More than a year after being smeared by the likes of President Joe Biden and the “Squad” as a white supremacist murderer, Kyle Rittenhouse has finally, and rightly, been acquitted on all charges pertaining to the fateful Kenosha night that ended in him shooting three protesters in self-defense. Predictably, Democrats and cable news are already back on the offensive.
House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler has demanded the Justice Department investigate the acquittal while White House press secretary Jen Psaki calls for protests. With chants of “no justice, no peace” already blaring from the steps of the Kenosha courthouse, it seems the Rittenhouse case may result in exactly what triggered the trial in the first place.
There was one clear and obvious moral of the Rittenhouse acquittal: Lawless and violent rioting has consequences, and those incensed by the verdict ought to proceed accordingly.
For all that Rittenhouse’s haters have tried to blame the then-minor for showing up to Kenosha, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber would both be alive today had they not participated in reckless rioting and if they hadn’t threatened Rittenhouse’s life. Sure, Rittenhouse wasn’t wise for putting himself in harm’s way, but the onus of the night’s tragedy is on the rioters burning entire businesses to the ground and charging at armed men.
Peaceful protesting is protected by the First Amendment. The travesty that ensued in Kenosha last year was not. Even if you believe the jury decided its verdict incorrectly, replicating the violent actions of Rosenbaum and Huber would do nothing to right that perceived wrong. Let Kenosha residents heed the moral of the sick, sad story of this trial that never should have happened and let the city remain in peace.
