters’ and ‘arsonists’; who stopped the prosecution from showing Kyle’s past history but did allow the past histories of the victims''; who audaciously allowed the defendant, Kyle Rittenhouse, to draw out pieces of paper selecting six of the final jurors—in front of the jurors.

The whole trial seemed comedic at times, not nearly as serious as two murders and a wounding would require. It 'was, let’s face it, a travesty. But the jury gets to decide and all 12 of them acquitted Kyle on every count. One of them could have said no and stopped the action. All it took was one of them. A hung jury, and Kyle could have been retried. But he won this. He can’t be tried for this crime in a criminal court again.

I’m a mom and have been for so long my oldest is on Social Security. I think like a mom and I always will. It’s not that I feel sorry for Kyle. He got himself into this mess. But, at 17, he made a reckless decision that will now affect the rest of his life. His life will never be the same. He’s not so much free as he is let loose.

So here are my thoughts today:

My dream is that Kyle Rittenhouse will have grown up throughout all of this and now that he's free he'll take stock of his life and choose a different path. He'll give up his AR14, he'll turn down all offers from the militant right, he'll spend his life doing good.

My nightmare is that he'll be seduced by fame and fortune into being the poster boy for all young wannabees looking to make a name by hoisting an assault weapon and driving for miles to 'enforce' the law their way.

If I were Kyle Rittenhouse's mother I would be taking stock, too, begging my young son to change his ways and find the good in people. But when money flows, money talks, and $500,000 is a lot of money. That’s what those on the right and with MAGA raised for him. He could afford to hire good lawyers and it may just have bought him his freedom.

The money came from many sources, none of them lily-pure, and both Kyle and his mother knew it. They were wined and dined and made to feel special--all because Kyle shot three men protesting the shooting of a black man, killing two and wounding another. [NOTE: I originally said ‘murder of a black man’ but the victim, Jacob Blake, survived. He is partially paralyzed. Sorry for the error.]

He'll be the darling of the militant MAGA crowd--and it takes a big man to turn that down. I see no signs that Kyle can be that man, but I'm a dreamer. I want to believe it's possible.

What would happen if he chose to disavow those scoundrels who benefit from making him a hero? Their revenge would be relentless. He might never be safe. There are no signs that he could look beyond that, nor can I assume he would want to. It's the world he foolishly chose.

But my heart hurts and, selfishly, I want this to stop. I want our young boys to see the value in doing good. I don't want to lose another one to that ugly mob. I don't want them to find their value behind an assault weapon, taking orders from ravaged souls already lost.

I'm rambling here, I know, but I'm haunted by the sight of Kyle Rittenhouse standing before the jury. learning they found him innocent of all charges, then collapsing and crying as he gets his life back. And I'm sickened by the reality: that he'll surely mess it up.

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