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I have refrained from writing about the Kyle Rittenhouse case from the beginning, but the letter to the editor by Clark Martin in the Dec. 4 Inter-Mountain changed my mind. It was a well-written offering and summarized in a short three-minute read what's wrong with this nation, regardless of what the air heads in the media are saying. Hat's off to Mr. Martin.
I have been making notes since that fateful day, and as I look over them it reminds me of a phenomenon that's known as cause and effect. It's a close relative of something I've written about before, which is that nearly all of the events we call accidents are not accidents at all; rather it's a chain of events in which if just one link in that chain were removed or altered the ending would be different. I heard it on a radio talk show one time years ago and the guest explained it so clearly I wondered why I'd never realized the simplicity of it.
Let's take a look at what we know. Cause: In July 2020 a woman reported a sexual assault against a man she knew. The cops didn't get him, but the woman called a month later and said he was back. They went to arrest him but he wasn't cooperating so a tussle ensued and ended with him getting shot several times. Later in early 2021 the D.A. and the Feds would not press charges.
Effect. It didn't take long for the media to spit their poison nationwide and protesters poured into Kenosha and began the burning and looting. The police couldn't hold a line and had to relocate several times.
Effect. Rittenhouse went from his home in Antioch, Illinois to a friend's house in Kenosha to get his AR-15. He said he wanted to help some people protect their property. He was drawn into the fray quite deeply and was soon in bad trouble.
Effect. Three parts. He shot and killed one man who allegedly tried to take his gun and another man who allegedly clobbered him with a skateboard in an attempt to stop him as he ran toward the police line. The third victim, who survived, allegedly pointed a pistol at Rittenhouse and was promptly shot in the arm.
In summary, if the cops hadn't shot a man who had a knife this story is over. The victim did survive the shooting, by the way. If the eggers-on from out of town hadn't come in (they are travelling protesters) the unrest would have no doubt been over in a couple nights.
If Rittenhouse hadn't gone there with his gun those two men would be alive, or if they had stayed home they'd be alive. The one who was wounded was a self-proclaimed protester who made the rounds and it caught up with him. There are lots of things here that if addressed in time could have altered the outcome. Rittenhouse was only one of those factors.
That's where we are. Too many gullible people getting killed by believing the creeps who really run the country, and it's not Joe Biden. The only running he's doing is backwards.
God save us.
Harold Arbogast
Parsons